Hello from a presently very snowy part of Scotland!
Well, actually right now most of Scotland is under some degree of snow cover as the ‘Beast from The East Mark 2’ is blasting a large chunk of the United Kingdom with intermittent levels of snow-pelt.
It’s not unusual in my part of Aberdeenshire to get snow at this point close to mid-February, but a snowy day does mean it’s a fine time to ‘coorie doon’ under a warm blanket or snuggle beside a roaring fire – if you still have one – and read something entertaining and enjoyable.
Also, being the 10th of February 2021 as I write this, it’s getting closer to Valentine’s Day. It’s a time to pamper yourself, or someone you love, either by gifting them an eBook or buying one for yourself. It’s probably too late to get a paperback version posted, Covid 19 pandemic not helping with slow postal services, so gifting an eBook is possible.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day I am offering two of my Romantic Comedies#FREE during the next few days in eBook format across the Amazon network.
Take Me Now eBook is #FREE from Amazon on 11th, 12th and 13th of Feb. 2021.
Ocelot Press is delighted to announce that the eBook of Beathan The Brigante, the latest addition to Nancy Jardine’s highly-interlinked Celtic Fervour Series, is *FREE* on the 15th October 2020 across the Amazon network!
(Psst! And if you’re quick, you should find that some of the other books in the series have a reduced price during this special promotion.)
Book 5, Beathan The Brigante, features young Beathan of Garrigill, but it also depicts the interlinking of his life and that of the Ancient Roman General – Gnaeus Iulius Agricola who is a main character in Books 4 & 5.
Having been captured by the Ancient Roman legions, after the battle at Beinn na Ciche in north-east Caledonia, we pick up Beathan’s story in AD 85 at Trimontium Roman Fort where he is used as a menial fort slave. General Agricola, having been summoned back to Rome by Emperor Domitian, collects Beathan and some other high-ranking hostages at Trimontium Fort and drags them all off in chains.
During the long trek to Rome, Beathan learns surprising things about General Agricola. In turn, Agricola finds aspects to grudgingly admire in young warrior Beathan. Escape from, and revenge against, his captors doesn’t come quickly for Beathan. However, by AD 89 he is back in Brigantia – the land of his birth – where revenge blazes for him at Vindolanda Roman Fort. It’s gratifying that by then he is closer to a reunion with his much-missed Garrigill kin ,and it’s even better that romance with a young Brigante warrior-woman named Torrin has lightened his eventful life, even though he is still only seventeen.
Moving from place to place is a regular feature for the Garrigill Brigantes in the Celtic Fervour Series novels, especially as they become refugees fleeing from Brigantia to Caledonia, but young warrior Beathan can truly say that he is the most widely-travelled across the Roman Empire!
It’s a reasonable assumption that youths matured into men much faster in 1st Century AD, especially if they were subjected to the treatment that’s meted out to Beathan of Garrigill!
Yesterday, 20th August 2020, was the official e-book launch of Beathan The Brigante – #5 of Nancy Jardine’s Celtic Fervour Saga series. It’s now available from Amazon in e-book and paperback formats for readers to enjoy! Paperback versions are also available for ordering in bookstores.
The continuous saga is set in late 1st Century AD Roman Britain AD 71-89, and follows the adventures of warriors who originate in the Hillfort of Garrigill, Brigantia. (present day Cumbria/North Yorkshire/Northumberland) Across the five books of the series, the reader will find that each book features different warriors of the clan, and as the series progresses some Ancient Romans also become main characters.
The threat of Ancient Roman domination is a major feature of the stories and is highly instrumental in influencing what the Garrigill warriors do to thwart Roman invasion. When complete destruction of their Celtic lifestyle is inevitable, the Garrigill clan become refugees and flee northwards to Caledonia. They have not in any way given up, it’s more that they are finding other ways to defend themselves against the Roman invaders. As the books progress, so do the years of Roman occupation during what is historically termed the Flavian era. This equates roughly to AD 69 – 96.
The genuine historical figure – Gnaeus Iulius Agricola – held various important positions in Britannia. According to the historical record, Agricola was Legate (Commanding Officer) of the Legio XX (Twentieth Legion) c. 69-73. Then, from approximately AD 77-84, Agricola was Governor of the Province of Britannia and was Commander of the Britannic Legions. Some of the concepts of the novels are formed from a study of the writing of the Ancient Roman writer Cornelius Tacitus (the son-in-law of Agricola). Tacitus’ work on the ‘Life of Agricola’ is the main historical source for information on Roman Britain.
In Books 4 and 5, second generation Garrigill warriors are the main Celtic characters, though their parents still there in the background. Book 5 is mainly Beathan’s story, with the first half of the novel depicting the interlinking of the lives of Beathan and General Agricola.
All of the novels can be accessed using this LINK to Nancy Jardine’s Amazon Author Page. If you’d rather just read more of what Beathan The Brigante is about use this link HERE.
Antique road , Via Appia Antica in Rome, Italy on sunset
There are now only five days till the launch of Beathan The Brigante, the fifth novel in Nancy Jardine’s Celtic Fervour Saga Series – the official e-book launch day being on the 20th August 2020!
To celebrate the newest book in the series, Nancy has a super offer for new and existing readers. The first four e-books of the series are now on offer from Amazon at 99p/99c/ 0.99 euros for a few days prior to the launch day for Beathan The Brigante (#5).
(Note: All are full length historical novels of around 80+ thousand words.)
If you have read Books 1-4 already, then there is always the wonderful possibility of being able to gift the ebooks to someone else!
If you have read only part of the series, this would be an excellent time to stock up on those not yet read. You’ll then be able to follow all of the adventures of Nancy’s Roman Iron Age warriors from the Hillfort of Garrigill. And after reading the novels, Nancy will be delighted to learn your thoughts on the novels – in a review on Amazon, or by contacting her directly.
Also please note: Beathan The Brigante is currently on Pre-order at £1.99, but this price will rise again from launch day (Usual price for the Celtic Fervour Saga is £3.99)
The links below should make it easy for you to access the books on Amazon.
Happy reading!
Antique road , Via Appia Antica in Rome, Italy on sunset
Tidy Up Time! Some people are compulsively tidy, though others are of the ‘It’ll get done soon’ category. I confess to falling into the latter. When I’m at the work-in-progress writing process, my hand written references and notes tend to be a bit of a muddle. I’ve a habit of scribbling on the nearest bit of paper to hand, if something needs to be noted elsewhere later on, in better detail. That means that a home-made map or diagram might have random bits and pieces added which probably only mean something to me.
I’m presently doing my ‘tidy ups’. My contribution for the Ocelot Blog Anthology – Doorways To The Past – is done and dusted, and I’m eagerly awaiting the publishing date of 30th July for that one. I’ve been learning some new book trailer video skills and have created a little promotional video to share with you and the world. You can view the video on the Ocelot Facebook PageHERE.
I’m also at the final stages of completing the e-book and paperback versions of Beathan The Brigante, Book 5 of my Celtic Fervour Saga series (publishing date 20th August 2020). Having finished the manuscript, and having gone through beta reader advice and changes, I really don’t want to find something in my mess of notes that I feel compelled to add to my story, but I always feel duty-bound to re-read the scribbles – just in case.
Very exciting news is that Beathan The Brigante is now available for Kindle Pre- Order from Amazon HERE
I love this stage of the process of getting a story ready for publication. I really enjoy putting together the Historical Context for the book, since not all of my readers are familiar with the complexities of Roman Britain history. I like organising my Glossary sections, adding brief information on things like the gods or goddesses mentioned by my characters – Roman and Celtic. This time around for Book 5, I’ve included a longer section on Roman Army terms that appear in the story, and I’ve added an explanation of the interior of an Ancient Roman fort. Readers who already have some knowledge of Roman Army history will gloss over the sections, but I’ve learned during the process of producing the first four books of the series that some of my readers really appreciate the extra information that helps them understand how my characters operate in their environment.
My plan of Eboracum Fortress c. Nancy Jardine
I particularly like creating the map pages for adding to my historical series. After the first book was published, it was a revelation to find a Canadian reviewer had mistakenly thought that the story had mainly taken place in the Caithness area of Scotland. I had written that Brigantia was the northernmost area of Britannia to be invaded by the Ancient Roman legions in AD 71. The reader had envisaged a current map of Great Britain, and had decided that the northernmost part was Caithness, and thus that was where Brigantia had been. It was then I decided that adding maps to all of my Celtic Fervour novels, even ones created by me, were a necessity rather than an indulgence. I heartily thank that reviewer for pointing out the problem, even if it was done in an inadvertent fashion.
Beathan The Brigante, Britannia Locations c. Nancy Jardine
Making final versions of my maps has become a part of my ‘tidy-up’ routine, and any hand drawn maps and plans, like those shown, are scanned before being added to my stored files. Here’s a sneak preview of what is likely to be one of my final maps for Beathan The Brigante!
What aboutyou? Are you a messy worker who eventually does ‘tidy ups’, in your writing…or in daily life?
And, in case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the blurb for Beathan The Brigante.
AD 85 Roman Empire
How can young Beathan of Garrigill – held hostage by General Agricola and dragged in chains to Rome – escape and wreak vengeance on his enemies?
Torrin is a strong-minded Brigante warrior-woman who forges her own future. She willingly takes care of him in a time of need, but her own plans are paramount.
Agricola’s career is in tatters. Attempts on his life are plentiful, having lost favour with Emperor Domitian. His gods have abandoned him, though assistance comes from a surprising source.
Will Beathan gain his freedom to return to his kin in Caledonia? Will Torrin be by his side? And how will Agricola survive without the emperor’s benevolence?
Beathan the Brigante is the fifth in the bestselling Celtic Fervour series.
Ocelot Press 