For this week's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be welcoming J R Tomlin to the blog with a guest post about her latest book On a Sword's Edge , as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. In her guest post, she discusses a topic very close to home for Crowvus HQ(!): the impact of the Norse on Scotland. But first, let's meet the book... Blurb Scotland. 1263. The scent of rain mingles with the smoke of campfires as word spreads: the Norse are coming… As tempers rise between King Alexander and the Norse King Haakon, at the center of it all is sixteen-year-old William Douglas, a squire in service to Sir John Stewart, Lord High Steward of Scotland. When Haakon's fearsome fleet is espied approaching Scotland's shores, carrying the greatest invasion force the Norse have ever mustered, the dread of battle settles over the land. Summoned to Ayr Castle, William joins the Scottish forces in a desperate defense. Now tasked with serving his newly knighted brothe...
A Celtic warrior queen must do the impossible—defeat her sorcerer half-brother and claim the throne. But to do so, she must learn how to strike vengeance from her father’s skull.
AS FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent's stone to fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock. Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin's head.
To have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek military aid from Marcellus—her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin's cause.
Ultimately, in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest to vanquish Marrock?
Trigger warnings:
Sex, Slave trafficking and abuse, Violence, Childbirth
Skull's Vengeance is available on at your favourite bookshop via this universal link!
Acclaim for other books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series:
"[An] epic tale of love, betrayal and political intrigue." ~ InD'tale Magazine
"The requisite fantasy elements of magic and mystery abound...Tanner also does an admirable job weaving in the politics and mythology of a bygone people." ~ Kirkus
"Part fantasy, part historical fiction, Linnea Tanner has woven together a wonderful tale of romance, intrigue, mystery, and legend to create an entertaining and complex story." ~ The International Review of Books
"[A] captivating tale of triangles; love, lust and espionage; friend, foe, and spies; barbarians, civilized Rome and spiritual-supernatural beings." ~ 2019 Pencraft Book of the Year Award
Read the series: Apollo’s Raven (Book 1) - Dagger’s Destiny (Book 2) - Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3) - Skull's Vengeance (Book 4)
What are the pros and cons of writing a series of historical fiction rather than a stand-alone book?
Before I began writing the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series, I realized the epic tale had to be told in a series of books to cover the period between AD 24 – AD 40 in ancient Rome and Britannia. I now envision the series to consist of six books and a prequel. Other standalone novels using minor characters from the series have also come to mind.
The pros of writing a series are that you can more fully develop characters, worldbuilding, and political intrigue. In a series, the tale comes across as epic and complex in scope. Several universal themes can be woven into the overall story arc.
However, the reader’s interest in the characters and the story has to be maintained in order for them to continue reading subsequent books. It is sometimes difficult to have a satisfying ending for each book because it is an ongoing tale. Subsequent books in the series need to provide sufficient backstory to refresh a reader’s memory or to be read as a standalone book. Ideally, once the series is completed, the reader can read each book without having to wait for the next one to be published.
What was your favourite thing about writing from a mythological/fantastical stance?
The mythological/fantastical stance allows me to explore the culture and religious beliefs of ancient civilizations. I particularly enjoyed researching the Celtic fantastical aspects from Roman historical accounts and Welsh and Irish myths and legends. One of the Celtic beliefs that intrigued me was the concept that the soul resides in the head. The human head was venerated above all else since it was considered to be the temple of the soul. As with so many aspects of the Celtic warrior’s life, taking an opponent’s head in battle, preferably in single combat, had a mystical significance. To possess the enemy’s head was to possess his soul.
The importance and extent of the cult of the severed head among the Celts is demonstrated by their display in shrines, either mounted in stonework at La Roquepertuse in southern Gaul or on wooden poles at the Bredon Hill Fort in western Britain. It is interesting to note that in both instances, the heads were set up at the entrances. Perhaps the souls of these unfortunate warriors protected their enemies’ strongholds. The Curse of Clansmen and Kings series expands on the concept that magical powers can be harnessed from souls trapped in each of their skulls.
Pillars of the portico, with cavities designed for receiving skulls
III-II B.C. Musée d'archéologie méditerranéenne in Marseille.
Image from Wikipedia
Do you think you would have survived in 1st Century Britain? What would be the best and the worst thing about living in the time of your books?
It would have been difficult to survive in 1st Century Britain with the political unrest between the rival tribal kingdoms and with the Romans. What I liked best about the Celtic culture in 1st Century Britain is that women were held in high regard and could own property and rule. The Roman historian Tacticus writes that the Britons were accustomed to women commanders in war.
One of the worst aspects of 1st Century Britain was slave trafficking. To increase their wealth, tribal kingdoms often raided other territories to capture prisoners to sell into slavery. Slavery played a significant role in Roman society. Under Roman law, enslaved people had no personal rights and were regarded as property. They could be bought, sold, and mistreated at will. The tragedy of slave trafficking is woven into the storyline in Skull’s Vengeance.
Was there a single event/monument/artefact which inspired you to write about the Celtic world? If so, please tell us about it!
Whenever I visited London, I was intrigued with the statue of the ancient warrior queen, Boudicca, and her daughters in a horse-drawn chariot. The Roman historian Cassius Dio described her as being, “in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh: a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace.” She symbolizes how a single woman can unite divisive factions to rise up against tyranny and seek their freedom. My primary character, Catrin, is inspired by the legend of Boudicca and her Celtic world, which later inspired Arthurian legend.
Boudicca Statue
Image by Wikipedia
Now, let's meet the author:
intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. Of particular interest are the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.
Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include Apollo’s Raven (Book 1), Dagger’s Destiny (Book 2), and Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3). Skull’s Vengeance (Book 4).
A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.
You can keep up with Linnea on these links:
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting the blog tour of "Skull's Vengeance," and for interviewing me with your thought-provoking questions.
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