Readers have been asking me about the poetry in The Song-Sayer’s Lament and whether I wrote it myself. I always take such questions cautiously because, of course, you never quite know whether it’s loving or loathing that’s prompted the query. Anyway, hands up. Yes, I wrote it all. But before I get to the poetry itself, maybe a few quick words of … [Read more...] about Sixth Century Britain – Poetry in The Song-Sayer’s Lament
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Spanish Civil War – New Novel, Novela de la Guerra Civil Española.
My sixth novel is a sequel to my 2013 Spanish Civil War story, The Assassin's Mark... October 1938, and a British foreign correspondent is on the run in northern Spain, hunted by three different and deadly enemies determined to kill him before he can reach the … [Read more...] about Spanish Civil War – New Novel, Novela de la Guerra Civil Española.
Sixth Century Britain – Who Stole Britain’s Sixth Century?
I paid my first visit to Sixth Century Dark Ages Britain almost fifty years ago. It was Rosemary Sutcliff’s fault, since it was through the pages of A Sword at Sunset that my juvenile “King Arthur’s Round Table” image of the so-called Dark Ages first began to dissolve – the idea dawning that a more “realistic” portrayal of the period may be … [Read more...] about Sixth Century Britain – Who Stole Britain’s Sixth Century?
Jacobites – Ten Things You (Almost Certainly) Didn’t Know
A brief summary from the "Ten Things" talks I'd been doing in April 2016 to mark the 270th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden and the end of the Jacobites' 1745 Rebellion. These talks usually accompanied showing of Brian Blessed's film, Chasing The Deer. 1. The word “Jacobite” means “Supporter of James” James in Latin, of course, is … [Read more...] about Jacobites – Ten Things You (Almost Certainly) Didn’t Know
Sixth Century Britain – the Hill Fort Walks: Part Two
My journeys to check out the locations I’ve used as settings for The Song-Sayer’s Lament took me next to Anglesey, which features strongly in the novel. There are some remarkable archaeological sites on the island, all worth a visit, and including: Aberlleiniog Castle (Llangoed); or the burial chambers at Porth Trecastell, Bryn Celli Ddu and Din … [Read more...] about Sixth Century Britain – the Hill Fort Walks: Part Two