The Prince of Prigs Blog Tour Wrap Up

The Prince of Prigs Blog Tour concludes today and Passages to the Past is wrapping up Anthony Anglorus's trip through the blogosphere!

The tour reviewers really loved the read, here's some snippets of their reviews...

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Anthony Anglorus. It was a delightful "backstage" view into the lives of several powerful figures in history with a lovely dose of fiction for sheer entertainment." - Jules at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

"I learned as much about the English Civil Wars from reading this book as I had in any world history class, and enjoyed it far more! If you like historical fiction, you will like The Prince of Prigs, regardless if you are male or female. Ditto if you like action stories a la Three Musketeers or Robin Hood. If you are not versed in the English Civil Wars, you will learn something...and have a great time doing so." - LuAnn at Back Porchervations

"Adventure? Check. Intrigue? Check. A hell of a good read? Double check! I must give endless praise because the author gives us a story that has great depth, emotion and the feeling of being there right in the midst of all of the action. I am absolutely delighted that there’s going to be a sequel and I cannot wait to get my hands on it." - Clarissa at With Her Nose Stick in a Book

Anthony Anglorus also wrote up a few fascinating guest posts. Here are the links in case you missed them!

'The Fount of My Inspiration', hosted by The Writing Desk
Guest Post on Writing Tips, hosted by HF Connection

Read the interview with Anthony Anglorus and HF Addicts!

Anthony was also interviewed at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf.

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The Prince of Prigs by Anthony Anglorus

Publication Date: July 6, 2015
Bygone Era Books
Formats: eBook & Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

Add to GR Button

The union of England and Scotland under one crown is not even a half century old, and the Parliamentarians already threaten the very fabric of the nation. These are the adventures of highwayman Capt. James Hind who, in Robin Hood fashion, steals from the Roundheads to help fund the royalist cause. When Cromwell comes to power, James, the Prince of Prigs, must be careful whom among his treacherous “friends” he trusts.


Praise

"Any who view historical fiction as dry or plodding should pick up The Prince of Prigs: it wraps courtroom drama, social issues, flamboyant personalities and British politics under one cover and represents a rollicking good read even for audiences who normally eschew the genre. As for those who know how compelling it can be - The Prince of Prigs is ample evidence of the powers of historical fiction." - D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

03_Anthony Anglorus 1About the Author

After a lifetime of balancing books, Anthony turned his hand to writing them in 2009. His first book, The Other Robin Hood, is available as an ebook. An Englishman still living in England, he married a Russian doctor in 1999 and will be moving to rural France after reaching retirement age — but the writing will continue. He is already working on the sequel to The Prince of Prigs, tentatively titled Dark Days, Dark Deeds.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | GOODREADS


Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 7
Guest Post at The Writing Desk

Thursday, December 10
Review at Diana's Book Reviews

Monday, December 14
Review at Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne

Monday, December 21
Interview at Historical Fiction Addicts

Tuesday, December 22
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Wednesday, December 23
Guest Post at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Monday, December 28
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Addicts

Tuesday, December 29
Review at Queen of All She Reads

Thursday, December 31
Tour Wrap-Up at Passages to the Past

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Thomas Booker's The Persian Woman Book Blast & Giveaway

02_The Persian Woman

Publication Date: September 2, 2015
Circle B Publishing LLC
eBook; 229 Pages

Genre: Literary/Mystery/Thriller

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A tough Navy SEAL and a beautiful Persian woman clash before working together to confront a ferocious common enemy. It is a tale of jihad, terror, and forbidden love. A Jeffrey Quinn novel.

“I stayed up late reading this book a second time. I read it first for the intriguing story and the second time for the wonderful language. Mr. Booker has crafted a timely and compelling story filled with a cast of characters from the slimy to the sublime. I would like to have a friend like the main character, Jeffrey Quinn . . . a man with a past and his own demons . . . honest . . . loyal . . . .” -Rebecca K. McWhorter (5 Star Amazon Review)


About the Author

03_Thomas Booker

Soldier of fortune Thomas Booker has traveled widely in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. He currently is helping to build a children’s clinic in South East Asia. He resides in Texas.

Book Blast Schedule



November 4
Book Nerd




November 16
A Book Geek





December 29
Broken Teepee


Giveaway

To win an eBook of The Persian Woman please enter using the GLEAM form below. 20 eBooks are up for grabs!

Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.


The Persian Woman Book Blast


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2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge Results & Wrap Up


Wow, what a great turn out we had for the 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, there were almost 900 reviews linked!! A huge thanks to all of you who participated!

It's now time to wrap up the 2015 HF Reading Challenge and to report the number of Hist Fic books you read this year. What level did you end up at? Did you exceed or fall short of your original goal? What titles were among your favorites of the year?

20th century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books

Sign Ups are now open for the 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge!

Announcing the 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, hosted by Passages to the Past!

Wow, it's that time again! I am thrilled to announce the 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, hosted by Passages to the Past! Sign Ups are open and ready for all that would like to join the challenge.

Here are the Reading Challenge details:

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:
  • Everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)
  • Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)
  • Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, etc.)

During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books

To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link in Mr. Linky below or just leave a link to your blog if you are not yet ready to post about it yet. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining.

The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2016.

I look forward to having you join me in reading and enjoying the best in historical fiction over the 12 months.

Don't forget to grab the Reading Challenge Button below! And please share about the Reading Challenge to your fellow friends and readers!

#2016HFReadingChallenge

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If you have any questions or comments please email Amy at passagestothepast@gmail.com.


Interview with Anthony Anglorus, author of The Prince of Prigs

Hello, dear readers of the blog! Today I am so excited to be hosting a short interview with author Anthony Anglorus, author of The Prince of Prigs, who is currently on Blog Tour with HF Virtual Book Tours.

The bloggers on the tour are really enjoying the read...

LuAnn at Back Porchervations says "I learned as much about the English Civil Wars from reading this book as I had in any world history class, and enjoyed it far more!"

Jules at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf says "I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Anthony Anglorus. It was a delightful "backstage" view into the lives of several powerful figures in history with a lovely dose of fiction for sheer entertainment."

From Clarissa at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book...

"Adventure? Check.
Intrigue? Check.
A hell of a good read? Double check!

I must give endless praise because the author gives us a story that has great depth, emotion and the feeling of being there right in the midst of all of the action. I am absolutely delighted that there’s going to be a sequel and I cannot wait to get my hands on it."

Interested in finding out more? Please enjoy this interview with the author, and see the tour schedule at the bottom to find out where the tour will be stopping.

Interview with Anthony Anglorus

1. What are some of the problems you come across when writing historical fiction?

To be honest, writing historical fiction is one big problem. One the one hand, you want a story that excites and fascinates the reader, but on the other hand, you want it to be as close to real life as possible.

And therein lies the problem; real life is actually pretty boring. Less so now than Back Then, but nevertheless - why else do you read fiction? With ‘The Prince of Prigs’, I tried really hard to stick to the truth but his life bore a distinct resemblance to ours -mostly boring with occasional excitement. So I took an event that really happened, changed it slightly and it provided me with a conclusion to the book which was exciting, loosely historically accurate and, most important of all, gave me a doorway for a sequel. I did offer sniffs of the boring bits, but only enough to show that he was an ordinary person, not some comic-book superhero.

Then there are the simple issues it is all too easy to miss; burgers and fries simply were not on the menu - only the aristocracy could afford beef. Instead, the poor mostly lived off pottage, a stew based upon cheap barley and kept running for days on end with daily additions.

What did they eat with? We know that earlier, people ate using fingers and a knife, yet now, we use a knife and fork. The concept of using forks came from Italy in the middle of my period, so whilst James, the hero of my book, would still be using fingers and knife, those higher up the social ladder were just starting to use forks, as Oliver Cromwell does within my book.

2. Did you come across anything really interesting when researching this book?

To me, it was all interesting. But that’s just me, I love learning new things and when not at my desk, I can usually be found watching documentaries on television. I do wish, though, that the history channel actually showed any history! But as for information others might find interesting, I’m not sure. I became genuinely outraged when I discovered that Parliament had banned Christmas celebrations, although I now learn that Scotland was even worse on this front. It was a revelation to me how devious Cromwell was in his pursuit of power - although looking at today’s politicians, it’s easy to see similar actions.

Frankly, before I started this book, I was ambivalent about the English Civil War. But as I learned more, I realised that it had to happen in some form, although my leanings are actually with Lord Fairfax - he wanted the King brought down a peg or two, but not killed and replaced with a committee or indeed with Oliver Cromwell. He was a poor politician and I suspect that he resigned as Commander of the New Model Army not just because the ordered invasion of Scotland breached a recently signed treaty, but also because he could see how corrupt the replacement rulers were. As Pete Townsend says, “Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss”.

3. Top 10 books that inspire you.

Ah. This is a truly difficult one. But I’ll try.

Well, I’ll simply refer to Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy first. I have modelled my writing style on these two American Authors. You can’t help but enjoy everything they write.

The Far Arena by Richard ben Sapir. A truly wonderful read which includes several pragmatic and wise quotes I use over and over - although not in my writing, that would be plagiarism!

Mayday by Thomas Block. The film unfortunately fails to do the book justice.

Mission by Patrick Tilley. I have at least two copies of this book, and the two I can lay my hands on have been read so intensively that the pages are loose - it’s about time I bought another. The storyline is about as big as it gets, and it forces you to think about things in a way that had never occurred to you before. Checking the Amazon reviews, I see that others have reacted the same way and owning several copies of this book seems to be the norm.

Masters of Space by E.E.’Doc’ Smith. I read this when I want to silence my brain. It’s a bit silly, it’s very dated and yet, and yet. This book taught me that you can get away with dialogue which, on the face of it, seems foolish.

Lord General by M.A. Gibb. Details the Life of Sir Thomas Fairfax and brings to life a long-dead character who should be an inspiration to us all. It is not at all impossible that I shall later attempt a novel based upon his exploits.

The Riverworld Series by Philip Jose Farmer. Here again we have a gigantic concept, demonstrating the effectiveness of big ideas.

The Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel. After the wonderful ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ opener, every one of these books was eagerly awaited for many years, and only the final book disappointed. Her attention to detail is dramatically over the top but it is encouraging to know that she did the research, not to mention being a rare object lesson for writers in that it shows the effect of laying out too much detail. In her case, the stories are so strong that they can carry this.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. What, you thought you’d get through without an acknowledged classic? Shame on you! It’s a wonderful book and should be compulsory reading for all.

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The Prince of Prigs by Anthony Anglorus

Publication Date: July 6, 2015
Bygone Era Books
Formats: eBook & Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

Add to GR Button

The union of England and Scotland under one crown is not even a half century old, and the Parliamentarians already threaten the very fabric of the nation. These are the adventures of highwayman Capt. James Hind who, in Robin Hood fashion, steals from the Roundheads to help fund the royalist cause. When Cromwell comes to power, James, the Prince of Prigs, must be careful whom among his treacherous “friends” he trusts.

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | BARNES & NOBLE | CHAPTERS | KOBO


Praise

"Any who view historical fiction as dry or plodding should pick up The Prince of Prigs: it wraps courtroom drama, social issues, flamboyant personalities and British politics under one cover and represents a rollicking good read even for audiences who normally eschew the genre. As for those who know how compelling it can be - The Prince of Prigs is ample evidence of the powers of historical fiction." - D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

About the Author

03_Anthony Anglorus 1After a lifetime of balancing books, Anthony turned his hand to writing them in 2009. His first book, The Other Robin Hood, is available as an ebook. An Englishman still living in England, he married a Russian doctor in 1999 and will be moving to rural France after reaching retirement age — but the writing will continue. He is already working on the sequel to The Prince of Prigs, tentatively titled Dark Days, Dark Deeds.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | GOODREADS


Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 7
Guest Post at The Writing Desk

Thursday, December 10
Review at Diana's Book Reviews

Monday, December 14
Review at Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne

Monday, December 21
Interview at Historical Fiction Addicts

Tuesday, December 22
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Monday, December 28
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Addicts

Tuesday, December 29
Review at Queen of All She Reads

Thursday, December 31
Tour Wrap-Up at Passages to the Past

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Spotlight on Medicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois by Sophie Perinot

Today on the blog I am spotlighting Sophie Perinot's latest release, Medicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois! Sophie is currently on a Blog Tour with HF Virtual Book Tours and the bloggers are loving the read!

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MEDICI'S DAUGHTER: A NOVEL OF MARGUERITE DE VALOIS by SOPHIE PERINOT

Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Thomas Dunne Books
Hardcover & eBook; 384 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

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Winter, 1564. Beautiful young Princess Margot is summoned to the court of France, where nothing is what it seems and a wrong word can lead to ruin. Known across Europe as Madame la Serpente, Margot’s intimidating mother, Queen Catherine de Médicis, is a powerful force in a country devastated by religious war. Among the crafty nobility of the royal court, Margot learns the intriguing and unspoken rules she must live by to please her poisonous family.

Eager to be an obedient daughter, Margot accepts her role as a marriage pawn, even as she is charmed by the powerful, charismatic Duc de Guise. Though Margot's heart belongs to Guise, her hand will be offered to Henri of Navarre, a Huguenot leader and a notorious heretic looking to seal a tenuous truce. But the promised peace is a mirage: her mother's schemes are endless, and her brothers plot vengeance in the streets of Paris. When Margot's wedding devolves into the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul.

Médicis Daughter is historical fiction at its finest, weaving a unique coming-of-age story and a forbidden love with one of the most dramatic and violent events in French history.


Advance Praise

“This is Renaissance France meets Game of Thrones: dark, sumptuous historical fiction that coils religious strife, court intrigue, passionate love, family hatred, and betrayed innocence like a nest of poisonous snakes. Beautiful Princess Margot acts as our guide to the heart of her violent family, as she blossoms from naive court pawn to woman of conscience and renown. A highly recommended coming-of-age tale where the princess learns to slay her own dragons!” --Kate Quinn, Bestselling author of LADY OF THE ETERNAL CITY

"The riveting story of a 16th century French princess caught in the throes of royal intrigue and religious war. From the arms of the charismatic Duke of Guise to the blood-soaked streets of Paris, Princess Marguerite runs a dangerous gauntlet, taking the reader with her. An absolutely gripping read!" --Michelle Moran, bestselling author of THE REBEL QUEEN

"Rising above the chorus of historical drama is Perinot's epic tale of the fascinating, lascivious, ruthless House of Valois, as told through the eyes of the complicated and intelligent Princess Marguerite. Burdened by her unscrupulous family and desperate for meaningful relationships, Margot is forced to navigate her own path in sixteenth century France. Amid wars of nation and heart, Médicis Daughter brilliantly demonstrates how one unique woman beats staggering odds to find the strength and power that is her birthright." --Erika Robuck, bestselling author of HEMINGWAY'S GIRL

SP SmallAbout the Author

SOPHIE PERINOT is the author of The Sister Queens and one of six contributing authors of A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii. A former attorney, Perinot is now a full-time writer. She lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her three children, three cats, one dog and one husband.

An active member of the Historical Novel Society, Sophie has attended all of the group’s North American Conferences and served as a panelist multiple times. Find her among the literary twitterati as @Lit_gal or on Facebook.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, November 16
Review at The Mad Reviewer
Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, November 17
Review at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, November 18
Review at The Maiden's Court

Thursday, November 19
Review at The Eclectic Reader

Friday, November 20
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Monday, November 23
Review at Broken Teepee
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation

Tuesday, November 24
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, November 25
Review at A Literary Vacation

Monday, November 30
Review at leeanna.me

Tuesday, December 1
Review at To Read, Or Not to Read

Wednesday, December 2
Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Friday, December 4
Guest Post at Bibliophilia, Please

Monday, December 7
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, December 8
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, December 9
Review at Curling Up By the Fire

Thursday, December 10
Review at The Readers Hollow

Friday, December 11
Review at Reading Lark

Monday, December 14
Review at A Book Geek

Tuesday, December 15
Review at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, December 16
Review at CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, December 18
Review & Interview at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Monday, December 21
Review at Bookish

Tuesday, December 22
Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, December 23
Review & Guest Post at Historical Fiction Obsession

Monday, December 28
Review at Unshelfish

Tuesday, December 29
Interview at Unshelfish

Thursday, December 31
Review at The Reading Queen
Review at The True Book Addict

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$15 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway: Maureen Willett's Near the Wild Blog Tour

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Near the Wild by Maureen Willett

Publication Date: June 15, 2015
eBook; 229 Pages
ASIN: B010JLKZZY

Genre: Historical Fiction

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COWBOYS AND LEPRECHAUNS. Both occupy Maeve MacKeighry's world in 1870, and she must decide which will win her heart. Leprechauns are feared, even in Ireland, but that doesn't prevent Maeve from striking up a friendship with one who lives near her village. But once Maeve becomes a young woman, the local villagers start to gossip, especially since the MacKeighrys are known to practice magic in their home. It's just for entertainment, but the town folk don't see it that way. Rather than be outcasts, the MacKeighrys set off to America to homestead in Kansas, vowing to leave their magical ways and friends behind. Little do they know that Maeve's friend follows and protects them on their journey.

The MacKeighrys encounter many adventures along the way to Kansas, only to find a simple sod house on their new farm at the end of the journey. The untamed land offers a fresh start for the family, as well as two very interesting men who both compete for Maeve’s attention. Pretty young women in a wild western town are a rarity. But can she forget her magical friend, and turn her attention to two of the most interesting men she has ever met? Perhaps cowboys and outlaws have a certain charm that a leprechaun doesn't, after all.

Most of the novel takes place in Kansas in 1870 and is based on my family’s history. The idea of the MacKeighry’s sod house came from the home of my great grandfather. I was lucky enough to visit it as a teenager before the house was destroyed. One of the characters, Nikki Fuerst, is based on an ancestor, a prince from Austria who was disinherited for marrying a commoner and sent off to America. Stories I’ve been told my entire life about my family’s history and traditions, such as levitating tables, are included in Near The Wild.


About the Author

03_Maureen Willett_AuthorMaureen Willett is a writer of fiction that pushes the boundaries of established genres. Her stories mostly come from her own family legends that have been passed down through generations, but then she tops them off with a twist of faery dust and angel wings. But at the core of each story are great characters in very human conflicts that anyone will find compelling. Each novel is crafted as an experience that will take readers beyond their day-to-day lives, incorporating themes of time travel, reincarnation, and magic. She is a former journalist, public relations professional, and media marketing specialist. Maureen lives in Hawaii with her family and walks the white-sand beaches of Oahu each day to get her inspiration for writing.


Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, December 2
Spotlight at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Monday, December 7
Excerpt at Historical Fiction Connection

Tuesday, December 8
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Wednesday, December 9
Excerpt at The Hive

Thursday, December 10
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, December 11
Character Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Sunday, December 13
Review at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, December 14
Review at Laura's Interest

Tuesday, December 15
Interview at Dianne Ascroft Blog

Friday, December 18
Blog Tour Wrap-Up at Passages to the Past

Giveaway

Author Maureen Willett is sponsoring a giveaway for a $15 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please see the GLEAM form below.

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 28th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Near the Wild


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Guest Post & Giveaway: A Year of Ravens: A Novel of Boudica's Rebellion

Please welcome to the blog today author S.J.A. Turney, 1/7th of the H Team of authors, which also includes Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, and Russell Whitfield. Their recent release A Year of Ravens: A Novel of Boudica's Rebellion is garnering rave reviews so be sure to check it out.

Please enjoy the post and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway below!

The Illusion of Objectivity in Historical Fiction By S.J.A. Turney


Objectivity. It’s an elusive thing.

Simply, when an author of historical fiction sits down to write about real historical events or people, one of the very first things we have to consider is what stand we are going to take. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about, there is always going to be a bias. If I’m writing about the Teutoborg forest disaster, do I favour Arminius or Varus? If I’m on the Second Crusade, is Saladin my hero or Richard? You get the idea. We all try to be as objective as we can (unless the story calls for a specific bias, of course) but the simple fact is that one author can never quite attain objectivity. Human beings are naturally subject to bias. Show me a truly objective human and I’ll check to see where they’ve been plugged in.

And objectivity is at its most valuable with something like A Year of Ravens. It is easy enough to see the revolt of the Iceni as a vicious uprising against an ordered civilization, because the only written record was left by the Romans, and the archaeological evidence uniformly points to a horrific level of destruction visited by the natives upon the Roman settlers and their native allies. But then, oddly, it’s just as easy to see the revolt of the Iceni as a heroic last stand by an oppressed people wishing to be freed from the yoke of a foreign invader. Because the Romans were definitely that. And because it is a natural urge to feel for the heroic underdog. But it is basically impossible for a human to work from two such opposed viewpoints on their own. If you can, then again I am looking for the cord where they’ve plugged you in…

That, of course, is one of the great advantages of writing a collaboration with a group of other folk. With seven authors – even if we are generally a bunch of authors of classical era and ancient world tales – you can pretty much guarantee a variety of viewpoints. And that’s exactly what we had. Among the writers we found a wide variety of opinions on the revolt, its characters, and how it progressed. There was sympathy for the beleaguered Romans of Colchester as they died horribly under native blades, and also for the last flicker of the Druidic tradition being extinguished by the legions at Mona. How to reconcile such opposed positions was one of the biggest challenges in the book and yet it was the very confronting of that problem that allowed us to remove natural levels of bias. In fact the discussions between the seven of us as to how anything worked or came about were probably longer, wordier and more in-depth than the finished book! The decision to write the tale from a variety of viewpoints, taken from both sides of the conflict, has created a level of objectivity that none of us alone could have hoped to achieve. A collection of fairly subjective tales has together created an overall objective story.

Heck, in my own tale alone there is as much conflict between viewpoints as anywhere in the book. This is because I have long been a student of Roman history and a writer of Roman military works, and when I was offered a brief to write some of the most vicious and harrowing parts of the revolt from the viewpoint of a Celt, my mind spun. How I could possibly take the Iceni’s side was beyond me, partially given my leanings towards Rome, but also the fact that the scenes I was to cover are to me the moments that highlight the brutality and barbarism of the natives during the revolt. A quandary. And so Andecarus was born in an attempt to create objectivity where there could be none. An Iceni warrior with a Roman past. A man of two worlds caught in the conflict between them. This gave me the opportunity to try and achieve the impossible: to become objective. Of course, I couldn’t quite do it, even with such a conflicted character. Check… there’s no plug and cord. I’m human, and I lean to the Roman angle.

Again I was saved by the presence of my co-writers. I created a tale for Andecarus which was biased towards Rome despite my best efforts, and yet scenes, conversations and moments within it were tweaked at the suggestion of my peers, dragging Andecarus gradually towards that elusive objectivity. Thus the other six writers helped me achieve the impossible and made my naturally biased tale more or less objective. And the fact that Andecarus threads through the book in scenes both Roman and native gives him even less bias. The influence of six other authors on any single tale in the book has created overall a rounded, more objective point of view. Even where some tales in the book are subjective and biased, they are balanced with similar stories from the other side, and often even the most ardent supporter of either side is given moments of pause where they consider the ethical implications of what they do. I think this method has created in A Year of Ravens an almost unique level of detachment and impartiality.

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A Year of Ravens: A Novel of Boudica's Rebellion

by Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, and Russell Whitfield

Publication Date: November 17, 2015
Knight Media LLC
eBook & Paperback; 440 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

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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 Celt . . . and these are their stories.

A calculating queen sees the sparks of revolt 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 conflicted warrior hovers between loyalty to tribe and loyalty to Rome.

A death-haunted Druid challenges the gods themselves to ensure victory for his people.

An old champion struggles for everlasting glory in the final battle against the legions.

A fiery princess fights to salvage the pieces of her mother’s dream as the ravens circle.

A novel in seven parts, overlapping stories of warriors and peacemakers, queens and slaves, Romans and Celts 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?


A Year of Ravens Authors

Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, and Russell Whitfield Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, & Russell Whitfield

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, November 13
Kick Off at Passages to the Past

Saturday, November 14
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Sunday, November 15
Review at Book Babe

Monday, November 16
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, November 17
Review at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, November 18
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, November 19
Review at Kinx's Book Nook
Review at A Bookish Affair

Friday, November 20
Review at Leeanna.me

Monday, November 23
Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Tuesday, November 24
Review at The Maiden's Court

Wednesday, November 25
Review at A Book Drunkard

Friday, November 27
Review & Excerpt at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Monday, November 30
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Tuesday, December 1
Review at Griperang's Bookmarks

Wednesday, December 2
Interview at Griperang's Bookmarks

Thursday, December 3
Review at Book Nerd

Friday, December 4
Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Saturday, December 5
Review at Bookramblings

Monday, December 7
Review at Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, December 8
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Thursday, December 10
Spotlight at Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, December 11
Review at Historical Readings & Reviews

Monday, December 14
Interview at Unabridged Chick

Tuesday, December 15
Review at CelticLady's Reviews
Review at History From a Woman's Perspective

Wednesday, December 16
Review at A Literary Vacation
Guest Post at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Thursday, December 17
Review at The True Book Addict
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Friday, December 18
Review at Broken Teepee
Review, Excerpt, & Interview at Unshelfish

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a Celtic inspired set of silver tone metal and red Swarovski crystal beads, including a necklace, bracelet, and earrings inspired by the setting of A Year of Ravens! Please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US and UK.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

A Year of Ravens


03_A Year of Ravens_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL

The Edge of Lost Book Blast & Giveaway

02_The Edge of Lost

The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

Publication Date: November 24, 2015
Kensington Books
Trade Paperback, 340 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

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From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes an ambitious and heartrending story of immigrants, deception, and second chances.

On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard’s only daughter—one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island—has gone missing. Tending the warden’s greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows the truth about the little girl’s whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search’s outcome.

Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.

Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina McMorris delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San Francisco Bay. As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we tell—and believe—in order to survive.



Advance Praise

“Kristina McMorris evokes such a strong sense of place that to open her books feels less like reading and more like traveling. Her absorbing new novel..[is an] epic, deeply felt tale of struggle and second chances… a transporting piece of historical fiction.” — BookPage

“McMorris’ gripping immigrant saga sweeps from Dublin to New York, through Prohibition and vaudeville, from New York to San Francisco and Alcatraz. It is a young man’s battle with hardship and tragedy, but it is also a portrait of America during a turbulent time and a quest that ends in triumph. Readers will be caught up in this well-told story.” — RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

“Compelling, resonant and deeply moving, The Edge of Lost is an absorbing tale of deceit and self-deception, survival and second chances, the ties that bind and the lure of the unknown.” — Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train

“The story will grab your heart on page one and won’t let go until the end—and if you’re like me, not even then. I absolutely love this book, and so will you.” — Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants

“A beautifully told story about a young man’s journey through adversity and loss with an exhilarating ending that I couldn’t put down and stayed up well past my bedtime to finish.” — Charles Belfoure, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Architect

“In The Edge of Lost Kristina McMorris takes us on a thrilling ride . . . I found myself thoroughly immersed in her richly evocative settings, just as I was captivated by the pure humanity of her characters as they struggled for redemption. This book is a wonderful read!” — David R. Gillham, New York Times bestselling author of City of Women

“The Edge of Lost takes readers on an enthralling journey . . . right up to a tense, edge-of-your-seat ending that left me breathless. An absorbing, addictive read.” — Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant

“With prose as lyrical as the music woven through its narrative, and boasting impeccably observed historical details, The Edge of Lost is a thoroughly mesmerizing novel. I adore everything that Kristina McMorris writes and this book is no exception.” — Jennifer Robson, international bestselling author of Somewhere in France

03_Kristina McMorrisAbout the Author

Kristina McMorris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and the recipient of more than twenty national literary awards, as well as a nomination for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, RWA’s RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her works of fiction have been published by Kensington Books, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins. The Edge of Lost is her fourth novel, following the widely praised Letters from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and The Pieces We Keep, in addition to her novellas in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central.

Prior to her writing career, Kristina hosted weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has been named one of Portland's "40 Under 40" by The Business Journal. She lives with her husband and two sons in Oregon, where she is working on her next novel. For more, visit www.KristinaMcMorris.com. You can also follow Kristina on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, December 14
The Maiden's Court
Passages to the Past

Tuesday, December 15
A Literary Vacation
CelticLady's Reviews
What Is That Book About

Wednesday, December 16
Reading Is My SuperPower
Svetlana's Reads and Views

Thursday, December 17
Unshelfish
A Book Geek
With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

Friday, December 18
The Lit Bitch
The Reading Queen

Saturday, December 19
Book Nerd
Beth's Book Nook Blog
So Many Books, So Little Time

Sunday, December 20
Let Them Read Books
Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne

Monday, December 21
Boom Baby Reviews

Giveaway

To win a signed copy of The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.

Rules

– Giveaway starts at 12:01am EST on December 14th and ends at 11:59pm EST on December 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US and Canada ONLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

The Edge of Lost Book Blast Giveaway


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Guest Post by Anna Belfrage & In the Shadow of the Storm Giveaway!

Today on the blog I am thrilled to bits to be hosting Anna Belfrage, one of my most favorite people and author. Anna has a new series out (yay!) and the first book was just released (double yay!). Anna is here today with a fabulous guest post, and she writes the best so don't miss out! AND, after reading said amazing post, be sure to enter to win a copy for yourself!

Making real people work for you

I write Historical Fiction. While my protagonists are entirely fictional, they now and then have to interact with “real” people – people who’ve existed, lived and died for real. This can be something of a bummer – especially when your perfectly crafted timeline suddenly crashes headlong into the wall of historical facts. That conversation your protagonist was to have with the wife of the Earl of Lancaster can no longer happen, seeing as the lady died some months before the planned meeting. The touching scene in which the king and his wife are reconciled must be scrapped – the king would no more reconcile with his wife than he would have a crocodile in his bed (which would not only be very weird, but also anachronistic, as there were no crocodiles in England in the 14th century). See? These real-life characters are hard to deal with. (In actual fact, so are the invented characters, as all of a sudden they start developing opinions of their own and generally refuse to cooperate when they don’t agree with the overall plotline, but that is neither here nor there – not in this post.)

At the same time including real characters in the story adds a certain nerve. People can read the book, become intrigued and spend some time googling the real characters. Hopefully, they come away with the impression that the author has done a good job adhering to the overall facts. If not, there may be a problem, as readers of historical fiction tend to be sensitive to incorrect information.

The further back in history you write, the more leeway you have when utilizing the real-life characters. Also, I think it important to underline that Historical Fiction is precisely that: fiction. Even when writing about real historical people, we must keep in mind that we don’t know these shadowy ghosts from the past. What we have are fragments of their lives (at best), mentions in this roll or the other, acidic comments in one chronicler’s version of events, praise in another’s. So what any good historical fiction author does is that he/she constructs a picture – fleshes out the spare bones we have left to create a living, breathing character (in as much as characters can breathe, of course). Every such representation is incorrect in that it does not – cannot – be a fair representation of the person who lived and died all those years ago.

This is why we get such varied depictions of historical people. Authors may start with the same bare facts, but then they’ll add biases and personal values, which is why Henry Tudor may come across as the villain in one book, as an earnest man with a mission in another. Thing is, we have no idea what he was really like. Was he passionate in bed? Did he have the enervating habit of sucking his teeth as he thought? Did he take reading matter with him to the garderobe? Did he eat the veggies first? Did he now and then curse that meddlesome mother of his to hell and back? We simply don’t know. What we do know is that he won at Bosworth – and that, according to some, is down to pure luck, while others will argue for divine intervention.

I guess the long and short of all this is that a historical fiction author must know his/her period, must be familiar with customs and foods, clothes and values. Of course, when writing about real people, the author needs to have read up on the facts that exist. But these are just the building blocks. A historical fiction author first and foremost wants to tell a story, and sometimes those real life characters have to be tweaked – a bit – so as to create the required tension. And so Henry Tudor is at times represented as diabolical, at others as an ambitious man who truly believes he deserves the English crown. A skilled author will have the reader accepting either or – for the sake of the story as such.

In my recent release, In the Shadow of the Storm, I am writing about a turbulent time in English history. We’re in the 1320s, and on the one side we have Edward II and his beloved favourite Hugh Despenser, on the other side we have the disgruntled barons, led by Roger Mortimer. I suppose Hugh Despenser must have had some nice, cuddly personal traits. Some. Maybe. But I am writing this book strictly in the POV of people who are 100% loyal to Mortimer, and as Despenser hated Mortimer’s guts – a sentiment returned in full – Hugh Despenser comes across as a nasty, sadistic villain. I am sure he was – to those who opposed him and his king. But he was also more than that – to the king he served, to his wife and children.

“Him? Despenser is a sick, perverted bastard,” Adam de Guirande mutters. He glowers at me. “You should have allowed me to kill him.” Hmm. I can understand where my dear Adam is coming from, given what Despenser puts him through, but Despenser’s subsequent fate is a matter of historical record, and no matter how much I commiserate with Adam’s desire to avenge himself on dear Hugh, I cannot let this invented male protagonist of mine have his way. Nope. (And this argument has had Adam sulking in the corners of my mind for weeks. I finally cajoled him into returning to the party by promising him he could…Well, you’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next book.)

Likewise, a lot of the book centres round Roger Mortimer. We know a lot about Roger – detailed inventories of what he owned when he was attainted survive, as do mentions in rolls and legal documents. His overall biography – birth, marriage, children, political career, death – is there for us to study. We know very little about him as a person, though. He has left us no diary, no Youtube clips in which he shares his personal views. This for me as a novelist is manna from heaven: as long as I stick to the facts, I can choose to depict Mortimer as it best suits me, and so I present you with a man of convictions, an honourable servant of the crown until something snaps in him. Is this a “true and fair” representation of the man? I don’t know – but then, neither does anyone else!

As I said right at the beginning, I write fiction. I have the joy of constructing a plot that weaves its way through the tapestry of known history, my invented leads interacting freely with the people who populate the history books – as I see them. Lucky me, hey?

02_In the Shadow of the Storm 

In the Shadow of the Storm (The King's Greatest Enemy, Book One) by Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: November 1, 2015
Silverwood Books
eBook & Print; 398 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

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Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Sir Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty. He owes Sir Roger for his life and all his worldly good, he owes him for his beautiful wife – even if Kit is not quite the woman Sir Roger thinks she is. So when Sir Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him – no matter what the ultimate cost may be.

England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favourite, Hugh Despenser. The barons, led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king. But Edward is not about to take things lying down, and fate is a fickle mistress, favouring first one, then the other.

Adam fears his lord has over-reached, but at present Adam has other matters to concern him, first and foremost his new wife, Katherine de Monmouth. His bride comes surrounded by rumours concerning her and the baron, and he hates it when his brother snickers and whispers of used goods.

Kit de Courcy has the misfortune of being a perfect double of Katherine de Monmouth – which is why she finds herself coerced into wedding a man under a false name. What will Adam do when he finds out he has been duped?

Domestic matters become irrelevant when the king sets out to punish his rebellious barons. The Welsh Marches explode into war, and soon Sir Roger and his men are fighting for their very lives. When hope splutters and dies, when death seems inevitable, it falls to Kit to save her man – if she can.

In the Shadow of the Storm is the first in Anna Belfrage’s new series, The King’s Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his baron, his king, and his wife.

Series Graphic


03_Annna_Belfrage 2015About the Author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a professional time-traveller. As such a profession does as yet not exists, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history and writing. These days, Anna combines an exciting day-job with a large family and her writing endeavours.

When Anna fell in love with her future husband, she got Scotland as an extra, not because her husband is Scottish or has a predilection for kilts, but because his family fled Scotland due to religious persecution in the 17th century – and were related to the Stuarts. For a history buff like Anna, these little details made Future Husband all the more desirable, and sparked a permanent interest in the Scottish Covenanters, which is how Matthew Graham, protagonist of the acclaimed The Graham Saga, began to take shape.

Set in 17th century Scotland and Virginia/Maryland, the series tells the story of Matthew and Alex, two people who should never have met – not when she was born three hundred years after him. With this heady blend of romance, adventure, high drama and historical accuracy, Anna hopes to entertain and captivate, and is more than thrilled when readers tell her just how much they love her books and her characters.

Presently, Anna is hard at work with her next project, a series set in the 1320s featuring Adam de Guirande, his wife Kit, and their adventures and misfortunes in connection with Roger Mortimer’s rise to power. The King’s Greatest Enemy is a series where passion and drama play out against a complex political situation, where today’s traitor may be tomorrow’s hero, and the Wheel of Life never stops rolling.

The first installment in the Adam and Kit story, In the Shadow of the Storm, will be published in the autumn of 2015.

Other than on her website, www.annabelfrage.com, Anna can mostly be found on her blog, http://annabelfrage.wordpress.com – unless, of course, she is submerged in writing her next novel.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, December 1
Review at Let Them Read Books
Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, December 2
Review at Beth's Book Book
Review at Bookish

Thursday, December 3
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Friday, December 4
Review at Singing Librarian Books

Sunday, December 6
Review at A Bibliotaph's Reviews

Monday, December 7
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Tuesday, December 8
Review at Book Nerd
Guest Post at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Wednesday, December 9
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Thursday, December 10
Review at Book Drunkard
Review at Impressions in Ink
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, December 11
Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Monday, December 14
Review at Unshelfish
Review at CelticLady's Reviews
Guest Post at To Read, Or Not to Read

Tuesday, December 15
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Review at Historical Fiction Notebook

Wednesday, December 16
Review at Room with Books
Review at Griperang's Bookmarks

Thursday, December 17
Review at Just One More Chapter
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Friday, December 18
Interview at Just One More Chapter
Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Monday, December 21
Review at Puddletown Reviews
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Tuesday, December 22
Review at Bookramblings
Review at Broken Teepee

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 2 eBooks and 1 paperback! To enter, see the GLEAM form below.

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

In the Shadow of the Storm


04_In the Shadow of the Storm_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL



Guest Post & Giveaway: George Washington: Action Hero By Stephen Yoch, author of Becoming George Washington

Today kicks off the Becoming George Washington Blog Tour, hosted by HF Virtual Book Tours, and today Passages to the Past is hosting a fascinating guest post written by Author Stephen Yoch, and a chance for one of you lucky readers to win a copy!

George Washington: Action Hero By Stephen Yoch

We all think of George Washington as the old guy with wooden teeth and a powdered wig. (By the way, he didn’t wear a wig and his teeth were not made of wood.) But as a young man, Washington was America’s first “action hero.”

At age 21, Washington led an intrepid group of men across 250 miles of frozen wilderness to deliver a diplomatic pouch to the French demanding they leave the country. Upon Washington’s return, the Governor of Virginia ordered George to record his experiences. In a 7,000-word journal, the insightful young Washington identifies for the first time the confluence of the Ohio and Monongahela Rivers as an excellent location for a fort, noting that the land was “extremely well situated” with “absolute command of both rivers.” That location would become the French-built Fort Duquesne, later renamed by the Americans Fort Pitt, and ultimately, modern day Pittsburgh.

On his harrowing journey, Washington was forced to negotiate with hostile French, attacked by a rogue Indian in the aptly-named Murderingtown and almost drowned in the frozen Allegheny River. His journal was published throughout the Colonies and England and made him an instant celebrity. This renown led directly to his promotion as a lieutenant colonel in the Virginia militia.

By age 22, Washington was a full colonel in charge of the entire Virginia militia. In May 1754 he led a small party that attacked the French, starting the French and Indian War. With a bravado and the excitement of youth, he wrote his brother after the battle, “I fortunately escaped without a wound, though the right wing where I stood was exposed to and received all of the enemy’s fire and was the part where a man was killed and the rest wounded. I can, with truth assure you, I heard the bullets whistle and believe me there is something charming in the sound.” When this letter was published in London, King George quipped: “He would not say so, if he had been used to hear many.”

A year later, Washington would fight and survive a battle in which the British General Braddock’s army was almost completely annihilated. Washington remained steadfast and brave throughout, making him one of the most famous men in America. Writing to his brother after the battle, Washington emphasized how close he came to death, “I take this early opportunity of contradicting [accounts of my death] and of assuring you that I [am still in the land] of the living by the miraculous care of providence, that protected me beyond all human expectation . . . I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot from under and yet escaped unhurt.”

Washington would continue to lead his men for four more years through the recapture of Fort Duquesne from the French. At the end of the war, upon taking his seat in the House of Burgess in Virginia, a unanimous resolution honoring him was passed that said, “Thanks of the House be given to George Washington, Esq. a member of this House, late Colonel of the First Virginia Regiment, for his faithful services to His Majesty and this Colony, and for his brave and steady behavior, from the first encroachments and hostilities of the French and their Indians, to his resignation, after the happy reduction of Fort Duquesne.”

Washington’s reputation and bravery as our first “action hero” would cement his national reputation and make him the logical choice to lead the Revolution two decades later.

02_Becoming George Washington 

Becoming George Washington by Stephen Yoch

Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Paperback & Ebook; 382 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

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George Washington, action hero . . .

Long before Washington was the old man on the dollar bill, he was a fatherless boy with few resources and even less education. So how did he become the most famous person in American history?

Becoming George Washington tells the story of a young man with boundless energy, bravery, and passion, who grew from a fatherless boy into a self-confident leader. At the same time, he struggled to suppress both an awful temper and his love for a married woman, Sally Fairfax. A courageous war hero, Washington rose to the pinnacle of Virginia politics. His experiences as a young man allowed him, decades later, to lead the Revolution.

This compelling historical novel reveals the person behind the famous face and how he grew to become America’s leading Founding Father.


About the Author

Steve doesn't golf or fish and is a below average hunter, but his love of history and writing compelled him to pick up his pen and tell the little-known stories behind the men that made American history. After years of extensive research, Steve wrote his first book on young George Washington.

Steve lives in a suburb north of St. Paul, Minnesota with his supportive wife and two fantastic teenage sons. He graduated with honors from Boston College and the University of Minnesota Law School. He has enjoyed over two decades of practicing law in the Twin Cities, helping individuals and businesses solve complex problems.


Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 07
Guest Post & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, December 9
Review at Library Educated

Friday, December 11
Spotlight at The Writing Desk

Monday, December 14
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Tuesday, December 15
Review at The Maiden's Court

Wednesday, December 16
Interview at Layered Pages
Spotlight at Historical Readings and Reviews

Thursday, December 17
Guest Post & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Friday, December 18
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, December 21
Review at Bookish

Tuesday, December 22
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Wednesday, December 23
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, December 24
Review at Book Nerd

Monday, December 28
Review at Just One More Chapter
Spotlight at Puddletown Reviews

Tuesday, December 29
Review at The Absurd Book Nerd
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Wednesday, December 30
Review at Luxury Reading
Guest Post at The Absurd Book Nerd

Thursday, December 31
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Giveaway

To enter to win a print copy of Becoming George Washington, please leave a comment below with your email address (or alternate way to contact you).

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 17th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

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