For anyone preferring a paperback to an e version on their kindle , tablet, etcetera, please note that all five of the novels from Loch Ard Fiction are available as paperbacks. Ideal for thumbing a page or two. There's nothing quite like the feel of a real book and personally it's my favourite medium for reading fiction. Plus those glossy covers grace a bookshelf, so why not indulge yourself in at least one.

Please be assured that I keep all the novels set at a common fixed price and as cheap as possible bearing in mind Amazon's production costs which are outwith my control.

Enjoy the rest of this increasingly hot summer and stay cool. 

After quite a long silence since the last post, Loch Ard Fiction is on the trail once more. After dabbling in a retelling of the Gaullish leader Vercingetorix' story, working back from his body washing up on the beaches of Ostia after his execution in the Forum of Rome by Julius Caesar, I decided this project might not have enough in it to make it fly, so reluctantly ditched it. Perhaps another time, Vercingetorix, old chum!

Though it makes me wonder, no one ever mentions that for all his brave resistance to the Romans, Vercingetorix probably ended up feeding the crabs in Ostia docks, while the just as rebellious British tribal leader Caratacus was permitted to live out his years in Rome. Makes you think.

Instead of all that I have returned to familiar ground and things left undone. If you read "The Boys from Eburacum" you will know I left a few threads hanging untied, as per my usual style. We can't have neat and tidy endings to books can we? Where's the fun in that?

Threads such as: what happens to Tasulus, does Umbricius Quartio get found out and does Rufus avenge his little brother Liscus?

Under the provisional working title of "Signifer," this sequel is now well under way and reaching the point where Draft 1 has covered the initial plan I had written and developed, but now, what happens next? There's pages and pages to go. Time to get creative.

Lots of work to do but for now the sequel to "The Boys from Eburacum" is alive and kicking.

More updates when things progress. 

After quite a long gestation period, the latest novel, entitled "The Boys from Eburacum" is now available on Amazon Kindle. It's taken over a year to get it from concept to completion which is a lot longer than normal. I hope you find the wait worthwhile. I am certainly pleased it is ready for reading.

This novel is separate from the 'Soldiers of The Boar" series and features new and different characters. 

The book is set during the period of emperor Septimius Severus' visit to Britannia and his determination to wipe out the troublesome tribes of old Caledonia. You will find links to the Amazon pages on the Novels tab of the Loch Ard Fiction website.   www.lochardfiction.co.uk

I hope you enjoy it.

It's been a quiet time recently. A bit of tendonitis slowing down the development of the fifth novel, frustrating, but on the mend.

Then out of the blue, two pieces of good news arrived. First, the Loch Ard Fiction site page on Goodreads registered its 100th review. Very satisfying.

Then the second piece was better. Since the Loch Ard Fiction website was set up there have been visitors from all over the world, not every country but most of the geographic zones. Up until now the range of these site visitors has not translated into orders. The United Kingdom had been by far and away the key area for readers. Not too surprising perhaps given the fact the novels are basically UK based.

Until the USA suddenly began registering on Kindle during the last two weeks.

Hey, I thought, America has discovered Loch Ard Fiction. Things are looking up. So, a message to my fledgling readership in the US of A. If you like the stories of the Twentieth legion of Rome, tell your friends. Spread the word. One day when I've cracked the States I'll come over and do a tour, like the Rolling Stones. 

Rock on 'Soldiers of The Boar'.

An author's photograph of Hadrian's original turf wall has been added to the Loch Ard Fiction website.

A short taster from the new novel, "The Boys from Eburacum," is available on the website. Click the Homepage tab for the link.  Since Blog 61 was posted the first draft of this new book is coming along. Publication will be later this year I hope.

Meanwhile, I have also reduced the prices on all Loch Ard Fiction novels to the lowest practical price possible, for the next few weeks. Please do take advantage of this opportunity as it will not last indefinitely. Happy reading. :)

2024 arrived with a difficult decision to park the opening 30,000 words of a new Viking novel I had begun in the autumn of '23, in place of a return to Roman Britain. 

It's not easy to sit back and critically assess a project and decide "hmmm, I'm not so sure about this." Believe me. The cost of research as well as creative time invested mounts up in the mental ledger, but 'parking' a project is not the same as binning it entirely so better to make the hard decision and move on.

My Viking heroes may set sail for the Dalriada kingdom of Skye another time.

The Soldiers of The Boar series has come to its natural conclusion, but the Roman presence in Scotland has not. The year moves forward to AD 207/8 and the emperorship of Septimius Severus who determined to solve the problem of the northern tribes forever.

The first draft is now under way and features entirely new characters (and perhaps a nod to the past, but only that).

No Velio or Gallus.

Further updates will follow.

January 24 also saw a press release about a Roman 'armour sleeve' from Trimontium, originally discovered by the principal excavator James Curle a hundred years ago, circa 1911. The armour has lain in pieces in a box for decades and has only recently been jigsawed back together for inclusion in a forthcoming exhibition by the British Museum. The press coverage was very interesting and only goes to show treasure can be found in boxes even after all this time. 

I am delighted to announce that Wine of The Boar- which is Book 4 of the Soldiers of The Boar series  - is now available on Amazon Kindle.

For all followers of Velio Pinneius, here is the final adventure.

To buy, please follow any of the  www.lochardfiction.co.uk Homepage links from any of the first three books in the series

Legionaries of The Boar.

Sword of The Boar.

Centurion of The Boar.

I'm very happy to post that Book 4 of the  'Soldiers of The Boar' series, titled Wine of The Boar, has been completed and is now with trusted reviewers and proof readers. I hope to release it shortly on Amazon Kindle. 

This is the final story about my Roman soldier Velio Pinneius and his mates and it's been a five year road. I'm slightly sad it has come to an end. We have marched a fair way together. However, new characters and stories await.

As it's the fourth book it does have references to the earlier stories so to get the best understanding you might want to read those first. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Thanks.

This week the British press announced a discovery from the Roman/Germannic battlefield of Kalkriese in Germany - see blog 40 and the wonderful work done by Tony Clunn.

It was not the discovery itself that rocked my morning coffee, it was the repercussions of it, in a historical cum archaeological sense. In case you have not seen it, the article talks about what is believed to be the first full set of Roman army  lorica segmentata ever found.

Lorica segmentata is the body armour that you, quite likely, will picture Roman legionaries wearing. This is a full, complete set of the various metal strips that went to make up the armour of chest, belly and those massive shoulder coverings..

Grisly details were a vicarious extra. Chemical analysis of the severely rusted armour showed the chemical residue of its last wearer. In other words he died in his armour and he was probably an ordinary legionary. The "Tomasius Atkinius" of his day.

The newspaper article speculated that he might have been a post battle sacrifice.  The helmet was not to hand so his head may have decorated a nearby tree in true Germanic tribal tradition.

And the point of all this is?

Well just this. Aside from the speculative thought that some poor legionary endured not only three or four days of a running battle through the German forests, and got chopped at the end of it all in a bloody sacrifice, it's the idea that in all of the Roman Empire, throughout the hundreds of years it ruled, only one single set of full body armour has ever been found. Remnants of chain mail and bits of segmentata have been found in Britain but nothing so complete. Cavalry helmets abound, Roman shoes, swords, spear heads, ladies letters from Vindolanda, but the staple bit of kit that defined the Roman army? Just one example.

It's probably me, but by comparison you can visit the Western Front and pick up sobering souvenirs from a hundred years ago. They are relatively cheap and plentiful. No licence required. 

Yet hundreds of thousands of Roman soldiers served and died on campaigns and in battles. And there is ( allegedly ) only one complete set of lorica segmentata recovered - in the entire area that comprised the Roman world.

What if it turns out to be  the only one "we" ever find? Soil conditions and the passage of time do terrible things to metal artefacts. 

"Tomasius Atkinius" left his armour to posterity, He left the last glimpse of more than just a battle. 

The fourth part of the "Soldiers of The Boar" series now has a finalised title. 'Wine of The Boar.'  The action moves to Germania in the time of the famous emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The first full draft of the novel has now been completed and the planned release date of Summer 2023 is on course. 

The blog has suffered a bit from the time required to get this novel to a first full draft. It's take longer than I anticipated. I hope to return to blogging about the historical things that catch my eye.

After Wine of The Boar is released I have plans for a change of historical period. Possibly Ancient Greek or Viking. If you have a preference please feel free to contact the website. I would be happy to hear your opinions. Options are open.

Happy 2023 to everyone who follows Loch Ard Fiction. Thank you for your continuing support. I hope my 'Soldiers of The Boar' stories have whetted your appetite for another one. As mentioned in Blog No. 55 a fourth story  - a follow on to the trilogy - is now being written.

The provisional working title is "The Ides of Hanno Glaccus," although that may change. The main character, Velio Pinneius has retired to the wine trade in Gaul. Years have passed and he has been living reasonably peacefully and raising a family. In far off Germania the new emperor Marcus Aurelius is fighting the tribes. Velio senses an opportunity to make the vineyard famous.

30,000 words in, and hopefully a completion/release date sometime in summer 2023.