A Winter's Tale
If you’re currently sweltering somewhere in the northern hemisphere and longing for cooler weather, let me chill you with the latest update on my new Quintus Valerius Roman Briton mystery, The Loyal Centurion. [Spoiler alert: It’s set in midwinter. Scottish midwinter. Quintus and Tiro get very cold.]
But before I spill the beans on getting Centurion out into the world, let me share a few pictures of the fun I had appearing at the Eboracum Roman Festival earlier in July.
The legate is the superb gentleman with white leather tackle, brilliant cuirass, and ostrich plumes, who is leaning away from me. Unforgiving, because in a thoughtless moment I addressed him as “Tribune”. Oh dear, that’s me off the praetorian party invite list. The gathered gals are Nancy Jardine, who put me right on Iron Age Scots history over a splendid evening together; Kate Cunningham, historical children’s writer, who helped me save books from the northern floods, several times over; Ruth Downie, author of the inimitable Medicus series, and a lovely lady to boot; Alison Morton, creator of the Roman Nova series, and a whirlwind who takes quite some keeping up with; and the amazing Tracy Turney, unstoppable force behind Simon Turney, author and personality plus. The tiny, camera-shy but indefatigably talented LJ Trafford, with her fabled Roman jam tarts, completed the batting order for the ladies. The incredible Fiona Forsyth came along to support us all, and apparently impressed the natives with her fluent, if rather posh, Latin.
Holding up the male side of things was almost as stellar a cast as the Roman ladies: Jason Monaghan, archaeologist and thriller writer; historian Simon Elliott (aka my best friend while I was researching Centurion); and amazing Roman artist Graham Sumner. Here’s one of his indispensable books (mine, all mine):
Apart from signing books and chatting to readers, I spent the weekend roaming the festival site (Yorkshire Museum grounds) where I watched marches past by the Sixth Victrix legion (there’s a lot more about these splendid lads in The Loyal Centurion); witnessed a supposedly secret Mithraic initiation ceremony; discovered how to play Roman board games and work leather; and generally scared the horses. It was all exhausting, but great fun. Can’t wait to do it again next year.
Update on The Loyal Centurion
I’m delighted to let you know that the third Quintus Valerius mystery is now written, polished, edited and in the hands of my publisher. We’re into the nitty gritty of blurbs, endorsements and cover designs. Sharpe Books tell me to expect publication sometime in September. This coincides with when the Rider/Cook/Bottlewasher (who doubles as my husband, the gorgeous Mr Rogers) is taking me away on the back of our motorbike for a much-needed trip to the Med. But of course I’ll be on all my social media channels, never fear. (Go to my Linktree to find my travel blog, and everything else. Including Threads, new to the list.) So don’t worry, I’ll be in touch with all the latest news about launch dates!
Other July news
We’re in the dog days of summer now, when not much happens. So I was thrilled to be invited by the Castleford Roman Festival to be their guest author/speaker in 2024. It’s particularly apt for me, as the opening chapters of Centurion take place — you’ve guessed it — in Castleford (Lagentium). The festival happens on 1 June next year. I’ll keep you posted as the details are finalised.
Before then, I’ll be the guest of the lovely Howard Embery and his keen readers at Tregolls Lodge book club. That’s on 30 November, a date to cheer me up as autumn slips towards winter.
Meantime, I’m heading next weekend to the unique Swanwick Writers’ Summer School, for the first time since the pandemic. This will be a busy six days of learning, catching up with friends old and new, and intensive relaxation. Maybe not so much of the relaxing!
Before I leave you with a short review of Yellowface, my latest summer read, as promised here’s a clue about the next book in the Quintus Valerius series. I may have mentioned I was going to send the lads to Hibernia (modern Ireland) in Book 4. I’ve changed my mind for two reasons: first, the travel to Ireland for the necessary research turned to be impossible to fit in my calendar this year; second, it struck me that the structure of the story would be somewhat similar to Centurion. So before the boys go off via North Wales to travel to Hibernia, I’m going to set them (and Julia) challenges closer to home, in Bath. I’m toying with titles. The leading contender right now is The Bath Curse, which may give you some idea of where my recent trip to Bath took me!
Book review: Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang
Others have described this book as “ a satire of racial diversity in the publishing industry as well as a metafiction about social media, particularly Twitter.”
Right. So not my usual reading fodder. Nevertheless, I was immediately attracted to the premise. The book is a literary thriller dealing with the vicissitudes of a struggling author, June, who finds herself with unfettered access to a blindingly hot manuscript drafted by her Chinese American friend, an acknowledged smash-hit writer who accidentally dies in front of her. Inevitably, June takes advantage, and it seems she gets away with it. But then she begins to be pursued by the ghost of her indisputably dead friend.
So far, so good. The story of what happens to June, her vertiginous rise and disastrous fall, is an encompassing vista of publishing, social media and writerly ambition in our days. For a while it swallowed me up and I was entranced. But then, I don’t know, somehow I began to be disenchanted with June, with her shallow and naive immaturity, her very first world problems. So much so that I lost interest in the lightweight mystery behind who it is exactly tormenting her.
May be I’m just too long in the tooth, or so amazed and grateful to be an author at all, that I can’t feel anything for a Booker wannabe with her MFA, her swanky Georgetown apartment, and her six figure advance.
I did read Yellowface to the end. Then I sighed, and gave it four stars. I felt myself to be generous. See what you think (link to Amazon).
Thank you for reading my July blog, and bid you a lovely summer of reading. I’ll see you next month, when we all get ready to enter autumn with new resolve and energy. Or maybe just with a high pile of books still to be read!