Thanks so much, Emma, for having me on!

The hero in my new book, New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage, is a glass artist. A portable skill was a necessity so he could up and leave London and relocate in the sunny Dorset town of Lullbury Bay and begin his new life.

First, I had to do the research!

There are lots of videos on YouTube for research into making glass art and they are useful but nothing beats doing the thing for gathering research on smells, textures and the total experience of what you’re trying to write about. When I saw a light catcher making workshop advertised, I booked a last-minute space. My hero makes stained glass panels but, for various reasons, he’s been making smaller items like the ones I would learn how to create on the course.

We began practising cutting glass, beginning with straight shapes. The pen-like tool is a glass cutter with a diamond nib and an oil reservoir. Choosing a shape, we used templates. Sue, the tutor, explained the greater the accuracy at each stage, the better the end result.

Once the glass is scored, it’s snapped using grozing pliers. This was immensely and surprisingly satisfying and the group decided it was because we’re always told not to break glass as it’s a) unlucky and b) dangerous. Speaking of health and safety, we wore visors whenever cutting the glass as the shards can end up everywhere.

We moved onto to curved shapes – much harder! I kept forgetting to cut in a straight line and tried to follow the line of the shape. Once the rough curved shape is cut it can be sanded using a sanding sheet or, better still, using the grinder. The grinder has water which absorbs any particles flying about. I loved using it as I could feel the shape becoming smoother and less ‘nubbly.’

The next step is to use the Tiffany copper foil method. Invented by Mr Tiffany to use when making his lamps, this is where the shape will begin to bind together as a finished form. Copper foil is stuck around every edge and the pieces are placed together in the way you want.

Flux is dabbed on the corners and solder is applied to the same place. More flux is painted over the copper foil joins and more solder is spread to fix the shapes together. I really enjoyed the soldering, so much so I was told I was a little heavy-handed!

All that’s needed then is to attach a hanging loop which is soldered on. We made practice pieces to work our way through the entire process and I had a go at an angel. Don’t look too closely! She’ll go on the tree this Christmas.

In the afternoon we moved onto to making another item and I chose some beach huts. I’d seen them in Sue’s online shop and loved their look.

After a clean and a polish, here are the final results. I had to have some help from ‘Miss’ when putting the beach hut components together as I hadn’t cut them accurately enough and there were gaps. Back to the grinder to create that perfect fit. I also lost track of which piece was going where and ended up with a blue hut and roof when it should have been red. Ah, the best laid plans. Remember having to pay attention to the details?

The basic techniques aren’t too tricky but you have to be dextrous and have good hand strength. You also have to have great attention to detail and take your time. It’s not something which can be rushed. My downfall! To make anything as lovely as the stuff Sue (and my hero Jago) produces takes hours of practice.
Love,
Georgia x

About the book:
The little town of Lullbury Bay goes all out for Christmas and teacher Honor Martin loves it. After a bad break up she’s settled into the simple pleasures of seaside life and Christmas is the high point of her year. Glass artist Jago Pengethley, however, doesn’t share her enthusiasm. A new arrival in town, he’s here with his mother and sister to start anew after a devastating family tragedy. He doesn’t want to celebrate Christmas ever again. But, to help his sister replace bad memories with good ones, he accompanies her to all the various wild and wacky festivities Lullbury Bay offers. They keep bumping into Honor and, as Jago gets to know her better, might she be the one to teach him how to love Christmas again?

About the author:
Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and dual narrative romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There’s always a dog. It’s usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. She lives near the sea with her beloved dogs and husband (also beloved) and loves the books of Jane Austen, collecting elephants, and Strictly Come Dancing. She’s also a complete museum geek and finds inspiration for her books in the folklore and history of the many places in which she’s lived. She’s worked in the theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making things up was what she really wanted to do. She’s been happily creating believable heroines, intriguing men, and page-turning stories ever since.

You can find her here:
Twitter/X @georgiawrites
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/georgiahill
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/georgiahill5681
Website www.georgiahill.co.uk
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/georgiawrites
Buying links for New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage:
https://geni.us/ChristmasTreeCottage
https://mybook.to/Lullbury1

For more information about Val and her books, check out her website or find her on social media:

But in the meantime, I am also working on a literary novel. So no pressure!

For more information about Maria and her books, follow her on social media:

https://geni.us/KdWrm

 My love affair started young, I loved stories being read to me when I was little. So much so, that I hid that I could read for myself because I wanted the stories to continue. When I was seven, my primary school teacher read us a poem about dragonflies, and I was enthralled by how minimal words painted such a clear picture. And so my love for the clean, pared back writing of poetry developed alongside my love of the comforting escapism of prose.

Reading and writing don’t come easily to me, I’m pretty sure I am dyslexic, although I’ve never being diagnosed. But from childhood playing with words has been my greatest pleasure.

I studied creative writing as part of my degree, almost thirty years ago and after graduation writing was always something I was going to do. Tomorrow.

That mythical time when I would have the energy and clarity to sit down and write the perfect novel. I felt I needed to plan it all out, then write a serious literary masterpiece. By setting up such grand plans, with unrealistic expectations on myself, I didn’t write. Well,  apart from the occasional secret poem to make sense of my own feelings.

Then, almost ten years ago, life got very tough, and I became really ill. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. I couldn’t sleep, I was hallucinating sounds, and seeing shadow people, I vomited frequently without warning, and I started having some very unpleasant thoughts. It was a shocking experience to suddenly not be able to trust my own mind, or body. I was initially very ashamed at what I felt was weakness, but then I realised I had to change how I lived if I was to survive.

I opened up to people and talked about what I was experiencing, and in response, other people opened up to me in return. I learned from them how to get through. One of the most important realisations for me was that I had to allow my creative side to breathe again. So, I scrapped all my grandiose plans and unrealistic targets and just started writing. I didn’t worry about it being perfect, I just wrote what I enjoyed writing, honed that to the best it could be, and hoped other people would enjoy reading it.

Part of the anxiety and depression was lots of terrifying nightmares when I was able to sleep. They were often about vampires. I started writing these scenes, and creating a story around them. Once I did, my characters introduced themselves to me, and quickly developed lives of their own, and very demanding personalities!

It was the planning to do all the plotting and outlining which had become a big hurdle for me. Instead, I started each writing session with an approximate idea where I wanted the story to go, but Rae and Layla would come along and totally take over. They often introduced characters I wasn’t expecting, and took the story off in directions I wasn’t expecting at all, so writing was never boring.

Throughout the creation of my first novel, Darkly Dreaming, I shared every step with my best friend. She was my soul sister, the inspiration for my main character’s mischievous best friend. She brainstormed with, believing in my characters as completely as I did. Our connection was so close that we could slip into this alternate world together to mine the gems that give my characters depth and make the story believable.

She was my cheerleader- absolutely believing in me, and persuading everyone she knew to buy my book. I had just started writing the second novel of the trilogy, when one morning, out of the blue she died of a brain aneurysm. I was bereft. I still am. I always will be.

It has hit my writing hard. How do I write the rest of the trilogy when she will never know what happens? How do I write a character that was originally based on her? How do I write The End on the final page of Book 3, and never write her again?

My grief has turned my words to syrup- slow and sticky and reluctant to leave my fingers, but I persevere. Occasionally I find my flow again, and can lose myself for several thousand words at a time, but most often I am exhausted after only a thousand. I can only apologise to my readers, and promise that it is coming, and then the whole series will be getting a spruce up, and will finally be republished by the wonderful SpellBound Books, who have decided to take a chance on me.

Chloe’s books are available from Amazon:

For more information about Chloe and her books, visit her website or follow her on social media:

Hi, my name is Pauline Morgan, a debut author of a cosy women’s fiction novel, The Ballynoon Friendship Circle, published in May 2021.

This year has been an inspiring time for me. Not only did I see my debut novel published as an eBook with SpellBound Books Ltd, but, in addition, I signed a further two-book deal with the same publishers.

As a child, I always enjoyed writing. Even today, I write shopping lists or messages whenever I see fit for the occasion. It has taken me over twenty years of hard work, and many rejections. But, I can vouch for a significant learning curve in creative writing since joining the social media scene many moons ago.

First, I became friends with writers and like-minded people who shared a love of writing. Then I joined The Romantic Novelists Association who had a New Writers Scheme. After relocating to Northern Ireland, this was the foundation of becoming a serious writer. Next, I joined another creative writing group called Writing. ie. Writers Ink. My mentor encouraged me to write short stories for competitions and magazines. Two magazines based in the South of Ireland published my short stories. My faith in creative writing restored my confidence as a published women’s fiction author. Once more, I sent samples of my work to publishers with a relaxed approach. Then, out of the blue, I received an email from one of the publishers offering me a book deal based on my sample chapters. I got my better half to read the email out loud. He confirmed that SpellBound Books Ltd would like to publish my novel. All of this happened during the beginning of the Covid Pandemic.

I look forward to 2022 as book two, a standalone women’s fiction, will be published in spring. Book three is complicated, awaiting my editor’s eagle eye of perfection before forwarding it to my publisher’s. I have started work on book five.

It is always exciting creating new characters and plotlines, the glue to writing a novel.

The Ballynoon Friendship Circle is available from Amazon: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B0949S21FF

To find out more about Pauline and to follow her writing journey further, find her on social media: https://www.facebook.com/paulinemorganachievingauthor

https://twitter.com/paulinemorgan56

https://www.instagram.com/paulinemorganauthor

My second contemporary love story, ‘The Art of Loving You’ is newly published under the name, Amelia Henley, but Amelia Henley is not my real name.

My writing career began with a bang, literally. Someone ran into the back of my car which exacerbated a pre-existing medical condition and suddenly I lost much of my mobility. Unable to walk unaided, my world became very small. Very dark. It wasn’t long until clinical depression joined the chronic pain I was experiencing and I wondered whether I’d ever feel real joy again.

During a chat with my spinal consultant he suggested taking up knitting so I had something to occupy my mind. I wasn’t convinced that was the right hobby for me, but knew I needed something.

Writing was that thing.

I began writing a short story which grew and grew until it became my debut novel, The Sister. I was immensely lucky it was picked up by a publisher but writing gave me more than a new career. The worlds I created gave me somewhere to escape to when pain jabbed me awake at 3am. My characters could experience all the things I no longer could. Gradually my depression began to lift. I was able to reduce and then stop taking my medication.

I had a purpose.

Five years after I had first begun writing I had published six psychological thrillers under my real name ‘Louise Jensen’, reached No. 1 multiple times, sold over a million books, had my stories translated into twenty-five languages and optioned for TV. I’d also been nominated for multiple awards. From the outside looking in it seemed pretty perfect.

Except it wasn’t.

Although I love the intricacies of thrillers, the challenge of creating a mystery, I found my mood was once again low. Spending my days thinking up dark plots, imagining the worst things people could do to each other took its toll.

I felt a permanent low-level anxiety. Tearful. Scared I’d slip back into depression. End up back on medication, my head fuzzy, my days too.

I took a break. Thought about what I really wanted to write. What I really enjoyed reading.

Love.

I wanted to write a love story, with a difference. I had an idea for a sweeping tale combining a highly emotional plot with my love of brain science (bear with me, I know how this sounds) and instantly the characters Adam and Anna came to me. I wrote, not because I had a deadline or a contract, but because I loved the story, I loved the characters. I was moved to tears multiple times writing this tragic yet hopeful story. After I’d finished it I tentatively showed it to my agent who thankfully championed it, and so did my editor. She immediately offered me a book deal on the condition I wrote under a pen name so this story was kept separate from my thrillers.

I chose ‘Amelia Henley’ after much consideration. ‘Amelia’ combines two letters from each of my three children’s names. ‘Henley’ has a very special connection for my family.

Thankfully, despite ‘The Life We Almost Had’ crossing genres it was very well received which gave me the chance to write a second book, ‘The Art of Loving You.’

I’ll always be aware of, and take care of, my mental health but I’ve found a real balance in my writing now. The thrillers keep my mind ticking over, throwing up problems for me to solve, and contemporary fiction allows me to immerse myself in love.

I couldn’t be happier.

For more information about Amelia, check out these links:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amelia-Henley/e/B0844Y7DNB?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1621502980&sr=8-1

http://www.ameliahenley.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/MsAmeliaHenley

https://www.instagram.com/msameliahenley/

https://www.facebook.com/msameliahenley

Ever since reading Little Women as a child I wanted to be a writer.

It’s rare for me to read one book at a time. I can hear you now…sacrilege! I know. But it gets worse. They are usually different genres. Currently, I’m reading a romance (The Princess Trap), a young adult mystery/suspense (One of Us Is Lying), and a sci-fi/fantasy (Seveneves). Just this past week I finished a horror (Nocturnal) and a paranormal cozy mystery (Accidentally Hexed).

Some might hint that I have attention issues and they wouldn’t be wrong. I’m a multitasker. I handle social media while watching TV. I listen to the news while working. I solve world crises while cooking seven course dinners. Ok, not really. I burn microwave dinners on a regular basis.

The truth is, though, I love all genres of books and find each genre, just like each author, brings a unique viewpoint to the reader.

Consider the world building that happens in a paranormal or sci fi novel. It can be a subtle difference that alters the universe familiar to the reader or a brand new planet and species the author must create from scratch. I’m amazed at the creativity that goes into such books, how an author can look at the typical and turn it on its side with a simple what-if. What if vampires were real and given the same rights as humans? What if aliens landed and took over the planet?

I’m fascinated by modern YA novels. The complicated world in which teens and young adults must interact is somewhat beyond me as a child of the 70s and 80s. The issues of privacy, individuality, and sexuality are explored at a depth previously unknown to me and today’s YA authors introduce these subjects in thought-provoking ways.

There are, of course, elements of writing and stories that are universal. As a reader, I want strong characters that evoke emotion at a visceral level. These characters need to be thrown into an extraordinary situation that tests their mettle through twists and turns. I want to doubt until the very end whether or not they will emerge as victor or victim.

As a reader I’m always searching out the perfect balance in a book. We can all name a few that check off the boxes for us. LaVyrle’s Spencer’s Morning Glory. Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network. The Harry Potter series. Since I don’t always know when I’ll be lucky enough to find that unique blend, I fill my to-be-read list with a variety of books from a variety of genres and authors.

The other great aspect of reading for me is the joy of finding another reader who has read the same book. Hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity to talk about the story, the symbolism, the plot, and the characters. If I’m lucky, maybe they can recommend another book by that author or a similar author, and I’ll find yet another book to add to my TBR list.

For me, books are about connections. Connections to the past, present, or future. To fact and fiction. To people who think the way I do or think differently. To learning and teaching. To laughter and tears. The more I read, the more connections I make.

Maggie Preston fell in love with romance before she knew what it was, stealing paper back novels from her grandmother’s closet when her mother wasn’t looking. She finished her first novel in college, written during class when she was supposed to be taking notes. Luckily a very good friend would trade notes for new pages. She currently balances her life between the right brain and left brain, technical writer and quality management consultant by day, romance writer by night. Visit her at www.authormaggiepreston.com or @maggie_preston.

Love and Miss Fortune by Maggie Preston

Book 3 in the Hearts of Louisiana series is available for pre-order https://tinyurl.com/48tql3he to be released on March 18, 2021.

‘Harley Fortune was born bass-ackwards on the unluckiest day of the year. Things have gone downhill from there. She’s been fighting to save the family business- a moonshine distillery – and make it a success but can’t seem to catch a break. Lady luck hasn’t given up on her, however. When a bossy consultant arrives, Harley can’t decide if he’s the answer she’s been looking for or the final straw. 

Chance Gold has the golden touch when it comes to making whiskey. He’s never met a challenge he can’t meet or a competitor he can’t beat. He sees a bright future for Fortune’s Brew if he can keep Harley’s family from pouring it down the drain. And if he can keep his mind on business and not on Harley Fortune. 

Can two people with their minds on business find time for a little romance?’

I’m feeling extremely festive, which is a bit strange, given the state of affairs in the world at the moment. It’s been a horrible year all round, hasn’t it? I’ve hardly been out of the house, and I’m roughly twice the size I was last year, which is saying something, believe me.

The one good thing about 2020 for me, personally, has been the arrival of my newest grandchild. Little Freddie is a joy and a blessing and has been possibly the only redeeming thing about this entire year.

So you’d think I’d want to cancel Christmas entirely, especially since I won’t be seeing any of my children or my grandchildren, and the husband is working on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and Boxing Day (although at least he’s working from home so it’s not too bad).

But strangely, I’m really getting into the Christmas spirit. Maybe it’s because, not being able to visit people, or go shopping, or to the cinema or pub, I’m not so busy, and a lot of the things that used to take up so much time and cause me stress are not an issue. I’ve got time to relax and enjoy the festivities, and to appreciate how lucky I am, and how much I have to be thankful for.

So yes, I’m looking forward to Christmas, and the week leading up to the big day will be lovely because I’ve decided it will! I’m finishing work on Wednesday, but I’ve already started my Christmas countdown by watching lots of Christmas films and reading Christmas books.

Christmas and books are linked forever in my mind, because when I was little, I always got books as presents. Dolls and bikes and records (records! Showing my age there…) were brilliant, but I always looked forward to the annual gift of three Enid Blyton books and an annual or two. Christmas just wouldn’t have been Christmas to me if I didn’t get books, and I was very lucky, because my parents read a lot, too, and there were always books around the house, and frequent trips to the library during the year, so they never let me down when it came to my Christmas books.

I don’t remember Christmas stories being so much of a thing back then, though. And I don’t really remember Christmas books being the big deal they are now, even a decade ago.

Nowadays, of course, the charts are packed with festive reads, and I’m not complaining. I love them! The only problem I have is finding the time to read them all. I will admit that my Kindle is absolutely stuffed with Christmas novels that I just haven’t got around to reading yet, but it never stops me buying more. I just can’t resist a festive cover and a good blurb!

The first Christmas book I read this year was You Make it Feel Like Christmas by Louise Marley, and I absolutely loved it. I should say, though, that I haven’t read nearly as many as I should. Maybe it’s because I’ve been too busy writing them!

I’ve got eight Christmas books out at the moment, with another two planned for next year. I know! Told you I love them…

You can find all my Christmas books (and the rest of my books) on my page here.

In the meantime, here – in no particular order – are my favourite Christmas reads. Please bear in mind that there are hundreds that I haven’t got around to yet! And I haven’t included Louise’s because I’ve already mentioned it, and that gave me an extra space! (Haha, I know, I cheated a bit there.)

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. For me, it’s unbeatable. I absolutely love it, and I read it every year.
2. Deck the Halls by Emily Harvale. Such a fun story about love and family and a crumbling stately home.
3. One Wish in Manhattan by Mandy Baggot. I absolutely adored this festive trip to New York. Highly recommended!
4. A Country Christmas by Veronica Henry. Previously published as Honeycote. I love Veronica Henry’s books, and this is one of my favourites.
5. A Christmas Kiss by Eliza J Scott. The fourth in the Life on the Moors series, but the first I read, and I was instantly transported to one of my favourite locations. Lots of snow, a gorgeous Labrador, and a sizzling romance!
6. A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry. Something a bit different – a Victorian Christmas mystery. I read it years ago, and I still remember how much I enjoyed it.
7. A Song for St Nicholas by Jo Bartlett. Jo’s written quite a few Christmas stories, but this one is possibly my favourite. A return to the beautiful coastal village of St Nicholas Bay, and the story of a Christmas choir.
8. Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Cafe by Jessica Redland. A poignant, yet still festive novel. A return to Whitsborough Bay, where we meet Tara and her giant house rabbit, Hercules. What more could you want?
9. Christmas Kisses at Hollywell Hill by Jackie Ladbury. A fun, lively read that will make you very hungry indeed! No one describes food better than Jackie Ladbury!
10. The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. Not exactly a feelgood story, but it’s a magical and humbling read. I remember reading it when I was a little girl and sobbing my heart out. It is extremely sad, but it’s also quite beautiful.

There are so many of my favourites that I’ve had to leave out. I could go on for pages, but I don’t think Emma would be very impressed with me if I did.

Are you getting any books for Christmas? I’ve put some on my wish list, so we’ll just have to see if Father Christmas thinks I’ve behaved myself this year.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and that you find the time to enjoy some festive reads of your own. Happy reading!

Sharon’s latest book, Christmas with Cary, is out now. You can buy it here.

You never forget your first love.

Molly’s spent every Christmas she can remember surrounded by her family. But this year is different. This year, Molly’s all alone in a strange town. She’s left her family behind, and she’s not sure where she can call home any longer.

All Molly has with her are a few clothes in a suitcase, and a collection of her old friend’s Cary Grant films. Except, there’s one more thing she’s brought along – the whole reason for her Christmas visit.

In her possession is a small, crumpled piece of paper, and on it is written the address of the love of her life.

Molly and Cary have had many chances over the years, but somehow life kept getting in the way and they always ended up apart once more. Yet Molly has never forgotten the first man she gave her heart to, and now she has one last chance to win him back.

But will Cary welcome her home, or will he tell her what she dreads to hear – that they’ve had their chance, and it’s all too late. That’s if she can even find him…

A cosy, festive story about hope, forgiveness, and never giving up on love – however long it takes.

Sharon Booth writes uplifting women’s fiction – love, laughter, and happy ever after. Happy endings are guaranteed for her main characters, though she likes to make them work for it.

Sharon is a member of the Society of Authors, the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and an Authorpreneur member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

She loves Yorkshire Tea, Doctor Who, and Cary Grant movies – not necessarily in that order.

Sharon grew up in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and the Yorkshire coast and countryside feature strongly in her novels.

Her stories are set in pretty villages and quirky market towns, by the sea or in the countryside, and feature lots of humour, romance and friendship. If you love gorgeous, kind heroes, and heroines who have far more important things on their minds than buying shoes, you’ll love her books.

Sharon now has a readers’ group on Facebook where readers of her books are very welcome to chat to her and to each other! To find out more visit her website at https://www.sharonboothwriter.com where you can also subscribe to her newsletter and find out more about her novels.

Beginnings

I’m an independent author based near Windsor, UK. Whilst undergoing skin cancer treatment in 2013, I found I had time on my hands to try something new, so I did an online creative writing course and started writing short stories. I joined a writing group in Windsor and this helped me with writing tips and developed my confidence. By 2015 I had a collection of short stories and sought the help of a copy editor to knock them into shape. I taught myself how to format e-books and paperbacks using the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, designed my own cover and published Thames Valley Tales.

Book Series

In 2015 I visited the site of a former Roman town not far from where I lived – Silchester – and felt the call of history! I pondered the question, ‘what would it have been like for the local inhabitants living under Roman rule, and then to suddenly be free to revert to their tribal customs and authority once the Romans left, around the year 410 C.E.? This led me to research the period and to start writing a fictional story about an auxiliary cavalry commander who was out on patrol when a hurried evacuation took place of his unit. Having seen a roving Saxon warband nearby, he decides to ignore his orders and agrees to the plea from the local tribal chief to help him form a defence of the town. The Saxons follow the long, straight road to their gate and a tense siege ensues.

Abandoned was published as a long short story/short novella (about 20,000 words) in December 2015, and soon attracted both praise for the action-packed tale, and criticism/frustration for its brevity. In the meantime, my research had led me onto Geoffrey of Monmouth’s timeline of post-Roman kings of Britain in a translation of his 1136 work, The History of the Kings of Britain. Although widely dismissed by historians as more fiction than history, I decided to base my second story on Geoffrey’s nebulous character of Ambrosius Aurelianus, described by monk Gildas (On the Ruin of Britain c. 540 C.E.) as of noble birth and ‘the last of the Romans’ (meaning the Romano-British nobility). So, with the publication of Ambrosius: Last of the Romans in 2017, I then re-visited Abandoned and re-wrote it, keeping the short story bit as the middle part. Abandoned was re-launched as a much longer second edition in 2018, and I began working on book three in my emerging series, Uther’s Destiny (2018). By now the series had a name – A Light in the Dark Ages, and I found a graphic designer, Cathy Walker, to re-design my Abandoned book cover in the same style as Ambrosius and Uther’s Destiny.

King Arthur

I then had a dilemma – should I roll up my sleeves and write my own story of Uther’s son, Arthur, and enter the world of the Arthurian legend? I was somewhat intimidated by the prospect, owing to the number of other authors who had already entered this popular territory. There seemed to me to be two strands – those who embraced the romantic Middle Ages King Arthur, he of the shining armour, Camelot, the Holy Grail and the knights of the round table; or the gritty 5^th – 6^th century warlord, located in the post-Roman world where the Anglo-Saxons were busy colonising coastal areas and steadily moving inland.

My choice had already made for me by my approach in the earlier books – it would be the latter – a believable quasi-historical Arthur, organising and leading Briton resistance to the spread of the Anglo-Saxons. And so, I continued from where Uther’s Destiny finished, with a teenager Arthur having gone along with Merlyn’s trick and pulled the sword of Ambrosius (Excalibur) from the stone. Arthur Dux Bellorum, published in 2019, is the story of Arthur’s escape from the clutches of his half-sister, Morgana, to undertake a dangerous journey northward with his band of followers, learning his trade as both warrior and leader.

Arthur and his followers finally settle at the former Roman fort of Vindolanda, on Hadrian’s Wall, where they find an unexpected ally. The battles and skirmishes Arthur fights in this novel are loosely based on the surmised locations of Nennius’s twelve battles of Arthur (in his 820 C.E. work, The History of the Britons) by historian Nash-Ford. Nennius describes Arthur as ‘Dux Bellorum’ (leader of battles), giving the novel its title. This theme continues with part two of Arthur’s story, in 2020’s Arthur Rex Brittonum (‘King of the Britons’). Arthur here is a middle-aged, married man, who travels south to answer his sister, Ann’s, call for help. She is Queen to Owain’s King of the Kingdom of Powys (mid-Wales and the West Midlands of England). Arthur joins them at the former Roman town of Viriconium, where he addresses a council of kings and chiefs and pleads with them to join his cause in repelling Angle and Saxon invaders.

And so, this is how I came to research and write my own version of a ‘real’ Arthur’s story, drawing an historical fixing point from a recent interpretation of the Welsh Annal’s dating of Arthur’s last battle at Camlann to 539 C.E. This is contentious and historians still argue that there is insufficient evidence to move Arthur from the realm of legend into verifiable history. What fascinated me was that if it was at all possible that a King Arthur fought and died at the Battle of Camlann on or near the year 539 C.E., then assuming he was 50 years old, then he would have been born around the year 489, just 79 years after the date given for Rome’s final separation from Britannia. Arthur could well have been descended from a Romano-Briton elite family who held a powerful regional tribal title. This goes some way to explaining my tag line, ‘A light in the Dark Ages, where history meets legend’.

Arthur Rex Brittonum (2020) has been short-listed for the Historical Book of the Year (early Medieval period) Award in the Coffee Pot Book Club Awards 2020. Although in a series, it can be read as a standalone, as it covers the latter half of Arthur’s life.

Kindle/paperback link: http://mybook.to/ArthurRex

ibooks, Kobo, Nook link: https://books2read.com/ap/ngjpb2/Tim-N-Walker

Find out more about Tim Walker and his books at his website – http://www.timwalkerwrites.co.uk

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/678710.Tim_Walker

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/TimWalkerWrites

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