It’s May Day, a European festival with ancient origins. You may be too busy to gather wildflowers and dance around the maypole in flouncy clothes, but surely not too busy to celebrate with me and nine fellow authors. All it takes is a couple clicks and The Ring is yours to savour and a deserving charity will reap every penny after Amazon’s cut.
‘The Ring’ is an anthology of short stories about those who possess a gold ‘Fortuna’ ring through the ages from ancient Roman times up to the modern day.
Forged over 2000 years ago, the ring was inscribed with the name and symbol of Fortuna, capricious goddess of fate. From the seven hills of Ancient Rome to the streets of modern-day New York, the ring passes from hand to hand through the centuries, shaping destinies and unveiling secrets.
It’s slipped from the bloody finger of the assassinated Julius Caesar on the Ides of March. A crusading knight takes it from a slain foe. A child is gifted it by a soldier in the Thirty Years War and trusts it to keep her father safe. A jeweller takes it to America where he seeks a new life in the Gilded Age.
Quite apart from it being a cracking good read, all the proceeds go to The Reading Agency which has a mission close to the hearts of the authors who have dedicated The Ring to librarians everywhere.
The Reading Agency informs us that adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction. However, only half (50%) of adults now read regularly, down from 58% in 2015, and one in 10 find reading difficult.
The Reading Agency partners with public libraries to run initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge for children and Reading Ahead for adults. These programmes encourage reading for pleasure, helping to build confidence, develop literacy skills, and foster lifelong reading habits.
In our book, that’s a very worthy cause.
The authors, in chronological order of their story’s setting, are myself, Fiona Forsyth, Jacquie Rogers, Alistair Tosh, Graham Brack, Eleanor Swift-Hook, Mark Turnbull, Maggie Richell-Davies, Robert Bordas and Val Penny. Cover illustration is by Ian Bristow.
I’ve never been the type to say “buy my books now” but this is different.
And while you’re here…
I’ve recently delivered two manuscripts to my publisher, Sapere Books. These are the first two novels in my series The Britannia Conspiracy which will follow the fortunes of some quirky Gauls, a cult priestess, a gay Roman writer and a piratical ship’s crew during Caesar’s campaigns across the English Channel.
Caesar was after easy trading pickings (or downright theft) of, among other things, slaves, hunting dogs, gold, tin and pearls. Whatever the outcome, his annals (which are extant) will tell the people of Rome what a brilliant guy he is and how he has made them richer.
Trump parallels are inevitable, but the outcome for both dictators remain to be seen…
I’ve been chatting to my wife about the stories as I’ve been writing and I’m pleased to say those conversations have inspired her latest art. Here’s Julius Caesar through her eyes.
I'm eager to read The Britannia Conspiracy. Your wife is a very talented artist. Well done!
Love the portrait of Caesar!