Book Launch: Anvil
Anvil — the grand finale to The Iron Between trilogy.
It’s the year CE 77. Vespasian names Agricola as governor of Britannia.
Upon his arrival, Agricola learns of an Ordovician assault orchestrated by his nemesis, Luchar. A cavalry outpost lies in ruins, and the sons of Rome’s senators have been mercilessly slaughtered. Memories of a similar tragedy flood Agricola’s thoughts, as he recalls the brutal murder of his friend Quintus at the hands of the same Celta warrior. Fueled by a thirst for vengeance, Agricola launches a relentless campaign to wipe out the Ordovician people, spearheading the conquest of Mona and beyond…
“The author is clearly in his element bringing to life this tense world in which ‘the gap between living and dying was no more than two hand spans.’” — Kirkus review of Iron, book 2 of The Iron Between trilogy.
The book is available for download at:
Zoom book launch of Anvil, January 15th, 19.00 GMT.
Hosted by acclaimed historical author, Katherine Mezzacappa.
Topic: Phil Hughes’s Personal Meeting Room
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2687158951?pwd=G0ULNCThlbimcuwhbtpOdsisGM0Koo.1
Meeting ID: 268 715 8951
Passcode: Wwue02
Great Procedural
A Prelude to War: Part One
The second edition of A Prelude to War: Part One is available in paperback and Kindle.
Enjoy this epic tale of war and peace, love and loss, set when the gap between living and dying was less than a handspan. The world is brutal across the known territories, but nowhere more so than in Ériu—the land of perpetual winter, the land the Romans have yet to reach.
Charge with the Red Branch as they attack the invading British army.
Join the heroes, Conall and Fergus, caught in the bitter feud between Mac Nessa, the king of Ulster and Medb, the queen of Connacht.
Witness young love as Setanta and Dervla meet through the brutality of the times. Discover whether their love prevails.
A Prelude to War has more than 100k views on Royal Road.
A Prelude to War Part Two: Cover
A Prelude to War Part One: Cover
A Prelude to War: Paperback
Coming on November 8th, the long anticipated paperback version of A Prelude to War.
When ancient Ireland is put to the sword by a British Pirate, it brings about a bloody conflict between Irish clans.
“The warrior druidess faced the line of untried warriors; she had blacked her eyes, her shield slung over her back, and she carried a massive war axe in her fist. Setanta did not know what the others were feeling about the strength shining from her like a beacon in the night, but he felt invincible.”
Anvil: Coming Soon
The finale of The Iron Between trilogy is available.
It’s the year CE 77. Vespasian names Agricola as governor of Britannia.
Upon his arrival, Agricola learns of an Ordovician assault orchestrated by his nemesis, Luchar. A cavalry outpost lies in ruins, and the sons of Rome’s senators have been mercilessly slaughtered. Memories of a similar tragedy flood Agricola’s thoughts, as he recalls the brutal murder of his friend Quintus at the hands of the same Celta warrior. Fueled by a thirst for vengeance, Agricola launches a relentless campaign to wipe out the Ordovician people, spearheading the conquest of Mona and beyond…
A Little on How I do it
With 35 years as a professional editor, plus 26 novels published at time of print, Phil has jotted down a few words on the processes he follows when writing a book.
A Technical Approach to Novel Writing has a foreword from acclaimed historical fantasy novelist John De Búrca.
“Why? Why apply a technical approach to creative art?”
Read on, MacDuff.
Phil is the author of more than twenty six novels. In his previous life, he spent over thirty years as an author and editor in the technical space. During that time, Phil received awards and plaudits for the procedures he developed. His recognition was such that he was described as “the best in the business” on multiple occasions.
When asked why he wrote the book, Phil said, “Writing is about communicating an idea. Whether that communication is creative or technical, the fundamentals remain the same: getting a message across and quality.
Many years ago, Stephen King said that quality doesn’t matter; only story matters. But things have changed. As professional writers, we are under siege, both by wannabe fast buck generators and AI. In this era, when ‘The Machine’ and cowboys threaten our livelihoods, the only defence is quality. Quality does not come naturally but through processes.”
“…in 2006 [Phil] quickly put into place new technical writing processes and really transformed the quality of our product documentation.” — Paul Cotter, IT industry leader.
“I am really looking forward to reading more books by this very talented author.” – Book Bandits Library – Professional book critic.
The Shadow of the Gods
I enjoyed The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne (@john_gwynne_author), which I listened to on Audible.
Wow!
I will get a wee negative out of my system early on and say that the arc was perhaps a little of a slow burn. By the end of the novel, I felt the story had just begun. It’s a good thing the second volume is already in my library. Okay, so sometimes authors have a long story, and it’s best to split them—like LOTR, which is basically one book split into three. However, I do prefer individual books of a trilogy to be able to stand on their own feet.
Now that is out of my system, I must repeat my earlier comment: wow.
The author and narrator brought me on a fast-paced journey through the magical world of Vigrid—based on Norse mythology. I found myself staying in the gym for too long because I couldn’t bear to stop the book. Putting it into perspective: having just had a recent total hip replacement, too long on the treadmill is not recommended and I have been paying the price in pain.
Listening to the audio, it was almost as if I was watching the story in a Cineplex with surround sound. I was always a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist when it came to my fantasy fix: Tolkien, Gemmell, Fiest, and Wurts, but I branched out last year following a recommendation by Dublin Book Reviewer (@dublin_book_reviewer) to read The Faithful and the Fallen, which is in my Kindle library and top of my TBR. I started with The Shadow of the Gods because it was in my Audible library. I am so glad that I did.
I give the book 8.5/10.
PerchedCrowPress 