Sunday Wrap Up: Week ending July 27, 2014

Be sure to see below for details on this week's giveaway!

Above the Fray by Kris Jackson. A Review by Rob Bayliss

Part One – The Ascent  

Battle lines are being drawn as the Union and Confederacy square up to one another. A young Virginian telegrapher, called Nathaniel Curry, leaves his native Richmond to view a balloon flight in Washington. Without realising the implications, and with a youthful sense of adventure, he joins Professor Thaddeus Lowe aboard a balloon that rises to greet the dawn. As an experiment he transmits instructions and coordinates, inadvertently directing artillery fire on a Confederacy position. in his own country. When word leaks out that he was implicated in this attack he is denounced as a traitor and disowned by his own brother. Forced to leave his home, family and sweetheart he seeks employment with Professor Lowe who is putting together a Balloon Corps to assist the Union cause.

Part Two – The Descent

As the war drags on the Confederacy becomes more and more desperate. It becomes clear that they cannot win; the Union has more men, greater industry and better equipment but perhaps lesser generals.

Losses and shortages caused by the Union's blockade stiffens the resolve of the Confederacy.  Nathaniel Curry finds himself being drawn more into espionage, while the Balloon Corps struggles to retain its funding, looked upon by the military as an unnecessary financial drain. In the end it is forced to cease operations.

Above the Fray is really an extraordinary book. It is meticulously well researched from the science of ballooning to the topographic description of the Civil War battlefields. I found myself totally absorbed in the life of Nathaniel Curry. There is humour here and there, but it is the humour of the gallows, as the war brutalises everyone and everything it touches.

It is a wonderfully written story; the language so fully evokes the lost world of the Confederate States of America, that even I, an Englishman, could hear the different accents in the dialogue. I learnt much about the American Civil War that I never knew before. It almost reminded me of the film Forrest Gump (albeit a very much darker tale), the way young Curry lives through major battles, crucial events and the individuals he meets (even a young Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin). Being in the Balloon Corps surrounded by scientists he is even exposed to the science of the age, able to discuss Darwin's Origin of Species and its implications for religion. Through Curry's eyes we can see the old order being swept away as the modern USA evolves.

The story of Above the Fray will stay with me for some time. I can't reccommend it highly enough and I would urge that you should read it, too.

Like this excerpt? Like to get your name in the hat for a free copy? See the rest of the review!

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Louise E. Rule Interviews D. W. Wilkin for The Review's Author Interview

Welcome, David, I would like to thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.

For those who haven't yet read your book, Beggars Can't Be Choosier, would you like to give an outline of the story David?

Sure. Beggars is the story of the Earl of Aftlake who is born with a title, but with very little in the way of money. He has about 100 pounds a year which is near poverty for a titled lord. And it is the story of Miss Katherine Chandler who finds that society snubs her for the low birth of her father and his far too rapid rise to wealth and riches. She needs a husband with stature and Lord Brian needs an heiress. An arrangement is made, though not with a typical stipulation, and they are united. He can use the wealth to build a career for himself in politics and reacquire possession to all the properties of his family that have been mortgaged. She can find a place in society that will allow her to have stature and find perhaps some revenge against those who have snubbed her. As a Regency, though, when such a thing is arranged, the road that the two take to fall in love will twist and turn, but it is inevitable that they will fall in love.

Did you already have a title in place for your book, or is it something that evolved as you wrote the story?

Actually no. I considered it another of my Regency projects, but the title did suggest itself to me as more of the story developed. I started the first draft in April of 2010, so not sure when I actually titled it. I do like that I could play upon the words and take a common cliché, twist it a bit, and see that it worked.

Research is, of course, imperative for an historical fiction novel. How much research did you have to do, and did you travel to the UK to visit the places that feature in your book?

I've been to the UK several times. My grandfather was an Englishman, and had started the old Millet chain of what was first Army surplus and became better known as camping goods. the depression and marrying my American grandmother, had them do what I find many couples do, move close to the wife's family, and so we live over the pond. but with many English relatives, I have travelled often to the isles.

I do less research now on a Regency novel I am working on, than my earlier works. I have it in my veins now, but I still add to my research daily. I have a degree in history from UCLA, and add to my extensive collection of history on the era all the time. I also post every day a biography of a Regency era person at my blog: http://thethingsthatcatchmyeye.wordpress.com 

There's loads more to Louise's interview, so come check it out!

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Feature Post by Paula Lofting: An Investigation into the Parentage of Hereward (the Wake) 

As an author writing in the 11thc, at some point I knew that the heroic character of Hereward, wrongly known as "The Wake", would have to make his entrance upon the stage. So I wanted to sift through the information there is about him and separate the myth from the fact. Whist doing a book search about him, I came upon a recent work by Peter Rex that features Hereward and other English rebels who fought to retain their lands from the grasping Normans who had invaded in 1066. The first was The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans by Peter Rex. This book was a great starting point in learning the facts around the events that were the rebellion years. The Conquest only began in 1066; it took roughly more than six years before England was well and truly subjugated.This book included Hereward and his men along with many others such as Eadric the Wild, Earls Waltheof, Morcar and Edwin, as well as Edgar the Atheling. Then I got my hands on Rex's book about Hereward in which he seeks to discover who this man was and what the facts are that are known about him, plucking him out of the mists of legend and giving us the man that belongs to what is known about the history of the time.  Like the French resistance in the Second World War, the English fought back to rid their land of the invaders, unfortunately they hadn't bargained on the Conqueror's determination, or the ruthlessness of their overlords.  Still, the bravery of such men as Hereward and Eadric the Wild would go down in history and mythology. But just who was this man whose  'a brief life in history and a long one in romance' (Charles Plummer, Oxford Scholar)? Let's take a look at what the evidence actually turns up.

Have a look indeed~~let's go see what else Paula finds for us…

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Louise E. Rule Reviews The Audible Version of Wolf's Head: The Forest Lord by Steven A. McKay

Audible Cover

In April of this year, Steven asked me if I would review his book, Wolf's Head, on the Audible format. I was very keen to do this as I had already enjoyed reading Steven's book very much. I try to get all my favourite books in paper/hardback as well as Kindle and Audible, if they are available. This is so that I can read/listen to my books wherever I am.




A narrator has to possess skills of reading a story without the listener being aware of the narrator him/herself. Some narrators, I have found, sound as though they are just reading out loud rather than telling a story, while others transport the listener within the very realms of the story, where it is possible to be submerged within it without being aware of its telling.

When one reads one gives each character a voice of their own, and the more the story progresses, the more permanent those voice characterisations become. This is why I think that it is important, no, imperative, that the narrator of an audio book should be well attuned to the story being read. For example, once a certain voice has been given to a character it must be maintained throughout the reading. It is only in this way that the listener can truly become engrossed in the story.

With this in mind, I was really looking forward to listening to the audio version of Steven's book.

With all my expectations, I had great hopes, but at first I felt a wee bit disappointed. I restarted the book several times because it took me a little while to get used to the narrator's performance. I felt that he needed to put more feeling, more humanity into it. As the story went on, however, the narrator settled into his stride, and then I enjoyed the performance more. He conveyed the female voice quite well, which must be difficult for a male narrator. Overdoing the female register can sound like the ubiquitous Pantomime Dame. There is an element of skill in getting this right so as not to reduce the authenticity of the story being read, and by so doing, carry the story forward without the listener being aware of the narrator.

Find out if Louse's experience with an audio book compares to your own by clicking right here.

Last week's Wrap Up.

Louise E. Rule Interviews D. W. Wilkin for The Review's Author Interview

Louise E. Rule Interviews David W. Wilkin

for

The Review's Author Interview

David W. Wilkin is the author of Beggars Can't Be Choosier, 

Reviewed by Linda Root on 17th July 2014 

David W. Wilkin - Biography from amazon.com Author's Page

Award winning author, Mr. Wilkin is a graduate in history. He has been writing in various genres for thirty years. Extensive study of premodern civilizations, including years as a 

re-enactor of medieval, renaissance and regency times has given Mr. Wilkin an insight into such antiquated cultures.

Trained in fighting forms as well as his background in history lends his fantasy work to encompass more beyond simple hero quests to add the depth of the world and political forms to his tales.

Mr. Wilkin regularly posts about Regency history at his blog, and as a member of English Historical Fiction Authors. You can read that blog at http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/ His very first article was published while in college, and though that magazine is defunct, he still waits patiently for the few dollars the publisher owes him for the piece.

Mr. Wilkin is also the author of several regency romances, and including a sequel to the epic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. His recent work, 'Beggars Can't Be Choosier' has won the prestigious Outstanding Historical Romance award from Romance reviews Magazine.

Welcome David, I would like to thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.

(From the front cover of the book)

When a fortune purchases a title,

love shall flourish, for a heart

that is bought, can never be won

For those who haven't yet read your book, Beggars Can't Be Choosier, would you like to give an outline of the story David?

Sure. Beggars is the story of the Earl of Aftlake who is born with a title, but with very little in the way of money. He has about 100 pounds a year which is near poverty for a titled lord. And it is the story of Miss Katherine Chandler who finds that society snubs her for the low birth of her father and his far too rapid rise to wealth and riches. She needs a husband with stature and Lord Brian needs an heiress. An arrangement is made, though not with a typical stipulation, and they are united. He can use the wealth to build a career for himself in politics and reacquire possession to all the properties of his family that have been mortgaged. She can find a place in society that will allow her to have stature and find perhaps some revenge against those who have snubbed her. As a Regency, though, when such a thing is arranged, the road that the two take to fall in love will twist and turn, but it is inevitable that they will fall in love.

Did you already have a title in place for your book, or is it something that evolved as you wrote the story?

Actually no. I considered it another of my Regency Projects, but the title did suggest itself to me as more of the story developed. I started the first draft in April of 2010, so not sure when I actually titled it. I do like that I could play upon the words and take a common cliché, twist it a bit, and see that it worked.

Research is, of course, imperative for an historical fiction novel. How much research did you have to do, and did you travel to the UK to visit the places that feature in your book?

I've been to the UK several times. My grandfather was an Englishman, and had started the old Millet chain of what was first Army Surplus and became better known as camping goods. the depression and marrying my American Grandmother, had them do what I find many couples do, move close to the wife's family, and so we live over the pond. but with many English relatives, I have travelled often to the Isles.

I do less research now on a Regency novel I am working on, than my earlier works. I have it in my veins now, but I still add to my research daily. I have a degree in History from UCLA, and add to my extensive collection of history on the era all the time. I also post every day a biography of a Regency Era person at my blog: http://thethingsthatcatchmyeye.wordpress.com 

It is very interesting how authors create and develop their characters, turning them into believable human beings. How did you develop your characters for Beggars Can't Be Choosier?

The idea came to me slowly about the arranged marriage. We have the thought in our research of the era that a man could live on a hundred pounds a year in London. But a thousand or more is what you need to really have a household. So I worked with that to develop the Earl of Aftlake. I also thought of Georgette Heyer's Grand Sophy, a little because it has been 20+ years since I read that. But a woman, maybe also like Becky Sharp, loud, large, a little brazen, and someone everyone would talk about.

I wanted to get into some issues, with the agreement between my hero and heroine, that would explore events that could bring them closer together, or break them. And so I went into looking at these topics that as a man, I could never truly relate or experience. I asked repeatedly every woman writer I've had a chance to, to give me feedback on the events I do raise in the book. The pregnancy and the other (which I shall keep secret for the readers to discover) and ladies can decide if I have done justice to the issue, or not.

When I start a story I find that the first chapter I either devote to the Hero or the Heroine, and the second is for the opposite character. While writing that chapter I try to reveal the back-story of the character so we can get that out as our base on which the story will be built. I generally will be bringing these chapters to life from a paragraph's worth of details, to a couple pages worth of information I have jotted down.

Covers of books are sometimes seen as an emotive subject; some think that covers aren't important, while others think that they are. I think that they are, as the cover can be a tempting precursor to what lies inside. How did you go about choosing your cover David?

First I have a collection of pictures from the period, or of the period that I can select from. the cover of Beggars is Edward Bretnall's Under the Mistletoe. He passed in 1902 and I, on my limited budget, currently search for inexpensive ways to create a cover. With an idea of what the book is about, as well as the genre, (for my fantasy series, Trolling, you might be able to discern that the close up of one of the Trolls is really me...) I select a picture and place that as my painting. Here, perhaps we have the sense that Brian wants to say something loving and Katherine is pulling away. After all, their marriage is a business arrangement. (Or will it always be such?)

The crucial process of proofreading and editing is very exacting work. Would you like to tell our readers how you go about this please?

Just this week a fellow writer posted on Facebook that they would rather edit 20 pages than write one. I am the opposite. This book went through four drafts, each draft having me edit it and correct it. I first started editing with a double spaced copy and wrote new material in between the lines and along the margins. Then I decided to shrink it to single space and 9 point fonts. I even edited one draft of Beggars during a cruise. Sea days are great days to edit.

After the fourth draft with Beggars, I asked for first readers and two gave me great edited copies back. I should love to be able to pay for professional copy editing, but at near $1,000 we need to sell more than 1,000 copies to make it worth my while to do so. If my sales do break out, then I will put a copy editor on speed dial, and issue more Regencies...

I always like to ask authors if they have a particular routine fore writing. For example, a particular place, time of day, or an aimed-for-word-count. What routine, if any, do you have David?

I aim for four sessions of 1500 words, (about 5) pages, every weekday. So about two or three of those before lunch, and then one in the afternoon. I write a couple bios for the website each day so I can have some backup, and then I can read. Which means reading for fun, or research.

You are a re-enactor, as are many lovers of history. So, would you like to tell our readers a little about your re-enacting life, and how you became involved in it, and does it help you to write your books?

Someone told me to go to this event and they had a girl for me to meet. I loved the event, but the girl and I only were ever destined to be friends. At the event there was medieval dancing, and I turned out to be good at it, and good at teaching it. So I did and have taught over 1,000 in our local Southern California area such dances. While re-enacting and dancing I met my wife at a ball. To woo her, and since it was a Regency Ball, I sent her pages of a Regency Romance, with of course, the main characters having our names. That has yet to be published, but perhaps one day...

Thank you so much for taking part in this interview with me. It has been extremely interesting chatting with you, David.

David W. Wilkin can be found on Facebook

and here

http://thethingsthatcatchmyeye.wordpress.com/ 

Louise E. Rule is author of Future Confronted

And can be found on Facebook here

Sunday Wrap Up: Week ending July 20, 2014

Please see below for the four giveaways this week!

Stuart S. Laing Reviews: The Hanging of Margaret Dickson 

I approached this story thinking I knew the rough background to the legend of Half Hangit Maggie; indeed I have enjoyed a pint in the pub named in her honour on Edinburgh's Grassmarket, but Alison Butler has done a simply wonderful job of adding flesh, blood and bones to the story. Her writing breathes life into a fantastic array of characters who bring real colour and drama to the book, and it is easy to lose yourself in the rich reek of the harbour at Musselburgh as fishwives clean their catch amid the jumble of creels and nets, or the heady stink of Edinburgh where thousands live cheek by jowl in a city with little or no sanitation. 

I found myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the story by the skilful use of fact and fiction to create a satisfying whole. Butler's research and deep love of the story shines through and adds real depth to the book along with a plethora of details which just adds to the overall picture. Wonder no more why women go out on hen nights before their weddings! Or why sailors don't wish to be between the devil and the deep blue sea!

From Maggie's childhood, teenage years and her marriage, at the age of 17 which brings more disappointment than pleasure for the headstrong Maggie, we follow her life through its ups and downs. 

Please note this review comes with a giveaway! To read the rest of the review and comment to get your name in the hat for a gift copy of The Hanging of Margaret Dickson, click here. 

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Beggars Can't be Choosier by D.W Wilkin - A Review by Linda Root

It has been less than five minutes since I finished the first Regency romance I have read since I was in college, and my smile has yet to fade. I am still not certain whether I am in my desert lair or in a drawing room in London waiting for the sweetcakes and

champagne promised to the guests assembled there. It seems that I have been away too long. What a miracle that a gentleman who lives in nearby Hemet by the the name of David William Wilkin could so magically transport a colleague on the far side of Mount San Jacinto all the way to London and into a society where elegance and grace were the talismans, but title and wealth were everything.

It would be dishonest to say I was captured in the first paragraph, or even in the first few pages. But I did get the message that a main character in the story was an earl whose pedigree was more impressive than his bank balance, and who was striving to live within a very limited income while still fulfilling the social obligations of a peer. He is living in what we would call a rooming house and having his shoes resoled, but he still dines with a group of men appropriate to his station. And each and every one of them is hunting for an heiress. That revelation was not especially provocative or new. 

I can site a long list of famous men who were fortune hunters from France’s Henri II who married Catherine de Medici for her fortune, not her looks, and Scotland’s famous roué, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who seemed to handfast or actually wed women he did not love whenever he was faced with mounting debt. At least in our group of drawing room bachelors, our protagonist Brian, Earl of Alfleck, is the least inspired of his friends when it comes to grabbing the first heiress who crosses his path. In fact, he is rather waiting in the wings for his childhood best friend Lady Sally to grow mature enough to appreciate him in a less platonic light than that of confidante and soul mate.

Enter Katherine.

Enter Katherine, indeed! What will happen next? You may get a bit of a clue at the review, where you can also make a comment to enter the draw for a free copy!

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Bad Boy: The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife by Kit Power: A review by Anna Belfrage

This little book is too short to qualify as a novel, and given that it contains two stories, it doesn’t quite qualify as a novella either – instead, Mr. Power presents us with two very different long short stories (yes, I know; a contradiction in terms). 

Both stories are told in first person. Both have male protagonists – and that is where the similarity between them ends.

In the first story, we are introduced to a most loving husband. His wife’s every wish he tries to fulfil – preferably even before she has expressed it. He studies her facial expression, registers her tone and analyses absolutely everything she says and does so as to ensure himself he has understood her correctly before deciding on the appropriate action. He knows when she needs tea, when he has to buy her flowers. One gets the impression of a man living very much under his wife’s thumb, eager to please, always attentive.

The man is quietly successful as an accountant. He is promoted and receives a bonus. After some consideration, the man and his wife decide to use the money to build a conservatory. In retrospect, this was a most fateful decision. It will turn our accountant’s life totally upside down, but to say more would be to reveal too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that our accountant definitely has a ruthless streak in him when needed. Very ruthless.

The second story, "The Debt", is much darker. Our protagonist is a working man who has handled unwelcome pay-cuts by maxing out on his credit cards. Months of creative shuffling between one card and the next have resulted in a staggering amount of debt. Poor Del has no idea what to do, so he turns to Tel, childhood buddy, and asks for help. Only problem is, Tel deals on the wrong side of the law, and in Tel’s world there is no such thing as a free lunch. You want money, you deliver…something.

What that might be depends upon. . .something. Go see! Besides--there are TWO free copies of Bad Boy to be had, so comment at the review for your chance to win one of them!

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Last week's Wrap Up can be viewed here.