My review of The Curse of Conchobar―A Prequel to the Adirondack Spirit Series By David Fitz-Gerald #BookReview #BlogTour @AuthorDAVIDFG @maryanneyarde

 

The Curse of Conchobar―A Prequel to the Adirondack Spirit Series

By David Fitz-Gerald

Banished by one tribe. Condemned by another. Will an outcast's supernatural strengths be enough to keep him alive?

549 AD. Raised by monks, Conchobar is committed to a life of obedience and peace. But when his fishing vessel is blown off-course, the young man's relief over surviving the sea's storms is swamped by the terrors of harsh new shores. And after capture by violent natives puts him at death's door, he's stunned when he develops strange telepathic abilities.

Learning his new family's language through the mind of his mentor, Conchobar soon falls for the war chief's ferocious daughter. But when she trains him to follow in her path as a fighter, he's horrified when his uncanny misfortune twists reality, causing more disastrous deaths and making him a pariah.

Can Conchobar defeat the darkness painting his steps with blood?

The Curse of Conchobar is the richly detailed prequel to the mystical Adirondack Spirit Series of historical fiction. If you like inspiring heroes, unsettling powers, and lasting legacies, then you'll love David Fitz-Gerald's captivating tale.

Buy The Curse of Conchobar to break free from the fates today!

Publication Date: 20th January 2021

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Page Length: 171 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings: Violence 

MY THOUGHTS

When Conchobar makes the decision to take out a fishing boat, a task that is not one he is accustomed to in his life on the cliffside, among monks and spending his days carving steps into the cliff, he had no way of knowing that his decision would change his life forever. Caught out, and blown away, by a storm, Conchobar manages to survive weeks alone at sea, only to be found, washed up on the shore, by a tribe of people who do not speak the same language as him, and Conchobar is not sure if they have malicious intentions towards him or not.

Finding himself immediately thrown into the middle of a war, Conchobar quickly learns that the tribe he ends up among is unlike anything he has ever known before. Unlike the peaceful tranquillity and routine of life among the monks, the tribe is busy and loud. Not only must Conchobar adjust to fit in, he must also learn skills that he never had any use for before. Why would he have needed to know how to make a club in the most time-efficient manner possible?

I have read one of David Fitz-Gerald’s books before, She Sees Ghosts, and this book, although in the same series, could not have been more different. It is not just the storyline that is different, but also the writing style. She Sees Ghosts was very character-driven, whereas The Curse of Conchobar focused more on the plot. This does not take away from the amount of detail in either book, as, like She Sees Ghosts, The Curse of Conchobar is incredibly descriptive and the characters are written in such a way that none of them feel like background characters, but rather, they all appear as real as the main protagonists. 

Having read She Sees Ghosts, I was expecting supernatural elements, and I was not disappointed. Conchobar was cursed by his father, and he has always blamed the effects of the curse for his misfortune. What else would cause such a storm to send him so far away but a curse? Among the tribe, his curse quickly shows itself when those around him start meeting their own misfortune. People die, and get hurt, and the blame falls to Conchobar, even though there was nothing he could have done to prevent the events. Everything that Conchobar goes through made me feel incredibly empathetic towards him. He is given the blame for so many deaths, and the people that had welcomed him into the village turn away and shun him. 

There were several characters, other than Conchobar, who I really felt for. One of those is Ferocious Wind, the daughter of the chief and the girl that catches Conchobar’s eye. Ferocious Wind is a warrior, like her father and brothers, yet, she is ignored and looked down upon by her father, simply because she is a girl. It doesn’t matter that she is a warrior as strong as her brothers, and possibly even better than they are. Conchobar gives her the attention she deserves as she teaches him to be a fighter, and she basks in it. Their relationship, while simple in appearance, runs much deeper, for they both need each other. Another character I adored was Three Fingers, one of the tribe’s healers and one of the first supernatural occurrences in this book. Three Fingers can talk to people telepathically and teaches Conchobar the language of the tribe while he is unconscious from injuries. Three Fingers and Conchobar become close over the course of this novel, and Three Fingers turns into the father figure that Conchobar never had.

Conchobar’s connection to the supernatural comes when he is in danger and fears that he is being followed. He becomes connected to a tree, and his spirit travels through the roots of the plants. The trees show him the way, protect him, and provide a constant companion for him when he has no one else. I was a little confused when this first happened, but I quickly realised what was happening and settled back in. 

This book is the kind that, once started, you do not want to put down. There is both action and calmer scenes. There is love, betrayal and war, and all have been blended together into a story that I absolutely loved reading.

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David Fitz-Gerald 

David Fitz-Gerald writes fiction that is grounded in history and soars with the spirits. Dave enjoys getting lost in the settings he imagines and spending time with the characters he creates. Writing historical fiction is like making paintings of the past. He loves to weave fact and fiction together, stirring in action, adventure, romance, and a heavy dose of the supernatural with the hope of transporting the reader to another time and place. He is an Adirondack 46-er, which means he has hiked all of the highest peaks in New York State, so it should not be surprising when Dave attempts to glorify hikers as swashbuckling superheroes in his writing.

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My review of 'Tho I Be Mute by Heather Miller #HistoricalFiction #BookReview #CoffeePotBookClub @HMHFR @maryanneyarde

 

'Tho I Be Mute

By Heather Miller

Home. Heritage. Legacy. Legend.

In 1818, Cherokee John Ridge seeks a young man’s education at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut. While there, he is overcome with sickness yet finds solace and love with Sarah, the steward’s quiet daughter. Despite a two-year separation, family disapproval, defamatory editorials, and angry mobs, the couple marries in 1824.

Sarah reconciles her new family’s spirituality and her foundational Christianity. Although, Sarah’s nature defies her new family’s indifference to slavery. She befriends Honey, half-Cherokee and half-African, who becomes Sarah’s voice during John’s extended absences.

Once arriving on Cherokee land, John argues to hold the land of the Cherokees and that of his Creek neighbors from encroaching Georgian settlers. His success hinges upon his ability to temper his Cherokee pride with his knowledge of American law. Justice is not guaranteed.

Rich with allusions to Cherokee legends, ‘Tho I Be Mute speaks aloud; some voices are heard, some are ignored, some do not speak at all, compelling readers to listen to the story of a couple who heard the pleas of the Cherokee.

Publication Date: 13th July 2021

Publisher: Defiance Press and Publishing

Page Length: 340 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

MY THOUGHTS

John Ridge may come from Cherokee land and have a different coloured skin to the whites, but that doesn’t mean he cannot become a learned man. He joins his cousin, Elias, at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut to continue his education further. However, he was plagued with pains in his hip and had to walk with a crutch. When he falls ill, he is taken in by the Northrup family, who are willing to give him shelter and food for as long as it takes for him to recover, as they have done for some of the students before.

It may be Mr and Mrs Northrup who initially kept John alive, but it is the Northrup’s daughter, Sarah, who nurses both his hip and his spirit back to health. It is despite the valued norms that John and Sarah fall in love, and when they announce to their parents that they wish to marry, the longed-for response is not given immediately. Sarah’s parents do not wish her to marry a Cherokee, and John’s mother has doubts about his union with a white woman. However, they are a young couple in love, and that is a force strong enough to withstand many things. Despite their parents' hesitations, and the abuse thrown their way from the inhabitants of Cornwall, Connecticut, who try to stop the couple from marrying, Sarah Northrup becomes Sarah Ridge.

I will admit, I do not know much about the Cherokee people. Therefore, reading this book was like opening my eyes to a whole new world that I was not fully aware of. I learnt about the customs, the natural way of life, the legends. I felt as though I were learning alongside Sarah, about an entirely different way of life, as she stepped into that world, and I watched her walk.

Sarah and John are such wonderful people, the kind that you can’t help but like. Sarah pushes aside her old way of life as she follows John, and absorbs herself in the Cherokee world. She may not be able to speak with her new parents-in-law, but the way that John’s parents accept her regardless of her skin colour or native language was beautiful and something that should also have happened for John in Cornwall. Unfortunately, the world can be cruel, and the people on it crueller.

Although the Cherokee people, on the surface, are a people who want to be left alone, to keep and work their land, there is always something lurking underneath, and it is not until Sarah arrives at her new home that she realises – her new family own slaves. Yet, their attitude towards their slaves is vastly different from their white counterparts. Many of them simply required the stability that having another person responsible for you provided. Two of the slaves, Old Saul and Honey, are father and daughter, although Honey is not treated by him as a father should. Instead, Honey finds her family with John’s mother, Susannah, who looks after her as a daughter, and Sarah, who treats her as both a daughter and a sister. Here is a young girl so determined to do what’s right, and to help others, that those around her cannot help but love her, and want to protect her.

This novel, although I was not aware while reading it, follows the lives of real historical characters. John’s work with the Creek neighbours of the Cherokee and the Georgians desperately trying to buy the land out from under them all was incredibly detailed, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much research and work went into making sure everything was correct. The lives of these people may have ended long ago, but their legacies will live on forever in this book.

This book not only tells the story of John and Sarah, but also another person, Clarinda, many years later. As a reader, reaching the end of a book is often the worst part, as you are always left wondering – what happened next? Not so, with this book. John and Sarah give you the start, and Clarinda the end, so although you know the end result, you are left to read on about how these people reached that conclusion. I thought this was an incredibly important decision, to write this book in that way, and I am so glad that it was. I loved Clarinda’s chapters and, as her chapters revealed more about what might happen with John and Sarah, or how certain things may turn out, John and Sarah’s chapters started to explain certain things about Clarinda.

I adored this book from start to finish. It is what I might call a work of art, contained among the pages and trapped between a cover. To see the art, and free that what is trapped, you must only open the book and start reading.

AMAZON

Heather Miller

As an English educator, Heather Miller has spent twenty-three years teaching her students the author’s craft. Now, she is writing it herself, hearing voices from the past. 

Miller’s foundation began in the theatre, through performance storytelling. She can tap dance, stage-slap someone, and sing every note from Les Misérables. Her favorite role is that of a fireman’s wife and mom to three: a trumpet player, a future civil engineer, and a future RN. There is only one English major in her house. 

While researching, writing, and teaching, she is also working towards her M FA in Creative Writing. Heather’s corndog-shaped dachshund, Sadie, deserves an honorary degree.

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My review of The Girl from Venice by Siobhan Daiko #HistoricalFiction #BookReview #CoffeePotBookClub @siobhandaiko @maryanneyarde

 

The Girl from Venice

By Siobhan Daiko

A heart-breaking page-turner, based on actual events in Italy during World War II.

Lidia De Angelis has kept a low profile since Mussolini's racial laws wrenched her from her childhood sweetheart. But when the Germans occupy Venice in 1943, she must flee the city to save her life.

Lidia joins the partisans in the Venetian mountains, where she meets David, an English soldier fighting for the same cause. As she grows closer to him, harsh Nazi reprisals and Lidia’s own ardent anti-fascist activities threaten to tear them apart.

Decades later in London, while sorting through her grandmother’s belongings after her death, Charlotte discovers a Jewish prayer book, unopened letters written in Italian, and a fading photograph of a group of young people in front of the Doge’s Palace.

Intrigued by her grandmother’s refusal to talk about her life in Italy before and during the war, Charlotte travels to Venice in search of her roots. There, she learns not only the devastating truth about her grandmother’s past, but also some surprising truths about herself.

Publication Date: 29th June 2021
Publisher: ASOLANDO BOOKS
Page Length: 300 Pages
Genre: Romantic Historical/Women’s Fiction

MY THOUGHTS

At the start of World War 2, Lidia De Angelis is living in Venice, studying to become a doctor, when it is announced that all Jewish students have been expelled from the university. In astonishment, she has to return home, and tell her father that she cannot continue her education to join him in tending his patients. Around them, other Jews that they know are leaving the city, including Lidia’s sweetheart, Renzo – but Lidia’s father is convinced that the war is over and that they are not in danger.

In 2010, the isolation Charlotte feels is amplified when her Gran passes away, leaving behind a house full of memories, and a mystery – there are certain keepsakes, some old letters and a picture, that point to her Gran’s past, but it was a time that her Gran had refused to talk about. Desperate to find out about her Gran’s life, and to try and find where she truly belongs, Charlotte travels to Venice in search of the past.

Two women, two different eras, yet they are walking the same roads. Both Lidia and Charlotte go through things, through life-changing events, and everything starts in Venice.

I absolutely loved reading about Lidia. She was certainly my favourite character in this book. With her father refusing to leave the city, Lidia, despite her own trepidations, stays. She cannot bear to be without him. When Lidia’s fears come to life, she has no choice but to leave, to get away before she loses her chance. She changes her name and travels away, going to live with Rosina Zalunardi and her family. Rosina and her brother, Antonio, introduce Lidia to a life outside of the city, and even to one away from their farm. The partisans are up Monte Grappa. Lidia cannot sit by and pretend to agree with the fascists. So she takes matters into her own hands and climbs the mountain.

The least likely place Charlotte is going to find answers would be the hotel she is staying at. Yet, the hotel owner and manager catches her eye and, making friends with both him and his sister, Charlotte has the help of people who have lived in the country for their whole life and, of course, they speak the language. Alex and Fransesca happily help Charlotte on her quest, however improbably finding out her Gran’s story seem to be, and Alex finds his heart warming to Charlotte. While I preferred Lidia’s chapters to Charlotte’s, the relationship blossoming between Alex and Charlotte was beautiful to read about. Charlotte is not ready to get close to a man again, and Alex is incredibly respectful of this. However, it seems that they can both only stay away from each other for so long.

The adventure that Lidia’s life leads her is extraordinarily emotional. Joining the partisans may give her the feeling of being able to protect herself, but she can’t protect everyone. Every time a patrol goes out, she spends the whole day worrying until they return safely. Her limited medical knowledge, and fluency in English, is put to use, and her determination pushes her through the toughest of times. When an English soldier, David, joins their ranks, Lidia finds herself growing closer to the foreign man, as they both wait, hoping, not only for the Allies to take back Italy but to provide them with the weapons and supplies necessary to join in the fight.  Lidia’s relationship with David is very similar to Charlottes and Alex. They don’t want to get too close to each other, but they can’t help it, and they clearly care deeply for the other.

There are scenes in this book that will have you wishing for a different outcome, and hoping that everything will end up alright. This book does not gloss over the horrors of war, nor the treatment many prisoners suffered, but this adds to the story. This is a realistic novel, based on actual events, and that is what makes these scenes all the more heart-breaking. This happened to real people, the suffering and fear depicted is not fictional.

This is the sort of book that you don’t want to put down. You won’t be able to read it fast enough to satisfy the need to know what happens next, and when it ends, you will feel almost lost without it, as Charlotte feels lost before she learns where she belongs. Siobhan Daiko is a new author for me, but I am definitely going to be looking up more of her books.

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Siobhan Daiko

Siobhan Daiko is an international bestselling historical romantic fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese puppy and two rescue cats. After a life of romance and adventure in Hong Kong, Australia and the UK, Siobhan now spends her time, when she isn't writing, enjoying the sweet life near Venice. 

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Read an interview with Meredith Allard, author of Down Salem Way (The Loving Husband Series) #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @maryanneyarde

 

Down Salem Way

The Loving Husband Series

By Meredith Allard

How would you deal with the madness of the Salem witch hunts?

In 1690, James Wentworth arrives in Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his father, John, hoping to continue the success of John’s mercantile business. While in Salem, James falls in love with Elizabeth Jones, a farmer’s daughter. Though they are virtually strangers when they marry, the love between James and Elizabeth grows quickly into a passion that will transcend time.

But something evil lurks down Salem way. Soon many in Salem, town and village, are accused of practicing witchcraft and sending their shapes to harm others. Despite the madness surrounding them, James and Elizabeth are determined to continue the peaceful, loving life they have created together. Will their love for one another carry them through the most difficult challenge of all?

Publication Date: June 2019

Publisher: Copperfield Press

Page Length: 352 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Get the series!

Down Salem Way • Her Dear and Loving Husband • Her Loving Husband's Curse • Her Loving Husband's Return

INTERVIEW

Writing interview questions

Why did you choose to write your book in this era?

Down Salem Way is the stand-alone prequel to Her Dear and Loving Husband, which goes back and forth between present-day Salem, Massachusetts and Salem during the witch trials in 1692.

While I was writing Her Dear and Loving Husband, I realized that because of the dual timeline I wasn’t able to delve into as much depth with the witch trials as I might have liked. After I finished writing the Loving Husband Trilogy, I decided to go back and revisit my characters James and Elizabeth during the madness of the witch hunts to examine more closely how they were affected by that time. 

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while you were researching this era?

The most surprising thing I learned from studying the Salem Witch Trials is how easily some people can be swayed into believing in something that isn’t there. It was as if this mass hysteria swept Salem Village, and people went along with whatever they were told. Of course, it isn’t quite so simple because the Puritans’ religious beliefs played a role because they were inclined to believe that the devil is real so it made sense to them that the devil would have minions to help him do his evil deeds. The use of spectral evidence was rather frightening, though. In other words, the evidence that Rebecca Nurse was harming Abigail Williams would be invisible to everyone but Abigail, who was the accuser, and yet that “evidence” was accepted in court without question. The Salem Witch Trials are a fascinating but frightening time. 

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?

While the women accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials weren’t actually witches, there are in fact real, magical witches in Down Salem Way, along with a vampire or two. 

If you had to describe your protagonist, in three words, what would those three words be?

I would describe James Wentworth as intelligent, thoughtful, and loving toward his wife. 

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on the next book in the Loving Husband Series, of which Down Salem Way is the prequel. The new book is called The Duchess of Idaho and the historical background is the Oregon Trail. 

Personal Interview questions

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I read a lot, of course. I enjoy cooking and I’m a Los Angeles Dodgers fan so I listen to the games during the summer months. I’m also a writing teaching and I edit a literary journal. So I keep pretty busy!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Funnily enough, I wanted to be a teacher and a writer. I’m very lucky that I’m doing both!

What is the best part of your day?

My favorite part of the day is in the early evening after I’m done with my work for the day. I make myself a cup of tea, pull out a good book, and that’s how I spend the rest of my night. 

Either or!

Tea or coffee: coffee

Hot or cold: cold

Movie or book: book

Morning person or Night owl: night owl

City or country: country

Social Media or book: book

Paperback or ebook: ebook

Meredith Allard is the author of the bestselling paranormal historical Loving Husband Trilogy. Her sweet Victorian romance, When It Rained at Hembry Castle, was named a best historical novel by IndieReader. Her nonfiction book, Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction, was named a #1 New Release in Authorship and Creativity Self-Help by Amazon. When she isn’t writing she’s teaching writing, and she has taught writing to students ages five to 75. She loves books, cats, and coffee, though not always in that order. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit Meredith online at www.meredithallard.com.

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Read an interview with Tracey Warr, author of The Anarchy (Conquest, Book 3) #HistoricalFiction #interview @TraceyWarr1 @maryanneyarde

The Anarchy

(Conquest, Book 3)

By Tracey Warr

Unhappily married to Stephen de Marais, the Welsh princess, Nest, becomes increasingly embroiled in her countrymen’s resistance to the Norman occupation of her family lands. She plans to visit King Henry in the hope of securing a life away from her unwanted husband, but grieving for the loss of his son, the King is obsessed with relics and prophecies.

Meanwhile, Haith tries to avoid the reality that Nest is married to another man by distracting himself with the mystery of the shipwreck in which the King’s heir drowned. As Haith pieces together fragments of the tragedy, he discovers a chest full of secrets, but will the revelations bring a culprit to light and aid the grieving King?

Will the two lovers be united as Nest fights for independence and Haith struggles to protect King Henry?

Publication Date: 2nd June 2020

Publisher: Impress Books

Page Length: 218 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Historical Romance

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Follow the Tour HERE.

INTERVIEW

Writing interview questions.

Why did you choose to write your book in this era?

Najac.

Ten years ago, I spent six months living in a medieval house in a tiny hamlet in the south of France. I was surrounded by ancient castles and medieval bastide towns, which are built on defensive mounds, such as Najac overlooking the River Aveyron, or Saint Cirq Lapopie in the Lot Valley. These ancient sites and the great rivers of southern France stirred my imagination. I fell in love with the place and now live here permanently. I stumbled across the fascinating story of a real medieval woman, Almodis de La Marche, who was the countess of Toulouse and Barcelona and I started writing a novel about her. I didn’t know much about early medieval Europe when I began but I undertook a great deal of research – reading, looking at objects in museums and old manuscripts in libraries, as well as visiting castles and other ancient sites. The Anarchy, my latest book, is my fifth medieval novel, and is set in medieval Wales, where I also lived for many years. Immersion in a particular landscape is a key inspiration for me.

Saint Cirq-Lapopie.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while you were researching this era?

That the 12th century Norman king Henry I of England and Duke of Normandy attempted to put his daughter, Empress Matilda, on the throne as his successor, after his only legitimate son was drowned in the English Channel. 

Empress Matilda.

Matilda had been married to the German emperor at the age of eight and when her husband died, her father recalled her to England.

When Henry died, Matilda was pregnant in Normandy and her cousin Stephen de Blois rushed to England and usurped her throne. There were many years of civil war between the cousins, called The Anarchy and Matilda came very close to success on several occasions. She was crowned in Winchester Cathedral but her success was brief-lived. She had Stephen a prisoner in shackles in Bristol Castle, but the throne continued to elude her grasp. Eventually Matilda’s son became king as Henry II. 

If her father’s intention had been realised Matilda would have been the first woman to rule the Anglo-Norman kingdom in her own right. I like to imagine that King Henry I was a proto-feminist. He evidently loved women. He had at least 24 illegitimate children with numerous mistresses. He acknowledged and took care of his mistresses and his illegitimate offspring. And he was close to his older sister, Countess Adela of Blois, who was another example of a significant and successful female ruler.

 

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?

My protagonist, Nest ferch Rhys, works to help her brother, Gruffudd ap Rhys, regain the kingdom of southwest Wales, which has been conquered by Norman invaders. Nest secretly employs a German mining expert to help rediscover the gold at an old Roman mine on her brother’s land. The gold helps to arm her brother’s followers and, along with the princes of Gwynedd, Gruffudd achieves a notable victory against the Normans at the battle of Crug Mawr, near Cardigan Castle. A few months before Crug Mawr, Gruffudd’s wife, Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan, led a force of Welsh warriors against the Norman stronghold at Kidwelly. Gwenllian was defeated and she and two of her sons were executed. At Crug Mawr, the Welsh victors’ war cry was ‘For Gwenllian!’ 

There is a vein of truth in my story. There really is a Roman goldmine at Dolaucothi, Gwenllian really did lead a band of warriors and was executed, and the Welsh really did win at Crug Mawr yelling her name.

If you had to describe your protagonist, in three words, what would those three words be?

Resilient, loyal, sensual

What are you currently working on? 

A biography of three sisters who lived in the 11th century and ruled in southern France and Catalonia and a new novel about a female troubadour and a young man who is fresco artist, working in chapels across the Pyrenees.

Personal Interview questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing? 

Swim

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

A writer

 

What is the best part of your day?

The morning when I first wake up and feel very optimistic about how much I can accomplish. I rarely achieve everything I hoped, but I always achieve something! 

Either or!

Tea or coffee?

Tea.

Hot or cold?

Hot.

Movie or book?

Book.

Morning person or Night owl?

Morning person.

City or country?

Country.

Social Media or book?

Book

Paperback or ebook?

Paperback

Tracey Warr

Tracey Warr (1958- ) was born in London and lives in the UK and France. Her first historical novel, Almodis the Peaceweaver (Impress, 2011) is set in 11th century France and Spain and is a fictionalised account of the true story of the Occitan female lord, Almodis de la Marche, who was Countess of Toulouse and Barcelona. It was shortlisted for the Impress Prize for New Fiction and the Rome Film Festival Books Initiative and won a Santander Research Award. Her second novel, The Viking Hostage, set in 10th century France and Wales, was published by Impress Books in 2014 and topped the Amazon Australia charts. Her Conquest trilogy, Daughter of the Last King, The Drowned Court, and The Anarchy recount the story of a Welsh noblewoman caught up in the struggle between the Welsh and the Normans in the 12th century. She was awarded a Literature Wales Writers Bursary. Her writing is a weave of researched history and imagined stories in the gaps in history.

Tracey Warr studied English at University of Hull and Oxford University, gaining a BA (Hons) and MPhil. She worked at the Arts Council, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Chatto & Windus Publishers, and edited Poetry Review magazine with Mick Imlah. She also publishes art writing on contemporary artists, and in 2016 she published a future fiction novella, Meanda, in English and French, as part of the art project, Exoplanet Lot. She recently published a series of three books, The Water Age, which are future fiction and art and writing workshop books - one for adults and one for children - on the topic of water in the future. She gained a PhD in Art History in 2007 and was Guest Professor at Bauhaus University and Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and Dartington College of Arts. Her published books on contemporary art include The Artist’s Body (Phaidon, 2000), Remote Performances in Nature and Architecture (Routledge, 2015) and The Midden (Garret, 2018). She gained an MA in Creative Writing at University of Wales Trinity St David in 2011. She is Head of Research at Dartington Trust and teaches on MA Poetics of Imagination for Dartington Arts School.

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Read an interview with Thaddeus Thomas, and check out his book – Steampunk Cleopatra! #HistoricalFantasy #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @thaddeusbooks @maryanneyarde

 

Steampunk Cleopatra

By Thaddeus Thomas

Amani, a companion of Cleopatra, seeks to rediscover Egypt's suppressed science and history. She is the beloved of her princess become queen, but that may not be enough to overcome the system they've inherited. If she fails, her country and Cleopatra, both, could fall. History meets fantasy, and together, they create something new. Experience an intelligent thriller about star-crossed lovers and an ancient science that might have been. 

Publication Date: 21st May 2021

Publisher: Independently Published

Page Length: 419 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy

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Available on KindleUnlimited!

INTERVIEW

Writing Interview Questions.

Why did you choose to write your book in this era?

I was attracted to the Library of Alexandria, and everything began there. Outside of deciding to focus the book on Cleopatra, the next greatest influence was Hero of Alexander who invented the world’s first steam engine in the first century CE. The draw was the enigmas of history, and the lost science of Egypt was a potential solution.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while you were researching this era?

I was constantly in awe of the technology and discoveries attributed to those who worked and studied at the Library of Alexandria. In the opening chapter, Philostratos watches a fire being beaten back with water cannons, and this was not a fantasy addition. The canons existed. 

They built devices that played music on their own and giant automatons they moved independently through complex actions. There’s just so much more there than we imagine.

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?

The story covers a large section of the Mediterranean world from Egypt to Rome, Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Kush. Wherever possible, the characters are historical figures. Between research and writing, I spent two years on Steampunk Cleopatra to bring you the most historically accurate fantasy possible.

If you had to describe your protagonist, in three words, what would those three words be?

The story’s point-of-view character is Philostratos, Cleopatra’s tutor, but the main character is her childhood companion, Amani. She is brilliant, kind, and good, and it is her goodness that makes her a threat to Alexandria. Power requires good disciples of the system, not good people.

What are you currently working on?

At the moment, I have six projects at various stages of development. Detective, 26 AD will be available by the time this interview is published. That will be followed A Fiction Writer's Guide to Deeper Stories, my philosophical treatise on the craft. After that, I have three more novels and an episodic project for Amazon Vella. One of these, roughly scheduled for early 2022, will begin a branching series that introduces the Italian Renaissance to an underworld based on Greek mythology. By “branching”, I mean the two or more short series will share the same first and final books.

Personal Interview questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I'm on Twitter way too often. Either that or I'm watching movies, and when I tire of those, I'll pull out whatever book I'm currently reading. Right now it's The Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw and Ulysses by James Joyce—but Ulysses I've been working on for a little over a year. 

What is the best part of your day? 

After work, I sit out on my balcony overlooking a tiny tourist town and the Mississippi River. It's a perfect moment to relax, catch up with my wife, check-in with Twitter, read, or even take a nap.

Either or.

Tea or coffee: Coffee

Hot or cold: Cold

Movie or book: Movie

Morning person or Night owl: Morning person

City or country: Country

Social Media or book: Social Media

Paperback or ebook: Paperback

Thaddeus Thomas

Thaddeus Thomas lives on the Mississippi River with his wife and three cats. Steampunk Cleopatra is his first novel, but he has a short story collection available at his website, ThaddeusThomas.com. There he also runs a book club where readers can receive indie book reviews and recommendation. His second book—Detective, 26 AD—releases July 9th and follows Doubting Thomas as he is conscripted to be an investigator for Pontius Pilate.

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