My life has been pretty simple. I grew up in Alabama and graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor's in Advertising. I have spent about the last ten years in web development. In 1998, a friend of mine and I started a web design company we ran for three or four years before deciding to close it due to the demands of school. Since then, I stayed in the web working with various companies in Alabama. I worked for a brief period with Southern Progress, namely with Southern Living magazine and Health magazine, in their web departments. While there, I also wrote for Southern Living magazine, Health.com., and the company's internal newsletter. I write as much as I can. For the last five years, I have been working on my first novel. I am on the third revision now and hope to be finished with this draft by the end of the year. I also write short fiction, though not as frequently as I used to due to the time I spend on the novel. My goal is to have my novel published in the next three years. Other interests include: History (particularly medieval and ancient civlizations), Reading, Foreign Language (I currently speak Spanish but plan to learn as many as I can), Landscape Photography, the outdoors, sports (especially college football), and Travel.
With historical fiction, do you prefer to know the actual history before or after you have read the novel? Or does the history matter to you at all? You don’t care as long as it’s a good story?
Lloyd Alexander was one of the first fantasy authors I can remember reading. Actually, the Prydain Cycle was the series that really got me hooked on the genre. I was in sixth grade and someone handed me The Book of Three (the first book in the series). I need to… Read More »Lloyd Alexander and Welsh Mythology
I started working on my novel again this week. It’s the first time I’ve written something new in months. I’m re-writing the first scene entirely, and this is what I have so far (always subject to change, of course): **** He knows the truth. Cobus held the parchment next to… Read More »Novel Update – Excerpt Included
Built by Roger de Montgomery on the site of an existing Saxon fortification, the castle of Arundel overlooks the River Arun in West Sussex. William the Conqueror granted Roger de Montgomery the land and charged him with the task of defending the southern coast of England from attack. The oldest… Read More »Arundel Castle
What is the difference between a prologue and first chapter of a novel? I’ve noticed some authors choose to use prologues while others skip right to the first chapter. In terms of an introductory chapter to a novel, what determines if that chapter should be labeled a prologue or simply… Read More »Discussion Topic: Prologues and First Chapters
On this day, November 5, in medieval history: 1251 – Dedication ceremony is held for Hailes Abbey in the presence of King Henry III, his brother Richard, and Queen Eleanor. 1439 – Antipope Felix V (Amadeus VIII) is elected by the Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence. The Catholic Encyclopedia actually dates his… Read More »Today in Medieval History
Pendragon’s Banner by Helen Hollick Publisher: Sourcebooks ISBN: 1-4022-1889-3 Pendragon’s Banner is the second book in an Arthurian trilogy by Helen Hollick. The first book, The Kingmaking, shows how Arthur as a young teenager grows and comes to power as the High King of Britain. The second book shows how Arthur… Read More »Review of Pendragon’s Banner by Helen Hollick
The progress on revising my novel (4th revision) is going slower than anticipated. With moving houses and some unforeseen problems associated with the move, I haven’t had as much time to sit down and write as I would have hoped. I am meeting periodically with one of my test readers,… Read More »Novel Update