Autumn newsletter - now you know what I did last summer!

It's been a busy summer!

Well summer is at a close, and despite the unseasonable heat here in the south west of England, the days are growing noticeably shorter and soon the land will be cloaked in autumn mists. I haven't sent out a newsletter for a while and when I do, they tend to just be announcing releases. So I thought this time I would give you a quick update of what I've been doing over the summer and what you can expect from me in the next few months. In other words, a proper newsletter!

During the summer, my first two books, The Serpent Sword and The Cross and the Curse, were published by Aria. They are both doing really well, and at the time of writing, they are at positions one and two respectively in the UK Amazon's Historical Thriller category. They are also both reduced to 99p at the moment in the UK, so snap them up if you haven't already bought them. It looks like they are cheap in other countries too, but it is hard to keep track, and the prices change all the time.

Book three of The Bernicia Chronicles, Blood and Blade, has now been edited and its cover is done. There are just a few last tweaks to things like the map inside and it will be ready to go. The few people who have read advance copies have raved about it, so I hope you'll like it too. You can pre-order it now.

I have also been working hard on book four, which I am tentatively calling, Killer of Kings. I set myself a schedule at the beginning of the year and I am well on track to finish the first draft ahead of my target. I wasn't able to write as much as usual over August, as I had some holiday time with my family and I promised myself (and them!) I would not work while we were away.

We went to Lake Garda in Italy and visited Venice and Verona too, as well as the small towns around the lake. I have visited Italy a few times before and I love it there. I have to admit to feeling the murmurings of the muse during this recent holiday as we walked, so perhaps there will be some novels set in Renaissance Italy in my future. Who knows?

 Shortly after coming back from holiday, I attended my first Historical Novel Society Conference. These conferences are held in the UK every two years and people travel from all over the world to attend. There are numerous panels, talks, speeches, pitch sessions with agents and generally two days jam packed with things of interest to historical fiction writers, readers and publishing professionals. This year it was held in Oxford at one of the colleges and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. To make it even more exciting, I had been asked to speak on a couple of panels: "Battle Scenes - Guts, Gore and Glory" and "Working with an Agent v Going Solo".
 

Justin Hill, a smiling me, Harry Sidebottom, Douglas Jackson and Simon Scarrow. (Photo copyright: Christine Hancock) 

The Battle Scenes panel was the first time I was going to talk in public about my books or my writing, and as if that wasn't scary enough, the other panelists were true titans of historical fiction: Justin Hill, Simon Scarrow, Harry Sidebottom and Douglas Jackson, great writers all and responsible for the deaths of thousands of men in their novels. I was nervous beforehand, but I needn't have worried. They were all friendly, welcoming and very supportive.

It was a relaxed, fun session, with each of us giving our unique perspective and experiences on the art of writing battle scenes, but the conclusion from us all was that whether a battle scene is describing many thousand-strong legions in ancient Rome, mud-splattered Saxons and Vikings in a shieldwall, the cannons and cavalry charges of the Napoleonic wars, or the clattering roar of machine gun fire scything through young men as they stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944, the most important element is the character who will provide the point of view for the novelist to tell the story. If the readers are engaged and invested in the characters, the battle scene will be exciting and worth reading.

The other panel about working with an agent was also great fun. I shared the stage with two agents, Lisa Eveleigh and Joanna Swainson, and another author, Hazel Gaynor. The conclusion from everyone involved seemed to be that whilst it was very possible to be successful without an agent, provided an author is prepared and equipped to publicise themselves and handle all of the work traditionally undertaken by a publisher, the right literary agent can provide so much more, and open doors that a self-published author will not even get to knock on.

The last piece of news I have is that the audio books for the first three novels in the Bernicia Chronicles have been confirmed and are planned to all be available by the release date of Blood and Blade in December. I'm really looking forward to finding out who will narrate the stories and to hearing my books brought to life by someone else. It should be exciting.

But for now, as things settle back down into the normal routine of work, writing and the kids back at school, I am focusing on completing the first draft of Killer of Kings and then moving on with the editing. I should be finished by Christmas or sooner, with the book due for release around Fathers' Day next year.

All the best and I hope you have a great autumn (that's fall to any Americans out there!).

Happy reading!

Matthew

REVIEW: Audiobook of Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims by Toby Clements

Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims by Toby Clements
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to confess to knowing next to nothing about the Wars of the Roses, and have never been overly interested in the period. I am always amazed that people can get so het up about whether Richard III was a good king, or a ruthless despot. So, despite having heard great things about this book, I had put off reading it for longer than I should have. In the end I picked up the audio book on Audible, and I cannot believe I waited this long to "read" it.

Story:

The blurb on the book is as follows:

February, 1460: in the bitter dawn of a winter's morning a young nun is caught outside her priory walls by a corrupt knight and his vicious retinue.

In the fight that follows, she is rescued by a young monk and the knight is defeated. But the consequences are far-reaching, and Thomas and Katherine are expelled from their religious Orders and forced to flee across a land caught in the throes of one of the most savage and bloody civil wars in history: the Wars of the Roses.

Their flight will take them across the Narrow Sea to Calais where Thomas picks up his warbow, and trains alongside the Yorkist forces. Katherine, now dressed as a man, hones her talents for observation and healing both on and off the fields of battle. And all around them, friends and enemies fight and die as the future Yorkist monarch, Edward, Earl of March, and his adviser the Earl of Warwick, later to become known as the Kingmaker, prepare to do bloody battle.

Encompassing the battles of Northampton, Mortimer's Cross and finally the great slaughter of Towton, this is war as experienced not by the highborn nobles of the land but by ordinary men and women who do their best just to stay alive. Filled with strong, sympathetic characters, this is a must-read series for all who like their fiction action-packed, heroic and utterly believable.

Review:

Following my admission that I was not interested in the period in which the story is set, the audio book got off to a shaky start with a rather clunky introduction that set the scene of who was fighting who, but it seemed very forced and there were too many names mentioned in a couple of paragraphs making it impossible to really follow, unless, of course, you already knew the history. But then why would you need the intro? I would much have preferred a historical note at the end of the book, but alas, there isn't one.

After the short introduction, the story started and to my dismay, it was in the present tense. But it happened hundreds of years ago, I said to myself! How can this be in present tense? I was all prepared to give up on the book then, almost before it had started, but of course I didn't. And you know what? As if some magic spell had been cast on me, the tense the prose is written in ceased to be an issue for me as, within minutes, the book leapt to glorious life. The immediacy of the writing, the rawness of the characters, the details of the historical context, the gory battles, the touching relationships, the jeopardy, the horrors of war... After those initial moments, the book was almost perfect.

I couldn't stop thinking about the story when I wasn't listening to the book. I felt that I knew the protagonists and I shared in their anguish as each terrible incident befell them. When I got to the end, I was desperate to know more and immediately bought the second in the series, Kingmaker: Broken Faith.

My verdict?

An astounding novel. A gripping, blood-soaked trek along the muddy tracks of fifteenth century Britain.

Narrator:

Jack Hawkins adds a near perfect narration to a near perfect book. I don't often think that a book benefits from being narrated, but in this case, I think it does. Hawkins hits just the right note of earthiness and solidity in his delivery. He manages to give each character a distinct voice and accent without overdoing it. The only slightly weak accent was for the Welsh characters, but they seemed to improve as the book progressed.

Overall rating: 5 stars

View all my reviews

REVIEW: Audiobook of The Lord of Ireland by E.M. Powell

The Lord of Ireland by E.M. Powell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I have 'read' in the "Fifth Knight" series by E.M. Powell. I'd read lots of positive reviews of the first two novels, Fifth Knight, The and The Blood of The Fifth Knight, so I jumped at the chance of listening to the audiobook of The Lord of Ireland.


Story:

The blurb on the book is as follows:

"John is a prince without prospect of a crown. As the youngest son of Henry II, he has long borne the hated nickname "Lackland." When warring tribes and an ambitious Anglo-Norman lord threaten Henry's reign in Ireland, John believes his time has finally come. Henry is dispatching him there with a mighty force to impose order.
Yet it is a thwarted young man who arrives on the troubled isle. John has not been granted its kingship - he is merely the Lord of Ireland, destined never to escape his father's shadow. Unknown to John, Henry has also sent his right-hand man, Sir Benedict Palmer, to root out the traitors he fears are working to steal the land from him.
But Palmer is horrified when John disregards Henry's orders and embarks on a campaign of bloodshed that could destroy the kingdom. Now Palmer has to battle the increasingly powerful Lord of Ireland. Power, in John's hands, is a murderous force - and he is only just beginning to wield it."

Review:

Not having read the first two books, I wondered whether I would miss anything in the story, but I needn't have worried. The salient points from the previous novels were clear and the novel works well as a standalone adventure. I know the previous books are labelled as historical mysteries/thrillers, but this seemed to fit firmly in the historical action adventure camp, rather than mystery. This is not a bad thing in my opinion.

The characters are strong and well-portrayed and the story flows well and quickly. I knew nothing about Prince John's campaign in Ireland, so I not only enjoyed the ripping tale of intrigue, battles and skulduggery, but I also felt I learnt quite a bit in the process. The historical note at the end of the novel added to my enjoyment, with succinct and entertaining information about the period and how some of the details that Powell had use almost directly from the chroniclers' accounts from the time. It's amazing what nuggets an author can find that just cry out to be used.

The hero and heroine of the piece were not my favourite characters, in fact I found Palmer's wife to be annoying in her moralistic view of things, though she is a good foil for the evil Prince John. John Lackland is suitably ineffective and generally underhand and greedy, traits that have seen him play the villain over and over in fiction. I couldn't help wonder whether he was really as useless as portrayed, but then the notes on the history seemed to bear out the image of him. I guess he is so often the baddie in books and films because he really was nasty!

My favourite character was Hugh de Lacy, as he seemed the most nuanced. Is he good or bad? Vicious or kindly? He is as robust a character as you are likely to find and of all the cast, he felt like the most real and also the one I'd most like to share a cup of wine with. Though I doubt he'd have had much time for me!

The story has a good deal of action, with gripping fights and chases, as the protagonists seek to prevent John from totally wrecking his father's realm whilst they also try to avoid being killed by the impetuous and cruel prince.

My verdict?

A fast-paced adventure that tells the story of John Lackland's catastrophic Ireland campaign with a good dose of intrigue and action thrown in for good measure.

Narrator:

This was the weakest part of the package for me. James Langton is clearly a skilled narrator, giving each character a unique voice, and performing the dialogue well. However, there was something about his general intonation that I found just didn't click with me. He would sometimes stress words on the 'wrong' syllable or go up at the end of sentences as if asking a question. This didn't make the book difficult to listen to and is purely a matter of personal taste, but I couldn't help thinking a different narrator, perhaps one with a bit more gravitas, would have done the material more justice.

Overall score:

4 out of 5 stars

View all my reviews

REVIEW: Audiobook of War at the Edge of the World by Ian Ross

War at the Edge of the World by Ian James Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recently had a long trip ahead of me for work and decided to get an audiobook from Audible to listen to during the interminable flights, waits in airport lounges and taxi rides. I have had my eye on Ian Ross's debut, War at the Edge of the World, for some time, so I downloaded the book onto my phone and away I went.




Story:

The blurb on the book is as follows:

"The epic first installment in a new series set at the end of empire in the reign of the Emperor Constantine, The War at the Edge of the World follows newly promoted centurion Aurelius Castus into the tumultuous battle for the future of Rome.
Once a soldier in an elite legion from the Danube, now stuck in Britain's provincial backwater, Castus believes his glory days are over. But fate is about to intervene. When the king of the Picts, the savage people beyond Hadrian’s Wall, dies in mysterious circumstances, Castus is selected to command the bodyguard of a Roman envoy sent to negotiate with the barbarians.
But the diplomatic mission ends in bloody tragedy. Castus and his men are soon fighting for their lives and the legionary discovers that nothing about his doomed mission was ever what it seemed."

Review:

I haven't read a lot of Roman-era historical fiction, which I think might well have been a good thing here, as I am sure there are many comparisons that could be made to the work of other writers such as Riches, Scarrow and Kane.

As it is, free from the fetters of comparisons, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey into Ross's blood-spattered vision of 4th century Britain. The story is quite straightforward, but the gruff protagonist carries the story as easily as he dispatches his enemies with sword, spear or his bare hands.

The narrative rattles along, with a good dose of intrigue and more than enough action for this reader. The story was satisfying, with some great battle scenes. The only area I thought the book lacked a little was in the depth of the supporting cast. For the most part, they come and go, and I was not that upset if they died, or pleased if they survived the bloody uprising of the Picts.

Having said that, Aurelius Castus is a great, strong heroic figure who I am sure will go on to more exciting adventures in the future novels of the series.

My verdict?

An action-packed, blood-soaked vision of the untamed northern fringes of the Roman Empire of the 4th century.

Narrator:

Jonathan Keeble reads the story with verve and passion. Of the handful of audiobooks I have listened to in the last few years, Keeble was the best narrator by some distance. Each character has a recognisable voice with nuances and a specific delivery of dialogue that really lifts the narrative. The battle scenes are gripping and Keeble easily conveys the excitement and horror of facing enemies who are close enough to smell their breath and sweat.

Overall score:

4 out of 5 stars

View all my reviews

Review of The Wolf and the Raven by Steven A. McKay

I recently received a review copy of the audio book of Steven A. McKay's second novel, "The Wolf and the Raven" that is now available on Audible.

Story

The blurb on the book is as follows:

In the aftermath of a violent rebellion Robin Hood and his men must fight for survival with an enemy deadlier than any they've faced before... 1322. England is in disarray and Sir Guy of Gisbourne, the king's own bounty hunter, stalks the greenwood, bringing bloody justice to the outlaws and rebels who hide there. When things begin to go horribly wrong self-pity, grief and despair threaten to overwhelm the young wolf's head who will need the support of his friends and family now more than ever.

As with all of McKay's writing it is action-packed, with strong characters fighting for their lives and the survival of their loved ones. Danger and peril lurk around every corner and there is never a dull moment. Robin faces the reality that he is to be a father and is also now the leader of a group of men who are being tracked by the villainous Sir Guy of Gisbourne, a dastardly bounty hunter out to destroy all outlaws.

There are two main parts to the narrative: Robin Hood and his men struggling with Guy of Gisbourne, and the fate of the two charismatic Knights Hospitaller, Sir Richard-at-Lee and his trusted sergeant-at-arms, Stephen. I have to confess I enjoyed the side story of the knights more than that of Robin and his outlaws. I liked Stephen's quest for aid in London and Sir Richard's travails back in Kirklees. However, I was slightly disappointed by the denouement of the knights' tail. It lacked a certain heroic panache that McKay seems to reserve for the protagonist.

It is a dark novel. Important characters are killed, people get badly beaten and injured, and things look bleak for Robin and his cohorts. Robin's enemy is evil in the extreme, and whilst McKay gives Gisbourne a back story to explain his violence, you never really feel sympathy for the bounty hunter.

The Wolf and the Raven is a solid sequel to the great debut Wolf's Head. Whilst it is clearly a transition novel, adding depth to the characters and setting the scene for later adventures, the second act of a longer story, it is an extremely satisfying read that paves the way for the last two books McKay plans in The Forest Lord series.

My verdict?

McKay does it again. Blood-splattered historical adventure from a powerful story-teller.

Narrator

Nick Ellsworth, who has read all of McKay's works to date, reads with a strong sense of authenticity. He has a deep, serious voice that is naturally suited to the gravity of the story. There are a few moments when I was put off by unusual pronunciations of certain words, and I would recommend speeding up the Audible player to 1.25X, which seems to provide the perfect speed of delivery, but all in all Ellsworth gives a solid performance that is worthy of the material.

Experience

Audible is a real doddle to use. No problems at all.

Overall score

4.5 out of 5 stars

Links

The Wolf and the Raven on Amazon.co.uk

The Wolf and the Raven on Audible.co.uk
Steven A. McKay's webpage

Review of audiobook "Knight of the Cross" by Steven A. McKay

Following on from my recent review of another audio book, I was lucky enough to get the offer to receive a review copy of Steven A. McKay's latest work, the novella "Knight of the Cross" that is now available as an audio book on Audible.

Story

The blurb on the book is as follows:

The Knights Hospitaller battle ancient evil in medieval Rhodes as mysterious disappearances and insane devil-worshippers threaten to turn the entire island into a bloodbath....

When three Hospitallers go missing from a local village outraged Grand Master Foulques de Villaret sends the English knight Sir Richard-at-Lee and his trusted sergeant-at-arms Jacob to discover their fate. Met with resistance from frightened locals and rumours of a blasphemous sect performing unspeakable rites beneath the village Sir Richard must overcome not only the devil-worshippers but the faceless, unstoppable demon that stalks his dreams.

I am a fan of fantasy and horror, as well as historical fiction, and I'm pretty sure my tastes are similar to McKay's. This novella blends perfectly a believable historical setting with elements of classic fantasy stories and Lovecraftian horror. I will admit to having played a lot of role playing games back in the day (and I mean the games with dice and pencils and paper, not the PC games called RPGs) and this novella almost felt like an adventure from Dungeons & Dragons.

An ancient evil stalking a village. Mysterious disappearances. A terrifying subterranean cult. And a couple of adventurous knights sent to investigate.

The story speeds along at the pace of a galloping destrier. It is relentless, exhilarating and just spooky enough.

McKay handles the occult references well, leaving a lot to the reader's imagination as the novella hurtles towards its horrific conclusion.

My verdict?

A fabulous, rich, action-filled story that manages to pack an epic punch into a novella-sized story.

Narrator

Nick Ellsworth reads with conviction and verve. He has a voice that sounds at home intoning the grave events that take place on the island of Rhodes in Knight of the Cross. His deep voice reminded me a little of Richard Burton at times, which is praise indeed.

Experience

I've used Audible a couple of times now, and the experience has always been smooth and easy.

Overall score

5 out of 5 stars

Links

Knight of the Cross on Amazon.co.uk

Knight of the Cross on Audible.co.uk
Steven A. McKay's webpage

Review of Audiobook "Wrath of the Furies" by Robert Southworth

I don't often listen to audio books, but I don't really know why. When I do, I enjoy them. They are a great way to consume a book during a time when I would otherwise be unable to read; whilst driving, for example. I commute every day, and usually I listen to the radio or music, and whilst quite pleasant, the huge list of books that I would like to read is not getting any shorter.

In the last year or so, I have listened to a couple of stories during my commute, but I usually find that the books I want to read are not available at my local library in audio format and I am not keen on just listening to the books on offer for the hell of it.

So, I jumped at the chance to listen to a free copy of a new audio book from an author I've been meaning to read for a while. The book was Wrath of the Furies by Robert Southworth and it is one of the new tranche of audio books that are being produced by independent writers through ACX on Audible.

Story

The blurb on the book is as follows:

The new magistrate of Justitia has a difficult task before him. Rome is a bed of deceit and murder and with the Emperor travelling the empire, it falls to him to keep order. However, with a highly skilled assassin slaughtering members of Rome's elite and a mysterious organisation plotting to take power in the Emperor's absence, the magistrate will face constant danger. Magistrate Lucius Magro Decius must learn the ways of Rome with all hast or find himself bleeding in the dirt.

That tells you all you need to know really. The story is pacey and definitely action-packed. There is never a dull moment as it whips along from one murder or confrontation to the next. This is a good thing overall, but I did find some of the pacing a little patchy. There are some scenes which have a lot of attention to detail and characterisation and then others seem to be rattled through, seemingly desperate to get to the next event.

This patchiness was also apparent with some of the characters, most of which were rounded and believable, with strong dialogue, but a few felt as if they'd been squeezed into the story. I questioned why a couple of characters were there at all, apart from to move the story along.

Having said all that, I enjoyed the story. It is like a cross between David Baldacci and Ben Kane. Southworth obviously loves the grimy side of Roman life and the settings feel authentic. The military characters are suitably earthy and the politicians slick and slimy. The love interests are a little forced, but the addition of them adds to the emotional connection with the main characters and their quest for justice.

The plot carried me along for the most part, but I did find the end payout slightly anticlimactic. The twist at the end was good, but felt a bit signposted by the change in writing style.

The Wrath of the Furies certainly never drags, and I looked forward to the commute each day to find out what was going to happen next.

My verdict?

A solid, well-told, action-packed whodunit historical fiction story. I would certainly listen to, or read another story by Southworth in the future.

Narrator

The book is narrated by Casey Jones. I don't know anything about him (a quick Google search didn't shed much light) but I thought I detected a slight Antipodean twang to his accent. In general his reading was strong, nuanced and easy to listen to.

He gives each character a distinct voice, which I liked, but there comes a point where perhaps less is more.

Some of his character voices sounded a little too much like impersonations of Russell Crowe, and his female characters, at times veered a little too close to Monty Python territory for my liking.

I haven't read the book, only listened to it, but I got the impression that it gained from being read aloud. The language is flowery at times, but Jones' tackles it well and his voice lends it a certain gravitas.

Experience

I've not used Audible before, and the experience was smooth and easy. I logged in using my Amazon account details, selected the book and downloaded it. It was that simple. As I wanted to listen to it in the car, I installed the Android app which allowed me to download the book to my phone. I then connected my phone to my car stereo using Bluetooth and that was it. Whenever I got in the car and turned on the Bluetooth, it connected and started playing from where it had left off. You could, of course, use Audible in other ways, but this was a simple and very effective process and I would thoroughly recommend it if you have a Bluetooth-enabled device and car stereo.

Overall score

4 out of 5 stars

Links

Wrath of the Furies on Amazon.co.uk
Wrath of the Furies on Audible.co.uk
Robert Southworth's Facebook page