M.J. Porter has developed an enthusiastic readership for her ninth century Saxon Chronicles set in the depths of a divided Britain. She writes action-packed and completely addictive Dark Ages historicals that have readers howling for more.

Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on Binge Reading, M.J. talks about the books that critics describe as “Game of Thrones meets The Last Kingdom.”

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Things mentioned in this episode

First Viking Age: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Viking-people

Lindisfarne: https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/

King Alfred: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-king-of-Wessex

Dark Age Britain: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Anglo-Saxon-Kingdoms-Dark-Ages/

Bede: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Bede-the-Venerable

Ceolwulf: Last King of Mercia: https://www.britannica.com/place/Wessex-historical-kingdom

The Battle of Brunanburh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brunanburh

King Athelstan: https://www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk/malmesbury-history/people/king-athelstan/

Bernard Cornwell: https://www.bernardcornwell.net/

Uhtred series:   https://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/

Queen Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aethelflaed

The Last Kingdom BBC series: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08jnzwp

Ealdorman: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ealdorman

Ealdorman Athelwine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelwine,_Ealdorman_of_East_Anglia

Queen Elfride:  https://www.history.org.uk/historian/resource/8630/elfrida-the-first-crowned-queen-of-england

Ethelred II:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ethelred-the-Unready

M J Porter: Custard Corpses, https://mjporterauthor.blog/the-custard-corpses-a-delicious-1940s-mystery-is-on-tour-with-the-coffee-pot-book-club/

Michelles Salter: https://www.michellesalter.com/

Sarah Hawkswood: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-Hawkswood/author/B00MLCK41U

Theodore Brun: https://www.theodorebrun.com/

Simon Turney:  https://simonturney.com/

Jane Adams: Murder On The Farm, https://www.amazon.com/MURDER-gripping-mystery-twists-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BL86FQ9Q#:

Where to find MJ Porter online

Website: www.mjporterauthor.com

Twitter or X: @coloursofunison

Introducing historical fiction author M.J. Porter

Jenny Wheeler: But now here's MJ. Hello there MJ and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

M.J. Porter: Hello, thank you so much for inviting me on today. I'm really looking forward to our chat.

Jenny Wheeler: MJ you've developed a terrific following of historical fiction readers fascinated by the stories of ancient Britain, and we're talking basically ninth and tenth centuries, mainly Saxon Britain. Tell us first off, what is the appeal of this period for people who haven't perhaps delved into it before?

M.J. Porter: The appeal of the period for me is that it's quite exciting. We're at the very beginning of what would become known as the First Viking Age. We've had our attack on Lindisfarne and then the records go a little bit quiet, we don't hear a lot more, and then all of a sudden in about the 830s we start to get a little bit of a rumble, and therefore, it's quite exciting.

We haven't had the great heathen army yet of the 860s. We've got this king in Wessex who's going to be King Alfred's grandfather,