Ask the Author: Matthew Harffy
Answered Questions (16)
Matthew Harffy
So the short answer is yes. I believe that all the currently published paperback versions will get a new look, like The Serpent Sword and For Lord and Land. This will happen as the paperbacks need to be reprinted, I think.
I presume that the new books that come out will have the new look covers for both hardback and paperback versions.
I presume that the new books that come out will have the new look covers for both hardback and paperback versions.
Matthew Harffy
Sorry for not replying sooner, I've only just found all these questions on Goodreads!
At the moment, I don't know how long you will have to wait. There might be a sequel (or prequel) to Wolf of Wessex at some point, but at the moment I am focusing on The Bernicia Chronicles and A Time for Swords series.
At the moment, I don't know how long you will have to wait. There might be a sequel (or prequel) to Wolf of Wessex at some point, but at the moment I am focusing on The Bernicia Chronicles and A Time for Swords series.
Matthew Harffy
Sorry for not replying sooner, I've only just found all these questions on Goodreads!
Thanks for the kind words!
It is a bit late to answer this really, but book eight, For Lord and Land, is due out in July 2021 and I am alred contracted to write book nine. I think there will be a few more before I say goodbye to Beobrand and friends.
Thanks for the kind words!
It is a bit late to answer this really, but book eight, For Lord and Land, is due out in July 2021 and I am alred contracted to write book nine. I think there will be a few more before I say goodbye to Beobrand and friends.
Matthew Harffy
Sorry for not replying sooner, I've only just found all these questions on Goodreads!
Not really. I think that when a novel is written and published, that's it. I don't really like this modern tendency for writers and film directors togo back and rework their older material. I suppose it would be different if I had been forced to cut things, but the books are as I wanted them at the time.
The scripts for the series however, do provide an opportunity for others to visit the stories and add inject them with their unique takes. I find that exciting and something that I hope other will enjoy.
Not really. I think that when a novel is written and published, that's it. I don't really like this modern tendency for writers and film directors togo back and rework their older material. I suppose it would be different if I had been forced to cut things, but the books are as I wanted them at the time.
The scripts for the series however, do provide an opportunity for others to visit the stories and add inject them with their unique takes. I find that exciting and something that I hope other will enjoy.
Matthew Harffy
Sorry for not replying sooner, I've only just found all these questions on Goodreads!
I think there were a lot of things that made me settle on the place, but less so on the era. I had lived in Northumberland as a child and loved the area, and I loved the medieval period, but it was when I discovered that Northumbria was such an important kingdom in the early medieval period that it just felt like a perfect fit and not many people had written about that time and place.
I think there were a lot of things that made me settle on the place, but less so on the era. I had lived in Northumberland as a child and loved the area, and I loved the medieval period, but it was when I discovered that Northumbria was such an important kingdom in the early medieval period that it just felt like a perfect fit and not many people had written about that time and place.
Matthew Harffy
Sorry for not replying sooner, I've only just found all these questions on Goodreads! I think the documentary was an episode of a show called Meet the Ancestors. But I've not been able to find it online.
Matthew Harffy
Nothing springs to mind, in Bernard Cornwell's great series, The Last Kingdom, Uhtred often manages to trick and fool the Vikings.
Matthew Harffy
Not really! But after a lot of thinking, I work up a plot, which I then break down into sections/chapters/scenes. I then start at the beginning and write each scene or chapter in sequence until I have completed the novel. I then do a couple of rounds of editing to fix continuity errors and to add historical details before sending the manuscript to my editor.
Matthew Harffy
Hi Simon, Sorry for not responding to this sooner - I must have missed it! The answer to your "not really asked" question is that books 4 and 5 should be appearing as Audible books soon, with book 6 to appear next year when the ebook is published. I don't have exact dates, but as far as I know the deal is done and the audio books will appear soon.
Matthew Harffy
The book I am writing now is the third in the Bernicia Chronicles and like all of them, it is based on real historical events with fictional characters and embellishments added to make a (hopefully) satisfying story. Book 3 focuses on two main events: the marriage of King Oswald to the daughter of Cynegils, King of Wessex, and the siege of Din Eidyn. This second event is very hazy in the historical record, so leaves quite a lot up to the imagination. Needless to say, neither event is straightforward and Beobrand and his companions get embroiled once more in all sorts of adventures.
Matthew Harffy
I guess the best thing is that you can tell the stories you really want to read. I also think that is the secret to good writing. If you like what you have written and enjoy the story, then you can be sure that some other readers will. Not everyone, but you are not going to be alone in the world!
Matthew Harffy
Hi David. Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the giveaway. I just filled in all the details and then the actual process is run by Goodreads after they approved it. 330 people have signed up for it so far, so perhaps it is worth giving it another go? If not, the Goodreads support team may be able to help. Sorry that I don't have a better answer, but the mechanics of the giveaway is out of my control. Best of luck and let me know if you manage to enter the giveaway contest. Thanks, Matthew
Matthew Harffy
The only way to deal with writer's block is to force yourself to write. Even if what you write is crap, it is better than nothing. You never know what will come to you if you squeeze the words out.
Matthew Harffy
Reading a lot and writing a lot. The more I write, the easier the ideas flow.
Matthew Harffy
My advice is simple and unoriginal. Just write, write and write. You cannot edit a blank page and you never get anywhere thinking about something. Just get on with it. A few hundred words a day and you have a novel in a year.
Matthew Harffy
I am currently working on the third volume in the Bernicia Chronicles series. I am about 16,000 words in, so a long way to go yet, but the ideas are beginning to flow. It doesn't have a title yet, but I'll update this once it has.
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