Queen of Bedlam is ‘pick of the week’

‘Queen of Bedlam is a masterfully written and well-researched novel written by someone who has truly mastered the craft of evoking readers’ emotions. Not only does it give us a historical account of the depth and degrees of the mental illness of King George, but additionally, and perhaps more importantly, it gives voice to the family members who are often forgotten but are still intensely affected by it.’

For the full review please visit the Historical Novels website here.

Three authors. Two charities. One long road (and an awful lot of armour).

In 2013, historical fiction authors Ben Kane, Anthony Riches and Russell Whitfield walked eighty miles along Hadrian’s Wall, in full Roman armour. They did it to help two charities, Combat Stress and Medecins Sans Frontieres; in the process they raised almost £19,000.

In 2014, they decided to repeat the madness by walking in Italy – one hundred and thirty miles from a Roman amphitheatre at Capua, to the Colosseum in Rome. Wearing between 2.5 and 4 stone of armour and equipment each, they by turns endured heavy traffic, bemused locals and animals, and recreated what it might have been like to march in a Roman legion. In the process, they bled (a little), sweated (a lot) and suffered blistered feet (a decent amount). There may have been some cursing too. However, with £26,000 raised for charity, it may have been worth it.

Narrated by Ian McKellen, The Road To Rome is a feature-length documentary and can be viewed here.

Guy Fawkes was foiled in a plot to blow up the British Parliament but a brand new book published today aims to set off some fireworks among political establishments all over the world. The Fat Boy with the Bomb and 299 of the World’s Craziest Politicians by American journalist, Brian O’Connell, and cleverly illustrated by British artist, Norm Chung is published today on Bonfire Night. The book identifies the downright dangerous leaders, as well as the just plain stupid lawmakers from around the world. Joining Bible-belt Americans, African dictators and neo-Nazi Europeans among the 300 in the book are a crazy clutch of UK politicians who stand out from the mainstream.

“The US is known for producing stupid politicians,” says author Brian O’Connell. “But if I was handing out an award for the dumbest politician on the planet right now, it would have to go to Harvard and Oxford-educated, former banker, Brooks Newmark, although he’s not the first politician to snap and share a selfie of his family jewels. Lars Ohly, former chairman of Sweden’s Left party, accidentally shared his on instagram.”

Joining Newmark are Brits Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Bill Etheridge, Mark Reckless, George Galloway, Nadine Dorries, Douglas Carswell, Zac Goldsmith, Neil Hamilton, Kate Hoey, Denis Skinner, Alex Salmond, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Eric Joyce. “The UK actually has more than its fair share of whacko politicians,” says O’Connell. “They’re just more inbred and insipid than some of the crazier Americans.”

The Fat Boy with the Bomb and 299 of the World’s Craziest Politicians profiles individuals from every corner of the world; 18 of the included politicians come from Africa, 70 from North Americas,19 from Central and South America, 47 from Asia, 16 Australasia as well as 80 from Western Europe and 43 from Eastern Europe. And all have a bespoke illustration by artist Norm Chung.

“I’m not trying to shock,” says O’Connell. “Anyone can point a stick at the world’s dictators, such as Equatorial New Guinea’s ‘President for Life’ Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, where it’s reported in some precincts that he garners 103% of the vote. But this book is really about lifting the lid on the mad and bad that the world doesn’t yet know, like Quincy Timberlake who says he plans to stand in the 2017 Kenyan presidential elections, but has been charged with the murder of his three-year-old son.”

The Fat Boy with the Bomb and 299 of the World’s Craziest Politicians by Brian O’Connell and Norm Chung is published by Myrmidon on 5^th November 2014 ISBN 9781910183090 Priced £12.99.

When a Malaysian columnist suggested in her article (back in 2012) that The Garden of Evening Mists would make a great film, little did she know that her piece would be read, and her advice taken.

‘Thanks to Aunty, a local film studio has set itself the ambitious task of turning an international bestselling novel into a movie.’ The Star

‘Suffused with a satisfying richness of colour and character, it still abounds in hidden passageways and occult corners. Mysteries and secrets persist. Tan dwells often on the borderline states, the in between areas, of Japanese art: the archer’s hiatus before the arrow speeds from the bow; the patch of skin that a master of the horimono tattoo will leave bare; or the “beautiful and sorrowful” moment “just as the last leaf is about to drop”. ’  The Independent

‘This is a novel that overflows with historical and specialist information, and like The Gift of Rain, it showcases Tan Twan Eng as a master of cultural complexities.’ The Guardian

It’s not hard to see why Henry Tan (chief operating officer for strategy, content and marketing for film company Astro), fell in love with this novel.

For the full details please see the original news article below.

End of Empires, the fifth exciting instalment of the cult Space Captain Smith series, is out now.

After a very successful launch at the Forbidden Planet store in London, Toby Frost will now be touring the Waterstones stores during September and October.

We kick off the tour with an evening talk and signing at Waterstones Ipswich on Saturday 20th September from 6:30pm. Nibbles and refreshments will also be provided.

Throughout October Toby will be signing on:

Saturday 4th October – Milton Keynes (Midsummer Place) 11am till 1pm

Saturday 11th October – St. Albans 11am till 1pm

Saturday 18th October – Hemel Hempstead 11am till 1pm

Saturday 25th October – Amersham 11am till 1pm

And to top it all off the ebook has now arrived – hurrah! To purchase your ebook copy please click the link here.