My publishers today sold The Forgotten Legion to Athenaeum, a large Dutch publisher. Yippee! That makes 7 countries that my books have sold to: the USA, Spain, Greece, Italy, Russia, Turkey and now Holland. There’s another one possibly in the offing, but nothing concrete has been settled yet. Fingers crossed…
Tues. 8th March: a rival and a friend!
When I was in Edinburgh recently for the Ireland-Scotland rugby match, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Roman author and friend, Douglas Jackson, for lunch. Over one or two beers 😉 we discussed Rome, the legions, his incredible ability to write TWO books at the same time, and rugby. Doug’s in the privileged position of having two books – a Roman novel, and his first thriller – come out on the same day, August 18th. I’ll be doing my bit, and buying both! Please do the same. If Doug’s Roman books are anything to go by, his venture into crime writing will be well worth reading.
Doug also writes a mean blog. Check it out here.
Thurs. 3rd March: A review of The Eagle of the Ninth
Few books are immune to the unforgiving test of time, or the passing of the generations. Most fall by the wayside within a few years, to be forgotten by all but a small number of dedicated readers. The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff is without doubt, one of the handful of books to retain its appeal long term. [Read more…] about Thurs. 3rd March: A review of The Eagle of the Ninth
Thurs. 24th February: A homage to Rosemary Sutcliff
The Eagle movie, shortly to be released in the UK, is based upon a novel written by Rosemary Sutcliff. The book is titled The Eagle of the Ninth and more than fifty years after its first publication, is still in print. Dearly beloved by generations of readers, it has sold more than a million copies worldwide, and is widely acknowledged as one of the finest young adult books of the twentieth century. Yet Sutcliff’s writing appeals to adults as well. She once said that her novels were for everyone from ‘eight to eighty-eight’. I for one continue to enjoy The Eagle of the Ninth as much now as I did when I was ten years old. [Read more…] about Thurs. 24th February: A homage to Rosemary Sutcliff
Sat. 19th February: Scientists to attempt the cloning of a mammoth!
It’s not quite Jurassic Park yet, more Pleistocene Park. An international team is to extract DNA from a frozen mammoth and inject it into the egg cells of an African elephant. They reckon they’ll succeed within six years. Read about it here. I want to see an African Forest Elephant (the ones used by Hannibal, now extinct)!
Talking about mammoths, I remember visiting the most incredible site in South Dakota, in the USA. The museum is built on the site of a prehistoric mud hole into which mammoths fell when trying to get water. If I remember correctly, more than 30 mammoth skeletons have been discovered there. If you ever find yourself in South Dakota, DO NOT miss going there. It’s incredible. Check out their website here.
Wed. 16th February: Roman child’s footprints preserved for 2,000 years
Wow. A road widening project in North Yorkshire uncovered the footprints of a hopping or skipping child last year. Unfortunately, as the road was already being diverted around a Roman fort, the footprints themselves could not be preserved. Read about it, and see a photo of the touching prints here. It reminded me of the more powerful, and more ancient (6,000 years old) set of footprints that I saw in Managua, Nicaragua, about 12 years ago. Those include up to 15 sets of adult and child footprints, and are an incredible thing to see. Read a short article about them here.