Joan Fallon - Blog

Just finished The Ring of Flames - last in the al-Andalus series

5/6/2017

Until I got started I never believed I'd have enough material to write a third book about the Omayyad caliphs in Córdoba. I was wrong. One tiny detail of research opened up a new avenue for a complete novel. What was it? It was the realisation that the caliph al-Hisham II, who featured so tragically in book two, The Eye of the Falcon, didn't die in 1013 as I had originally thought. He'd disappeared. Well that's a whole different story. Where did he go? Who helped him? If he escaped from the city, how did he do it? Or did he die and they just didn't find the body? The latter is unlikely because it seemed to be the custom at the time that when someone was deposed and executed, their head was stuck on a pole at the city gates for everyone to see. No such thing happened to al-Hisham. So where was he? Well to find out, you'll need to read book three of the al-Andalus series, The Ring of Flames.

The years of civil war that followed the death of the strong and ruthless al-Mansur were long and bloody, as one pretender after another tried to take over the caliphate, ostensibly ruled by the weak and infirm al-Hisham II. From 1009 until 1031 AD the country was in turmoil.

The Ring of Flames is the story of three brothers: Rafiq, a soldier, Qasim, a doctor and Ahmad, a falconer. They live in Córdoba at the beginning of the 11th century, a time of uncertainty, flood, disease and civil war. The rightful ruler of the country, al-Hisham II, the Omayyad caliph, is locked in his palace and isolated from his government and his people. When the Regent, al-Mansur dies, there is no longer a strong man to rule the country and one by one the pretenders for the throne make their challenge.
The three brothers find their loyalties in conflict when al-Hisham is thrown into jail and a new caliph is on the throne. Led by Ahmad they do all they can to help al-Hisham.
Finally al-Hisham is reinstated to the throne but the city is surrounded and Córdoba is under siege. As they struggle to survive in the besieged city, with no food, little water and no means of escape, the brothers come up with a plan. One way or another they must escape from the city but Ahmad refuses to go unless they take the caliph with them.

Book Three in the al-Andalus series will be published in paperback on 18th September 2017 but if you can't wait that long you can pre-order a Kindle copy now from Amazon and it will be available on 28th July in time for your summer holidays.

An interview with JG Harlond about her latest book

29/4/2017

Good afternoon Jane. Thanks for joining me on my blog to talk about your latest book THE DOOMSONG SWORD.

You are a successful novelist of historical fiction for adults. Why did you suddenly decide to write a fantasy novel for young adults?

To be honest, there was nothing sudden about it: quite the contrary, in fact. Apart from my historical crime fiction, I also write school text book material for senior schools – middle-grade to pre-university students. Some years ago I planned a re-telling of Norse myths and legends to be used in schools. This was taken up by a publisher and I began the project, but then the financial crisis caught up with the publisher and it was cancelled. By that time, though, I had nearly completed a re-telling of the Sigurd the Dragonslayer legend and had various other stories at different stages. Somewhat annoyed, I stopped writing and put the material into a drawer the way writers do – because you never know when something might come in handy. It was just as well I did, because that Dragonslayer story wouldn’t go away. I can’t say precisely when or even why, but one day I started to write it all over again using a fictitious protagonist called Davor. This, in turn, produced all sorts of problems because the saga goes off at tangents. Trying to create a chronological timeline suitable for a work of modern fiction was more than a challenge. So the story went back in the drawer. But Davor wouldn’t stay quiet. He started nagging me and got quite pushy so I began work on his story properly, which is a new version or an adaptation of part of the Volsung Saga with the famous sword called ‘Doomsong and Truth-teller’ plus the evil dragon. It took a long time to get Davor’s story right, though. I wrote it in three distinct ways, and even then the ‘final’ version went through numerous drafts then hours of harsh editing until it sounded right.

Did you find it more difficult writing for a younger audience?

Well, I knew how to pitch the dialogue, but I made a conscious decision not to over-simplify the prose or narrative to ‘make it easy’. There was no ‘writing down’ whatsoever. ‘Is it more difficult to write for younger readers?’ I would say yes, definitely. Initially I was consciously writing for adolescent boys, but as the story grew so did the scope and nature of potential readers. To be honest, I’d like to think The Doomsong Sword is one of those books – like Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea Trilogy or the Hobbit that appeals to all ages. The main character starts off a lazy adolescent and then gets younger, but he does grow up – I can’t say more because it would give too much away – but it’s not strictly a children’s story.

How important is it for a writer to keep within a certain genre with their writing?

Nowadays fiction authors are advised to find a genre and stick to it, at least until they have written a complete series. That, we are told, is how to get and keep readers. We are also advised to write what we read; and I read all sorts of books. I suppose my sort of fantasy – in this novel anyway – is essentially historical fiction without the facts: the hero, Davor, is abandoned in a Dark Age Scandinavia, and having been to the area where the story opens numerous times, I can assure you that when the clouds threaten or the mists come down anything might happen. In the not too distant past, I was addicted to magical realism, so I suppose there is an element of that in the story, as well. The Doomsong Sword falls into ‘high’ or ‘classical’ fantasy, I suppose, but I wasn’t bothering about that while I was creating the story itself. This genre question is a nuisance, useful for online marketing perhaps, but very limiting for a widely-read author. Margaret Atwood has written books in just about every genre and nobody criticises her for it – to my knowledge.

Are you planning to write any more books for younger readers?

Yes. As I’ve said, I have a whole file full of unused material, but this Davor character has places to go and people to meet before I can finish his story. He has some pretty amazing adventures from the old Norse sagas to get through before his story is finally told.

Well that sounds as though we're in for a treat. I for one am looking forward to reading the further adventures of the fearless Davor.

JG Harlond's books can be found on Amazon, other on-line bookshops and, if you're lucky enough to still have one where you live, in high street bookshops.
You can find out more about her on her web page www.jgharlond.com

Historical fiction blog tour: Serendepia

25/4/2017

The range of exciting historical fiction that is available is very wide and varied. This week the historical fiction blog tour takes us to 17th century Ceylon. Although a work of fiction, Serendepia is based on the story of the captivity of Captain Robert Knox.

The ship “Ann” did exist and was launched in London in 1645 by Captain
Robert Knox who died in captivity in Ceylon in 1659. His eldest son,
Robert Knox junior managed to escape in 1679 and returned to England, and where he was persuaded to write an account of his time there. The names of the members of his crew are true and correct in my novel. Nick, however, is entirely my invention, and by all accounts never existed. His account of his captivity in Ceylon is a more light-hearted look at what an individual member of the crew of the “Ann” might have done in these circumstances.
I regret that if you go to Sri Lanka today there are no records, or ruins to see of Robert’s captivity there for almost 20 years, apart from the book. The houses he lived in and his father’s grave have long since disappeared, although the tamarind tree held a plaque until the tree was destroyed in a storm.
However, the King’s Palace does remain, and the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy is well worth seeing. King Rajasinghe ruled Ceylon from 1635 to 1685, and his son, Kundasala, released most of the remaining prisoners on his succession. Today you can find, however, descendants of the Portuguese, Dutch and English captives who lived there and some of them with green eyes!
Oh, by the way, Daniel Defoe, who was a journalist, never went to Ceylon, but it was generally considered at the end of the 17th Century that Robert’s book was the major source of technical inspiration for his classic “Robinson Crusoe”.

Mike Lord was born in London within the sound of Bow Bells, just as the WW2 was about to explode. He was evacuated to the country as a small boy and then was brought up in Berkshire. His family moved to various places, including three years in Singapore from 1949, which had a curious effect on his later life. Mike has spent the vast majority of his working life in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, and now lives and works in Vietnam.

Mike has lived and worked in Vietnam since 1997, where he lives in a provincial city with his wife, and has constant stream of visitors from the families of their seven adult children. Last year he completed an historical novel featuring the beautiful wife of the 18th century Emperor Quang Trung, who is still revered all over Vietnam.

He has written three historical novels, two thrillers and his autobiography, all of which have been self-published at Smashwords and Amazon Kindle. Two of Mike’s books have won prizes.
Under his pen name Adam Mann, Mike has written over twenty romance novels.

Mike's books can be found on Smashwords and Amazon.com
Books written under the pen name Adam Mann can also be found on Amazon.
If you want to know more about Mike Lord you can find him on www.lordmaity.com and www.adammannauthor.com

Historical fiction blog tour: Moon Rising

25/4/2017

This week's historical novel is Moon Rising by Ann Victoria Roberts, set in Whitby in the 1880s. After reading this intriguing story based on a meeting between the heroine and Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, I had to buy his 19th century horror story and read it for myself.

Who was Bram Stoker – and why did he write Dracula?

Through the words of Damaris Sterne, daughter of an old seafaring family, we meet a man escaping to Whitby from the pressures of his life in London. As business manager to the great Shakespearean actor, Henry Irving, life has become intolerable for Bram Stoker.
As Damaris and Stoker become involved in an intense, dangerous affair, he is introduced to the wild sea, the wrecks, and Whitby’s local legends: all of which find their echoes in his most famous novel, Dracula. Through Stoker, Damaris is shown glimpses of the wider world beyond, and given the means to pursue her own ambitions. But it is not until twenty years later, when the two meet again, that the truth behind Stoker’s novel emerges…

‘As though, somehow, in writing about evil I had given it life…’
‘Shamelessly enjoyable… shades of the late Mrs Cookson and a dash of Anne Rice.’ Independent
‘An engaging tale… The star of the book is the locale of Whitby, its bustling harbour and brigantines, its damp cottages and smoky inns, its winding stone steps and alleyways, its abbey and windy clifftops are all wonderfully evoked.’ The Times

Born in York, Ann Victoria Roberts now lives in Southampton with her Master Mariner husband. She is the author of five historical novels inspired by the lives of people as diverse as a young WW1 soldier, a modern historian, Bram Stoker and Captain EJ Smith of the Titanic. Love in its many forms, and the effects of the past upon the present are linking themes. The first editions of Louisa Elliott and Liam’s Story were international bestsellers – re-published in 2014 for their 25th anniversary and the centenary of WW1.
You can find out more about Ann on her website.

Moon Rising is available on Amazon and from other on-line bookshops.

Historical fiction blog tour: The Sons of Iberia

24/4/2017

This week's historical fiction novel takes us back into the Dark Ages of Spain. Warhorn is the first book in the historical series, The Sons of Iberia, and will wet your appetite to read more about this little-known period of history.

An ancient power struggle, an empire expanding and a proud, warrior people facing the end of their way of life.

It is 219 BC and Carthage has a new General who is intent on expanding their colonies in Iberia, but resistance is growing. Violent raids up and down the east coast of Iberia are occurring.
Caros is the son of a wealthy trader and discovers his family murdered after a raid on their village. Honour bound to avenge their murders, Caros turns from trader to warrior to hunt his family's killers. In doing so he befriends a gifted tracker, gains prestige among strange, foreign horsemen and falls in love with a beautiful woman.
For Caros, peace and happiness are elusive though as resistance to Carthage finally ignites a conflagration that will change the course of history. He finds himself riding to battle in the army of a young Carthaginian General and while doing so becomes a hero of his people. Even heroes can be broken though.....

'For those wanting a fast-paced historical novel set in a time and place we rarely get to read about, Warhorn is warmly recommended'

As a child my playground was the wide open veldt with the blue African sky overhead. Jungle gyms grew naturally from seed and the pet store was just beyond the garden gate. I wore shoes under protest and then only to school and church. I needed a bath every single evening.
I served as an ops medic in the army for two years and treated everything from gunshot wounds to arrow strikes. I've swum in the crocodile-infested Okavango river and seen whole villages succumb to malaria. I have hunted poachers and listened from my sleeping bag to prowling lions roaring beyond the firelight.
Life is a little tamer now. I have a beautiful wife and a strapping young man that is my son. In my spare time I write about what I love and what I love is the past. That is, the very ancient past and the people and heroes of those times. I am fortunate to have the life experiences that I have. I draw greedily from these experiences when writing when writing of the lives of men and women in a very much wilder Europe.

Warhorn and other books by J Glenn Bauer can be found on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Historical fiction blog tour: The King's Greatest Enemy

22/4/2017

This week's exciting historical novel is book 3 in the series The King's Greatest Enemy by Anna Belfrage. Set in 14th century England, this is a great medieval page-turner.

Under the Approaching Dark
(Book #3 in The King’s Greatest Enemy)

England in the early 14th century is a complicated place…
However, Adam de Guirande has cause to believe the turbulent times are behind him: Hugh Despenser is dead and Edward II has been forced to abdicate in favour of his young son. It is time to look forward, to a bright new world in which the young king, guided by his council, heals his kingdom and restores its greatness. But the turmoil is far from over.
England in the early months of 1327 is a country in need of stability, and many turn with hope towards the new young king, Edward III. But Edward is too young to rule, so instead it is his mother, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who do the actual governing, much to the dislike of barons such as Henry of Lancaster.
When it is announced that Edward II has died in September of 1327, what has so far been a grumble grows into voluble protests against Mortimer. Yet again, the spectre of rebellion haunts the land, and things are further complicated by the reappearance of one of Adam’s personal enemies. Soon enough, he and his beloved wife Kit are fighting for their survival – even more so when Adam is given a task that puts them both in the gravest of dangers.
***********************************************************************
The King’s Greatest Enemy, is the story of a kingdom on the brink of civil war, of a weak king, an adulterous queen, a young royal heir, and an ambitious baron. In the midst of all this stands an honourable knight, torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his wife and his king. Welcome to the world of Adam de Guirande!

Buy link

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a professional time-traveller. As such a profession does not exists, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history and writing.
Presently, Anna is hard at work with The King’s Greatest Enemy, a series set in the 1320s featuring Adam de Guirande, his wife Kit, and their adventures and misfortunes in connection with Roger Mortimer’s rise to power.
When Anna is not stuck in the 14th century, chances are she’ll be visiting in the 17th century, more specifically with Alex and Matthew Graham, the protagonists of the acclaimed The Graham Saga. This series is the story of two people who should never have met – not when she was born three centuries after him.
Anna can be found on her website, on Facebook and on her blog. Or on twitter and Amazon

Historical fiction blog tour: LOCAL RESISTANCE

21/4/2017

The second historical novel in my blog tour is "LOCAL RESISTANCE" by JG Harlond and is set in World War II. Unlike many novels of this period, this is a crime novel set in a remote Cornish village. If you liked watching the TV series Foyle's War I'm sure you will enjoy this gripping story.

Local Resistance
by J.G. Harlond
World War II murder mystery

Porthferris is a little village with a lot of secrets,
some more sinister than others,
and one that could change the history of a nation

On a stormy night in March 1941, Maisie Rose Hawkins leaves her drunk husband, Stan, out in the rain--and he disappears. Detective Sergeant Bob Robbins and young PC Laurie Oliver are called out to investigate and discover that Stan's small fishing boat is gone, the rope sawn through. As Bob searches for answers, it becomes apparent that in this small Cornish village where everyone knows everything about everybody, nobody quite knows the truth.
Beneath the surface of village life, a fierce battle is being waged against wartime deprivations. Shopkeepers quietly evade rationing restrictions. Food inspector Archibald Bantry, charged with enforcing those restrictions, dies in a suspicious car crash. Various leads connect a sea cave full of smuggled black-market goods to the missing Stan Hawkins. And what seems like the work of local malcontents becomes more complex and dangerous when Bob stumbles on the truth in a disused copper mine, where a much deadlier affair is underway.

Author of 'Local Resistance', 'The Empress Emerald' and 'The Chosen Man' trilogy (work-in-progress) Harlond writes page-turning historical crime fiction that weaves fictional characters into real events. She is particularly interested in aspects of power; international intrigue and domestic politics are significant elements in her adult fiction. ‘The Doomsong Sword’, a novel for younger (and not-so-younger) readers, is based on part of the old Norse Volsung Saga.

'Dark Night, Black Horse' is a true short story about a young boy who rescues his father's favourite black stallion during the Spanish Civil War. This is now available in Spanish as 'Noche Oscuro, Caballo Negro'.

Harlond is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the British Society of Authors. Originally from the English West Country, she has travelled widely and is now settled in rural Andalucía, Spain.

Website: www.jgharlond.com

LOCAL RESISTANCE is available in paperback and as an ebook from PENMORE PRESS, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com and other on-line retailers.

A walk across the north of Spain

21/4/2017

This is a short extract from my novel SANTIAGO TALES, the story of a middle-aged woman who, in an attempt to make sense of her life, walks 800 km along the Camino de Santiago to the city of Santiago de Compostela. The people she meets along the way help her to put her own life in perspective.

"Today is her birthday. She has not told anybody. There is nobody here to tell. She is fifty. Fifty years and what has she done with her life? My God, what has happened to all those youthful plans and ideas that she had? She had trained as a journalist and planned to be a foreign correspondent; that was her aim. That was what they talked about when she was at university. That was all she ever wanted to be. Most of her friends were in the English faculty but only a handful of them wanted to be journalists; the rest used their English degrees as passports to jobs in teaching, at the BBC or, in one guy’s case, with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She wonders what has become of them now? Have they made a success of their lives or are they, like her, bemoaning the fact they have reached their half-century without really achieving anything? And what of her? Instead of becoming the anchor-woman on Channel 4 News, she became pregnant and married Joe.
  She is tired already and decides to rest. Thinking about her birthday has made her feel sorry for herself, something she tries to avoid. She knows there is no point in dragging over the past but it is hard not to.
   She sits on a boulder by the side of the path and looks about her. Ahead she can see the gleam of the river Erro, as it snakes its way through the valley towards the sea. The path twists and turns down the mountainside but, apart from a splash of red in the distance, probably the last of the pilgrims disappearing from sight, there is no-one about. Despite the sun, which by now is climbing steadily higher, she feels herself shiver. Even on the moors she has never felt as isolated as this.
   She gets up. If she follows the path, it will take her to the river’s edge where she can fill her water bottle. Gingerly she makes her way down the scree-covered slopes until she reaches the bank. The river is fast-flowing and the water tumbles over the rocks, creating mini-waterfalls that sparkle in the sunshine; she crosses it carefully, hopping from one stepping-stone to another until she reaches the far side. The grassy river bank is dry and spotted with wild flowers. She sits down again, letting her rucksack slip from her shoulders onto the ground beside her. There is no-one about. A silence hangs in the air like a spell waiting to be broken."

SANTIAGO TALES is available as an ebook or in paperback from Amazon and other on-line bookstores

Historical fiction blog tour: The Du Lac Chronicles

20/4/2017

Over the next few weeks I will be posting links to a variety of historical novelists whose work ranges from the 17th century Tulip Wars in Holland to medieval mysteries in Oxford. The first in the series is Mary Anne Yarde's The Du Lac Chronicles, set in Saxon Britain.

The Du Lac Devil
(Book #2 of The Du Lac Chronicles)
By
Mary Anne Yarde

War is coming to Saxon Briton.

As one kingdom after another falls to the savage might of the High King, Cerdic of Wessex, only one family dares to stand up to him
— The Du Lacs.

Budic and Alden Du Lac are barely speaking to each other, and Merton is a mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. If Wessex hears of the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.

Fate brings Merton du Lac back to the ancestral lands of his forefathers, and he finds his country on the brink of civil war. But there is worse to come, for his father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court of Benwick. Now, more than ever, the Du Lac must come together to save the kingdom and themselves.

Can old rivalries and resentments be overcome in time to stop a war?

Links for Purchase
Amazon US
Amazon UK

About the author

Mary Anne Yarde is an award-winning author of the Amazon International Bestselling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, The Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.

Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury—the fabled Isle of Avalon—was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.

Useful Links
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

A telegram used to bring congratulations or bad news

29/3/2017

A short extract from THE ONLY BLUE DOOR, the story of three young children sent as child migrants to Australia during WWII.

It is only two days later that the news arrives. Billy sees him first. He shouts upstairs to tell her. She looks out of the window and watches as the boy leans his bicycle against the post box and wanders along the street looking at the numbers on the doors. When he gets to their own blue door he stops, checks the envelope again and knocks. She feels a tightness in her chest and is unable to move. Irene knows from the moment the boy’s knuckles rap on her door that this marks the end of one life and the start of another. They will all remember that sound for a long time to come. She does not run to see is it good news or bad; her legs will not move. She lets Billy open the door and take the yellow envelope. She hears the voice of a young man, high and reedy.
   ‘Mrs Smith?’
   ‘Yes, that’s my Mum.’
   ‘Mrs Ronald Smith?’
   ‘Yes.’
   ‘OK son, give this to yer mum.’
   She hears the door close and the sound of Billy’s feet running down the passage.
   ‘Mum, it’s a telegram,’ he cries, waving it in the air.
   ‘Maybe it’s to say Dad’s coming home,’ suggests Maggie.
   She has Grace on her lap and is brushing her hair.
   ‘Thank you darling,’ Irene says.
   She takes the envelope from him and slips it into the pocket of her apron.
   ‘Come on Mum. Aren’t you going to open it?’
   ‘Yes, open it, Mum.’
   She looks at the fresh, hopeful faces of her children and the tears begin to form in her eyes. She pulls out the standard yellow envelope and holds it against her cheek. The only other telegram she has ever received was on the day of their wedding; Ronnie’s aunt May had sent it. ‘To wish you a long and happy married life,’ it said.
   ‘Mum.’
   Maggie is hopping from foot to foot in anticipation.
   Carefully Irene takes out a knife from the kitchen drawer and slides it under the fold of the telegram. She can sense the children’s eyes on her. She pulls out the folded paper and opens it.
   ‘WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU ...’
The words stab at her heart as she tries to focus. The uniform printed letters dance in front of her eyes; she can hardly make out what they say.
   ‘WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT PRIVATE RONALD BRUCE SMITH HAS BEEN KILLED IN ACTION ...’
      She struggles for breath. Her heart is banging so loudly she cannot hear what her children are saying. She thinks she will collapse.
   ‘What’s it say Mum?’
   ‘Is he coming home? Is Dad coming home?’
   ‘Mummy. What’s it say?’
   ‘What’s the matter Mum? Mum? Is it about Dad?’
   Irene lets out a long, agonised moan. Her legs give way under her and she grabs at the edge of the table to steady herself.
   ‘What’s the matter Mum?’
   ‘Mummy, why are you crying?’
   No, not her Ronnie, it can’t be her Ronnie. Please God, let it be a mistake. But deep inside she knows it is no mistake. She looks at the anxious faces of her children; she has to be strong for them. She has to give them an answer.
   ‘No darlings, Daddy’s not coming home.’
   The words are barely a whisper. She cannot hold back the tears.
   ‘Don’t cry Mummy,’ says Grace, clinging to her mother’s leg. ‘Don’t cry.’
   The children crowd round her, each trying to comfort her in their own way. Maggie pulls out a chair so she can sit down. Billy anxiously pats her hand and Grace climbs up onto her knee and puts her podgy arms around her mother’s neck.
   ‘Does he have to go to another war now?’ asks Billy.
   There is a lump in her throat that threatens to choke her; she swallows hard and says:
   ‘No, darling, he’s not going to go to any more wars, ever again.’
   ‘So he can come home then,’ says Billy, with a little skip of pleasure.
   Maggie picks up the telegram from the table.
   ‘No, silly, he’s not ever coming home again. He’s been killed. Killed in action.’
   She flings down the telegram and runs from the room.
   ‘Maggie ...’
   Irene does not have the strength to go after her daughter. She hugs her other children to her, rocking them back and forth like she used to do when they were babies. Billy is quiet now. Grace is crying. She tries to comfort them but she does not know what to say. What can she say? It just is not fair. Ronnie was a good man, a kind man; he was her husband. He was too young to die. And they are all too young to live without him. This bloody war. It is so unfair.

Available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com