On a Dare She Wrote: Grace Augustine #OurAuthorGang

We invited authors, aspiring authors, and poets to be our guest on the Author Gang's blog.

https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/p/join-us-be-our-guest.html

Author Grace Augustine took submitted her beautiful story and chose this picture to match her story.

Grace's story will be featured in the Golden Box Books Publishing's Readers' Magazine.

http://www.goldenboxbooks.com/magazine.html

HOME FIRES

There’s a chill in the air and the heat from the fireplace feels wonderful…especially after spending most of the day outside doing chores.

I don’t mind milking the cows or tending the chickens. After all, it is food for the table.

I think it’s going to be another harsh winter. We lost several heads of cattle last year because of the frigid temperatures. There’s only so much coal you can burn and someone needs to be awake twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to assure the barn doesn’t catch on fire. We only have ourselves, and of course, my brother Billy. It’s a challenge to take turns staying up all night. 

Lance is doing the best he can, I know that. Poor man, he works from the dark of morning to the dusk at night. When he’s not outside tending to the animals or making repairs, he’s inside working on the financial aspect of keeping this place going.

Me, well, I keep the home fires burning. I make sure his clothes are clean and there is hot food on the table. I take care of the dog and cats and try to get a bit of sewing done so I can take it into town.

Jenny and Mick run the general store. Jenny’s said that my dresses are some of the finest she’s seen and she goes on lots of buying trips for fancy fabric. She says if she could take them into the city, they’d bring top dollar. I don’t know about that. It would be nice, though, to have some extra money. I just like to sew. She wants me to use some of that fancy lace fabric for something she calls overlays. She’s willing to take me with her the next time she goes into St. Louis. 

Lance and I have been married for ten years now. Seems like yesterday when my Daddy and Momma walked me down the aisle. It was a lovely early spring day, and we had the wedding outside at my Grandmother’s house in her fabulous garden. The trellis of roses smelled divine as we stood under it reciting our vows.

We’d thought by now we’d have several children running around. That’s not the case. Doc says I can’t have kids, something about my female parts not being developed properly. Lance says it’s alright. So long as we have each other, that’s all that matters. I still wish I could have a baby or two to cuddle.

Lance and I usually sit in the rockers in front of the fireplace after the dishes from dinner are washed and put away. He plays his guitar and sings such wonderful songs to me. Sometimes he just plays music. When he does that, I read or work on my ever-growing stack of mending. Can someone tell me how there can be so many holes in a pair of socks?

The fire is dying slowly, the sign another day is ending.  I’m sure we’ll awaken to a new foot of snow. But that is tomorrow and tomorrow has its own adventures. Right now, it’s time for Lance and me to head to bed and snuggle down under the heavy wool quilt. We’ll hold each other until we fall into a restful sleep and Lance will once again be up before the sun to care for our land and provide for our needs. I sure do love that man.

Grace Augustine

www.graceaugustine.weebly.com

My fascination with the written and spoken word began as a 6th grader. I was like a sponge. I couldn’t get enough spelling, sentence diagraming, and literature. This passion followed me through junior high and high school and into adulthood.

I’m a Jill of most trades: co-owned a weekly newspaper, administrative office work, kitchen design, custom jewelry creation, wedding planning, floral design, preaching sermons, public relations, and marketing, designing social media promotions, copy and manuscript editing, and now add the title author to this mix.

I write mainly romance in several genres. The Acorn Hills series is a seven-book series based in the Pacific Northwest and deals with life issues and romance for the over 50 yr. old group. I have written a paranormal romance trilogy, a 40+ yr. collection of poetry/prose, a contemporary romance, and a self-help book. I am currently working on book 1 in a Christian romantic suspense series.

I’m originally from Northern Montana, currently live in Iowa, have 2 adult sons and a three-year old cat named Bou, who is Princess of the Manor.

Are you an author, not published yet but love to write stories or a are you a poet?

Click on this link and take our writing challenge:

https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/p/join-us-be-our-guest.html

On a Dare He Wrote: Joe Bonadonna #OurAuthorGang

We invited authors, aspiring authors, and poets to be our guest on the Author Gang's blog.

https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/p/join-us-be-our-guest.html

Author Joe Bonadonna submitted his story and chose this picture to match.

Joe's story will be featured in the Golden Box Books Publishing's Readers' Magazine.

http://www.goldenboxbooks.com/magazine.html

ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT

by

Joe Bonadonna

When Debbie was 8 years old she discovered that monsters lived in her closet and under her bed. Although they never bothered her, always sticking to the shadows but always watching her, she was still frightened by this discovery. She complained to her parents over and over again, but they didn't believe her, never once checked her closet or under her bed, and just told her to do her homework and stop making up stories and acting like a big baby. 

Debbie soon grew resentful of her parents and thought they were very mean. One evening, after once again telling them that she had seen the monsters, they sent her to bed without her supper. They also grounded her for a month: no TV, no books, no movies, no music, no internet, and no phone calls to and from her friends. After school each day she had to report straight home and stay in her room until supper time, after which she had to go back to her room to study, study, study. Even her bratty little brother told her there were no such things as monsters, and he laughed at her and made fun of her.

While she lay in bed crying her heart out that night, two monsters emerged from her closet and from under her bed to speak with her. Frightened though she may have been, there was a darkness in Debbie's soul that aroused her curiosity and fascination, and was surely the reason the monsters had moved into her room in the first place. 

"We know your pain and frustration, Debbie," said one monster who looked like an alligator crossed with a lobster, "and we are here to help you."

Debbie wiped the tears from her eyes. "But how? How can you help me?"

"We can remedy your situation and take you away to a place where your parents will never be mean to you again," said another monster, this one a werewolf with sharp claws and fangs, and four arms. "We can teach you magic and how to use it, and no one will ever make fun of you again."

"I don't understand. How can you help me?" Debbie asked. 

"Serve us," said the first monster, "and we, in turn, will serve you." 

"Just give us permission to do what we came here to do," the second monster told her.

Debbie didn't have to think twice about this. The thought of learning magic and how to use it was very much to her liking. "What do you want from me?"

So the monsters told her what they wanted her to do and thus she all too quickly gave them the permission they required from her. 

"Now what?" she asked.

"You must sign this binding contract between us," she was told.

Debbie was only too happy to comply.

That night, Debbie's mother and father learned that there were indeed monsters living in her closet and under her bed when she gave the monsters permission to eat her parents. For dessert, she told them it was okay for them to go ahead and eat her bratty little brother, too.

After that, the monsters took Debbie away to their secret Shadowland, from where they controlled the kings and queens, and the politicians and wealthy captains of industry who held all the power on Earth. But the monsters pulled their strings: they were the puppet masters who truly ruled the world in secret, keeping always to the dark corners of their own shadowy world.

As the years went by and Debbie learned how about magic, she used her powers to corrupt the politicians, the military leaders and all the rulers in the world. And as her powers and influence over the Earth grew, she caused wars, famine, plagues, natural disasters, and steered the course of events in any direction that suited her whims. Over and over again she would select people she thought would be a wonderful snack for the monsters, and they devoured these individuals with great relish. The monsters were most pleased with Debbie and her work, and she continued to serve them well. 

As the years dragged on, the monsters began to fear Debbie, and grew more and more concerned about their own well-being. They were afraid that the darkness in Debbie's soul that made her delight in causing so much havoc and turmoil all over the world would one day expose their secret and bring them out of the shadows of their own world. 

So the monsters of Shadowland decided they had to act immediately, before it was too late. 

On her twenty-first birthday the monsters called Debbie into a conference. 

"Now, while you have served us well over the years and provided us with many tasty snacks, your actions and your growing power are most troublesome to us," said the alligator-lobster monster. "We can no longer trust you and have decided that you have overstepped your bounds."

"Therefore," said the four-armed werewolf, "we have no choice but to invoke Article 13 of the contract you signed with us seventeen years ago." 

Debbie was confused and surprised. "Article 13? What's that?"

"You mean to say that you never read that clause in the contract? You never read the fine print?" asked the first monster. "You should always read the fine print in any contract."

"Well, no one told me to!" Debbie said angrily. "So what is this clause you're talking about?"

"Simply put," said monster #1, "Article 13 gives us permission to punish you and take away your magic, should you ever step out of line."

"Punish me? How?" Debbie asked, growing frightened, something she hadn't experienced since the night the monsters first spoke to her. She knew that her magic had no power over the monsters. "What sort of permission did I give you?"

Monster #2 bared his glistening fangs. "What do you think?"

And with that, the two monsters gobbled Debbie up, bones and all.

"Quite a nice little snack, do you think?" asked the first monster, his alligator jaws opened wide in a long, drawn out yawn. 

The four-armed werewolf licked his fangs. "Indeed so," he agreed. "Karma, as they say, is a bitch."

Yes, indeed it is. For what goes around eventually comes around.

I should know. I'm one of the monsters. 

https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Bonadonna/e/B009I1KYIK

#darkhumor #horror  #darkfantasy  #jobobooks

Meet the Gang #OurAuthorGang

We are a small group of authors who write various genre books.

What brought us together on this blog:

First and foremost, our shared love for writing.

We like to "hang out" together, helping each another other

by promoting each other's books, blogs, events,

and doing whatever we can to support one another.

We take turns posting about our books,

the rewards as well as the difficulties of publishing and book promotion,

and about things we enjoy in everyday life.

We need your support, please visit our blog often,

comment on our posts and share our posts.

Thank you!

Every hug is greatly appreciated, thank you for your support!

The Authors in this group

Joe Bonadonna

Heroic fantasy and children's fantasy

Read about Joe's books on his PAGE

Hello out there in cyberspace! I write Heroic Fantasy, Space Opera, Sword & Planet Sci-Fi, Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, Children's Books, and I also dabble a bit in Horror stories.

Why do I write?

My Dad gave me not only a love for old movies, but also my love of reading by bringing home children's books and teaching me to read before I was in kindergarten. I've been writing off and on over the years since 5th grade. In my 30s and 40s I settled down and got serious about writing. I retired in 2010, and have not stopped writing since. I can't. Storytelling for me is an addiction.

Erika M Szabo

Fantasy novels, children's books and health related books

Read about Erika's books on her PAGE

I became an avid reader at a very early age, thanks to my dad who introduced me to many great books. I write alternate history, romantic fantasy, magical realism novels as well as fun, educational, and bilingual books for children ages 4-12 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them. I also like to encourage children to use their imagination and daydream about fantasy worlds.

Why do I write?

Writing is my passion and my hobby because I'm not a big talker but because I have a lot to say, I write. I do have as much anxiety about my writing as any author:

Are they going to like what I write?

Am I going to get a lot of criticism?

Will my books become popular?

When I'm in doubt, I always recall the day when we had to do a book report on one of the assigned books back in school. It was the War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Half of our class absolutely loved the book, and half the kids hated it. One girl asked the teacher why he assigned such a boring, stupid book, the other one hushed her saying, “You’re stupid and boring. This book is brilliantly written.”

The teacher smiled and replied, “Now kids, today you’ve learned a valuable lesson. Every reader's likes and preferences are different, but every writer who has the courage to put their thoughts and feelings on paper has something to say. And, eventually, every book finds its reader. If you have something to say, say it. Even if only a few friends and family members will read it, you will leave a mark with your book, 'I was here'.”

Mary Anne Yarde

Historical fiction

Read about Mary Anne's books on her PAGE

Mary Anne Yarde is an award-winning author of the International Best  Selling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, the Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.

Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury--the fabled Isle of Avalon--was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.

Why do I write?

I think, for me, writing is like breathing. It is something that I have to do. It is an addiction that I have no intention of trying to quit.

Mackenzie Flohr

Young Adult fantasy

Read about Mackenzie's books on her PAGE

Mackenzie Flohr grew up in the heartland of America, chasing leprechauns and rainbows and dreaming of angels. Her parents nurtured a love of fantasy and make-believe by introducing her at a very young age to the artistic and cultural opportunities that the city of Cleveland had to offer.

From the time she could hold a pencil, Mackenzie was already creating pictorial interpretations of classic stories, and by the age of nine, she and a childhood friend were authors and reviewers of their own picture books.

While following her love of adventure, Mackenzie found a second home, the Beck Center for the Arts Children's and Teen Theater School. It was there that a world of wonder was only a script and a performance away.

Yet it wasn't until she was on a trip to Indiana, viewing a Lord of the Rings exhibit, that the innermost desire of her heart became clear to her. She wanted to write a fantasy of her own, one that could inspire imagination in others and lead them into a magical world of their own making. She hopes The Rite Of Wands will do just that.

Wherever we live and wherever we come from is our individual heartland. Anything is possible and everything can happen. Pure imagination is in all of us—we only need to discover it, and sometimes story telling helps.

Rick Haynes

Heroic fantasy

Read about Rick's books on his PAGE

I am an author of heroic fantasy and an award-winning Drabblist.

This is my world.

Ever upwards, never stopping, the staircase to the heavens awaits all those wishing to dream. 

And all you have to do is place one foot on the first step. 

Consider the endless possibilities, as you climb higher and higher.

Boredom is unknown in my time and space, for can you not see the stars sparkling bright, ready to enlighten you? 

Is your mind ready to absorb the endless possibilities of a million words? 

And are you ready to join me on a magical journey? 

I will embrace you with open arms.

And welcome you into the realm of my imagination.

N.N. Light

Romance, poetry, YA, and non-fiction

Read about the author duo's books on their PAGE

N. N. Light is the bestselling husband-wife writing team, commonly known as Mr. N and Mrs. N. Mrs. N. has been creating stories ever since she was little. Her grandfather remembers when she was two years old, she would stand at the top of the stairs and tell him a story filled with emotion (and in a language foreign to him) with her hands on her hips. Let’s just say she was a born storyteller.

They’re blissfully happy and love all things chocolate, books, music, movies, art, sports, trains, history, cooking and baking. Their mantra is to spread the Light.

Most of the time you can find them on Twitter or getting new ideas on how to spread the Light on Pinterest. They’re a proud member of ASMSG and Independent Author Network.

Subscribe to their author newsletter and you'll be eligible to win $5 Amazon gift card monthly:  http://ow.ly/jWec308TabL

In addition to being authors, they’re also book promoters/reviewers, social media marketers/influencers and the owners of N. N. Light Author Promotions. They both love books, have ever since they were young. Matching up books and readers is something that gives them great pleasure.

Grace Augustine

Contemporary romance

Read about Grace's books on her PAGE

My fascination with the written and spoken word began as a 6th grader. I was like a sponge. I couldn’t get enough spelling, sentence diagraming, and literature. This passion followed me through junior high and high school and into adulthood.

I’m a Jill of most trades: co-owned a weekly newspaper, administrative office work, kitchen design, custom jewelry creation, wedding planning, floral design, preaching sermons, public relations and marketing, designing social media promotions, copy and manuscript editing, and now add the title author to this mix.

I write mainly romance in several genres. The Acorn Hills series is a seven-book series based in the Pacific Northwest and deals with life issues and romance for the over 50 yr. old group. I have written a paranormal romance trilogy, a 40+ yr. collection of poetry/prose, a contemporary romance, and a self-help book. I am currently working on book 1 in a Christian romance suspense series.

Rich Feitelberg

Fantasy and poetry

Read about rich"s book on his PAGE

Rich Feitelberg is a poet and novelist, author of the fantasy series, the Aglaril Cycle. He also has four short story collections and a collection of poetry available at fine booksellers everywhere. 

Rich is an avid map collector, and student of popular culture. Going up on a steady diet of comic books, science fiction, and fairy tales of all kinds, Rich soon began weaving his own tales at a young age. These activities continue to this day, as Rich is working on the next installment of the Aglaril Cycle, and writing more poems and short stories for your enjoyment.

Ruth de Jauregui

Non-fiction

Read about Ruth"s book on her PAGE

I originally studied fine and commercial art, way back when dinosaurs walked the earth and eBooks weren't even a gleam in Amazon's eye. I started my career as a graphic artist as the sign maker at the old Nut Tree in Vacaville, California. After a stint at a print shop (ouch), I began working as a book designer for Bill Yenne at American Graphic Systems. While working for Bill, I wrote my first two books, "Ghost Towns" and "100 Medical Milestones That Shaped World History."

After the book market tanked in the mid-90s, I went on to a government job where I wrote, designed and produced newsletters for in-house and clients, annual reports, and materials for special projects, including the North Bay Stand Down for homeless and at-risk Veterans.

Through the years, I've written numerous how-to, informational and news brief-type articles for websites such as SFGate, AZ Central, DailyPuppy, LiveStrong, PawNation, eHow and more.

Greg Jolley

Suspense and mystery

Read abou Greg's books on his PAGE

Why do I write?

Because of the dance. 

Good and evil out on the floor, under the soft lights, the music varying.

Who will lead? Who will follow? Or will they embrace?

The Danser novels are about individuals and their choices, as well as their instincts, passions, goals and compulsions. 

But always there is the dance, the suspense: Good or Evil?

Background:

I’ve published five of the sixteen Danser novels, each dealing with the tension, the suspense, of right and wrong, good vs. bad. I have a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of San Francisco and live in the very small town of Whitmore Lake, Michigan. 

Digging up the past… #familyhistory #genealogy #OurAuthorGang

By Mary Anne Yarde

“The past is a foreign country:

they do things differently there.”

Forget-Me-Not 

That iconic line from The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley is one of my favourite openings to any book I have ever read, and I used to think it summed up the past. The world of our ancestors would be so foreign to us. What would we possibly have in common with family members who lived so long ago?

Many years ago, my mum decided to make my siblings and me a photo album each for Christmas. We had recently lost a very precious great aunt and great uncle, and my mum was concerned that one day there would be no one who could tell us the names of those in these timeworn photographs that she had. We had no idea that she was putting together these albums, and it did bring tears to my eyes when she presented me with mine.

I had always been interested in where I had come from, and I was fascinated with programs such as Who do you think you are? One day, I promised myself that I would research my roots, but that was about as far as I got.

Until the day my mum gave me that photo album.

Now all families have their stories and mine is no different. The story was...we came from Scotland. We had something going on with The Tudor Dynasty, although no one seemed to know what that meant. There was a Roman connection, which is hardly surprising, considering that Britain was once under Roman rule. And finally, there was something to do with the Vikings, but no one knew what that was. It was, I thought, a concoction of nonsense. Just a story that sounded good when children asked.

Still, this photo album gave me the motivation I needed. Like any amateur genealogist, I started with what I did know and slowly I began to make a picture out of the jigsaw of the past. I signed up to ancestry, and suddenly the world became a great deal bigger.

It wasn’t just about stalking dead people; it was about connecting with relations I did not even know existed in the first place. And suddenly, what started out as a solo project became a team effort.

William, my Great Grandfather, was a blacksmith ~ he is the one on the right, with the very cool moustache! 

Not so long ago, I was contacted by a cousin who said she had some photos and information that she wanted to share with me about my GG Grandmother, and my namesake, Mary. What she had, literally left me speechless. It was a treasure trove of photos, going back six generations. A family Bible that is around 170 years old. A pressed buttonhole from a wedding that occurred in 1845 — The blue of the forget-me-nots could still be made out. I had to blink back the tears when I saw it.

Mary and George,  my GGG Grandparents.

One of my GG aunts, it turns out, was a midwife and my cousin had her, I guess we would call it a work diary. In amid her jobs listed for the day, was the words, "Don't forget the flour and the eggs for the cake." - Maybe someone was having a birthday.

There were ledgers, shopping list with the price of everything next to it. Some of the items had been crossed out - they were too expensive to buy.

My Gran is the little girl at the front, with her two brothers, her mother (my G-Grandmother) and her father, (my GG-Grandfather)

 

And there was a book of sums, where my GG Grandmothers was trying to stretch the money out for the week. What could she do without?

And as I looked at all these amazing things, I smiled, because their concerns are the same concerns that we have now. Paying the rent. Shopping. Recording births and deaths. Maybe the customs would be foreign, but the rhythm of life was the same.

Another family member presented me with letters from The Great War. These letters were from my Great Grandparents to my Grandfather while he was stationed out in Egypt. Some of them made me laugh, and others made me cry. Reading those words, which were written over a hundred years ago, I could, as a mother, understand the fear beneath the encouragement as my Great Grandmother wrote about the weather and the price of flour.  She wrote about mundane things that circled the fact that her son was in a foreign country fighting a war. The letters would always end with, "It will not be long, and you will be home. Have patience and may God bless you and keep you safe." Thankfully he came home.

My Great Grandparents on my Grandfather's side

I was told the story of my Great Uncle, who was in a bomber squadron in WW2. He had completed his first tour of duty, but he volunteered to go back for a second. Then one day the dreaded letter came. He was missing over the channel, presumed dead. My Great Grandmother was so distraught that she foolishly went to a fortune-teller who told her that one day her son would come home – she believed her, but he never did.

My Great Uncles in his RAF uniform.

These names on a family tree suddenly came to mean more than a date of when they were born and where they died. Suddenly, I could fill in those missing years of their lives. I could see their handwriting. I could smile along with them as they communicated news in their letters. I could flick through the pages of a book and know that this was a treasured possession. I could take a dried brittle buttonhole and lay in the palm of my hand and know that this had been so important to that couple, my many great grandparents, that they wanted to keep a memento of their special day, forever. The forget-me-nots suddenly took on a whole new meaning.

And I knew that Hartley was wrong when he said the past is a foreign country. The customs may be very different to what we know now, but some things are the same in every generation, and they always will be. Love, hope, joy and grief. We have a lot in common, and there is a great deal that our ancestors can still teach us.

Now, I guess you want to know about those Vikings, Scotland, and the Tudors. Did I find them? Or was it just a family myth?

The Tudors?

I'll start with the Tudors - for those who know their history, The Battle of Bosworth Fields, was the climax to the long and bitter War of the Roses. My cousin was there, at Bosworth. He, umm, left it to the last minute to decided which side he would fight for and when he finally committed, it wasn’t on the side of his King, Richard III, but on the side of Henry Tudor! I am, of course, talking about the Stanley’s. My side of the Stanley family had the good sense to stay out of it. I guess being the younger son sometimes has an advantage.

“Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!”

The Stanley’s were not the only members of my family at Bosworth. My cousin, Richard, was there, fighting for his throne. It was a battle he would lose.

A stained-glass window in St. James Church, Sutton Cheney ~ Wikipedia

 Scotland?

It didn’t take long to find my Scottish ancestors, and of course, they were always in the thick of it. Fighting the English and trying to win back their country. I believe a cousin of mine did the impossible and "sent him homeward, Good Edwards army, to think again..." at Bannockburn. He then went on to become King of Scotland ~ a family tradition it seemed. For not only can I claim the Bruce Clan as ancestors but also the MacAlpin’s ~ the first Kings of Scotland.

Statue of Robert the Bruce at the Bannockburn Battle Field ~ Wikipedia

The Vikings?

A cousin of mine had one of those DNA test’s done, and she was very excited when the results came back. The Viking connection was not a family myth, far from it. If you are a fan of Vikings, then you will know whom I am talking about when I speak of Rollo. It turns out he is my many greats grandfather too. Who knew?!

Rollo on the Six Dukes statue in Falaise ~ Wikipedia

I could waste hours away looking at records, and I have been asked, how can you possibly enjoy that?

I’m a historian. I love it. I wanted to know where we came from, and I have done that. I love the fact that I can trace my ancestry back to William the Conqueror, Harold Godwin and Harald Hardrada — the three central players in the year 1066. Now that gives a new meaning to the word irony!

The Romans?

Yes, I found them too! Although when we go back that far, the records are not as reliable.

Searching for your ancestors is like going on an epic treasure hunt - you never know what you are going to find. I even found a highwayman - now I wasn’t expecting that - unfortunately, he didn’t live to tell the tale, poor man. English justice back then wasn’t very forgiving.

And I like reconnecting with family members and listening to their stories.

Now it’s your turn. Who do you think you are?

References 

Forget-Me-Nots ~ Pixabay

A stained-glass window in St. James Church, Sutton Cheney ~ Wikipedia

Statue of Robert the Bruce at the Bannockburn Battle Field ~ Wikipedia

Rollo on the Six Dukes statue in Falaise ~ Wikipeida

The Roman chariot ~ Pixabay

If you fancy joining me in the 6th Century, why not check out

 The Du Lac Chronicles series!

Amazon US 

Amazon UK

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