Tag: historical fiction

Blog Tour/Q&A: Killer of Kings by Matthew Harffy

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I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour to celebrate the publication in paperback of Killer of Kings by Matthew Harffy, the fourth in ‘The Bernicia Chronicles’ series set in 7th century Anglo-Saxon Britain.  And I’m thrilled to welcome Matthew to What Cathy Read Next today to talk about the book, its inspiration and his approach to writing.

Storm of Steel, the latest book in ‘The Bernicia Chronicles’ series will be published on 9th May 2019 and is available for pre-order now from Amazon UK (link provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme).  Look out for my review as part of the blog tour.

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Book cover (2)About the Book

Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics.

When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, Beobrand and his men are thrown into the midst of the conflict. Beobrand soon finds himself fighting for his life and his honour.

In the chaos that grips the south, dark secrets are exposed, bringing into question much that Beobrand had believed true. Can he unearth the answers and exact the vengeance he craves? Or will the blood-price prove too high, even for a warrior of his battle-fame and skill?

Format: Paperback (400 pp.)    Publisher: Aria
Published:  2nd May 2019  Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Killer of Kings on Goodreads

Interview: Matthew Harffy, author of Killer of Kings (Bernicia Chronicles #4)

Welcome to What Cathy Read Next, Matthew. Without giving too much away for readers who have not yet discovered the series, can you tell us a bit about Killer of Kings?

The protagonist of The Bernicia Chronicles is Beobrand, a young man who, by the time we reach Killer of Kings, has become a renowned warrior and leader of men. This novel begins with him accompanying some monks south from Northumbria to East Anglia. Of course, trouble is never far away from Beobrand, and when he arrives in the south, war is already brewing and he finds himself quickly embroiled in a savage battle for survival.

Killer of Kings is the fourth book in ‘The Bernicia Chronicles’ series. What are the challenges of writing a series compared to a standalone novel?

I suppose the biggest challenges are to have a story arc and characters that make the series fit together as a long story, whilst ensuring that each book is satisfying as a standalone novel in its own right.

dunstanburgh-castle

How did growing up in Northumberland provide inspiration for your novels?

I only lived in Northumberland for a few years as a child, but the area had a profound effect on me. It is such a wild land, with reminders of the past all around, from the Roman remains of Hadrian’s Wall, to the medieval ruins of castles, such as Dunstanburgh. It is hard not to imagine our forebears walking the same rugged coastline and those windswept hills 1,400 years ago at the time my books are set.

How has Beobrand, the hero of your books, developed as a character over the series?

He starts the first book, The Serpent Sword, as a rather naïve young man. He is rapidly thrown into the struggles and battles between the warlords of the different kingdoms of Albion. Over the course of the books he becomes a powerful man, with land and a war band. He is still impetuous and is quick to anger, but by Killer of Kings he is also wiser and begins to understand the deadly games the kings of the land play with the lives of their subjects.

How do you think you would have coped living in 7th Century Britain?

I don’t think I would have survived for long. Certainly not in the violent times I portray in ‘The Bernicia Chronicles’.

How do you approach the research for your books? Do you enjoy the process of research?

I read all I can on the year or two I am writing about to find interesting historical events that I can use as the tent poles for the narrative of each novel. Then, after I’ve planned the plot of the story, I leave the detailed research for the first round of edits. Each time I reach a point in the story that has something I’m not sure of, I highlight it and return to it when I have completed the first draft.  I wouldn’t go as far as to say I enjoy the process of research, but I do love finding snippets of information that fit perfectly into the story I have envisaged. Sometimes something comes along that elevates the story and just fits perfectly. I enjoy that.

Do you have a special place to write or any writing rituals?

I write in any place I can. Wherever I can sit with my laptop for an hour is a place I can write. The only thing I do is put on headphones and play classical music or nature sounds to help me concentrate.

What is your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?

My favourite part of the process is finishing a novel! My least favourite is waiting for the first reviews!

Which other writers do you admire?

I admire more writers than I can list here, but authors I’ve discovered in recent years that have really impressed me are Toby Clements, Justin Hill and Robert Lautner.

Thank you, Matthew, for those fascinating answers. I don’t think you need to worry too much on the reviews front given reader response to previous books in the series! 

Harffy_MatthewAbout the Author

Matthew grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. He now lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.

Connect with Matthew

Website  ǀ Blog |  Facebook  ǀ  Twitter  ǀ  Goodreads

The Bernicia Chronicles

Buchan of the Month/Book Review: Midwinter by John Buchan

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buchan of the month 2019 poster

MidwinterAbout the Book

In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebel army is marching south into England. Alastair Maclean, one of the Prince’s most loyal supporters, is sent ahead to carry out a secret mission.

He is befriended by two extraordinary men-Dr. Samuel Johnson, an aspiring man of letters, and the shadowy figure known only as “Midwinter”.

Format: Hardcover (288 pp.)    Publisher: Thomas Nelson & Son
Published: [1923]   Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Kobo 
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Midwinter on Goodreads

My Review

Midwinter is the fourth book in my Buchan of the Month reading project for 2019.  You can find out more about the project and my reading list for 2019 here.  You can also read my spoiler-free introduction to Midwinter here.

Midwinter was written at Elsfield Manor, the country house in Oxfordshire which John Buchan purchased in 1919 as his family home.  The book features Dr. Samuel Johnson who, in real life, walked out from Oxford to have tea with Mr. Francis Wise, a former owner of Elsfield, in the summer of 1754.    In Midwinter, Buchan indulges himself by imagining what Samuel Johnson may have been up to in the ‘missing years’ not documented by his biographer, James Boswell, using the literary conceit of some discovered documents as the basis for the story.

The book’s hero is Alastair Maclean (no, not that one), a young soldier pursuing intelligence duties in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie.  Like John Buchan, Alastair is Scottish but sees something of his homeland in the landscape of Oxfordshire.

In my earlier blog post about the book, I noted that Kate MacDonald had described Midwinter as a ‘Buchan mystery thriller’ but with a historical setting.  I wasn’t sure if I agreed with that description at the time but, having read the book, I absolutely see what she was getting at.  In Midwinter, there are many of the elements readers have come to expect in a spy thriller: narrow escapes for the hero who is often a hunted man not knowing who to trust; the use of codewords, secret networks and disguises; and the race against time to save the day.  A ‘damsel in distress’ in the person of the fragrant Claudia Norreys adds an element of romantic adventure to the book.

I must also mention some great descriptions of food in the book such as the following gargantuan meal enjoyed by General Olgethorpe: “…he ate heartily of everything – beefsteak pie, roast sirloin, sheep’s tongues, cranberry tarts and a London bag-pudding – and drank a bottle of claret, a quart of ale, and the better part of a bottle of Madeira’.  As well as wondering (like me) what on earth a ‘London bag-pudding’ is, you may also marvel at the General’s capacity for alcohol as the author assures us that he ‘did not become garrulous, nor did the iron restraint of his demeanour relax’.

Kate MacDonald also comments that the eponymous (Amos) Midwinter might be a grown-up Puck taken from Kipling’s Puck of Pook’s Hill.   Indeed he is a mix between a tinker and a pixie, a charismatic figure who can seemingly travel at will without detection and conjure up assistance from the band of like-minded individuals who style themselves ‘The Naked Men’.  With their ability to move, track and observe unseen, they embody the spirit of what Midwinter refers to as ‘Old England’.  Asked by Alastair, “Where is this magic country?”, Midwinter replies, “All around you – behind the brake, across the hedgerow, under the branches.  Some can stretch a hand and touch it – to others it is a million miles away”.

Midwinter is a lively historical adventure story by the end of which Samuel Johnson has been persuaded that his future lies as a man of letters and Alastair has been forced to make a fateful decision between his loyalty to the cause and the aforementioned damsel.  Could that decision, the author poses to the reader, have changed the course of history?

May’s Buchan of the Month is The Three Hostages, the fourth book featuring the exploits of Richard Hannay. Look out for my spoiler free introduction to the book shortly and my review towards the end of the month.

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In three words: Lively, historical, adventure

Try something similar: Huntingtower by John Buchan (read my review here)

John BuchanAbout the Author

John Buchan (1875 – 1940) was an author, poet, lawyer, publisher, journalist, war correspondent, Member of Parliament, University Chancellor, keen angler and family man.  He was ennobled and, as Lord Tweedsmuir, became Governor-General of Canada.  In this role, he signed Canada’s entry into the Second World War.   Nowadays he is probably best known – maybe only known – as the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps.  However, in his lifetime he published over 100 books: fiction, poetry, short stories, biographies, memoirs and history.

You can find out more about John Buchan, his life and literary output by visiting The John Buchan Society website or by reading the excellent new biography of the author by his granddaughter Ursula Buchan, Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps.

buchan of the month 2019