An abundance of Roman novels!

[Paul Elliott]

That's one confirmed sale! I'll mention that when approaching a publisher!!

[Longovicium]

You could always self-publish. I use a site called Smashwords.com which allows you to epublish into all the different e-book formats. Or do it as a Kindle e-book at Amazon!

[M. Caecilius]

That's one confirmed sale! I'll mention that when approaching a publisher!!

Make that two.

Though I prefer the earlier times of the Romans to the Late Empire, I really like the idea. Writing the story of the mysterious person responsible for the death of Julian is a great idea and has a lot of promising potential.

[Alanus]

Was it definitely identified as US type turkey, or guinea fowl imported via the country Turkey? (see, eg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_%28bird%29 ) So it might be OK

I've seen medieval novels where the peasants had potatoes in their stew ... Definitely wrong, no way of arguing out of that one!

In the novel, they just called it a "turkey." I use the term "fowl." Generically safe, I think. In several Chinese movies of Warring States--Han Empire vintage, I've seen fields of eared corn (maise). Potatoes (spud-a-does) are always in ancient period novels and movies, such as Lord of the Rings. :lol:

[Paul Elliott]

Francis. I will do his. I am currently having success in e-publishing with a range of PDFs. A kindle novel would fit in nicely, though TBH I don't own a kindle, I much prefer a real book that I usually give away after I've read it!

I formatted my novel ready for the kindle last night, including the maps, and have been dabbling with a cover.

The way I figure it, at least I can get someone reading Behind the Eagles!If I do well (?!) who knows, I'd be in a stronger position next time I approach a print publisher.

Thanks for the idea, I'm excited to go down this route, after 4 years of the MS sitting on my shelf ...

You could always self-publish. I use a site called Smashwords.com which allows you to epublish into all the different e-book formats. Or do it as a Kindle e-book at Amazon!

[Nathan Ross]

I've written a gritty novel of the Julian invasion from the viewpoint of a new recruit... he's the dupe who ends up assassinating Julian in the midst of battle.

You should take a look at Gods and Legions (if you haven't already!). The Persian campaign scenes (at the beginning and end of the novel) are the best bit of it: he does the 'death of Julian' scene well, and provides an interesting culprit. That said, I prefer Vidal's take on it...

I've seen medieval novels where the peasants had potatoes in their stew ...

Allegedly there's a 'Roman' novel in which the bored empress decides to learn French... hock:

[Longovicium]

I look forward to reading it - let me know when it is available and I well certainly download and hopefully write up the first review! I am less than a month away from finishing off my own novel for Amazon Kindle but which I have been epublishing in a serial novella form at Smashwords (yes, Julian is in it, too!). I don't own a Kindle yet but use the PC Kindle app. I much prefer a hard copy as much for the tactile quality as for anything else. I recently bought a 1939 hardback edition of Rudyard Kipling's collected poems - a book which had survived WWII. Beat that Kindle - but perhaps I am a Romantic at heart?

Again, let me know when it is available as this period fascinates me!

[Paul Elliott]

I've written a gritty novel of the Julian invasion from the viewpoint of a new recruit... he's the dupe who ends up assassinating Julian in the midst of battle.

You should take a look at Gods and Legions (if you haven't already!). The Persian campaign scenes (at the beginning and end of the novel) are the best bit of it: he does the 'death of Julian' scene well, and provides an interesting culprit. That said, I prefer Vidal's take on it...

I have read that novel, but the jarring thing there was that the 'narrator/hero' was Julian's doctor giving his account of Julian's reign, but the doctor really doesn't like Julian, and this gives the whole novel a disturbing, biased kind of slant. Oh..and Dura Europus has just been abandoned by the retreating Persians ... (IIRC)

[Paul Elliott]

Thanks Francis. The book is now on Amazon, available for the kindle! Thanks for the advice, it was an easier process than I expected, although trying to get my maps of Mesopotamia to format without leaving a blank page proved insoluably frustrating! If I may:

Behind the Eagles

AD 363

The Roman emperor Julian leads a huge army into Iraq – home to the unassailable Persians. Only a tiny fraction of the army will ever reach home again …

Caught up in this awful disaster is Dionysus, a new recruit to the legions, who by degrees is drawn into a plot against the emperor Julian. The book swoops right in to the ground level bringing to the reader the heat and dust, the blood and flies of the desert war. With it too comes the burning fear of death, but also of discovery.

On the march and in the battles his mind is torn by his love for a girl left behind at his last billet, and his hatred for a squad member who brags of taking his girl by force before they left for war.

Dionysus’ longing for home and hatred for the emperor who he blames for the war, fuel his determination to win out against the odds...

I look forward to reading it - let me know when it is available and I well certainly download and hopefully write up the first review! I am less than a month away from finishing off my own novel for Amazon Kindle but which I have been epublishing in a serial novella form at Smashwords (yes, Julian is in it, too!).

[Alanus]

Mithras,

Please check you kindle version on Amazon.
Directly after the map, the verbiage begins, "reeze blew..."
I know how hard it is to create a kindle-styled http, since my e-version of The Demon's Door Bolt is in that format.

By the way, if anyone on this tread wants a hard copy of the Door Bolt with the intent of actually (truthfully) reviewing it, I will be glad to supply one. It's science fiction, yes, but takes place in the year 499 and even has Julius Caesar in a "guest" appearance. :lol:

[Longovicium]

Paul, I have just downloaded it now and am looking forward to reading and reviewing it! Good job on getting up on Amazon. Re: Alanus previous comment - I have the full sentence 'A northerly breeze blew toward me . . . (and so on)'. It all looks good on my PC Kindle app.

[Alanus]

Excellent.
I just pulled it up as "Read an Excerpt" or whatever it was.
Nothing like a full sentence to start a novel. :grin:

[Viventius]

Was it definitely identified as Potatoes (spud-a-does) are always in ancient period novels and movies, such as Lord of the Rings. :lol:

Oh yes, stated as potatoes, bless the misguided author

Surely Lord of the Rings is fantasy, so they can have taters? And they're also seen smoking pipes, so that could be tobacco (can't remember if they call it anything particular though).

[Vindex]

[Surely Lord of the Rings is fantasy, so they can have taters? And they're also seen smoking pipes, so that could be tobacco (can't remember if they call it anything particular though).

That'll be westmansweed...its tobacco in the Hobbit though.

[Paul Elliott]

By the way, if anyone on this tread wants a hard copy of the Door Bolt with the intent of actually (truthfully) reviewing it, I will be glad to supply one. It's science fiction, yes, but takes place in the year 499 and even has Julius Caesar in a "guest" appearance. :lol:

Now that sounds interesting!