Stories are most exciting when they trigger change, or even better, transformation. But change can take many forms. Explore just how different in this special feast …
The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick
 The boy – who became a man,
The man – who became a king,
The king – who became a legend.
Helen’s debut novel, published in 1994, is the first part of her Pendragon’s Banner trilogy about King Arthur. Using early Welsh legends, she ignored the Norman knights in armour, turreted castles and magical elements – there is no Lancelot, Camelot or Merlin. Instead, she explored what might have happened during the 5th century ‘Dark Age’ – the transition from post-Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England, when one man, Arthur, tried to accomplish a peaceful union between the Britons and the English.
More from Helen at her website: www.helenhollick.net
Twitter: @HelenHollick https://twitter.com/HelenHollick
Buy this book here: http://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick Kindle ebook £1.99 $2.50
Devolution by Amie McCracken
 When humans have stopped evolving, when change is stagnant yet the rest of the planet continues to advance and surpass our species, desperation forces humankind to take drastic action. The modified children are born, genetically enhanced to kick-start evolution.
Selah is one of the new world children, built to excel. She relishes the challenge of training and exceeds expectations on all testing. But she feels alienated from her peers, her family, and the world. The genetic mutations set her apart, there is something special about her, and she worries she is less her parents’ child and more a science experiment.
T o Be A Queen by Annie Whitehead
This is the story of Æthelflæd, ‘Lady of the Mercians’, daughter of King Alfred the Great. Married to an older man to seal an alliance, she must overcome personal loss and cast aside preconceptions in order to earn the love of her people. In a world where women have many rights, but do not rule, when her husband falls ill, she must learn to lead an army to save her adopted country from the Viking onslaught and, ultimately, from her own brother.
She will never have the title, but she will learn what it takes to be a queen.
More from Annie at her website: https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/
Twitter: @AnnieWHistory https://twitter.com/AnnieWHistory
Buy this book here: http://mybook.to/To-Be-A-Queen £1.99/$2.99 (Kindle)
Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
 Mielitta is hoping to be accepted for the Maturity Test that will transform her from Citadel misfit into a normal adult but she’s doomed to endless childhood. Then she’s stung by a swarm of bees in the forbidden Forest and gains strange powers. She can shift shape and perspective between human and bee, questioning all the received ideas of Perfect society.
She grows into her second nature and adulthood on her own terms, determined to fight for Nature, in all its rich variety, against the might of the Citadel’s male rulers. For humanity’s sake, she must change the Citadel itself.
More from Jean at her website: https://jeangill.com/
Twitter: @writerjeangill https://twitter.com/writerjeangill
Buy this book here: (multiple retailers) https://books2read.com/QueenBee $3.99 / £2.99
The Pearl of Penang by Clare Flynn
 Evie Fraser, a lady’s companion, receives a proposal from a distant relative she met only once. Douglas Barrington is now a widowed rubber planter in exotic Penang. Evie risks all to escape from a life without prospects and cross the world to marry him.
The book is all about change – Evie coming to terms with a new life, a new country, a new role, her husband’s quixotic behaviour and about the entire world of pre-war colonial Penang, on the brink of terrible and dramatic change – even though the ex-patriate population refuses to recognise the growing threat of war with Japan.
More from Clare at her website: https://clareflynn.co.uk
Twitter: @clarefly https://twitter.com/clarefly
Buy this book here: (multiple retailers): https://books2read.com/ThePearlOfPenang £3.99/$4.99
Severed Knot by Cryssa Bazos
 After the English Civil War, Mairead, a young Irish woman, and Iain, a Scottish prisoner of war, are sold into indentured servitude on a Barbados sugar plantation. They form an unexpected and life-changing bond — but can they survive and find a way back home?
Severed Knot is the second novel in a standalone series that explores a transformed world turned upside down.
Connect with Cryssa on her website: http://cryssabazos.com
Buy this book here (multiple retailers): https://books2read.com/SeveredKnot
Twitter: @CryssaBazos https://twitter.com/CryssaBazos $4.99 / £3.99
Best Murder in Show by Debbie Young
 When Sophie Sayers arrives in the Cotswold village of Wendlebury Barrow to live in the cottage she’s inherited from her great-aunt, her self-esteem is at an all-time low. After years of being taken for granted by her selfish actor boyfriend, touring Europe with Damian Drammaticas, his travelling theatre company, Sophie determines to make the most of the opportunity to start afresh – although turning detective when she discovers a dead body on a village carnival float was not part of her plan.
A feel-good, funny novel that will make you want to join the unstoppable Sophie in this captivating village community.
More from Debbie at her website: www.authordebbieyoung.com
Twitter: @DebbieYoungBN http://www.twitter.com/DebbieYoungBN
Buy this book here: http://viewbook.at/best-murder-in-show 99p/99c ebook, £7.99 paperback
A Rip in the Veil by Anna Belfrage
 Three centuries separate them – and yet they meet up. Impossible, says reluctant time traveller Alexandra. Black magic, says 17th Century escaped convict, Matthew Graham, studying this female apparition warily. Will it end in tragedy or romance?
Whatever the case, life will never be the same again – for either of them!
“An enthralling story, layered in history, romance and with just the right dash of magic that keep a reader turning those pages all night long.” (Coffee Pot Book Club)
More from Anna at her website: www.annabelfrage.com
Twitter: @abelfrageauthor https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor
Buy this book here: http://myBook.to/ARIV1 £2.99/$2.99
An Unknown Woman by Jane Davis
 Anita knows exactly who she is. She’s proud of the life she’s built with partner Ed. She has her dream job – a curator at Hampton Court Palace. But, then, without warning, everything changes. Anita finds herself standing in the middle of the road, watching her home burn to the ground.
Before she can come to terms with the magnitude of her loss, hairline cracks appear in her perfect relationship. And returning to her childhood home in search of comfort, she stumbles upon the secret her mother has kept hidden, a taboo so unspeakable it can only be written down.
More about Jane at her website: https://jane-davis.co.uk
Twitter: @janedavisauthor https://twitter.com/janedavisauthor
Buy this book here: https://books2read.com/anunknownwoman £3.99/$4.99
The Swooping Magpie by Liza Perrat
 When sixteen-year-old Lindsay is forced into a heart-breaking decision, the resulting trauma will forever transform her. Bullied at home, when sexy school-teacher Jon Halliwell finds her irresistible, Lindsay believes life is about to change.
She’s not wrong.
Lindsay and Jon pursue their affair in secret, until an accident separates the lovers and Lindsay becomes enmeshed in a shocking Australian scandal, discovering the dangerous games of the adult world. Games that destroy lives.
Reflecting the social changes of 1970s Australia, The Swooping Magpie is a heartbreaking drama of lost innocence, deceit and a true-life scandal … Jill’s Book Cafe
More about Liza at her website: http://www.lizaperrat.com/
Twitter: @LizaPerrat https://twitter.com/LizaPerrat
Buy this book here: https://books2read.com/u/bMQdr7 $3.99/£2.99
Britannia’s Spartan by Antoine Vanner
 1882: Japan is modernising rapidly, politically, socially industrially and – most of all – militarily. Imperial China’s weakness and corruption encourage Japan to seize the opportunity to establish itself as the dominant power in the Far East. But first it needs to control Korea, a kingdom frozen in time and reluctant to emerge from centuries of isolation.
Korea’s king is weak and pliable and only its shrewd and ruthless queen is prepared to make a stand against Japanese aggression. Faced with a nightmare of riot, treachery and battle, can her only sure ally be a Royal Navy captain, in Korea only by accident?
More from Antoine at his website: www.dawlishchronicles.com
Twitter: @antpoinevanner https://twitter.com/AntoineVanner
Buy this book here: https://amzn.to/38sxyOZ $3.99/£2.99
INCEPTIO by Alison Morton
 New Yorker Karen Brown is caught in a tangle of hot foreign agents, a vicious enforcer hunting her and tough families. Running for her life, she flees to her dead mother’s homeland – Roma Nova – the last Roman Empire outpost in present day Europe.
But the killer reaches into her new home. Unable to rely on anybody else, especially arrogant special forces officer Conrad Tellus, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. Crazy with bitterness at his past failures, the killer sets a trap for Karen. And she has no choice but to spring it.
More from Alison (and Roma Nova) at her website: https://alison-morton.com
Twitter: @alison_morton https://twitter.com/alison_morton
Buy this book here: INCEPTIO buying links £2.99/$3.99/3.49€
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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 Some authors don’t like second-hand book stalls, whether run as a businesses or for a charity fête. In fact, they hate them. The author gets no royalty nor secondary right nor anything. The books are toted around, exchanged or traded like a lump of former tree for a pound/euro/dollar or two – virtually free. I heard one author say it was verging on piracy. A bit strong in my opinion, but I respect his right to say it.
However, consider this…
If you live in a non-English speaking country as I do in France, you can’t always find books in English. Sometimes, local media stores have a small display of international best sellers, lost amongst the local language acres of shelves of not only books but games, music, DVDs and small technology. My local library has no books, let alone fiction, in English except easy readers for school age children. Of course, there’s always Amazon… (Other online retailers are available, as they say.) But there’s nothing like handling ‘real’ books, your fingers wandering among hundreds of titles by authors you’ve never heard of as well as ones by familiar authors.
Second-hand bookstalls and book exchanges, plus the pop-up summer and Christmas fairs, are an opportunity to discover new reads, new authors and to talk about books to the person running them. Usually, they’re avid readers which is why they got into selling books in the first place.
That’s the cultural argument.
Of course, I would LOVE you to buy my books first-hand and give me a little direct remuneration – I share a few thoughts on author income here.
But there’s a parallel argument to consider. It could be that having discovered a new-to-you author in a tattered copy picked up second-hand or perhaps lent to you by a friend, you are entranced by the writing, the story and the new world the author’s words have drawn you into. You thirst for more. You are desperate to read more.
Chances are the bookstall/second-hand shop doesn’t have any more by that author. Possibly you won’t see that temporary stall until the same time next year – a whole 12 months away. Horrors!
You clutch your new treasure to your chest and dive on to the Internet and, notwithstanding the postage, order two or three more by the same author. I did exactly this after buying one book for 50 cents in a barn sale and promptly spent another £35.00 on Amazon on the rest of the series. I had discovered Vatta’s War and Elizabeth Moon netted another four full book sales.
So perhaps the second-hand bookstall or book exchange, its wares sprawled in boxes on a trestle-table once a month, aren’t demons from hell, but a spur to buying by keen readers.
Updated 2023: Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories. Audiobooks are available for four of the series.Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. JULIA PRIMA, a new Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines and taste world the latest contemporary thriller Double Identity… Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email update. You’ll also be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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 Today’s cracking guest post comes from Antoine Vanner – a regular guest here. His own adventurous life, his knowledge of human nature, his passion for nineteenth-century history and his understanding of what was the cutting-edge technology of that time, make him the ideal chronicler of the life of Nicholas Dawlish R.N.in eight volumes so far. Antoine spent many years in international business but now lives in Britain but continues to travel extensively on a private basis. His latest novel is Britannia’s Innocent (see below).
Over to Antoine!
Emerging from the ruins of the Roman Republic in 31 BC, the empire established by Octavian – later known as Augustus – was to endure for over four centuries in the West and a millennium beyond that in the East. By contrast, the string of empires proclaimed during the 19th Century in France (twice! 1804 & 1852), Haiti (1804), Brazil (1822), Mexico (twice! 1822 & 1864), Germany (1871) and British India (1877) were all to have much shorter life-spans.
The most spectacular “rise and fall” among these new 19th Century empires was to be that of Germany. Economically successful, by 1914 it was arguably the greatest single military power, but it would disintegrate, ignominiously, four years later.
 As such, it seems to have little in common with Augustus’s great Roman creation. The link is however that both were brought about by the genius and determination of a single man who realised that current realities contained so many internal contradictions, and involved such instabilities, that a new reality must be imposed.
Almost a century of civil war had shown that the structures of the almost seven-century old Roman Republic were no longer “fit for purpose”. Augustus’ solution – “The Empire” – imposed order, fostered administrative efficiency, provided security against foreign threats and allowed a high degree of adaptation to local circumstances, religions and cultures. (Read more in Adrian Goldsworthy’s excellent Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor)
The German Empire’s creator, Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), was no less clear-sighted and no less driven. He recognised that the patchwork of independent German states that still existed in the mid-19th Century (some 40 in 1860) was an anachronism. United, they could be Europe’s – if not the world’s – greatest economic and military power, guaranteeing stability at home and protection against enemies abroad.
Convinced that Prussia, already the strongest of the German states, should dominate such a union (an idea of which the King of Prussia was not convinced), Bismarck, Minister President – essentially Prime Minister – of Prussia from 1862, set about demonstrating the value of unity. The method employed was launching of three wars in six years:
– Denmark, 1864: an act of political stupidity by Denmark in 1863 violated existing treaty conditions and allowed Bismarck to launch an attack on her by Prussia, in alliance with the Austrian Empire, the only other contender for German leadership. Victory was fast and absolute.
– Austrian Empire 1866: disagreement over details of settlement of the Danish War allowed Bismarck to trigger conflict with Austria. The resulting “Seven-Weeks War” resulted in a massive Austrian defeat. Superior Prussian strategy, use of new technology and mastery of railway transportation to concentrate its armies inflicted a humiliation on the Austrian Empire from which it never recovered.
– France 1870-71: Bismarck engineered a crisis with France that he intended would lead to war. Leading an alliance of German states, Prussia inflicted a series of French defeats that included the encirclement of an entire French Army and the capture of Emperor Napoleon III as well as the siege and surrender of Paris itself. The culmination was the proclamation of the King of Prussia as Emperor of a united Germany in the Hall of Mirrors at Louis XIV’s palace at Versailles.
Largely forgotten today, the smallest of these wars, that against Denmark in 1864, inspired me to write my most recent novel, Britannia’s Innocent. Massively outnumbered by Prussia and Austria, Denmark’s army performed heroically although defeat was recognised as inevitable. The war was however a disaster in every sense for Denmark. It lost almost 3000 dead and slightly more than that wounded – a heavy toll in a population that was reduced from 2.6 million to 1.6 million by cession of territory under the peace terms. The only major Danish triumph was a naval victory over an Austrian naval squadron off Heligoland, in the North Sea, but it had no impact on the war’s outcome.
Small as the Danish War of 1864 was, by comparison with later conflicts, its tactical lessons were significant. Trenches and earthworks proved surprisingly resistant to artillery fire and allowed small numbers of rifle-armed troops to hold off much larger attacking forces. Massed assaults succeeded only at the cost of high casualties. The same was found across the Atlantic when, that same year, Confederate forces entrenched at Petersburg in Virginia imposed a virtual stalemate, that lasted some ten months, on Union forces.
On the naval front, Denmark’s only ironclad, the Rolf Krake, proved a very valuable asset in its operations against Prussian land forces. With her heavy turret-mounted guns, she represented the future of sea warfare, by contrast with the wooden broadside-frigates that fought each other at Heligoland.
My writing of Britannia’s Innocent reflects these matters and more besides, not least the first appearance in war of the newly formed Red Cross, a revolutionary concept at the time. While working on the book, I found the brutal realities of this conflict oppressive – the awareness that suffering and death for the combatants, and misery for their bereaved families, had been brought about by the wilful stupidity of Danish politicians and by the ruthless determination of a single man, Otto von Bismarck.
And by the time I finished, I found myself loathing him.
A succinct and powerful summary – thank you, Antoine.
Connect with Antoine
Find out more about the Dawlish Chronicles series: www.dawlishchronicles.com
To follow Antoine’s blog click: https://dawlishchronicles.com/dawlish-blog/
Britannia’s Innocent
 1864 – Political folly has brought war upon Denmark. Lacking allies, the country is invaded by the forces of military superpowers Prussia and Austria. Cut off from the main Danish Army, and refusing to use the word ‘retreat’, a resolute commander withdraws northwards. Harried by Austrian cavalry, his forces plod through snow, sleet and mud, their determination not to be defeated increasing with each weary step . . .
Across the Atlantic, civil war rages. It is fought not solely on American soil but also on the world’s oceans, as Confederate commerce raiders ravage Union merchant shipping as far away as the East Indies. And now a new raider, a powerful modern ironclad, is nearing completion in a British shipyard. But funds are lacking to pay for her armament and the Union government is pressing Britain to prevent her sailing . . .
Denmark is not wholly without sympathizers however. Britain’s heir to the throne is married to a Danish princess. With his covert backing, British volunteers are ready to fight for the Danes. And the Confederacy is willing to lease the new raider for two months if she can be armed as payment for the lease, although the Union government is determined to see her sunk . .
Just returned from Royal Navy service in the West Indies, the young Nicholas Dawlish is induced to volunteer and is plunged into the horrors of a siege, shore-bombardment, raiding and battle in the cold North Sea – notwithstanding divided loyalties. In 1864, Dawlish is still an innocent, relatively raw. But to survive he will need to learn fast . . .
Buy here: https://amzn.to/386dd2A
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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 Can music inspire a story? It seems so!
I’m taking part in the December StorySong short story fest organised by Discovering Diamonds Reviews’ organiser Helen Hollick.
Each day, there’s a new story and a chance to guess the song/music that inspired it. There have been some crackers so far!
Mine comes on 17 December, the first day of Saturnalia (of course!). What exactly did Honoria Mitela and her troops do at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 when Europe was threatened with conquest by the mighty Ottoman Empire?
In the meantime, here are the other stories (I’ll add the new link each day they appear on the Discovering Diamonds Reviews site)
2nd M.J. Logue First Love
3rd Richard Tearle Chips and Ice Cream
4th Helen Hollick Promises, Promises
5th Paul Marriner Memories
6th Pam Webber One Door Closing
7th Louise Adam Hurt Me Once
8th Barbara Gaskell Denvil Sticks and Stones
9th Judith Arnopp Secrets
10th Erica Lainé Silk Stockings
11th Anna Belfrage Hold Me, Love Me, Leave Me?
12th Annie Whitehead Frozen
13th Tony Riches Alas, My Love
14th Clare Flynn, Zipless
15th J.G. Harlond The Last Assignment
16th Elizabeth St John Under The Clock
17th Alison Morton Honoria’s Battle
18th Jean Gill The Hunter
19th Patricia Bracewell Daddy’s Gift
20th Debbie Young It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas
21st Ruth Downie Doing It Properly
22nd Nicky Galliers What God Has Joined
23rd Elizabeth Chadwick The Cloak
 24th / 25th HAPPY CHRISTMAS
26th Helen Hollick Ever After
27th Barbara Gaskell Denvil Just The One… Or Maybe Two
28th Deborah Swift Just Another Day
29th Amy Maroney What The Plague Brings
30th Cryssa Bazos River Mud
31st HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Enjoy!
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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 (Other email programs are available…) GMail is a very accessible way of instantly creating an address and enjoys a high level of security. Its layout is clear and easy to navigate, especially when you’re searching for an old message.
(You can hear the ‘but’ coming…)
However, Gmail’s security sometimes works a bit too efficiently. I approve of good security; we have back-ups, spamcatchers and firewalls ad nauseam here), but a few subscribers to my mailing list have reported receiving my newsletters showing a red warning, or not at all.
This is obviously not good: readers are not getting what they signed up for, or are being put off by that red warning.
Roma Nova newsletters have photos and links to articles which I think may interest or amuse subscribers. Like anything in this world, there’s no guarantee, but I do my utmost to ensure they don’t contain anything ‘icky’ in the digital sense.
GMail and spam emails
The ‘spamcatcher ‘function in your email program works by identifying messages that are likely to be spam and sending them directly to a spam folder, so you never have to see them. But this function can become problematic if it works too well, such as when Gmail identifies a message as spam that really isn’t. When that’s the case, you might continue to miss email messages from a certain sender because they always end up in your spam folder.
If Gmail keeps sending messages from a certain sender to the spam folder, you can make it stop by telling Gmail the email address is safe. This action, called whitelisting, puts the address on your safe sender list and allows those messages through the spam filter and into your inbox.
How to whitelist a sender
1. Open Gmail. In the upper-right corner, select the Settings (gear) icon. From the menu, choose Settings.
2. Select Filters and Blocked Addresses.
3. Select Create a new filter. If you already have many filters, you’ll have to scroll down to find this link.
4. A dialog box appears. In the From field, type the email address you want to whitelist. Be sure to type the full email address, like example@yahoo.com. To whitelist every email address from a particular domain, type just that domain name, like @yahoo.com.
5. At the bottom of the dialog box, select Create filter.
6. On the next screen, tell Gmail what to do with the email address or domain you just indicated. To do so, select Never send it to Spam. To finish the process, select Create filter.
7. And breath!
If you fancy subscribing to my Roma Nova newsletter, here’s the link: https://eepurl.com/ckNeFL
Oh, and there are freebies to download when you sign up. 😉
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
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