All posts filed under: Historical posts

Thinking of writing your first book? This is my writing process.

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Recently a friend of mine sent me an email.  She told me how much she used to enjoy writing, but over the years she had let her passion fall away.  She told me that the release of my novel rekindled her desire to write, but was unsure how to start.  She wondered if I could help.  I wasn’t sure if I could, as I have absolutely no idea whether my method of writing could be of any use to anyone other than myself.  But I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, so I sent her a breakdown of the process I use in constructing a novel.  There are no big secrets here, so if anyone else is interested in how I write, this is it.  I must make it clear that different writers, have different methods, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. This is just the process I use when writing. Please forgive the informal and personal tone of this post, remember, it was written in the form of a letter originally. …

Shades of Time. A new novel by Sandra Dennis

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What is it that connects us to the events of the past? We can certainly learn history through literature or other forms of media, but sometimes the connection goes much deeper than this.  This is especially the case if we have a local or family connection to those same events.   Is it through the memories passed down the generations? Or Possibly through items left behind,  such as pieces of jewelry or family heirlooms?  Or maybe it is the land itself which forms an intrinsic bond with those who live in its hills, fields, and forests – a link that remains over the centuries? This is the intriguing subject of the new novel ‘Shades of Time’ by Sandra Dennis.  She has very kindly offered to write a guest post on her novel and why she felt compelled to write it, so I’ll pass you over to her… Thomas M D Brooke   The discovery of an Anglo-Saxon brooch brings forth spirits from the past in search of revenge… I had to write ‘Shades of Time’, there was no getting away from this story which was inspired by …

Eight alternatives to swords

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A great swordsman is a wonderful asset to any historical or fantasy novel, but it would be a pretty ordinary literary world, if the only weapon we ever came across in such literature was that versatile and elegant weapon.  Variety is a virtue in itself when it comes to writing, and just as the Roman’s discovered in their gladiatorial contests, sometimes matching opponents with contrasting weapons and skills often made for the best shows.  Take for example the unarmoured Retiarius armed with net and trident, matched against the heavily armoured Murmillo with sword and shield.  I have no tridents in this list, but I have a few options to arm your literary characters with. victorbrenntice.hubpages.com The Mace. In the Dark ages, only the richest of warriors could afford chain mail, and therefore it was relatively rare.  However as we approached the 11th Century this form of armour became more common and therefore protagonists often found that more damage was inflicted by heavier concussion weapons rather than penetrative or edged weapons such as swords.  The mace …

Sunday update! Sequel, great review, and a give-away.

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Sunday update! I’ve started work on a sequel! It’s been a while since I’ve had some news on my own writing, so I am delighted to tell you that I have now started writing the sequel to Roman Mask.  It will obviously be a long project, so don’t expect anything soon, but at least it is on its way now.  You may be wondering why it has taken me so long before even starting this book, but before I could begin, I needed to do mountains of research for this particular story.  I will keep the story-line to myself for now, but rest assured that Cassius will be back and I hope that this novel is as exciting and as well received as Roman Mask.  I still plan to be just as committed to this blog as you have come to expect, so you can still look forward to weekly posts on historical and fantasy novels.  Speaking of Roman Mask, I received an excellent review for my novel on the website Tometender last week.  The …

The Coming! Guest Post by Alan R Lancaster

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I wrote a piece a couple of weeks back regarding the novels of  Bernard Cornwell’s: ‘The Last Kingdom’ and the TV series of the same name which has just come out on the BBC.  This brought me to the attention of Alan Lancaster, who loves this period of history and writes extensively on the subject.  Much as he liked the series, he pointed out some issues where the series differs from the real story behind one of the great migrations into the British Isles.  I thought it only fair that I give him a chance to set the record straight so I asked him to write a post on Anglo-Saxon Britain and the coming of the Vikings.  Alan Lancaster is real authority on the subject and writes his own historic novels on the subject, you’ll find links to some of his writing at the end of the article. Okay, so over to Alan! Thomas Brooke study.abingdon.org THE COMING                         A Brief Story of Aengla Land The Romans had left Britain around seven years before a council of Celtic tribal …

10 types of Warriors Part 2 – Dark ages to Medieval

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deadliestblogpage.wordpress.com The Saxon.  After the Romans left the shores of Britain, the Saxons started to arrive on its shores.  Fair haired muscular warriors from the North German plain, their progress was allegedly held up by the legendary King Arthur.  But after his demise the impeding tide could only be held back for so long, and eventually the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England were formed from Northumbria in the North, through to Mercia in the midlands, and Wessex and Kent in the south. marineinsight.com The Viking.  The English Kingdoms peace was shattered in the ninth century by the Danes, who decided to come Viking and take what was on offer from the rich and prosperous land.  The sight of their dreaded longboats is one of the most feared images from history.  The Vikings came first to raid, but then realised they preferred England to Denmark and settled in the North of England – their progress South being thwarted by Alfred the Great’s Anglo-Saxon Wessex. The Normans.  Contrary to what many people think, the Normans were not actually …

Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom. Can the television series match up to the books?

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As the BBC are about to be showing the new televised series of these novels in the UK, I thought it would be a good time to discuss these books.  For those of you who live outside of the UK, I have no idea whether you’ll be able to watch it or not, but in this day of cable TV and the internet, I’m sure it won’t be hard to find somewhere.  What is clear, is that the television series has a lot to live up to regardless. Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon tales, also known as The Last Kingdom series, begins with the novel of the same name.  It covers the breathtakingly exciting period of history of the ninth century when the Vikings were a scourge on England’s shores.  The English Saxon Kingdoms began to fall to the Danish invaders, one by one, and the large kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, and Kent are all soon overwhelmed.  But just as all seems lost, one last kingdom stands strong, the Kingdom of Wessex, ruled by the now legendary …

Sunday update! Roman Mask now available in all formats!

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“I loved this book. There’s no other way to say it.” 5 Stars – Readersfavorite.com Up until now, my novel Roman mask has only been available to buy in a paperback version, or for the Kindle device via Amazon.  Although, the kindle device is obviously very popular (I have one myself) there are plenty of other reading devices out there.  So I am delighted to say Roman Mask is now available in all formats, including for the Nook, the Kobo, and the iPad.  The cost remains the same, which ever device is your preference $2.99 USA, £1.99 UK. Buy Roman Mask here! Nook via Barnes and Noble Kobo via Kobo store iPad, iPhone via Apple iBooks Kindle via Amazon In other news, I will continue to write my posts on either historical or fantasy literature, but if anyone else wants to contribute posts just let me know.  I enjoy showcasing other people’s point of views so don’t be afraid to offer your own posts.  You can get in touch through the ‘Contact Me’ section of the website, and I also …

The siblings of Cleopatra, a family like no other….

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Most of us have a vague understanding of the story of Cleopatra, the exotic Egyptian Queen who first seduced the mighty Julius Caesar, before falling for Mark Antony, and the tragic end to her story.  However, most know little of her remarkable family’s story, the descendants of the line of Ptolemy who had ruled Egypt since the time of Alexander the Great.  Their stories are no less remarkable, and more often than not, just as tragic. For the sake of simplicity, where possible, I have listed the characters by their epithet or ‘nickname.’ This was a convention the Greeks first used to distinguish them apart as they all tended to have the same name (A lot of Ptolemys) which is very confusing! leimpresedellamusica.com The Father – Auletes. When Ptolemy XI of Egypt died without a male heir, the next in line was Auletes, who was the illegitimate son of a previous ruler name Soter (by an unknown concubine).  He was then quickly married to his own sister Tryphaena to strengthen the line and his claim.  …

10 Types of ancient warriors.

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Picture from 1zoom.net The Hoplite. Normally a farmer by trade, when the call came he took up his large Hoplite shield, dons his breastplate, greaves, and helmet and marches to war.  Such warriors were the backbone of each Greek city state’s strength.  In more peaceful times they could compete in different forms of physical prowess in the Olympic games. Picture from mindenkilapja.hu The Spartan.  Spartan society was based on one thing: war! At twelve years old each young boy was taken under the wing of an elder veteran and incorporated into the great Spartan Phalanx.  The sight of which was feared throughout Greece and Persia.  The three hundred Spartans who held the pass at Thermopylae have passed into legend. Picture from monolith.dnsalias.org The Immortal.  The Persian Emperors finest men, the bodyguard and elite of his army were skilled with spear, blade, and bow.  This small army consisted of 10,000 warriors, never more, never less.  As soon as one died or was gravely wounded he was replaced by another of equal skill immediately so that their numbers always remained constant and thus gave …