Historical Fiction Writer Debuts Novel

Guest blog by Elaine S Moxon

Writing as E S Moxon, Elaine is a historical fiction novelist and member of the Historical Novel Society. She loves history, languages and travel and when not writing Saxon Sagas, she can be found gardening, baking and walking the family chocolate Labrador. ‘Wulfsuna’ is her debut novel, published on 21^st January 2015 via SilverWood Books, and the first in the ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series.

 “…two long ships sail for the east fens to honour their Warrior-Lord’s dream and reunite with lost kin. Soon after landing however, a murderous betrayal divides loyalties…Blood and brotherhood are tested to their deadly limits.”

Þy wæs sweart land.

This was a dark land. That’s part of a paragraph in Old English I use to open my novel ‘Wulfsuna’. Set in AD433, the Dark Ages, it is indeed a dark time both in terms of the lack of economic prosperity in Britain, as well as the little written detail that exists on the period. When my idea first came to me I had not chosen a date in which to set my historical fiction. All I had were two runic symbols for ‘Thor’ and ‘Tiw’ and a passing thought that they reminded me of a wolf’s head and a spear. The ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series idea soon followed and I wrote a poem, to explain the legend to myself and explore it in Anglo-Saxon rhyme.

Finding a date in which to set ‘Wulfsuna’, and therefore build my literary landscape, came about after reading of the foederati and limitanei. These were Germanic mercenaries hired by Rome as added numbers in their armies, used to help patrol particularly difficult borders such as parts of Hadrian’s Wall and the Saxon shore forts on the southeast coast. When the Empire withdrew from Britain some of these men returned to Rome, but not all of them. Here were the beginnings of the Wolf Sons: young, ex-mercenaries now unemployed. Some could have married and forged lives on the isle, while single men may have wanted to return to Germania.

Once I began writing ‘Wulfsuna’ I realised there are equally few fictional books of this time, as there are historical written references. Whether writers shy away from the period due to lack of historical material, or because few real historical figures exist I do not know. What I do know is that mapping my interpretation of early 5^th Century Britain has been immense fun. I hope readers have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

“I really enjoyed this book even when unforeseen events shook me…those kinds of reader shaking events are what make a book a page turner, aren't they? A hearty recommendation and 5 stars...looking forward to the sequel.”

P Bennett, Amazon.co.uk

“The Wolf Sons will take you to a time and place cloaked in darkness and mystery and make it come alive…Recommended to all who want post Roman Britain and the peopling of that land to come alive. A great read!”

K Ingram, Amazon.com

Follow E S Moxon on twitter @word_seeker on blogger at elainemoxon.blogspot.co.uk
You can purchase the book here: silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781322734/wulfsuna

Self-help author turns to erotic fiction to get her message out.

Self-help author turns to erotic fiction to get her message out.

Guest blog for theculturehour by Becky Walsh

Feb 5th: Rebecca Stone at Boston Tea Party, Bristol Tickets

Next month sees the launch of the new Fifty Shades of Grey film. Like it or hate it ‘Fifty shades of grey’ has had the kind of outreach a self-development author like myself would sell several granny’s for, including my own. 

Many of the buyers of ‘Fifty Shades’ are the people I wanted to reach with my book You Do Know - learning to act on intuition instantly. But for some people they’d rather take a magazine off the top shelf and wrap the ‘self-help’ book in it, rather than be seen, taking it to the sales counter by a co-worker.

So it got me thinking, what if I could create a fiction book that takes a people on a journey to self love, stopping off at some steamy erotic sex along the way. ‘Cupcakes and Coffee’ was born. Knowing the writing style doesn't fit with my current Becky Walsh readership, I have created the alter ego pen name of Rebecca Stone. 

Cupcakes and Coffee is laugh out loud funny, ‘I’m going to the bathroom, I maybe sometime’ - sexy, eyes wide open insightful and ‘OMG no way’ surprising! This is not just a two finger shuffle book for mothers, it’s a book that satisfies intellect, emotions, funny bones and gets you thinking. Well that’s not just me saying that, it’s the feed back I have had so far, and no, not from my mother who would of course never read it!

In a recent BBC Radio Bristol interview I was asked why I had used a pen name, what was I ashamed of? I’m not ashamed to put my own name to an erotic fiction book, but it is about expectation of the reader. As an author your name becomes your brand and people have an expectation. Recently the singer Rita Ora caused shock by having a low cut top on The One Show, exposing a little too much breast. It’s not what she was wearing that caused the shock, but the fact that isn’t what is expected on The One Show, which has a formula and a brand. It’s a dinner time TV show and no-one needs their husband to miss his mouth with the mashed potato whilst playing ‘spot the nipple.’

Author Becky Walsh

As authors we live in a blessed time. Never before have we had the chance to publish our work in so many different formats. I for one wouldn’t have written an erotic book if it wasn’t for the invention of the e-book. Also I have gone from being a published author with three publishers and four published books under my belt, to decide to have the freedom to go it alone with a self-published book. It has never been easier to get your work out onto the world, but is has never been so important to be clear on your brand and the message you want to get clear.

Feb 13th Rebecca Stone at Foyles, Bristol Tickets

If your a budding author and are looking for your direction. I will be hosting a free webinar soon. Pop me an e-mail to becky@beckywalsh.com to sign up. www.rebeccastone.info

#TheCultureHour Guest Blog - Carolyn Stubbs

Newlyn gull on harbour wall

Cornish artist Carolyn Stubbs explains how the West Country has inspired her light and airy wildlife pictures, a supernatural film and more…

Estuary wader - sculpted paper

"I've always loved the natural world, wild coastlines, pounding waves and the screech of seagulls soaring above. Perhaps it's in my blood as I was born in Cornwall, close to St Michael’s Mount and my Cornish heritage goes back many centuries. Animals are also very dear to my heart and these are often reflected in my work. I especially highlight the vulnerability and fragility of our wildlife by using sculpted paper. This is a technique I developed myself. It isn’t collage, but a unique method of creating a 3D effect. I draw the image in some detail first, then carve out with a scalpel, tiny slivers of paper that I glue onto my canvas.  I try to keep the colours true and often use recycled paper with text, giving the work a contemporary appearance.

Birds sculpted out ready to glue onto canvas

Pastel painting

"I also have a passion for writing. For me, both art and writing are equally important.  I usually have more than one project on the go at a time.  My book Living Tavistock is now in the Tavistock Museum. I wrote and illustrated it before many changes took place in the small country market town in Devon, and it contains interviews with farmers, Angela Rippon at her home, the Dartmoor Rescue Group and many others.

Bewicks Swans

Shown in New York

"My journey as an artist could have started earlier than it did. I was always drawing as a child, and teachers remarked on my vivid imagination. I would have loved to pursue a career in the arts, but my family were dismissive of it. As a somewhat shy and quiet girl who didn't argue with her parents, I reluctantly went into nursing. All my spare time was spent painting and drawing however; painting people’s houses, pets, anything and everything.  It took a near-death experience for me to re-assess my life.  I contracted tuberculosis from a patient and would have died within the month if I hadn’t been diagnosed and the treatment started. I'd been given a second chance, and wouldn't waste it!

Black Swan - sculpted paper

Redwings - sculpted pare

"After months of recovery I prioritised my life and took a full time degree in Art & Visual Culture.  I also took an HNC in Graphic Design and those years of learning were so helpful and also very enjoyable.

Mock up for Vichy Skin care

"A lot has happened since and one of my memorable exhibitions, on the waterfront in Bristol was ‘Yesterday, Today, the Future…’ a triptych of the environmental damage already done to our planet, with a vision of the future should we not stop polluting it. The work received the Wessex Watermark Award. Even better, Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore wrote a personal letter congratulating me. This was the icing on the cake, as I wanted to raise environmental awareness through art and that proved I’d succeeded. I couldn't have been more delighted to receive his letter.
Whilst in Cornwall Anthony Hepworth Nicholson (stepson of the sculptor Barbara Hepworth, and son of painter Ben Nicholson) opened a gallery and took me on as one of his artists, giving me a solo show and making me artist of the month. This was a boost to my career as I was a late starter in the professional sense and needed to pack a lot in.

"My writing carried on and I wrote the story line  for #Underground – a short supernatural film made in London by Markus Etter.

Underground from Markus Etter on Vimeo.

"It was entered into the International Film Awards and gained several awards. This has
spurred me on to write a full length supernatural novel which I'm currently in the process of completing. I was fortunate for my sculpted paper work of a seagull and black swan to be shown in New York. In addition I was selected for inclusion in the book by Bare Hill Publishing ‘State of the Art’, Sculpture and 3D in 2013.

"I have recently moved to Bristol and I feel 2015 is time to embrace new beginnings and to stretch myself in different ways. I have already begun that process, stepping right out of my comfort zone to create a completely different work of art.  It's a painting on a large canvas of a rusty old car, a classic I believe. I’d pass it daily when taking my dog out and it always looked rather sad and neglected.

"Where once headlights existed are now big black holes. Just one old fashioned wing mirror survived and the bonnet looked torn and ragged where the rust had nibbled it away. When I saw daisies appear though, it struck me at how beautiful the scene was. Corrosion being softened by the regeneration of nature – I was hooked.  It took me a couple of months to paint and although it was a challenge, it was such an enjoyable process that I can't wait to start on the next one, whatever that might be…"

carolynstubbs.co.uk

Twitter: @stubbs_carolyn

An interview with artist Jean Jones by AA Abbott

An interview with artist Jean Jones
By AA Abbott

Jean Jones' Poppies (All art pictured here is by Jean Jones)

Jean Jones paints stunning pictures packed with colour and light. “I can't remember a time when I didn't paint,” she says. “Even at primary school, I went to a Saturday morning art club.”

Seascape

The art club was at the respected Graves Art Gallery in central Sheffield. Jean later moved to London, Scotland and Bristol, working as a teacher for many years while continuing to paint. “I’m an intuitive painter, inspired by the world around me,” she says. “The lush plants of Kew Gardens provoked me to paint fruit and flowers, while urban landscapes appeal as well. Recently, in Bristol, I’ve focused on Brunel’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge – it’s a landmark – but I was also drawn to dereliction and crumbling buildings overgrown by ivy when I lived in east London.”

Cala Lillies 

Jean’s pictures of flowers are sensuous and intensely colourful. “I hope to move the onlooker towards an emotional response,” she says. “I don't expect nor want my paintings to be loved by everyone, as that would suggest blandness.”

Bland they are not, bursting with bright hues and often highlighted with gold leaf as well. Jean cites an eclectic list of influences, including Matisse, Klimt and Hockney - and the craftsmen who produced mediaeval renaissance altar pieces, such as the Wilton triptych. Having started with oils, she found the long drying-out times between glazes were impractical once her children came along. “I reluctantly switched to acrylics, which I now love because of their versatility,” she says. “I now work mostly in acrylic on gesso and acrylic with gold leaf.”

Following her passion means that Jean is incredibly productive, and her website contains a huge gallery of vibrant and uplifting images. 

Do take a look, at jeanjonesgallery.co.uk/gallery.html.

Cherries

Venice

Scottish Beach

Thriller writer AA Abbott loves the exuberance of Jean’s art, and is lucky enough to own one of Jean’s pictures of the Suspension Bridge - received as a leaving present from work.

Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol

Jean Jones website is at: jeanjonesgallery.co.uk
You can follow author AA Abbott on twitter at @AAAbbottStories
AA Abbott's website is at: aaabbott.co.uk