 This week’s ‘Ravens’ guest is S J A Turney, author of the well-reviewed Roman legionary series, Marius’ Mules, The Ottoman Cycle and the Interregnum trilogy. His new series The Great Game, begins with Praetorian, published in March 2015. Simon combines a love of travel and history with that of architecture and writing. Since leaving school and University, he’s tried car sales, insurance, software engineering, computer network management, civil service and even painting and decorating! In 2003 he wrote his first full length novel which started Marius’ Mules. Two years later came Interregnum, a fantasy story with a heavy flavour of Rome. Now there are eight Marius Mules and three in the Interregnum series…
But, of course, his latest work was the collaborative A Year of Ravens written with E. (Eliza) Knight, Ruth Downie, Russell Whitfield, Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray and Vicky Alvear Shecter – seven stories set during Boudica’s revolt in Britain 60/61 AD.
Britannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Briton. A Year of Ravens is a novel in seven parts, overlapping stories of warriors and peacemakers, queens and slaves, Romans and Britons who cross paths during Boudica’s epic rebellion. But who will survive to see the dawn of a new Britannia, and who will fall to feed the ravens?
 ‘Ravens’ came out just over two weeks ago and is going like a hot cake. I suggest you buy it. (Amazon UK, Amazon US)
Simon tells the story of Andecarus, the son of a Celtic war leader, who has been fostered by the family of a high Roman official since childhood. It was very much part of the Roman/client ruler relationship that the latter’s children were ‘guests’ of Rome, not just to ensure the former’s compliance but to make the next generation of local rulers fully conversant with and embrace the Roman way.
Andecarus is such a sympathetic character. His dilemma as a child of two cultures resonates with me. Karen Brown/Carina Mitela experiences similar conflicts, although she makes her decision earlier in her story, although in PERFIDITAS she feels a different dual-pull. Andecarus really does go through the mill in two of the toughest and uncompromising cultures around. But eventually, in the midst of war and rebellion, he has to make a choice.
So here are Simon’s answers to my series questions…
Why does Boudicca have an enduring attraction?
Boudica stands out in many ways. She is a warrior woman in an almost Amazonian mould in an era when most of our historical figures of note are male, especially in the fields of warfare and politics. She is the underdog, and everyone loves the underdog. She and her Iceni and Trinovante warriors may have been numerous and strong, but counted against the fearsome Roman war machine, which could draw on resources of men and equipment that might have seemed almost infinite at the time, they were always going to be the underdog. And tied into that is the fact that any text you read on her, you know the end is brutal and bitter, so there is a grisly fascination in seeing how it comes about.
And then there is the nationalist aspect. You don’t have to be English, or even British to appreciate Boudica, who shares a place of national pride with figures like Arminius, Vercingetorix and Don Diego de Vivar (El Cid). She represents a final stand of an ancient, chaotic world against a more organized, more modern, more practical one. And, of course, she is a figurehead for all the Celtic peoples. To see how she lives on in the national consciousness, one only needs to look at the statue of her in London. She ticks a box on almost everyone’s wishlist in a heroine.
How did you find working together as a group of authors?
I have thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration. I’ve worked on collaborative efforts before, but only ever with one other writer, and it has been fascinating to see how well a truly deep and complex tale can evolve from the cross-pollination of ideas from seven different authors. At times it can be a little frustrating as several views conflict and need compex resolution, but when that resolution happens and you look back, you can see the improvement in the work that has been born from the discussion. In fact, there has been very little conflict over the book – surprisingly so to my mind.
I kick myself to some extent that, being given what could have been a straightforward section of the story to tell, I expanded the character to the point where he became involved in nearly every part of the overall story, making my part more complex than it should have been, but my co-authors took the character of Andecarus and ran with it, growing and deepening it beyond my wildest dreams, and the result, yet again, is far greater than anything I could have accomplished alone. And that, I think, is part of the joy of working on this, and will be part of the joy of reading it: the inter-connection between the characters, threads and stories that weave in and out create a depth that no single author would achieve. I would say that out of chaos is born a gem, but to be honest, even at the points when I felt my part was becoming chaotic, my co-authors were keeping everything together. Would I do it again? Hell, yes.
What do you think is in it for the reader having such a diversity of author styles?
Oops. Think I might have partially answered this already. The fact is that each author in this work has not only their own writing style, but their own ethos and very individual personality, and it is those that I feel shine through most in the work. With each very different mind-set, each tale has been focused slightly differently and, since they are all based around separate characters, that works well, for the idiosyncrasies and biases of that writer become part of the character. For example, I am a writer of Roman fiction, here telling the tale of a native, albeit a Roman-influenced one. Thus in my tale there are echoes of mighty Rome hovering in the wings at all time. I can’t prevent that. It’s part of me. But it has therefore become part of Andecarus and part of his journey.
Similarly, each writer brings individuality to the story and the character far beyond the writing style. And yet, because of the nature of the collaboration and the cross-pollination of ideas I mentioned earlier, those very separate themes and characters have been tied together in an intricate yet strong web. The reader here is being treated to a single story – one of the most important uprisings in either British or Roman history, but he or she is also being given the opportunity to see it through seven very different perspectives, and that to a great extent removes the bias you would naturally get with one viewpoint.
Will there be another book focusing on a different event?
I am positive there will be another. Whether or not I am one of the lucky few who get to contribute will depend upon a great number of different factors, such as workload, availability of contributors, whether or not the subject matter is suitable. For me, if the theme is right, I would love nothing more than to work on another book with this fine bunch (and maybe some of those I missed from The Day of Fire, too.) I would love to explore a few different eras and milieu. It may be a touchy subject, but Roman Judea and the Biblical epic is a fascinating subject. The fall of Jerusalem and the siege of Masada too appeal. The great fire of London has possibilities, as well as reconquista of Spain. There are so many stories waiting to be told, some of which would be vastly improved by being given this sort of treatment that I can only see the H Team’s work having only just begun…
Thank you, Simon!
Publication date was 17 November and you can order from Amazon UK and Amazon US now.
Simon very kindly hosted the Roma Nova box set on his blog and reviewed INCEPTIO – do pop over and read them!
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS and SUCCESSIO. The fourth book, AURELIA and the Roma Nova box set are now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines…
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!
 My third guest in the ‘Ravens’ series is Stephanie Dray, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the Historical Novel Society conference in Denver this summer. Stephanie is a bestselling, multi-published author of historical women’s fiction and fantasy. Her critically acclaimed historical series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into more than six different languages. Before she wrote novels, Stephanie was a lawyer, a game designer and teacher.
A Year of Ravens was written in collaboration with E. Knight, Ruth Downie, Russell Whitfield, SJA Turney, Kate Quinn and Vicky Alvear Shecter and features seven stories set in the Boudican revolt in Britain 60/61 AD.
Britannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Briton. A Year of Ravens is a novel in seven parts, overlapping stories of warriors and peacemakers, queens and slaves, Romans and Britons who cross paths during Boudica’s epic rebellion. But who will survive to see the dawn of a new Britannia, and who will fall to feed the ravens?
‘Ravens’ came out last week and is going like a hot cake. I suggest you buy it. (Amazon UK, Amazon US)
Stephanie’s story is about Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes and client of Rome; the surprising thing was that the Romans treated with her at all as she stood for everything against Roman societal norms. She was clever in keeping her people neutral and safe and led a stable and peaceful kingdom (queendom?) for twenty years, whilst the much of Britain was under direct Roman rule. She is remembered negatively for handing over Caratacus to the Romans. Read Stephanie’s story for a different slant…
Welcome to Roma Nova, Stephanie!
Why does Boudicca have an enduring attraction?
For me, the attraction of Boudica’s story is that Romans never seemed to expect women to fight back against them, and it was their blindness in this area that was so often their undoing. Having written several books about Cleopatra’s daughter, I’m fascinated by the twisted relationship Rome had to powerful women, so I’m always drawn to powerful ancient queens who either got in Rome’s way–or learned to get along with them.
Were the group of authors self-selected or chosen? And how did you find working together?
After A Day of Fire, we knew we wanted to get the band back together and work on another collaboration, but because of other professional obligations, Ben Kane and Sophie Perinot couldn’t participate. That gave us an opportunity to reach out to some of our favorite writers. And we’re so glad that we did, because Russ, Simon and Ruth were aces to work with. Each of them brought unique strengths and talents to the project, and they were enormously patient with our brash American ways. Simon’s story in particular features a character that we all ended up using, forcing him to have to tinker every time one of us changed anything in our own stories. Somehow, he did not kill us. In the end, everyone was really dedicated to making the best overall book we could, together. No egos involved. It was very democratic. A lovely experience that makes me feel so honored to have been a part of it.
What do you think is in it for the reader having such a diversity of author styles?
Hopefully, the reader will come away from the book with a different perspective on the entire rebellion than has ever been presented before. Each story is a different facet of a tragic clash of cultures. All of us have our own unique voices and ways of telling a story, but we were all aware of the specific job we needed to do. For example, Kate’s known for her humor and by the time you get to her story you’re going to need a laugh.
Will there be another book focusing on a different event?
We think so. Do you and your readers have a particular event you’d like to see us cover?
Great question! Answers below, please.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS and SUCCESSIO. The fourth book, AURELIA and the Roma Nova box set are now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines…
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!
 In the pantheon of literary festivals, the Chipping Norton Literary Festival is reckoned to be one of the best: world class speakers, an unrivalled range of events, the ‘localness’ yet global appeal, and not least, enthusiasm and fun. So when I was invited via my writing friend Liz Harris to speak on self-publishing at one of their satellite events, I nearly fell over myself to get to my keyboard to type, ‘YES!’.
Although I wasn’t asked, I sent in a full proposal detailing what I would speak about, what the participants would learn, and what my experience and credentials were.
Tip: Have this document ready for when the call comes – it creates a professional impression. It needs to be as clear and polished as any other piece of writing.
 The organiser asked if I would take part in a second talk called ‘Researching your novel’; Liz would talk about general and historical research and I would follow with tips for researching imaginary settings. This didn’t apply only to my Roma Nova series – alternative historical thrillers – but also to science fiction and fantasy writing.
 The day starting with Liz talking about plotting and how everything – setting, structure, research, conflict and character – winds into and around it. Despite a technical failure with the projector until halfway through her talk, she carried on gamely from her notes. This was down to two things – she knew her subject and wasn’t spooked by the setback.
Tip: Practice, practice and practice beforehand and ensure you have prompt cards so you can continue with your talk when a technical failure sends your lovely PowerPoint presentation into the abyss.
 Will it work? Next was our joint session on research. Liz and I knew each other already through the Romantic Novelists’ Association, but we discussed beforehand the structure of the session, how long we’d each speak for and exactly what each of us would be saying.
Tip: If presenting jointly or sitting on a panel, communicate with your fellow speakers well before the day. If you don’t sort out content and running order beforehand, you not only look incompetent, but the audience doesn’t get its money’s worth. When I chaired the self-publishing panel at the Historical Novelist Society conference in Denver this year, I set out ‘rules’ about not mentioning our own books and emphasising the audience’s requirements as well as consulting with them extensively on topics.
Self- or indie publishing is far more complex today and needs forethought and dedication to do it successfully. In my hour’s talk I interspersed the good, the bad and the practical with photos, questions and anecdotes.
Tip: Audiences are keen to hear what you want to say, but keep it snappy and digestible. You do not have to cram everything in.
 I stressed the twin needs for quality of production and self-started marketing. A few faces blenched at the latter, but I suggested that publishing meant just that – making public!
Tip: Offer handouts as a summary of your talk, further reading or deeper detail of a specific topic covered in your talk. For this session, I gave out notes on the slides, how to choose a publishing services company and social media marketing for authors.
 And yes, I took along a small supply of my SilverWood Books published Roma Nova thrillers and my DIY self-published The 500 Word Writing Buddy to show what could be done at different ends of the self-publishing spectrum. And sold both.
Tip: If the event organiser doesn’t mention selling your books, raise the subject yourself – they probably assumed you would, or they just forgot!
Speaking at events is a way of spreading word of your and your books’ existence, an opportunity to give something back to newer writers and the pleasure of mixing with other writers.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO and AURELIA.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines…
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!
 Last week, Russell Whitfield (long time supporter of Roma Nova) told us all about his new collaborative writing project, A Year of Ravens. One of his fellow authors is none other than Kate Quinn, whom I had the pleasure of welcoming to the blog along with the fascinating Vibia Sabina, The Lady of the Eternal City. Not only that, I was delighted (and rather thrilled) to meet Kate and her ‘gang’ (Sophie Perinot, Eliza Knight, Stephanie Dray and Vicky Alvear Schechter) at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver.
A Year of Ravens (Amazon UK, Amazon US) came out this week. I suggest you buy it. Now. I’ll be posting my review later, but I do have to say I loved Kate’s story of the Celtic champion and the captured Roman noble, Valeria. Shades of Carina and Aurelia Mitela for this lady’s tough-mindedness and determination in a grim situation! Britain in open, savage revolt wasn’t a safe place in any sense and the Valeria set to to make the best of her situation, something that Kate handled without sentimentality but with great sensitivity.
A Year of Ravens A novel in seven parts, overlapping stories of warriors and peacemakers, queens and slaves, Romans and Britons who cross paths during Boudica’s epic rebellion. But who will survive to see the dawn of a new Britannia, and who will fall to feed the ravens?
I asked Kate the same questions as Russell and this is what she came up with…
Why does Boudicca have an enduring attraction and why did you choose it as the focus for this book?
It’s not easy picking a topic for a collaboration. You need a historical subject who will equally fascinate seven authors who write very different things; a subject who can provide grist for drama, action, pathos, romance, battle, humor, and everything in between. You need a subject that will hook male and female readers, people who love historical fiction and people who are new to it. Ideally you also want a subject with marquee appeal, a subject with recognition and draw in the name so all people have to do is see the cover to think “oooh!” In fitting all those qualifications, Boudica was a natural fit for us. As a wronged woman, a vengeful mother, a warrior queen, a freedom fighter, and the ultimate pissed-off red-head, she’s a heroine any author can write about and any reader can cheer for.
Were the group of authors self-selected or chosen? And how did you find working together?
Ultimately this project was Eliza’s – she long had a dream of writing a solo book on Boudica’s daughters, but realize her jam-packed writing schedule wasn’t going to allow writing it, so she offered up the topic as a group project to the H Team. And while I’ll always wish I could read the book Eliza would have written on her own, I’m eternally grateful she allowed us to join her on this ride! We had a core four from the Pompeii project – Eliza, Stephanie, Vicky, and myself, and new spaces to fill after pre-existing deadlines took Ben and Sophie out of the line-up. Simon and I were just getting to know each other through social media after he read and reviewed our Pompeii book, so I cajoled him on board. Ruth and Russ were also natural fits; I’ve been a huge fan of their Ruso series and Gladiatrix trilogy respectively, and was so delighted they could join the team. All three of them have been just delightful to work with.
What do you think is in it for the reader having such a diversity of author styles?
A book like this lets all the writers play to their unique strengths. Stephanie writes devious and devastating political machinations with a human angle. Ruth examines the very human side of the Roman occupation and what it meant to live under foreign rule. Russ takes the young growing pains of a great leader and wraps them up in a lot of riveting gore and tragedy. Vicky examines superstition and religious strife and its fallout, and Si takes the immense bloody clash of two warring cultures and makes it deeply personal. I do my best to give the reader a few laughs, right in time for Eliza to do what she does best and tear your heart out with emotional pathos. There’s something for every reader here, whether you like fight scenes or love scenes, political drama or religious strife, witty banter or rousing speeches.
Will there be another book focusing on a different event?
Goodness, I hope so, because writing this book was about the most fun a writer could have and still call it work. We traded approximately three million emails and four million in-jokes, and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat!
Thank you, Kate!
Publication date was 17 November and you can order from Amazon UK and Amazon US now.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS and SUCCESSIO. The fourth book, AURELIA, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines…
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!
 Today, I have a special guest, Russell Whitfield, a true friend of Roma Nova who endorsed INCEPTIO and AURELIA. Russ’s first novel, Gladiatrix, was published in 2008 by Myrmidon Books. The sequel, Roma Victrix, continued the adventures of Lysandra, the Spartan gladiatrix. The third, Imperatrix, released this year, is just simply a tour de force.
Now, you may remember A Day of Fire six stories about the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 which he co-wrote as a highly successful collaborative novel with a group of other historical authors. Well, they’re doing a second one, this time about the Boudican revolt in Britain 60/61 AD, called A Year of Ravens.
Britannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Briton . . . and these are their stories.
- A calculating queen foresees the fires of rebellion in a king’s death
- A neglected slave girl seizes her own courage as Boudica calls for war
- An idealistic tribune finds manhood in a brutal baptism of blood and slaughter
- A death-haunted Druid challenges the gods themselves to ensure victory for his people
- A conflicted young warrior finds himself torn between loyalties to tribe and to Rome
- An old champion struggles for everlasting glory in the final battle against the legions
- A pair of fiery princesses fight to salvage the pieces of their mother’s dream as the ravens circle.
A novel in seven parts, overlapping stories of warriors and peacemakers, queens and slaves, Romans and Britons who cross paths during Boudica’s epic rebellion. But who will survive to see the dawn of a new Britannia, and who will fall to feed the ravens?
The authors – E. Knight, Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, Russell Whitfield, SJA Turney, Kate Quinn and Vicky Alvear Shecter – have all agreed to be guests on this blog over the next few weeks and give their personal take on writing a collaborative project. What a feast!
Today, we’re starting with Russell. The questions will be gentle – no hint of a Roman vigiles punishment officer to carry out the interrogation!
Why does Boudica have an enduring attraction and why did you choose it as the focus for this book?
I think because she’s a woman who kicks serious arse. All the way back to the Ancient Greeks and the Amazons, there’s a fascination with women who step outside of their supposed norm and assume the mantle of the warrior. Hers is the story of the mouse that roared – taking on the Romans and very nearly making them pull out of Britannia is an epic tale in and of itself. As a Romanophile, it’s a strange one for me too, because Boudica is a symbol of British resistance – so I’m a bit torn!
Were the group of authors self-selected or chosen? And how did you find working together?
I was asked to participate in this by Ben Kane and it was a huge honour to be invited as I’m a fan of all the other authors (it’s a small world this writing lark). How’s it been? Great – I know that we’re supposed to say that it was all seamless with no issues – but it really was like that. To be honest, the story that I got to write (about Agricola) was pretty self-contained so there was only a bit of plot crossover, whereas I know many of the other authors were meticulous in getting everything spot on as they referenced each other’s stories. I have to say that this was the most fun though; reading other people’s version of a character that you’d worked on was a great thrill. It was great fun – I loved every moment of this project (well, apart from the editing, cos no one likes that!). No, it was full of ace and awesome.
What do you think is in it for the reader having such a diversity of author styles?
Good question. I hope that people will like it because each story has its own voice. The point of the piece was to show the conflict from many different perspectives so the styles of the writers of course reflect that. The main thing is that Kate Quinn – editor-in-chief and potential member of the Justice League (cos she’s that much of a superheroine) ensured that – crucially – the events flowed well and that the i’s were dotted, t’s were crossed and the piece wasn’t just a bunch of short stories. Not that there’s anything wrong with short stories, but “A Year of Ravens” needed to read and feel like a novel. Thanks to Kate, it does – she chaperoned us all through the hard parts.
The thing is, Kate and all the other writers on this project are amazingly talented people – all writing the same story. It might be a different approach, but these guys are so good that I would imagine that any reader will just get caught up and swept along with it.
Will there be another book focusing on a different event?
I certainly hope so. As I say, this was a huge honour and pleasure for me to be involved in… if there is another one in the future and I’m lucky enough to be invited on board, I’d be there with bells on.
Thank you, Russell!
Publication date is 17 November, but you can pre-order from Amazon UK and Amazon US now.
I’ve been lucky enough to have read a pre-publication copy and will let you know my thoughts later in the series!
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS and SUCCESSIO. The fourth book, AURELIA, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines…
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!
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