S.J. Martin

Newsletter

 May 2021

 So are we all looking forward to coming out of lockdown to begin to enjoy the new normal? I have talked to a few people who are a bit reluctant to come out as they have become very creative over this period and have enjoyed the additional time without the distractions of travel to work and hectic social life. I have certainly enjoyed the time to dedicate to my writing.

 My partner Greg and I are keen walkers; we have to be with two dogs, one of which is a large energetic Rhodesian Ridgeback, but we do love to go up on the moors and further afield. It will be lovely to be out walking in new locations. We are fortunate living here in the Northeast that we have fabulous beaches, forests, moors and many historical sites all within striking distance.


Many thanks also for the great reviews it has received so far; please review the book on both Amazon and Goodreads if you have not done so. S.J.



The second book in The Breton Horse Series is to be published in mid-May… so excited after the success of Ravensworth. The second book continues the tale of Luc De Malvais and Merewyn, this time in war-torn Brittany, five years later. However, they face threats and betrayal from all sides. Luc’s marriage, and even his life, is on the verge of being destroyed as he and his brother Morvan fight for King William against an array of enemies, rebel forces, but also friends that want to destroy them. Below is the fantastic cover, which is to be revealed to the public on Wednesday 12th May.

 Cover Reveal

Character Focus - Alain Rufus  1040-1093

Alain Rufus is a fascinating historical character, a relative and comrade of King William. He was a Breton nobleman who became the Earl of Richmond. He amassed an incredible fortune (according to Wikipedia, in today’s money, he was worth around $166.9 billion at the time of his death, the equivalent of 7% of England’s national income. Forbes placed him 9th in the list of most wealthy historical figures).
 Alain – called le Roux because of his red beard –appears around the time of the Norman Conquest. He was in charge of the Breton contingent, a sizeable part of William’s invasion force on the left wing of the Norman army at the Battle of Hastings. At first, ‘they struck well’ and ‘did the English great damage’, however at one point, they fled from the ferocity of the Saxons. For a moment, all was in chaos, then many of the inexperienced Saxon fyrd broke out of the shield wall, and they pursued the Bretons in a disorderly fashion. However, William rallied his men and cut off the Saxons from the rest of the army, wiping them out to a man. Seeing the manoeuvre’s success, William instructed the Bretons to do it repeatedly throughout the battle, leading to the defeat of Harold’s forces on Senlac Hill.
When William becomes King in December 1066, he rewarded his supporters with grants of land and titles. Alain received a significant fief known as the Honour of Richmond in 1070 and became the first Earl of Richmond. An impressive Norman keep and castle stands on the site of his original Motte and Bailey castle overlooking the River Swale, where he established the town of Richmond under its walls. One legend has it that Arthur and his knights are said to lie at rest under the castle. In 1069, after the insurrection of Durham, Alain was appointed to carry out some of the great Harrying of the North. By the end of his career, he had amassed over 250,000 acres in land grants. He died childless, and his estate was inherited by his brother Alain le Noir (so-called because of his black beard).
Alain Rufus did not marry, but he apparently (according to Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury), fell in love with Gunhild Godwinson, the daughter of King Harold Godwinson and Edith Swanneck, while in his fifties. Alain removed Gunhild, where she serving as a nun, from Wilton Abbey, carrying her off he brought her to live with him,… on the very estates he had taken over from her wealthy mother after Hastings. When Alain died around 1094, Gunhild stayed in Richmond and became the partner of Alain’s brother Le Noir, who succeeded to the estates.  

 
 

Author Spotlight

Tim Walker

Tim Walker is an experienced independent author based in the UK, having produced and successfully published nearly a dozen books. I met him because he was looking for someone with historical and archaeological experience to beta read his latest novel set on Hadrian’s Wall, a book I totally enjoyed; his attention to historical detail is impressive. Since then, he has been amazingly supportive of both me and other new authors, which is essential when you have stepped into the minefield of publishing. Tim has had a wide and varied life, from being a reporter in Liverpool to working for VSO for several years in Zambia. On the way, he has had a very successful career in publishing and marketing. However, he now concentrates on his writing and charity work.
           Tim lives near Windsor - close to the River Thames - the inspiration for his first book of short stories, Thames Valley Tales. He also published a second book of short stories, Postcards from London. A Light in the Dark Ages is his fascinating historical series. Book one in the series is Abandoned, followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans and book three is Uther’s Destiny. Arthur, Rex Brittonum, a re-imagining of the King Arthur story, is book five and follows from Arthur Dux Bellorum. The series connects the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend in the early Medieval period, once called the Dark Ages. His first novel was a political thriller, Devil Gate Dawn in March/April 2016. It found a wide readership due to its startling predictions of a post-Brexit Britain beset by political turmoil under King Charles III’s rule and buckling under attacks from terrorist groups and includes a chapter that anticipated life in Trump America, written a year before his election. 
           His latest book is a historical dual timeline novel, Guardians at the Wall, due out on 1st June 2021. Guardians at the Wall is a novel set at Hadrian’s Wall where Noah Jessop, a student archaeologist, searches for evidence of Roman Centurion, Gaius Atticianus, whose story shadows the main thread. I thoroughly recommend it.
 
 

Locations: Richmond, North Yorkshire


The action in my novel Ravensworth takes place predominantly in the Village of Ravensworth, Melsonby and later in Richmond, where Alain Rufus built the early castle. The book was set in 1071; amazingly, Richmond is celebrating 950 years since the town and castle was established.

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Richmond Castle is a bold statement of great wealth and power and an incredible survival of an early 11th century stone castle. Strategically located in the centre of a vast estate, the castle was initially built to subdue the unruly North of England and one of Britain’s greatest Norman fortresses.

The castle has a history that spans centuries, from the Norman Conquest to the First World War. The building was begun in the 1070s by Alan Rufus, and it is an excellent symbol of power and status. It is one of the finest and most complete 11th-century fortresses in the country. The keep, probably built by Count Alan’s great-nephew Conan in the mid-12th century, still dominates the town’s skyline today, offering breath-taking views.


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