Author Simon Tolkien (grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien) joins the Rock, Paper, Swords! podcast to talk about his powerful historical novels, his research into the Spanish Civil War, and his work with Amazon’s Rings of Power.⁠

https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords

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In this interview, Simon shares how he moved from courtroom thrillers to sweeping historical fiction, why the 1930s still matter today, and how his grandfather’s influence shaped his own writing journey.

Highlights:

Writing The Palace at the End of the Sea & The Room of Lost Steps

Researching the Spanish Civil War and 1930s New York

Insights on J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, and the First World War

Simon’s involvement in Amazon’s Rings of Power

Why history, memory, and storytelling still resonate today

If you love history, Tolkien, or epic storytelling, don’t miss this episode!

Buy the books from our bookshop.org store:📚The Palace at the End of the Sea - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14768/9781662528644

📚The Room of Lost Steps - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14768/9781662528668

#SimonTolkien #SpanishCivilWar #Tolkien #LordOfTheRings #RingsOfPower #HistoricalFiction #Podcast

Our guest today is Angus Donald, author of the Outlaw Chronicles, about a medieval gangster called Robin Hood, a 17th-century series about an unusual but rather brilliant chap called Holcroft Blood. And writing as Angus Macallan, he has also tried his hand at fantasy with the Gates of Stone.

We previously had Angus on the podcast to talk about his Fire Born series, set in 8th century Europe. His newest book, out at the end of August, is Templar Traitor, the first in a trilogy based on the true story of an Englishman who fought with the Mongols on the side of Genghis Khan.

Welcome to RPS, Angus.

https://angusdonaldbooks.com/

Buy Templar Traitor from the RPS Bookshop (affiliate link): https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14768/9781835980903

Link Tree:⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠⁠ 

Support us on Patreon:⁠ ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠⁠ 

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Tips for Writing, Publishing and Marketing Your Novel: How we sold over 750,000 books!

⁠https://mybook.to/RPSTipsForWriting

Today’s guest is author, J.C. Duncan. He is the author of The Last Viking Series of novels about Harald Hardrada and the The Light of the North saga, a historical fantasy series set in a world where the Vikings clash with Christian Crusaders. As well as writing, J.C. Duncan is also a bladesmith and there can’t be much cooler than forging blades!

Justin of course had a novel about Harald Hardrada, so I think this is going to be a very interesting chat!

Welcome to RPS, J.C. Duncan.

https://jcduncan.co.uk/

https://lorescape.gg/get/

Link Tree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠ 

Support us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to https://ko-fi.com/rockpaperswords 

Tips for Writing, Publishing and Marketing Your Novel: How we sold over 750,000 books!

https://mybook.to/RPSTipsForWriting

⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠ 

Support us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to https://ko-fi.com/rockpaperswords 

Adam Lofthouse is the author of action-packed historical fiction set in ancient Rome, such as The Path of Nemesis trilogy, and The Enemy of the Empire books. His latest series, 

The Shadow of Rome, starts with Eagle and the Flame, which is out soon.

Welcome to RPS, Adam Lofthouse!

Buy Adam's books: https://www.adamlofthouse.com/

Other books mentioned:

The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy:https://amzn.eu/d/6B3ABys

24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Dr Philip Matyszak: https://amzn.eu/d/5UI6O7o

Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L.J. Trafford: https://amzn.eu/d/9pX9Aew

Rock, Paper, Swords is three years old!

In this episode, Matthew and Steven take a look back at some of the highlights of the last three years and then turn to the future with a very big announcement!

Don't miss this one!

Link Tree:⁠⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠⁠⁠ 

Support us on Patreon:⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠⁠⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to⁠⁠ https://ko-fi.com/rockpaperswords

Patricia Bracewell's website: https://www.patriciabracewell.com/

Link Tree:⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠⁠ 

Support us on Patreon:⁠ ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to⁠ ⁠https://ko-fi.com/rockpaperswords

Patricia Bracewell is the author of the Emma of Normandy trilogy, which started with her first novel, Shadow on the Crown and concluded with The Steel Beneath the Silk. She served as Writer in Residence at Gladstone’s Library in Wales and has appeared at many Literary Festivals and writing conferences in the U.S. and the U.K.

We had the pleasure of meeting Patricia in Devon last year, so it is great to have a chance for a longer conversation now.

Welcome to RPS, Patricia!

Pete Brown's website: https://www.petebrown.net/

Link Tree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠ 

Support us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to ⁠buymeacoffee.com/rockpaperswords

Pete Brown is a British author, journalist, broadcaster and consultant specialising in food and drink, especially the fun parts like beer and cider. He writes for newspapers and magazines around the world and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme. He was named British Beer Writer of the Year in 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2021, and Fortnum and Mason Online Drinks Writer of the Year in 2015. In 2020 he was named an “Industry Legend” at the Imbibe Hospitality Awards.

We chatted with him about alcohol brewing and drinking by the Babylonians, Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, medieval folk, and more. It's a fascinating interview, don't miss it!

Welcome to RPS, Pete Brown!

M.J. Porter is an author of historical fiction and nonfiction. She has written about Anglo-Saxons and Vikings as well as three twentieth-century mysteries and Viking age/dragon themed fantasy. 

She is a prolific hybrid author, with independently published and traditionally published books.

We met up with MJ at the HNS Conference last year for a quick chat, which you can listen to in a previous episode, but we knew we had to get her back on for a full episode. So welcome back to RPS, M.J. Porter.

https://www.mjporterauthor.com/

Link Tree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠ 

Support us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to ⁠buymeacoffee.com/rockpaperswords

Link Tree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠ 

Support us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠ 

Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to ⁠buymeacoffee.com/rockpaperswords

Buy UPRISING, this week's sponsor from Paul Bernardi! Buy link for Paul Bernardi's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F38L728Z

We don’t have a guest today, instead Steven and I are going to talk about something that has been in the news this week and its impact on history and how we perceive the finality of historical events. But before that we’re going to give you some updates on what we’ve been up to and some changes to our Patreon.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9ejy3gdvo

https://time.com/7274542/colossal-dire-wolf/

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/407781/these-fluffy-white-wolves-explain-everything-wrong-with-bringing-back-extinct-animals

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords 

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Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to buymeacoffee.com/rockpaperswords Our guest today has designed countless book covers, including all of Steven’s independently published books! Oliver Bennett is a graphic designer and co-founder of MoreVisual, a graphic design and digital media company based in Leicester, England. 

Founded in 2013, More Visual specialises in a wide range of graphic design services such as website design, logo design, and corporate identity design. You can find everything a writer might need on More Visual’s author portal: https://bookartwork.com/ 

Welcome to RPS, Oliver Bennett!