Guest Post - Revolution Day, by T. E. Taylor

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Carlos Almanzor has been the ruler of his country for 37 years. Now in his seventies, he is feeling his age and seeing enemies around every corner. Meanwhile, Carlos’ estranged and imprisoned wife Juanita recalls the revolution that brought him to power and how, once a liberal idealist, he changed over time into an autocrat and embraced repression as the means of sustaining his position. In time, as Manuel makes his own bid for power, Juanita will find herself an unwitting participant in his plans.

Hello, Tony, and thank you very much for inviting me onto your blog. 

Since I’m the guest of a historical novelist today, I thought I would talk about the different ways in which my own novels have been informed by history.

               

My first, Zeus of Ithome, is what you would call a historical novel with a capital ‘H’, since it was inspired directly by historical events and aimed to bring them to life, albeit through the personal stories of mostly fictional characters. Thus the novel is not only placed in a historical setting, but structured by the history itself, with the lives of the protagonists woven around the real-life events.

The events in question are the struggle of the Messenian people in southern Greece to free themselves from three centuries of slavery under the Spartans, and the wider power struggles between the Greek States in the fourth century BC which created the conditions for their last and greatest revolt. When I read about all this (ironically, in a book about Sparta) the story of the Messenians seemed to be crying out to be told.

I took as my central character Diocles, a runaway ‘helot’ slave, who falls in with, Aristomenes an ageing Messenian rebel and travels towards Delphi to seek advice from the oracle. There, Diocles meets Epaminondas, a (historical) Theban general, who also has no love for Sparta, and follows him to Thebes to learn political and military skills. As war brews between Sparta and Thebes, the conditions finally become right for Diocles and Aristomenes to return to Messenia and begin their revolt in earnest.

My second novel, Revolution Day, has a very different relationship with history. It deals with fictional events involving fictional people in a fictional country. Nevertheless, it is also, in its own way, inspired by history – in this case, the downfall a few years ago of a string of dictators (Hussein, Mubarak, Gaddafi) in the middle east. That was the core around which some rather vague pre-existing ideas about the fleetingness and corrupting nature of power coalesced.

Having decided to write a dictator novel, I settled on Latin America rather than the middle east, to allow more space for a strong, politically active female character:  Juanita, the estranged wife and former colleague of ageing dictator Carlos Almanzor. She is writing a memoir in which she chronicles his rise to power and his regime’s descent into repression. The third key character is Manuel Jimenez, the Vice-President, who is frustrated by his subordinate role and decides to make his own bid for power.  Lacking military support, he must do so not by force but through intrigue, manipulating the perceptions of Carlos and those around him to drive a wedge between him and Angel, the head of the Army. As Manuel begins to pull the strings, Juanita will become an unwitting participant in his plans.

Whereas with Zeus of Ithome I had been quite meticulous in getting the period details right and in making sure that the events described in the novel are consistent with the known facts (though I felt at liberty to fill in gaps!), with Revolution Day I could be much more free in borrowing from history. Carlos is not based upon any particular individual, but I drew on a variety of dictators in imagining him and the history of his regime – his look, for example, owes something to Augusto Pinochet of Chile. Similarly, though the character is not directly based on her, there is a hint of Eva Peron about Juanita. The ups and downs of Carlos’ regime (recalled in Juanita’s memoir) take place against the background of changing relations between the superpowers during the Cold War, as he seeks help from first the Russians and later the Americans to prop up his troubled government.

I have always loved historical fiction and have plans for a sequel to Zeus of Ithome in due course but my experience with Revolution Day has taught me that history can be a valuable and enriching resource not only for historical novels in the strictest sense, but for any fiction which explores timeless issues, like the effects of power, that have played out time and again in human society.

T. E. Taylor

# # #

About the Author

Tim was born in 1960 in Stoke-on-Trent. He studied Classics at Pembroke College, Oxford (and later Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London). After a couple of years playing in a rock band, he joined the Civil Service, eventually leaving in 2011 to spend more time writing. Tim now lives in Yorkshire with his wife and daughter and divides his time between creative writing, academic research and part-time teaching and other work for Leeds and Huddersfield Universities. Tim’s first novel, Zeus of Ithome, a historical novel about the struggle of the ancient Messenians to free themselves from Sparta, was published by Crooked Cat in November 2013; his second, Revolution Day in June 2015.  Tim also writes poetry and the occasional short story, plays guitar, and likes to walk up hills. Further information on both of Tim's novels is available on his website and e-book editions are currently reduced to 99p or equivalent until 15 August as part of the Crooked Cat Summer Sale. You can find Tim on Facebook and Twitter @timetaylor1.

The Pros and Cons of Book ‘Giveaways’ - an author's experience

After spending a year researching and writing a book, you’ll forgive me if I hesitate for a moment before offering to give it away to readers for free.  It doesn’t help that I once had a disconcerting experience with Amazon’s KDP Select ‘promotion’.  In return for promising exclusivity to Amazon for ninety days, I ran a special giveaway weekend and watched as over five hundred readers happily downloaded their free copies of my book. I waited for the review to roll in. They didn’t.

Then a friend pointed out that although Goodreads giveaways look as if they are only for new books, you can also use them to introduce older books to new readers. This was good news, as I had a couple of paperback copies of my previous novel, The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham. This book had been in the top ten on Amazon UK Historical Fiction Biography since it was published and now I wanted to find an effective way to raise awareness in the US.

The Goodreads program has given away more than 200,000 books since its inception and around forty thousand readers enter giveaways every day.  It’s free to list a giveaway for Goodreads authors - and you choose how many books, for how long and even to which countries. Goodreads recommends to offer ten books - but conscious of the postal costs I limited mine to two and only chose the US, Canada and Europe from the list, running for the last three weeks of July. The link for listing a new Goodreads giveaway is here:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/new

I thought it was a shame that the giveaway is limited to hard copy books – then I remembered my ‘Booklikes’ account. If you haven’t come across it, Booklikes is a great community of readers and authors. As well as reviews and discussions about books, they also offer ebook giveways, so I decided to offer some copies of ‘Eleanor’ at the same time as the Goodreads giveaway.  All you need is a free Booklikes account and the process is very similar, with a simple form here:

http://booklikes.com/giveaways/add

I found my giveaways provided a useful source of material for my social media networks. 'Have my book for free' is unsurprisingly much more popular than the dreadful 'buy my book' messages we see too often. I was also interested to see how widely news of the giveaways was being shared on Twitter and Facebook. 

So how did it all work out?  Well the good news is sales of ‘The Secret Diary’ have really taken off in the US, more than doubling since the giveaways. It is still too early to expect reviews, although both communities of readers are well aware of how much authors appreciate a short review. Goodreads estimate that around 60% of giveaways result in reviews, so fingers crossed.

The cons? Well the ebook versions were easy, as I was sent a list of emails of the Booklikes ‘winners’. Goodreads sent me the addresses of the winners of the paperback giveaway (one in the US and one in Canada) and I had to parcel them up and pay the postage - but it is a tax allowable expense so the real cost is my time. Would I recommend it? Definitely, for as well as the boost for ‘Eleanor’ I’ve seen a spike in sales of my other books in the US and the UK which far exceeds the value of the giveaway copies.

Special Guest Post: Writing Historical Fiction, by Pamela Hartshorne, author of The Edge of Dark

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

A dark and twisted tale exploring the haunted relationship between past and present, for fans of Kate Mosse and Barbara Erskine

Unlike most authors, I fell into writing by accident.  I’m prone to making sudden life-changing decisions, and having picked up Sharon Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour on a whim in Australia one day, I was blown away by how vividly she brought the 15th century to life.  I closed the book not only convinced of Richard III’s innocence,  but determined to return to the UK and do a PhD in Medieval Studies.  

In order to fund a return to study, I hit on the idea of writing romance.  Easy, I thought.  Wrong!  If I had known just how hard it would be, and how uncertain the chances of success, I would probably never have started writing at all, but fortunately I blundered on without troubling to do any research on the matter at all.  I spent more than 10 years alternating my research on public space in late medieval and early modern York with writing contemporary romances, and the question I was asked most often during that time (obviously after ‘Have you ever thought of writing a real book?’) was whether I was going to use my research to write historical fiction. 

My answer was always a firm ‘no’.  Torn between my instincts as a historian and my experience as a writer, I worried about authenticity.  How could I possibly create characters who would speak and think convincingly, yet still appeal to a modern reader?  But when I had completed my PhD, I found that I missed the contrast between thinking about the past and writing contemporary stories. I was ready for a change, and I started to think, well, maybe I could  try writing a novel based on my research after all.  I was drawn to the idea of a ‘time slip’, a novel set partly in the present and partly in the past, and a story that would highlight the tension between the familiarity and the strangeness of 16th-century England.

My first step was to let go of the ideal of authenticity.  The truth is that no matter how much scholarly research we do, we are still never going to know what it was ‘really like’ in the past.  The only way we could do that would be if we were able to go back and experience life then as someone at time - which is precisely premise of a time slip and what makes them so interesting to write.  

At the same time, there is an unspoken contract between a writer and a reader of historical fiction: while dialogue may be modernised to make it accessible to today’s readers, for instance, the historical setting and details of the story must be accurate.  I use my knowledge of Elizabethan England to give texture to my story and create what I hope will be a vivid picture of everyday life at the time, but I never forget that the story comes first. 

Like my two earlier historical novels, Time’s Echo and The Memory of Midnight, The Edge of Dark is set in the present day and in the sixteenth century.  It follows the intertwined stories of Jane, whose deathbed vow in 1569 sets her on a twisting path that takes her from the dark secrets of Holmwood House in York to the sign of the golden lily in London’s Mincing Lane, and Roz, returning to York over four centuries later with no memory of the fire that killed her family in the 1980s.  A beautiful Tudor necklace found in the newly restored Holmwood House triggers disturbing memories of the past at last – but the past Roz remembers is not her own…

Pamela Hartshorne

# # #

About the Author

Pamela Hartshorne stumbled into writing in order to fund a PhD on the later medieval and early modern street.  While continuing to work on a scholarly edition of the records that formed the basis of her research – (see www.facebook.com/yorkwardmote for more details). Pamela now also writes historical novels that move between the 16th century and the present. Her latest book, The Edge of Dark, published by Pan Macmillan, is set in Elizabethan London and York.  Find Pamela on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @PamHartshorne.

Book Launch - Mistress of the Court, by Laura Purcell

Now available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Orphaned and trapped in an abusive marriage, Henrietta Howard has little left to lose. She stakes everything on a new life in Hanover with its royal family, the heirs to the British throne. Henrietta's beauty and intelligence soon win her the friendship of clever Princess Caroline and her mercurial husband, Prince George. But, as time passes, it becomes clear that friendship is the last thing on the hot-blooded young prince's mind. Dare Henrietta give into his advances and anger her violent husband? Dare she refuse? Whatever George's shortcomings, 

Princess Caroline is determined to make the family a success. Yet the feud between her husband and his obstinate father threatens all she has worked for. As England erupts in Jacobite riots, her family falls apart. She vows to save the country for her children to inherit - even if it costs her pride and her marriage. Set in the turbulent years of the Hanoverian accession, Mistress of the Court tells the story of two remarkable women at the centre of George II's reign. 

 # # #

About the Author

Laura Purcell lives in Colchester, the oldest recorded town in England. She shares her home with a husband and many guinea pigs. Her novels explore the lives of royal women during the Georgian era, who have largely been ignored by modern history. To find out more about Laura, please visit her website www.laurapurcell.com and find her on Facebook and Twitter @Laura_D_Purcell.

Book Launch Guest Post ~ Unclog Your Happiness: A Practical Guide to Living Blissfully

New on Amazon US and Amazon UK

A practical guide to happiness. For those who have read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, but don’t know how to get there, this book is for you. Through self-inquiry and meditation, as similarly taught by Ramana Maharshi, Gary Weber, and more, you can eliminate anxiety, depression, anger, and enter in the present, happy and content.

How do I actually experience writing? I sit down in front of my computer and stare down at the keyboard or the screen. My mind is blank — exactly how it should be. I am present for the writing of the book, but there are no distracting thoughts that exist. When I write, I either just see the words start to appear on the screen, or I experience some auditory version in advance, and a feeling that accepts it or rejects it. This is how simple writing can be. In a sense, the books that I have written are writing themselves. I have gotten out of the way and permitted the process to flow.

But this wasn’t always the case. I do recall, when I first started writing, having this nagging internal dialogue go on. It could be about anything. Reminders that I had to do laundry. Thoughts about where to eat lunch. Doubts and fears about my writing. There were times when I would just sit at my desk, and, instead of being productive, my mind would be going on some endless loop of self-doubts or considerations of possible scenarios about someone not liking what I have written. I completely clogged the path for my creativity to emerge. If anything came out, it was sabotaged and skewed by my unnecessary thoughts.

Most thoughts that we have are not necessary. That don’t benefit us. They block our creativity and they stress us out. So, stop thinking! As crazy as that sounds, it is both possible and simple to do. As detailed in my book, Unclog Your Happiness: A Practical Guide to Living Blissfully, this can be done by self-inquiry, a process where we look back at where our thoughts are coming from. For example, if I thought, “I shouldn’t link my book here. That is too spammy,” then I would reply with the thought, “Who is commenting?” This continual process of looking back at the source of our thoughts — and finding out that there is no real source — shuts down these pejorative thoughts. Creativity, productivity, and peacefulness are enhanced.

There are also other things that I do to help facilitate the process of writing. I generally find myself writing more after I have had a (sugarless) cup of coffee or tea. Sitting down in an area that minimizes distractions. This often means taking my netbook — which has been stripped down of all functionality beyond what is necessary to write — and going to a quite coffee shop. I generally will begin by writing a few sentences (a condensed version) about what I will be writing about. If nothing comes out, I will jot down any objectives I have on a notebook. When creativity falters, I don’t get upset. I just enjoy my coffee.

For this article there were no notes. No prewriting. I had the vague sense of what the article would be about, but there was no elaborate outline of what to write about. Line by line, I experienced the words flow out. In this way, writing is simple, stress free, and enjoyable. 

David Ring III

# # #

About the Author

Author David Ring III was born in MA, in 1983. After an atypical upbringing that left him with a negative mindset, he began to seek freedom from his pessimistic thoughts. From 2007-2010, he settled in central New Hampshire. After buying a large, beautiful Victorian house in Franklin, NH, the economy went into recession. He began his first business venture, turning this home into a family business, a bed and breakfast. Upon coming to Thailand in 2010, he begin writing his first novel, Bound Before the Morrow, hoping to portray his own personal journey out of negativity and to inspire others to do the same. During the five years it took to write, his views changed slightly, and spirituality entered the mix. The book still maintained the original message, but a new way of life had opened for David. David still bases himself in Thailand. He avoids the heat by escaping into air conditioned coffee shops and plunging himself into writing. In this way he gently and articulately shares his philosophical beliefs. Find out more at David's website and find him on Facebook.

Book Launch: Owen - Book One of The Tudor Trilogy #Tudors #Histfic

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

and all formats on Smashwords

England 1422: Owen Tudor, a Welsh servant, waits in Windsor Castle to meet his new mistress, the beautiful and lonely Queen Catherine of Valois, widow of the warrior king, Henry V. Her infant son is crowned King of England and France, and while the country simmers on the brink of civil war, Owen becomes her protector.

They fall in love, risking Owen’s life and Queen Catherine’s reputation—but how do they found the dynasty which changes British history – the Tudors?

This is the first historical novel to fully explore the amazing life of Owen Tudor, grandfather of King Henry VII and the great-grandfather of King Henry VIII. Set against a background of the conflict between the Houses of Lancaster and York, which develops into what have become known as the Wars of the Roses, Owen’s story deserves to be told.

HFVBT Guest Post ~ Doctor Margaret in Delhi: The Azadi Series Book 2, by Waheed Rabbani

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

In Book 2 of The Azadi Series , this historical fiction novel continues with Margaret's journey from the time she and her Canadian husband participated in the 1854 Crimean War. Events leading up to the Indian Mutiny/Rebellion that breaks out in 1857 profoundly affect not only Margaret's life, but also of those who love her and others’ who wish her harm. The Azadi Series covers the turmoil that enflamed India from 1857 to 1947, and led to her independence. Those incidences engulf the characters of this story at that time, and then later their descendant's lives, again in the 1960s.

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing the author, Waheed Rabbani:

What inspired your interest in the Indian Mutiny?

Having studied mostly science and engineering subjects through my High School and University days, my knowledge (hate to admit it!) of Indian History was rather poor. Hence, during my retirement years, I started reading up on it. And, the more I read those dry history texts, the more interested I got, particularly how the Indian independence movement initiated with the “Mutiny.” By the way, most Indian historians prefer to call it “The First War of Independence.” Since I found the history texts rather tedious, I took up the challenge and began retelling the independence story in a fictional novel, which has evolved into “The Azadi Series.” (for those of you, who don’t speak Hindi, “azadi” means, freedom.)

You were born near Delhi – but how did you research life there in the mid nineteenth century?

While many of that period’s primary sources (diaries, historical accounts, and novels written at that time) are available in reputable university libraries’ archives, but these being out of copyright are now accessible on the internet! They provided valuable information about the life in India and Delhi during that era. Also, the largest depository of Indian historical archives is at the British Library in London. Again, the Internet has helped me out here as well, for the BL has put some of the material on-line, and for the payment of a modest fee they will send you photo copies, or download, some of the requested items. Hence, apart from visiting the local libraries, I did not have to travel to the BL in London, as some of the authors of earlier novels set in India, had to pour over the thick old volumes in the stacks there! Of course my visits to Delhi helped as well, if at least to visit the ruins of the old historic sites. 

Where and how do you like to write?

All through my engineering career, I worked the ‘early hours,’ from about 8 am to 4 pm. Which meant I had to get up early, and I’m happy that, now during retirement, this habit hasn’t fallen by the wayside! Initially I did sink into the ‘trap’ of doing my emailing, and social networking in the mornings. But soon realized that, being too tired by the afternoon/evening, I wasn’t getting any writing done. So listening to sage advice of other writers, I now devote the mornings strictly to novel-writing. I did purchase the most recommended software to assist writers, Scrivener, but don’t use it much. I am most comfortable writing using Word, and (still know how to) develop character information charts, time and plot lines, and other administrative spreadsheets, using Excel. Although, I mostly write using the ‘pantser’ and a basic outline approach, for I find it more creative, I am starting to outline (and timeline!) in some detail. Yes, these techniques have helped to speed up my writing and achieve my daily writing (ever changing) goal. 

Which historical fiction authors have influenced you most?

There are many. But to name a few: I was ‘blown away’ by M. M. Kaye’s novels (The Far Pavilions, The Shadow of the Moon), and loved Valerie Fitzgerald’s “Zemindar.” I’ve read and watched Paul Scott’s “Jewel in the Crown” several times. And of course, although not a novelist, the non-fiction writings of William Dalrymple (The Last Mughal). I reread most of the classical novelists, Dickens, Brontes, Austen, Tolstoy, Pasternak and others, regularly. And I’ll be amiss if I fail to mention some of our fine HNS authors. Being on the HNR Book Reviews Team, I get to read and review ‘a lot.’ 

What does the future hold for the Azadi Series?

So far I’ve covered, in Book 1, Doctor Margaret’s early life in the US and Canada and, following her graduation and marriage, travel to and service in the Crimean War of 1854. In Book 2 her story starts from her arrival in India, and after a brief period of stay with her parents at the American Mission at Futtehgurh, she serves at the Civil and Military Hospital in Delhi. Book 2 takes the readers up to the eve of the Indian Mutiny. Book 3 will cover the 1857 Mutiny, and Margaret getting caught up in it, in greater depth. Following books in the series will cover the Great Game (the Russian-British conflict in Afghanistan) and India’s Independence in 1947.

Thank you for this opportunity for an author interview.

Waheed Rabbani

# # #

About the Author

Waheed Rabbani was born in India, close to Delhi, and was introduced to Victorian and other English novels, at a very young age, in his father's library. Most of the large number of volumes, in the library, had been purchased by his father at 'garage sales' held, by departing British civil service officers, in the last days of the Raj. Waheed attended St. Partick's High School in Karachi, Pakistan. He graduated from Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England, and received a Master's degree from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. While an engineer by profession, Waheed's other love is reading and writing English literature. He also obtained a Certificate in Creative Writing from the McMaster University. Waheed and his wife, Alexandra, are now settled on the shores of Lake Ontario in the historic town of Grimsby. More information is available on his website and you can find him on Twitter @WaheedR2009 and Facebook.