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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Sun April 12th, 2009, 4:41 am

Hi Jules
Thanks for the info about The Swan Maiden - which I'm going to be buying very soon. It's so great to know that someone like yourself is retelling those stories, which I grew up on. Funnily enough, I'm not 'just' Irish - I grew up in County Louth, and went to school in Dundalk - Dun Dealga, the fort of Dealga. As I'm sure you know, Cuchulainn lived there. Ardee, or Baile Fhir Dhia, the town of Ferdia, is a village near mine. My son is called Ferdia too, so you can see how dear the subject is to my heart. I wasn't aware of the Green books, or of the Llewelyn ones about The Red Branch knights. Sigh. Yet more books to buy and read!
Hi Annis
Glad you liked The Forgotten Legion. For years I couldn't remember PAtricia Finney's name, and then saw it on a HF thread on Amazon.com about 6m ago. I must buy and re-read them. I hadn't heard of the Scottish series she'd written, or partially written - thanks for that. She's turned her hand to children's books in the last few years - look her up on Google! As I mentioned above, hadn't heard of the Green books, but will check them out too.
Hi rex
Glad I'm on your TBR pile. Waterstone's have The Forgotten Legion on Offer of the Week until Wednesday the 15th if there's one near you! :D What does your name signify? Mine's self-explanatory, I think - the bow that the Parthians used against the Romans was so powerful that it could go through the Roman shields.
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor

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juleswatson
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Post by juleswatson » Sun April 12th, 2009, 6:24 am

[quote=""parthianbow""]I went to school in Dundalk - Dun Dealga, the fort of Dealga. As I'm sure you know, Cuchulainn lived there. Ardee, or Baile Fhir Dhia, the town of Ferdia, is a village near mine. My son is called Ferdia too, so you can see how dear the subject is to my heart[/quote]

Oh, wow. Isn't there that statue in Ardee of Cu and Ferdia? Though they are not major characters in my new book (a bit more in the last one) I could not miss writing the battle at the ford and Ferdia's death. It encapsulates for me everything I love about the Celts - possibly the most heart-wrenching part of any tale I have ever read. On my last trip to Ireland I went just about everywhere but ran out of time for Dundalk. I have to get over to see the Cooley area before I hand the book in. For us, it's a five hour drive from the highlands then a 2 hour ferry crossing and we are nearly there, so hope I can get the husband over for a weekend. The first time I did the ferry, I could not believe I could just drive into Ireland. I get very excited about car ferries!
Author of Celtic historical fantasy
New book "THE RAVEN QUEEN" out Feb 22 2011: The story of Maeve, the famous warrior queen of Irish mythology.
Out now, "THE SWAN MAIDEN", the ancient tale of Deirdre, the Irish 'Helen of Troy'
http://www.juleswatson.com

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rex icelingas
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Post by rex icelingas » Sun April 12th, 2009, 2:17 pm

The name means basically `King of the Mercians`

Would you consider writing a novel about say the Sassanid Empire in the future? maybe from there perspective rather than the Roman?
Ive always been interested in the abduction of the Emperor Valerian by Shapur,some tend to say he died in Slavery others that he and his men were treated well
Manfredi did sort of write about the subject in `Empire of Dragons/the lost army` but such a great story needs a few different approaches

chuck
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Post by chuck » Sun April 12th, 2009, 2:48 pm

Welcome Ben.....Lost Legions, Eagles, marching into the mists of history....right up my alley....I saw your book at Barnes and Noble....for me it's must read....

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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Mon April 13th, 2009, 6:37 am

Hi Jules
Yes, there is a statue of Ferdia and Cuchulainn in Ardee. Also Ferdia Motors and other assorted businesses! Car ferries are great - I love them too. If you take the ferry from Newcastle upon Tyne to Norway, you can take car ferries most days as you drive up the coast. Then take another ferry from Bergen to the Faeroes and Iceland, drive around there, and return via the Shetlands to Aberdeen. I did that in 2002 and had a fantastic time. Must have taken 20 or more car ferries!
Be good for you to see the Cooley area all right. It's not the most beautiful part of Ireland, but it's well worth seeing all the same. Make sure to go to the Ballymascanlon Hotel north of the town to see the Proleek Dolmen, and up into the Cooley mountains to walk to the Long Woman's Grave. There's also a fine set of Celtic crosses and most of a round tower at Monasterboice, about 20km south of Dundalk. And if you haven't seen it, then the passage tomb at Newgrange is an absolute must.
I hope you don't mind me offering ideas for novels, and you've probably considered most of these, but what about tales of the Tuatha de Danann and the Fir Bholg? Oisin and Tir na nOg? Or even St. Brendan? The invasion of Scotland by the Irish in the 5th Century?

Hi Rex.
Great name! Poor old Valerian - didn't he end up as the foot stool for Shapur to mount his horse? And then he got flayed, I thought, or was that just myth? A very interesting period to write about, although I have to confess that I already have plans for a new trilogy up my sleeve, and it's a different time frame. But after that, it's an idea to bear in mind. That's the wonderful thing about Rome - there are so many time periods to choose from when planning a novel.

Hi Chuck - Thanks for the kind words and glad my book appeals. Enjoy it!
Last edited by parthianbow on Mon April 13th, 2009, 6:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor

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juleswatson
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Post by juleswatson » Thu April 16th, 2009, 8:03 am

Thanks Ben, for the advice on Ireland. My previous books were about the Irish connections to Scotland, so done that! Going more into the Tuatha De Danaan is going right into fantasy territory, which may be where I'm heading, so will bear it in mind. Lots of authors seem to have mined that little ancient Irish myth seam, though!
Author of Celtic historical fantasy
New book "THE RAVEN QUEEN" out Feb 22 2011: The story of Maeve, the famous warrior queen of Irish mythology.
Out now, "THE SWAN MAIDEN", the ancient tale of Deirdre, the Irish 'Helen of Troy'
http://www.juleswatson.com

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sweetpotatoboy
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Post by sweetpotatoboy » Mon April 20th, 2009, 2:00 pm

Been away so a bit late in saying hello. Good luck with the books. I hope to get to them at some point.

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cat
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Post by cat » Sun August 22nd, 2010, 8:43 pm

Hi Ben! Wonderful to see you here as now I have the chance to say how much I enjoyed The Forgotten Legion! I have the sequel on my 'to read' pile as well. Gritty, realistic read that I could hardly put down! You gave me a great insight into life in ancient Roman societies. I look forward to reading more from you and am pleased to meet you!
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Ashley
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Post by Ashley » Sun August 22nd, 2010, 10:16 pm

Oh, I just realized who you are - I really enjoyed The Forgotten Legion as well. Looking forward to reading the sequel - soon, I hope. I have a TBR pile of DOOOOOM and am currently trying to finish Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. I work a LOT and try and attempt my own writing, so not much time lately. :(

I am a fan of all things Ancient Rome - I would assume you like Lindsey Davis? Those are some of my favorites too.

Glad to meet you! Oh, and ETA: did you see The Book of Kells? That was a fantastic version of that story. My brother's name was Brendan and we both have a lot of Irish history in our family. He named his son Keenan too. ;)
Last edited by Ashley on Sun August 22nd, 2010, 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Mon August 23rd, 2010, 7:28 am

Hi Cat and Ashley - nice to 'meet' you both and thanks for your posts - I'm so glad that you both enjoyed The Forgotten Legion! Here's hoping that when you manage to reduce the size of your respective Mt. TBRs that you also enjoy The Silver Eagle.
Ashley - I've seen the Book of Kells many times (I grew up about 25 miles from Kells too), but not seen that there was a book about it - I must get it. Thanks for the tip! Re Lindsey Davis - I greatly enjoyed the first 6 or 7 books in the series (way back in the early 90s), but I haven't kept up to date with them. I read them because they were about Rome, but detective books aren't really my thing...
Last edited by parthianbow on Mon August 23rd, 2010, 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: addendum
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor

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