The King’s Furies Blog Tour

Today on the blog I have the great pleasure to welcome author Stephanie Churchill. Stephanie has been a long-time fan of the Bernicia Chronicles and it is always a joy to read her review of each book. Her reviews are long, thoughtful and insightful in ways that make me wonder if she doesn't know more about my books and characters than I do myself!

Like me, Stephanie is also writing a series of novels (Crowns of Destiny), which started back in 2015 with The Scribe's Daughter.

Stephanie’s writing draws on her knowledge of history even while set in purely fictional places existing only in her imagination. Filled with action and romance, loyalty and betrayal, her writing relies on deeply drawn and complex characters, exploring the subtleties of imperfect people living in a gritty, sometimes dark world. Her unique blend of historical fiction and fantasy ensures that her books are sure to please fans of historical fiction and epic fantasy literature alike.

The Scribe's Daughter was followed by The King's Daughter.

The third novel in the series, The King's Furies, is out on 30th July.

MH: Welcome to my blog, Stephanie. Before we start the interview, something to drink?

SC: I’d love a nice craft beer, thanks. What do you have on tap?

MH: I don't have any craft beer on tap, but how about a pint of Wadworth Game of Stones? It is brewed just down the road in Devizes and I think you'll approve.



SC: Thanks, that sounds great. And thanks for letting me stop by for a chat finally. Looks like all that harassment has finally paid off.

MH: Well, it was either give in or face a legal battle, but I decided this was easier. But before you get all smug about it, can we talk about genre for a minute? You and I have talked about this a few times in the past, but I know you like to be clear for readers on the topic of the genre of your books. They are categorized as fantasy, but they are lacking in magic, creatures, and other fantastical elements.

SC: Yeah, thanks for bringing this up. It’s as good a place to start as any.

I love history. Always have. I know a lot of historical fiction authors, and I read a lot in the genre. For people who know this about me, it’s very common for them to ask me why I didn’t just write historical fiction since it seems the most obvious choice. The answer I’ve given most often is that, quite honestly, I am scared off by the research. I know what it would take to do the kind of quality research I’d demand of myself, and I don’t feel like I want to commit to it.

But as I’ve thought more deeply about what motives me to write, I’ve discovered another reason. As much as I love history, the history itself isn’t what draws me to writing; it’s the storytelling. Story moves me more than the history, and I think I knew this intuitively when I started off. I wanted to be free to tell a story any way that worked without being constrained by facts. I read a lot of historical fiction (and much less sword and sorcery fantasy), so a historical-feeling setting became the narrative device that felt most comfortable to me.

Sorry to be so long-winded about it. It’s just a good question.

MH: So historical-feeling. Got it. Let’s talk about your world a bit since there isn’t any real history in your books. What were your influences for the setting?

SC: I’m most comfortable with medieval history and culture, so that was definitely the period I drew upon to create most of the world for my characters (medieval with a smattering of early Tudor). A couple of locations in the books, Elbra and Pania, have some Eastern European influences in language and social ranks of aristocracy as well as some vaguely Mediterranean settings. I created an entire people group in The King’s Furies based on Ethiopian culture. Generally speaking, the worlds will feel familiar to people in Britain and North America. I live in Minnesota, USA, and we have brutally cold winters with comfortable but humid summers. Like Britain, it’s temperate, though quite a bit more extreme on either end of the seasons. It’s easy for me to imagine my characters bundled up in furs and cloaks while tromping through the snow just as much as it is to have them bake in the sun.

MH: How about historical influences on plot and characters?

SC: Historical events and individuals definitely inspired some of the characters and events in my books. Nothing original here, but I’ve always been interested in the Wars of the Roses and the idea of York vs. Lancaster. I know that history has inspired a lot of books, and I can’t say I’m much different. I also can’t help but admit that many of the historical novels written by Sharon Penman have influenced me: the historical events, her characters, her descriptions, and settings, etc.

MH: You’ve made it no secret that you love Beobrand. Are there any similarities between him and any of your characters so that my own readers might find him or her familiar?

SC: Yes, I might love Beobrand. But that’s supposed to be a secret. Can’t we just keep that between the two of us? So… Beobrand tends to brood a bit. He’s dark and moody and broody and conflicted. Just like the main character in my new release, Casmir Vitus, King of Agrius. Like Beobrand, leadership rests uncomfortably on Casmir’s head. He never wanted to be king, but the job is his, and he has to make the best of it. Unlike Beobrand, Casmir was raised to the role forced upon him though, so he performs the task admirably when he remembers he’s not meant to do the job alone. It’s when he acts out of a spirit of entitlement typical of kings (contrasting to Beobrand’s more plebeian upbringing) that he lapses into his imperious and haughty tendencies. Nothing extreme, but readers will sense it. I used this part of his character to explore the dark places of his soul as the events in the book push Casmir to the limits of his strength and test his character.

MH: I’m guessing Casmir doesn’t wield a sword and smite his enemies in the same way Beobrand gets to?

SC: Casmir lives in a peaceful time. Or at least peaceful in the sense that there is no warfare. Agrius has been at peace since his father took the throne. Well, all is peaceful on the surface anyway. Even if Agrius had been at war, kings in his time don’t actually get to fight. So no, he doesn’t get a chance to show off his combat skills except at the pell. His book has more relational tension and political intrigue rather than violence. Courtiers can be very deceitful, so the palace is more viper pit than a gladiatorial arena.

MH: Before I let you finish your [craft beer brand], can you give us a little snippet from The King’s Furies?

SC: Certainly! Here’s a short scene that demonstrates part of the beginning of Casmir’s inner conflict. From the King’s Furies, chapter 53:

“Mathiasen.”
It took a moment for me to realize it was the scriptstóri who had spoken. I swung around, taking a menacing step toward him. “What did you say?”
The young man backed up, nearly colliding with the wall at his back. “A-Anton Mathiasen... Your Grace.”
“Irisa, who is this?” I asked, not breaking my visual hold on the scriptstóri.
“This is Annor, the one I told you about. He has been helping me in the evenings while you were away.”
“How do you know that name?” I asked Annor.
Irisa must have sensed my rising fury and reached out a hand for my sleeve. A pallor of sickness washed over the young scriptstóri, and he cast terrified eyes on Irisa. Rather than step in to help him, Irisa stood resolute, waiting for his answer.
“I... I overheard it.”
I pounced like a cat on a mouse. “Where? Where did you overhear the name?”
“In the Bibliotheca.” Annor struggled to find air, grimacing as he sought the words while fighting off his terror. He fumbled with his hands, his fingernails digging into his palms in his anxiety. He could not bring himself to look me straight-on.
“Where in the Bibliotheca? Is it conspiring scriptstórii again?” Annor blanched once more as I grasped a handful of his robe in my fist and twisted, pressing my face so close to his that he had to turn to the side to avoid having his nose crushed. “Who has betrayed me?”

SC: Thanks again for letting me stop by. Now that we’re done here, I’m going to go play with Blue. He’s the real reason I wanted to come visit.

Blue says Hi!

Next on her blog tour, Stephanie is chatting with the fantastic Sharon Kay Penman. Don't miss that!

You can find Stephanie's books on Amazon.

Purchase The Scribe’s Daughter: mybook.to/thescribesdaughter
Purchase The King’s Daughter: mybook.to/TheKingsDaughter
Pre-order The King’s Furies: mybook.to/TheKingsFuries

Find out more about Stephanie:

Stephanie’s website: https://www.stephaniechurchillauthor.com/

Art imitating art: The birth of an axe

In my current work in progress (working title, Wolf of Wessex, to be released in the second half of 2019), the main character, Dunston ‘The Bold’, wields an extraordinary axe. My first inclination when writing the book was that I would like it to be a double-headed, fantasy style axe like that wielded by David Gemmell’s Druss, or Robert E. Howard's Conan.

Conan by Earl Norem

Alas, a little research told me that double-headed axes of that type did not exist in Viking Age Britain. And so I was stuck with the single-bladed variety, but there was no reason why it could not be special. And so I began to investigate unusual axes from the period and found the famous Mammen axe, which has a head where silver has been forged in intricate patterns into the iron.

The Mammen axe

Such a patterned blade appealed and then I thought of the other ways in which an axe could be made special and the obvious answer was that its haft could be carved, and being a Viking axe, it would be carved with runes of significance and possibly magical power.
In Wolf of Wessex the weapon is described as follows:

"The axe's dark iron head was swirled with intricate patterns of silver, which had been cunningly forged into the metal, and the long ash haft was carved with runes and symbols. The lower end of the shaft was tightly bound in old, worn leather.”

When I finished writing the first draft of the book, I decided that I would treat myself to an axe that I could hang on my wall. Of course the axe as described in the book did not exist and so I looked at what other options were available to me. There are replicas of the Mammen axe, but it isn't much more than a hatchet in size and so not the giant battle axe I had envisaged being hefted by my hero, Dunston.

It was about this time that I saw a post on the Bernard Cornwell Fan Club Facebook group about an axe that the admin of the group, Chris Bailey, had customised for somebody. The axe had carving, runes and some leather wrapping. The resulting weapon looked amazing and so I reached out to Chris and asked whether he would be interested in creating something for me that approximated the axe carried by Dunston.

Chris immediately accepted the challenge, but was very modest about his abilities and in particular, was nervous about the idea of doing anything to the steel head of an axe. I thought it would be possible to etch or engrave into a darkened head, showing the bright metal beneath. Chris had never attempted anything like what I was suggesting before and was worried that it might not work or he might not be up to it. But, deciding to cross that bridge when we came to it, he accepted the commission and off we went.

The first thing we had to do was to decide on the axe that was to be used as a basis for the customization. Anyone who knows anything about Viking period axes will know there are lots of different shaped heads depending on the exact part of the centuries-long period you are dealing with.

Via The Viking Age Compendium.

Wolf of Wessex is set in A.D. 838 and, strictly speaking, the type of axe used by Norsemen in that period would probably be a Petersen type A – E axe head type. However, I decided that this is fiction, and I wanted a bigger head on the axe and so we continued searching until Chris found the Danish War Axe manufactured by Hanwei. Ideally, and historically, the head would be friction fitted rather than pinned, and the shape wasn’t exactly right (it was close to a type M shape, but seemed to be the wrong way up), but, despite these things and the fact that such a long hafted, large headed axe would post date the 9th century, we both liked the size and shape of the axe. What we didn’t like were the aging effects that the producers had decided to inflict upon the metal and wood.

Hanwei Danish War Axe

So, with the axe chosen, I ordered one to be delivered to Chris and we set about designing the carvings. Many messages were exchanged via Facebook messenger with sketches of runes and other shapes found in Viking age carving. We both wanted the final product to be arresting, artistic and eye-catching and, whilst not being necessarily 100% historically accurate, not knowingly anachronistic in design. But we were also cautious of making things too complex. Chris was keen to remind me that he was a novice at this and he didn't want to overstretch himself. I was appreciative of all of the time and effort he was putting in and didn't want to ask for more than was possible. In the end, I needn't have worried. I think his skills surpassed what he thought he was capable of and he produced a thing of true beauty.

For the runes I decided on using the meaning of each rune for a spell rather than having each rune signifying a letter. In that way the runes could be interpreted as an incantation something like the following:

"With the power of Odin and one-handed Tyr, let the mortal man who wields this offspring of Yew, bring speedy anguish, death, hail and destruction on his enemies."

After the design was agreed upon, Chris set about preparing the axe for work. This necessitated stripping back all of the stain on the wood and also grinding off all of the patina of ageing on the metal. This was a large job in itself, but once Chris had finished the axe was already looking better; a blank canvas for him to begin drawing the patterns we had discussed.

The Hanwei axe as it arrived from the manufacturer

Close up of the blade to show the stippled ageing effect

The axe takes its first blood!

Stripped of all the ageing, ready for the real work to begin!

For the head of the axe and the impression of the silver inlay on the Mammen axe, we had agreed that a darkened blued steel which was then engraved with a pattern down to the clean silver steel beneath might give a good effect that would at least mimic the much more complex forging of a Mammen-style axe head. And so Chris set about bluing the metal, applying several coats until it was dark enough. This engraving was the part of the process that Chris was most worried about, but it would wait until the end, after all the carving had been done, before we would see whether he was up to the task.

The head after bluing applied

Once the head was blued, Chris set about drawing on the runes and the wyrm that would encircle the wood. There was some discussion about how to reflect the scales of the serpent. In the end, after an initial sketching out of the scales, we decided on a simpler line and dot motif based on contemporary designs found on things like the Thames seax.

Initial serpent scales idea

Ideas for historically accurate scale designs

Chris then started the carving and managed to complete that in a couple of long sessions. By this point the axe was really beginning to come to life and I was starting to get excited about holding it in my hands.

Next came the stain for the wood and after a lot of discussion, we decided on almost black for the runes and snake with a dark stain for the background wood.

Finally it was time for the etching that had been worrying Chris from the beginning. We decided on having the same design on each side following a sketch made by Chris that captured the right aesthetic. Chris girded his loins and set to it, and to his surprise, he got it done the first time and the result was just as I had hoped for.

The last step was to wrap the handle and for this, Chris used approximately 30 metres of antiqued cowhide thong (more than he had originally thought to use). As with all of the stages of the creation of the axe, there was a lot of debate about the colour of the leather to use, but in the end we chose black, as it was in keeping with the dark feel of the weapon.

I think you will agree that the finished product is superb. Who knows, it may even end up on the cover of Wolf of Wessex, if I get my way!

After Chris had completed the project, I asked him a few questions and you can read his thoughts and experiences of the whole process here:

What was the most challenging part of this process for you?

Probably the most challenging part was engraving the head, this was something I hadn’t attempted previously and it made me a little nervous I have to admit! Matthew was supportive in his encouragement, and I like the way it turned out.

Which part of the finished product are you most proud of?

That’s difficult to say; I think I like the overall effect of the finished article, and all of the separate elements combine to achieve that. I’m quite proud of the designs Matthew and I collaborated on, I think that the colours we discussed and implemented work well, the head finish and the bluing make the engraving really pop, and I am quite pleased with how the west country whipping for the grip portion came together.

Can you give a list of the tools and materials you used?

There are a few tools used in the process:

• A rotary tool (what you might know as a Dremel, but a different brand) with a long flexible pen grip shaft.
• Many and varied bits or burrs for the rotary tool, from cutters of different shapes and sizes to diamond titanium coated engraving/polishing burrs, also of varied configurations. Sanding drums and grinding bits also.
• Diamond hand files.
• An angle grinder, with discs in degrees of coarseness and a special three disc polishing set with compounds.
• A basic clamping workbench.
• Sandpapers of varying grits.
• A sharpening stone.
• HB pencils and erasers.
• Brushes of different sizes, fine grade steel wool, cotton wool and various rags/cloths.
• A pair of magnifying glasses with varying lense strengths and an LED light (essential for the small detail work).
• A pair of surgical steel cutters which are apparently designed for ingrowing toenails but work very well for trimming leather wrapping; adapting stuff to a different purpose than intended is always great.
• A half dozen elastoplasts, for when she bit me.

Materials used were:

• Varnish stripper, Rustins Strypit
• Polishing comounds, Dronco.
• Black special effects wax, Liberon.
• An acetone clear matt protective coating, Rust-Oleum.
• A cold blueing solution, Birchwood Casey Super Blue.
• A lubricant/water repellent, GT-85.
• A stain, Ronseal Walnut.
• Isopropyl alchohol.
• Antiqued cowhide thong, approximately 30m.

How many hours do you estimate you spent on the construction of this axe in total?

Including the design thought processes and the actual physical work, probably around 30-40hrs in total, although this was stretched out over a few months due to general life getting in the way; Matthew was very patient.

What was the most surprising part of the process for you?

I suppose that getting the head engraving pretty clean on the first attempts was pleasantly surprising, given that it was an all or nothing thing due to engraving directly through the gun blue-one slip and it would have been a start again scenario involving re-stripping and finishing before a second go. Phew!

Anything else you'd like to add?

I enjoyed this project very much, working together with Matthew was a great pleasure and his encouragement welcome. It is nice to have someone know, or at least have a strong vision of what it is they’re looking for in the design and execution of the piece. I do feel that my personal craft has been elevated during the project, with the head engraving and designs particularly. This axe is a large and heavy, a real beast of a weapon which took some careful hefting around during the process and that in itself was a learning curve for me. I would like to think that Matthew and I can collaborate again at some point; my techniques are developing and I would love for him to drop in along the way and share that journey again in the future.

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The pleasure was all mine and I got a wonderfully crafted axe out of the project! And what a weapon it is – beauty and the beast!

Further reading:

Mammen axe
https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/the-grave-from-mammen/an-axe-with-double-meaning/

Hurstwic Viking Age Arms and Armor: Viking Axe
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_axe.htm?fbclid=IwAR27PEg9_vS5pRnPoRIOqxTxxkau8q7LtEwBeXn2NLwusZnqAD9xv0kdSaM

Interview on WCR FM.

Back in March I did an interview on WCR FM with Heather Robinson. For those who missed it, here is the whole thing. It was a two hour programme and I have edited out the songs and a few other bits, but it is still nearly an hour long! We covered a lot of topics including research, inspiration, writing routine, audio books, singing in a rock band and a lot more!

Enjoy!

REVIEW: The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: From the 5th to 7th Century edited by Paul Mortimer and Matt Bunker

The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: From the 5th to 7th Century by Paul Mortimer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England from the 5th to 7th century, edited by Paul Mortimer and Matt Bunker, is an astounding achievement and a wonderful addition to the corpus on the subject. It is both scholarly in its depth and approach and at the same time accessible to the more casual reader with an interest in early Anglo-Saxon England, or swords in general. It covers just about everything you could think of about swords from this period, from how they were used, their place in the military culture, their symbolism, how they were fashioned and decorated, in-depth analyses of the distribution of archaeological finds, the different forging processes, the ideology of swords and several case studies of reconstructions of famous historical swords, such as the Sutton Hoo sword from mound 1 and the Bamburgh Blade.

This is a hefty tome, weighing in at 450 pages. The contributions are varied and for anyone with even a vague interest in the subject matter there will be some chapters that will make compelling reading. There are several highlights in the book, but for me the detailed descriptions of the pattern-welding process and the step-by-step accounts of forging replicas of pattern-welded swords, with numerous enlightening colour photographs, really stand out and elevate this above other works by adding in-depth practical knowledge from expert blade smiths.

If you wish to know more about swords, particularly those from the early Anglo-Saxon period, this encyclopaedic book is a must-buy.

View all my reviews

What Matt Whiteside learnt when he started writing

I recently did an interview on the YouTube channel of an enthusiastic and witty indie writer called Matt Whiteside. We had a lot of fun doing the interview and Matt's enthusiasm for writing and communicating with others is infectious and disarming. I knew he was busy trying to get his name out there, so I offered Matt a guest post slot on my humble blog. What he sent me was not the usual kind of post I get from writers. This is not just about selling his books (though I am sure he would love you to buy them). What Matt sent me is a lot more powerful and inspiring than a sales pitch. I hope you agree.

What I learnt the day I died

by Matt Whiteside

The darkness in the room was filled with the glow of a small light coming from my phone. It was the only thing that had kept me company in my prison of hell and misery.

I had only taken the time to get out of bed twice in the last couple of weeks to go to the liquor store to replenish my supply of vodka. I was consuming the stuff at a click of half a gallon per day.

The smell in the room would make any visitor jump back in disgust as the putrid sweat that poured from me was filled with poison. My body was failing me, and my mind had long since left.

I was closer to death than I had ever been. The type of death that no one really wants to talk about. The kind that sits in your mind and slowly pokes you. Whispering for your attention, for your money, your family, your motivation and hopes.  The kind that finally whispers for your life.

I was dying from alcoholism, and I saw no way out. I had come to the conclusion that the best I could hope for was to drink enough to not wake up. I tried, every night for months, but still, I woke.

That was eight months ago.

I start with this for a reason. I start my story here for a purpose.

I wanted to die, and so I did. The “ME” that hated himself for a lifetime of regret had finally died. In fire and flame, the version of me that could no longer be a part of this world passed on.

And so this is where my story begins, at the beginning of my new life.

Eight months later I am sober and the proud publisher of two books. Dead Heart: An Origin Story and Trent Foster and The Council of 10.  Dead Heart hit number one on an Amazon bestsellers list the first week it was out.

I wrote the two stories in three months. After getting sober and working a program, I realized it wasn't just the way I looked at life that needed to change, I needed to completely change the way I lived. My entire approach to living had to become something new.

So, I took an honest look at what I loved doing. I asked myself the question, "if you could do anything for the rest of your life and money wasn't an issue what would you do?"  The answer was clear to me: Writing.

I made a decision five months ago to trust that although I could not see a path to where I was making money as a writer, I had to follow the things that lit me up.  I could no longer live a life full of lies chasing after the material things, hoping that somehow they would fulfill me.

Instead, I decided to trust that as long as I was taking action on a path that lit me up, I would be OK. I mean, I survived the Hell of alcoholism, why couldn't I survive doing something I loved? The journey thus far has not been easy.  It is not easy being broke and without a real sustainable income, but it is worth it to me.

So, what does any of this have to do with what I learned from writing these books?  Well, I am glad you asked.  Because it has everything to do with it.

Starting with my first book, Dead Heart. I set out to write a story of inspiration about a man that lost his legs. What ended up coming out was a story of finding yourself after dying and becoming the person you were meant to be.

You see, Dead Heart is a story about a knight that gets killed in battle and is turned into a zombie.  But, he has to overcome his apparent shortcomings, such as not having legs - they were literally cut off - and being freaking dead!

I realized while writing that whether I write literally or metaphorically the truth will come out as long as I am open to writing what comes to me.  See, I didn't mean for the story to be a metaphor for dying from alcohol and rising as an alcoholic to go out in the world and try and prove my worth and become the man I was supposed to be, even with my obvious shortfalls.

But it happened.

My second book, Trent Foster and The Council of 10, was a lot the same.  I set out to write a Sci-Fi story about a man who finds out he has powers and is wanted by other alien species to use his abilities for their ends.

The story ended up changing my life, Trent Foster goes from being a man at the end of his rope, ready to throw in the towel on his life, to realizing he has unlimited potential; that he is seemingly capable of anything and everything, if only he could bury his past and let the things die that have previously held him back.

Again, it was not meant to be a metaphor for me realizing that by working a program of recovery and setting free the demons of my past I had an unknown ability to be and do anything.

Coming to peace with the horrible stories I told myself was a result of writing a children's fantasy novella and a Sci-Fi thriller. I was astounded by what came out when I just began to write the stories that I love. My story could not help but come out, it was being processed in my writing.

I learned that the most significant thing I can do for myself and others is to tell my story. It is my story and whether it comes out as a fantasy, a thriller, historical fiction or memoir. It is my story, and only I can tell it in the way I was meant to tell it.

Without judgment, without hate or disgust. I had to be willing to get honest in my fiction and learn to write as authentically as was humanly possible. Because whether you write fiction or non-fiction the stuff that grips us is authentic. It is visceral and real, sometimes it hits you square between the eyes and makes you want to call your loved ones, and maybe rethink some parts of your life.

But, I learned that this is what makes great storytelling. As unreal as the scenarios may be, the truth will speak through your writing if you let it.

Think of it as an anchor to keep your ship from being tossed around during a storm The story is the storm, the truth and authenticity is the anchor.

The revelation that came from writing these books propelled me to write a third, I am currently 60,000 words into my next novel, and my life has transformed.

I mentioned how it is tough being broke, well, that is true. You know they say money: can't buy happiness. I believe this to be true, but it can make being happy more fun!

I now get to spend every day doing what I love, and I can see a path forming on which I walk each day. I can see that the sun is shining a beautiful array of colors directly in front of me, inviting me forward.

I know with 100% certainty now for the first time in my life I am on the right path. And it is because of my program of recovery, but also writing that led me to that realization.

I must be willing to die each day, shedding the old Matt, and be reborn each morning anew with all the possibilities and opportunities I could ever imagine staring me directly in the face.

So what do I do now?

Well, I write a spiritual, motivational blog every morning. I record funny and inspirational podcasts with my girlfriend almost every day. I write every day, working on my third book, The Incredible Rhett Smiley.  I interview authors such as the gracious Matthew Harffy for my YouTube channel UniWeb Productions. I lead meetings and sponsor other alcoholics. I review video games on my channel, Suck On Hard Gaming, a channel for people who suck at video games.

I spend time with my children, my girlfriend, my mom and my friends almost every day. My life is fuller and happier than it has ever been because….

I learned that the greatest gift I can give to the world is my story. So, I will allow the magic of the story to flow through me however it must to clear the channel for whatever gifts lie in the words I write.

Writing is a gift that everyone can learn. I know all I need to do to be a writer is to write. If I want to be a good writer, I must write a lot and get better every day. However, we can all write and when we become willing to tell our stories, the world becomes a better place where every person has a voice and inherent value.

Check out all the ridiculous crap I get into at the links included here. Thanks and have an awesome day.

I made a video as well so that you can watch me and try and work out what the hell I was trying to say in writing.  Enjoy.

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UniWeb Productions: We do entertaining author interviews, live book readings, and reviews and have one hell of a time.

Suck On Hard Gaming:  A channel dedicated to throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks. I also play a lot of games on here. Meaning I spend a lot of time getting cussed out by 9-year-olds.  Enjoy watching my failure.

Matt Whiteside's Blog:  Every morning I write motivational, inspirational, and recovery based articles about better living and finding your purpose.

Matt's Podcast, This Won’t Work:  A radio show looking for purpose and speaking the truth that I uncover every day in a fun and silly way with my girlfriend. I record video and audio to go along with this writing, so you could hear me, see me and read me. I don’t like giving people an excuse not to hear my story!

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattWhiteside3

Video Interview with writer Matt Whiteside

A few days ago, I did an interview on a new YouTube channel run by indie writer, Matt Whiteside. It was a fun interview and we talked about lots of things including writing, getting published, history, castles and swords. And I even read a few lines from my very latest work in progress, Dark Frontier.

Check it out and subscribe to Matt's UniWeb Channel for more author interviews.