Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I very much enjoyed the 1987 movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy, but that is not what I am writing about. In my book, Eugenica, the protagonists use planes, trains, and automobiles to escape their pursuers. Well, actually they use the singular of each of those modes of transport. One plane, a De Havilland …

Understanding Carbon Dioxide – CO2

Carbon Dioxide is a molecule with the formula CO2. It is formed from one carbon atom that is joined by double-bonds to two oxygen atoms, as below. The Three States of CO2 Gas gaseous CO2 exists at temperatures of +31°C (87.8°F). It is colourless but has an odour. Liquid when cooled to temperatures around +18°C …

The Science of Time Travel and the Implications of Killing People before they were Born

I wanted to write a story in which people mixed with dinosaurs. Seeing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had the idea of a lost world and Michael Chrichton had the idea of using recovered dinosaur DNA first, it really left me no alternative but to send my characters back in time. Yes, I was going …

Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings

At school my history teacher glossed over the Battle of Hastings. His lesson suggested that the Normans were a superior people who conquered the barbaric Saxons and brought civilisation back to England. I have always inferred that what he meant was that the Romans had civilised Britain originally but that the Saxons had created a …

The Battle of Hastings

On 14th October 1066 a Saxon army under the command of King Harold of England stood at Sentlache Ridge, some 7 miles north of Hastings. Duke Guillaume of Normandy led his army from the port to fight the decisive battle of the year. The Normans had invaded England on 28 September, but King Harold was …

Not a New Year’s Resolution

The holidays are over, and it is the start of a new year. I have never seen the point of making resolutions simply because the calendar has changed to a new page. I believe that resolutions should be made as and when necessary. I have not made a New Year’s Resolution, but I have determined …

Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge

Continuing on from the Battle of Fulford Gate I approached writing about the Battle of Stamford Bridge in exactly the same way. I had received many positive comments regarding how I had gone about describing the action. It seems that I had hit on a successful technique for describing both the action from the point …

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place only five days after the Battle of Fulford Gate. The Viking army, under King Harald Hardrada of Norway had won what appeared to be a decisive victory, destroying the Saxon’s Army of the North. Its leaders, the brothers Eorl Edwin of Mercia and Eorl Morcar of Northumbria had …

Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction – My version of the Battle of Fulford Gate

The fact is that most historical records are not complete. The veracity of what does remain can often be questioned. Although I did a lot of research for The War wolf it was with relatively few different sources. 1066 belongs to the period that used to be called the Dark Ages, a reference to the …

The Battle of Fulford Gate

Writing about an actual historical event in a piece of fiction is challenging, especially if, as the writer, you are keen on being authentic and accurate. I most certainly was. I undertook a lot of research into both the actual battle, how it was fought, the weapons and armour, why it happened, and what the …