The stomach-growling smell of roast meat, the hit of mead, the arm-ache from embroidery; wind, rain, fruit in the hedgerows: details like these are the ‘little’ extras that add more period and atmosphere to your story, says MJ Porter, author of Anglo-Saxon period historical fiction. In Warrior of Mercia, the third book in the Eagle […]
Was King Alfred really the father of the English navy?
King Alfred of Wessex has been credited with forming the first English navy in the 9th century. But, as Chris Bishop, author of the Shadow of the Raven series, writes, this isn’t the case. While Alfred is often regarded as being the ‘father’ of the English navy, he was not its ‘founder’. The English Navy […]
Son of Mercia by MJ Porter
Tamworth, Mercia AD825, and the once-mighty kingdom of Mercia is in perilous danger. Their King, Beornwulf, lies dead, and years of bitter infighting between the nobles and cross-border wars have left Mercia exposed to her enemies. King Ecgberht of Wessex senses that now is the time for his warriors to strike and exact his long-awaited […]
Rival kings and the fall of Mercia
The Kingdom of Mercia went rapidly from being the foremost power in 8th-century England to being conquered in less than a decade. What happened? MJ Porter explains a time of unrest, loss, and rival kings. Son of Mercia, the first book in a new series set in the ninth century, occurs against a backdrop of […]
Horses in battle at the time of Alfred the Great
Bloodlines, Chris Bishop’s latest book set in the ninth century, features a stable boy who must try to train an almost-unrideable stallion. Would such an animal be used only for transport, or could it have been a warhorse? For Historia, Chris considers the role of horses in battle at the time of Alfred the Great. […]
Bloodlines by Chris Bishop
Wessex, AD893. As the threat of yet another Viking invasion looms over his troubled realm, Alfred, King of Wessex, reviews and strengthens his defences. Among his many concerns is the fate of Edward, his stable boy, who he believes to be the bastard son of revered warrior Matthew, who died serving the Saxon cause. If […]
Twisting the Tale: should historical fiction stick to the facts?
Author Chris Bishop discusses why writers of historical fiction don’t always adhere solely to the ‘facts’ – and why they sometimes shouldn’t. As a writer of historical fiction, I am frequently asked whether my work is based solely on fact. My stock answer is that I am a writer not a historian and, as such, […]