1208 King John of England opposed Innocent III on his nomination for
archbishop of Canterbury.
1550 France, England and Scotland signed the Peace of
Boulogne, ending the War of the Rough Wooing (conflict between England and
Scotland with the Scots receiving French military aid).
1603 Elizabeth I died
and James VI of Scotland became James I of England, unifying the English and
Scottish crowns.
Today, the
great Wizard of Notts and Cauldron fame, aka Mark Barry, has graciously agreed
to say a few words about himself, his work and his future aspirations as Green
Wizard Publishing celebrates two years in the business.
Thanks for
stopping by, Mark.
First, please remind people who you
truly are - you do not need to betray state secrets, or you can, if you wish to
reveal true confessions.Only kidding,
Great Wizard.My fans just want to know
a little bit about the REAL you.
Me? My
name is Mark Barry. That’s my real name. I live in Nottinghamshire in the heart
of Robin Hood country. I am passionate about reading (note, not writing),
books, comics, music, Notts County (note, not football) and most of all, aside
from family, horse racing. I love
that sport with a passion. I don’t smoke, drink (much) and run thirty miles a
week. In a fortnight’s time, my company,
Green Wizard, is two years old.
And I make
a profit. Not a huge one, but I filed a profit nonetheless.
Mark with his son, Matthew, who, so far, shows no sign of following in his father’s literary footsteps – though he does fanatically support Notts County (which is a much more important trait).
You’re a big fan of the Magpies
(Notts County football team), and have written about fans supporting the team
in two novels, Ultra Violence and Violent Disorder, which are Green Wizard
Publishing’s best sellers.Were you
surprised by the interest your football hooligan stories have generated?If so, why.
The first
book, as you know, went through the roof and I attracted some good numbers. It’s
a genre book, of interest to football fans and mainly hooligans, though I know
you, Ngaire and Brenda have all read the books and enjoyed them, which was really surprising. Genre books sell. They have a ready audience.
Look at romance. Even the most uninspired of writers can make a living selling
romance novels. It’s in the genre. I wasn’t surpised though:The two books are
written completely differently to the other football books – the closest I can
think of is Awaydays by Kevin
Sampson, though my favourite, like many other hooligan writers, is Football Factory by John King. A
masterpiece.So, innovation always
attracts some attention.
Why do you feel you had to tell
this story about violence in sports?
Simple. I
wanted to tell a story about small clubs, a small club like Notts, and the
people involved in what was relatively small scale violence. I thought there
was a gap too. Most hooligan books are about the big boys, the Millwalls, the
Stokes, the Chelseas, the West Hams, the Birmingham Cities, the Cardiffs, etc.
I thought it was about time I told the Notts story. Particularly as our
deadliest rivals, Nottingham Forest had a book out there which is written by
Martin King, who specializes in this kind of genre work.
How realistic are your stories?
In the
football? All of them happened.Bang
on.The rest of the books are fictional
stories based on my observations, like other writers, and turned into big long
tales.
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?Do you start at the
beginning and continue writing until the story is completed, or do you write
chapters out of sequence?
I am a
blank page writer and start at the Once Upon a Time stage. I detest editing and
proofing and I rarely redraft. Give me a blank page and I am at my happiest. I
don’t reread my work after its published. I shelve it. I know writers who have
eight or nine drafts of a book. No way. I have to get my book finished or I
reach a boredom zone. The Ritual, which is being re-released as a six (or
seven) book mini-series is an exception. I saw that backwards, from the end, which
is why I had to rewrite it as the middle needed a LOT of work. I didn’t say I
was perfect, Mary Ann
How do you come up with the titles
for your novels?Do you use working
titles or are your titles set in stone?Do you have a title before you start the story, or do you choose a title
once the story is completed?
All the
titles bar The Ritual were conceived at the beginning of the process. I cannot
believe that I was able to get Ultra Violence and Violent Disorder as titles. I
like my titles. The Ritual was known as The Daughter of Satan until I saw how
many other books, mostly porn, had the same title. Twenty or thirty. Happy with
The Ritual as a title. It does exactly what it says on the tin. There is a
great line in Book Six which would have been even better had the original title
remained. I love titling and naming.
What is your favorite novel written
by you, and why?
My latest
book The Night Porter, without a doubt.Everything else has at least one flaw. In UV, you never find out what
happens to the narrator’s job. Same as BBVD. That book may as well not have a
framing sequence! Hollywood Shakedown, which a few people really like, slows down after a melting start before picking up
again. Carla is oppressively dark for me nowadays – I’ve cheered up no end –
and I can no longer see the black humour and the bitterness is overwhelming at
times. There is one fantastic chapter in there called Smash Box which is pretty well written.The Ritual has that terrible middle that old school horror writers could get away with
in the pre-Playstation era, like Stephen King’s utterly mind numbing democracy
chapters in The Stand, an otherwise
melting book at both ends. You couldn’t wait for that stuff to end, but you
carried on, knowing that Randall Flagg was about and he was well evil!!
Nowadays, modern pop kids, with hundreds and thousands of books to choose from
won’t forgive a writer his fancies. They want perfection and they want it now.
TNP, as you and I know it, is fast, well-paced, clever, innovative, conceited,
intricate, shallow when it needs to be, with decent dialogue and interesting
characters. Its accessible to both genders and most ages, though young readers
seem to read their own stuff nowadays, which is of limited interest to me,
excessively dialogue based as it is.
I just love when you mention
ancient times in your novels.For those
fans who have yet to read your work, your passion is evident with the
historical references you weave throughout your stories.Since you are so knowledgeable, would you
consider delving into the realm of historical fiction?Ancient Rome and/or Roman Britain, perhaps?
Or William the Conqueror?Just teasing
you, Great Wizard - I know your true feelings about the aftermath of the
Bastard’s invasion.Just a thought since
you write in multiple genres.That being
said, would you care to comment?
Why would
I compete with you out there, Mary Ann? You wrote the best historical fiction
book I am ever likely to read with The Briton and the Dane:Concordia.I couldn’t do it justice, though I would love
to do a barbarian book. Robert E Howard was one of my very favourite writers. I
do love history though and have a running plotline throughout all my books
about the lingering impact of the Norman success at Hastings in 1066. Life
would have been very different had Harold not had that two week forced march
from Stamford Bridge. And they nearly won!!
Battle of Hastings
I am interjecting here, a passage
from the first edition of “The Ritual”, which mentions Romans, Saxons, Normans,
pagans, and druids - all in the same place.Love it!
“We know nothing about the Villa, but we do know that the Romans
built their temples on pagan ceremonial sites. Something traditionally done,
each successive conqueror dynasty supplanting the sites, the churches, and the
sacred spaces of the conquered. The Norman-built Three Steeples Church, for
example, is built on a Saxon place of worship. The Saxon, in turn, is built on
the Roman Villa site. The Romans built the Villa on an expansive Pagan
ceremonial wood and a Druid burial site. Druids from this area fought alongside
Boudicca in the forest, and they helped butcher a Legion, something that
enraged Rome. Eventually, the rebellion faltered. Hence, the Villa and Temple
built on one of their most sacred places. Those Druids practiced wood magic,
sun worship, harvest rituals and human sacrifice. Like Stonehenge, this whole
region drips in magical lore and a religious culture, which goes back thousands
of years, all the way back to the times primitive societies began to develop
faith and beliefs. Arkwright must have known this, which is why he built this
masterpiece right here.” He put his arm around Jennifer again. “Listen. Feel.
Embrace it, Jennifer. If you concentrate, you can sense the spirits here.”
Southwell Minster
That’s
Doctor Merchant. I’d know his portentous prose anywhere, Mary Ann. I actually
live a hundred yards away from The Minster and have had a look at the old Villa
up close. If the mini-series sells, I’ll write a loose sequel called
Monstertown. I have the first chapter written and its based around that old
roman Villa. Sadly, a developer has bought it and the Council have permitted
the building of six detached executive houses on there. So that will be the
last we see of it
Congratulations on the launch of
The Night Porter.
How did you come up with the title?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I sat down
in November and wrote the first chapter. A friend of mine, who worked as an
Escort, told me of a job at the local hotel as a Night Porter when I was ill in
2010. I actually asked for an application form, but I bottled it. The job comes
up every now and again and I think I developed a fascination with it, maybe an
obsession. I wrote the first chapter straight off and it developed from there –
the awards ceremony, the loathsome Julian Green, Martin Sixsmith and the
character of The Night Porter. I do reference Cavani’s film in the book, but it
is completely different concept. Message? Yes there is a massive message, but
readers will have to get stuck in to find it. Sorry, Mary Ann.
In case you missed it, Youtube has
the movie in its entirety
Mr. Chuckles has taken me into his
confidence, and I dare risk his wrath by asking you to confirm your next
project.Is it true that GWP will be publishing
a spell-binding horror story as a series?Pray tell - we DO want to know the inside scoop.
As I
mentioned earlier, I’m rewriting The Ritual and instead of publishing it as a
giant novel, I am doing a six (or seven) part mini. 20,000 words each for
99c/99p. It’s too good a book to let languish, but people simply don’t trust an
Indie with a big book like that. The last chapter I edited today is fantastic,
possibly the most exciting chapter I have ever written, anywhere. Now my job is
to strengthen the earlier chapters. I also have a book of short stories in my
head, but – you will be pleased to know, Mary Ann, I am taking a big break for
six months for racing and sleeping. It’s been a long winter.
Before we bid adieu, would you
share with us your favorite excerpt from your favorite novel?
The Bramwell pub – the second most vulnerable to closure of
the nine Wheatley Field’s hostelries and situated in a hollow, which acted as a
repository for the water flow – was soaked to the rafters. It will take it six
months to re-open, and local gossip indicates it might never re-open at all.
I’ve enjoyed a pint of Bishop’s Mitre in there, and closing
would be a shame. The chap who runs it is an ex-serviceman called Michael, and
he deserves success, I think, and even if he were a horrible man (and there are
two hostelries in the town run by such), I still wouldn’t wish the pub to
close.
You can judge the health and vitality of a town like The
Fields by the number of pubs it contains, or, as a friend of mine puts it, the
number of a town’s convivariums: places
where people meet, encounter, congregate, laugh, whisper, plot and scheme.
The wind at night is different from its daytime counterpart,
and there’s something refreshing about it. Something brisk. I let the wind
embrace my face, and I close my eyes. I wonder, on occasion.
Had Neil appreciated these little night time things, he might
still be here. Sixteen years older and sixteen years less dead.
My fans
and I thank you for your candid replies.We wish you the very best with your new titles, which you can discuss
when we have you back.
752 Stephen's two-day pontificate began. Elected to succeed Zachary,
Stephen II died before his consecration; earlier writers do not appear to have
included him in the list of the popes; but, in accordance with the long
standing practice of the Roman Church, he is now generally counted among them.
This divergent practice has introduced confusion into the way of counting the
Popes Stephen.
1066: 18th recorded
perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
1657 France and England formed an
alliance against Spain.
1743 Handel's Messiah was performed for the first time
in London.
Master Koda and John Emil Augustine present From the Abyss II, the strong follow-up to John's first book..
John Augustine, having plummeted into an emotional abyss following an abusive marriage, finds himself picking up the pieces and moving on. However, with a four year old son, John changes strategy and takes his dating online. Though he has reservations, he ends up finding the perfect girl who also has a four-year-old son...and who is willing to travel. During their courtship, John makes other life changes as well, quitting touring to buy a house and begin a Master's program. Unfortunately, time and money become thin, and John takes on a second job and a few loans while his new wife moves in and looks for work. Meanwhile, John's ex-wife hatches a smear campaign against his new family and gives John an ultimatum: his son or his new family. John begins to buckle under the mounting pressure, while his wife ends up feeling alienated and lonely in a strange new town. A complicated life will come crashing down on John, and he will be forced to decide between what is important, and who and what he can forever live without. His children will learn what kind of dad John really is, and his family will be forever redefined when John makes the most difficult choices of his life. Will his choices knock him back down, or will John emerge from the abyss?
47 BC, Julius Caesar defeated Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra's brother and rival,
at Alexandria, Egypt, thus restoring Cleopatra to the throne.
630 Byzantine
emperor Heraclius restored the True Cross to Jerusalem.
717 Battle of Vincy
between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid who returned defeated to Neustria.Instead of following the army immediately, Charles again used tactics he would use all
his remaining life, in a career of absolute success. He took time to rally more
men and prepare, before descending in full force. He chose where to provoke
them to battle, and, at a place and time of his choosing, in Spring 717,
Charles eventually followed them and dealt them a serious blow at Vincy on 21
March. He chased the fleeing king and mayor to Paris..
1152 Annulment of the marriage
of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor retained
control of Aquitaine and shortly thereafter wed Henry Plantagenet, who would
become the next king of England.
1413 Henry V crowned King of England.
1474
Saint Angela Merici, founder of the Ursulines, was born.
1556 The first
Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, was burned at the stake
for heresy.
This is the story about a girl called Cecilia who is captured by a witch whilst she is bug hunting in her garden. The witch takes Cecilia to her witchwam in the Brimstone Forest and she is locked in a cage. This is the start of Cecilia's enchanting adventure. As the story unravels we read about her encounter with the snapdragon plants, her entrapment in a dragon net and her meeting with the Troglosauruses. Can Cecilia outwit her captor and find her way home? Get ready for the adventure of a life time and meet the mesmerizing characters and creatures from Brimstone Forest. The story is beautifully illustrated throughout - creator Peter Maddocks. His illustrations capture the magic and charm of this spellbinding adventure.
Today around the Cauldron, we have UK crime fiction writer Geoffrey West, writer of the Jack Lockwood mysteries and two popular and well reviewed novels, including Doppelganger, which is well worth a look. I am not a particular devotee of Crime Fiction and I am relishing this one. Geoff is a bloke well worth following on Twitter as he has been there and done that in the writing game - essays, papers, trad publishing - and he also dabbles in creating manuals for such things as Tudor Doll's Houses. I am a big fan of multi-talented people who actually use their gifts, so it was with great delight I interrupted Geoff as he harvested figs from the newly Mediterranean-influenced orchards somewhere in deepest Kent.
