The Migrants now released for sale

My Meet the Author/Book Signing at Westcountry Books went well on 22 February. It was a busy Saturday in our town and the last weekend of half-term. There was a lot of interest in “the Migrants”: many people seem to be interested in history. Some wanted to know more about the period of the Dark Ages in which “the Migrants” is set.

After the event, some friends who had attended took me out for lunch. On the following day, I went out for lunch again with some second cousins, one of whom is a published author. We were able to exchange ideas and experiences.

He was very impressed with the quality of my published book, both the cover and the layout. On our way home, he took a photo of me with his daughter outside the bookshop.

Our local weekly newspaper, the Mid Devon Advertiser, who are helpful to local authors, have included in a recent edition an article about me and the novel.

For my next novel, I have chosen to write about the time of King Æthelstan, who reigned in the early part of the tenth century, and could claim to be the first king of all England. This was about a hundred years before the Norman Conquest. I am progressing quickly with the novel. There was so much going on during his reign: Viking raids, rebellion in Mercia, battles to recover Danelaw from the Viking settlers and a war against the Scots, not to mention the foundation and support for monasteries and minsters. Writing an historical novel can be more challenging than writing pure fiction, as a lot of research is needed. The plus side is that with an historical framework, good ideas for story-lines can emerge.

I am having to combine writing with playing music and with gardening, now that spring awaits us. There don’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

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