Happy New Book!

Happy New Book!

Dear Friends,

I start the year with a new novel, self-published on Amazon. On the homepage there are links to buying The Unquiet Land: A Novel of Medieval Ireland in paperback and Kindle versions.

This book is set in the thirteenth century at a monastic community in central Ireland. The research led me from ancient annals to fairy stories and several times back to the landscape in Ireland. I’ve restarted the blog to describe the source materials, which are really fascinating, and to share some thoughts on the process of researching, writing and self-publishing a historical novel.

Kindle Direct Publishing let me get the book out after a long and frustrating process of seeking an agent or publisher to handle it. I’m not a complete rube about the publishing business; this is my fourth novel and I have had four non-fiction works of history published. (Admittedly, some were by very small publishers—and in two cases they went out of business immediately after publishing a book of mine!—I don’t think I have a reputation for driving presses to destruction, but that is all part of the story.)

This is a hard time for novelists in the publishing world, and I’m planning to write a bit about that. I also acknowledge that as an employer, Amazon is not without its problems, and I will address that too over the next several weeks.

Breaking my leg on the steps of the Widener Library at Harvard last summer made for a very productive autumn of writing, and while I don’t recommend this as a motivator, it worked for me! The writing flowed when the walking ceased. My resolutions for 2020 are to finish two writing projects, walk around, and break no bones.

I wish you all a very happy New Year, and if you need a new book to settle with in front of the fire, I can recommend one! (I’m settled in right now with Pride and Prejudice, which I read at the end of every year, but The Unquiet Land is a good second choice!)

Peace on Earth, and Good Books for All Readers!



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