Member: gwernin

Hello!

May I please offer something?

$4 ebooks.

http://thehomepageoffallon.webs.com/

Knowledge is power!
Come see ebooks that teach useful things other people wish they knew how to do.
Like how to purposely forget something. Or how to detect a lie. How to make friends.
And so on!

You can download them to your own computer.

There are more ebooks to come, so please subscribe!

-Fallon

posted by Fallon999 at 11:41 am (EST) on May 24, 2013

Know me as a devoted fan. Esta

posted by Esta1923 at 5:48 pm (EST) on Apr 23, 2013

I'm almost finished with The Druid's Son and I've been enjoying it a lot; I'll have a review soon. One minor question about usage (and please take this as it's intended, as "question to an expert" rather than "nitpicky criticism") - through most of the book I noticed that rather than "beef" or "pork" both the characters and the text use "cow-meat" and "pig-meat" or similar, which I thought was neat (knowing that the rather squeamish distinction we make between "animal" and "meat from that animal" was introduced to English by the Normans); in chapter 18, though, in Ireland, we have "beef" and "pork". Is this reflecting the different language, an oversight, or was I just over-interpreting the earlier usages?

posted by lorax at 12:49 pm (EST) on Dec 10, 2012

wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

posted by lillilupe at 7:37 pm (EST) on Nov 27, 2012

Already posted. I do thank you for sharing it with me, and wish you success with it.

posted by Esta1923 at 4:54 pm (EST) on Oct 7, 2012

Here is review:
The Druid's Son by G. R. Grove
This is a beautiful biography of a boy who would be a Druid despite all odds.
The ring he wears (secretly) belonged to the father he never knew. The stepfather who raised him taught and inspired him. But Togi, whose life Grove relates, learned much from nature, observation, and experience.

We see him first when he's seven years old, already adept at morning prayers. Throughout his young life he stays close to Cingetos, a bard, and learns a way of life that includes what we now call anger management: Just Anger moves a brave man to avenge injustice; Vain Anger flares up at a trifle, and causes needless quarrels; Coward's Anger simply cloaks fear, gaining nothing.

In twenty chapters Grove gives her readers a panoramic picture of medieval Welsh life. Peasants who work the land are at the mercy not only of the weather, but of the Red Crests, the military force that collects designated shares of their crops. Togi is nine years old when he learns how "tribute" is taken from villagers with no regard for their need. As he matures and leaves his home we learn, with him, how complicated it is to even try to establish a balance of power.

One lesson he learned as a youngster is to stand him in good stead much later in life. "Bats move quickly, and never in a straight line. That is their protection; no one knows where they will be next. Remember that, if you are ever pursued, and do the thing unexpected," he was told.

Unexpected things do happen and it is a splendid adventure for readers to watch Togi survive.

posted by Esta1923 at 4:44 pm (EST) on Oct 7, 2012

Success! Druid's Son in on my I-Pad. Yay!

posted by dchaikin at 12:04 am (EST) on Oct 3, 2012

Well make sure you let Vera know that when you contact her. For a situation like yours she usually just forwards the email to all of us, so craft your appeal well.

posted by readafew at 2:51 pm (EST) on Oct 2, 2012

Hey! I'm a sometimes reviewer of fantasy, sci-fi, and literary fiction. You can see some of my publications and published reviews, as well as casual reviews, on my blog at: http://greenwoodhaze1.blogspot.com/ I'd love a chance to review The Druid's Son.

posted by greenwoodhaze at 8:48 am (EST) on Sep 26, 2012

good views from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeston_Castle in cheshire too - the castle is medieval, but the rock it is on is older!

posted by TimSharrock at 2:52 pm (EST) on Jul 18, 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cheshire_Plain.jpg is from the mid-cheshire ridge, and just about shows the pennines/peak district at the back, I think

posted by TimSharrock at 4:12 pm (EST) on Jul 17, 2012

I guess that in Gwernin's time woods and scrub would be major view-blockers - now it is buildings and hedges...

Are we going to see the Isle of Man at any point?- it often gets mentioned in the "on a rare clear day can be seen from Snowdon, winter hill etc"

posted by TimSharrock at 4:04 pm (EST) on Jul 17, 2012

wikipedia on winter hill is worth a read for its visibility comments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Hill_(North_West_England)

posted by TimSharrock at 3:45 pm (EST) on Jul 17, 2012

we can certainly see them from home in Altrincham
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?ftid=0x487bacbac4666ecd:0x3c631edade2377e5&q=wa15+9ab&hl=en&ved=0CA0Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=vr8FUN_KB8qpiAbU8JQg

it depends quite a lot on the buildings and the bridges etc, but in winter the snow is often visible on Winter Hill across the other side of Manchester from us

I will keep a look out and let you know

(I am in Cambridge at the moment)

posted by TimSharrock at 3:43 pm (EST) on Jul 17, 2012

I've been meaning to let you know how much I enjoyed storyteller for a while now but hadn't got to it. Anyhoo, it's a great read. I posted a review and I've added Ash Spear to my christmas wish list.

posted by yolana at 8:02 pm (EST) on Oct 31, 2011

Something you might find interesting: http://www.librarything.com/topic/125508#2991275 - See the PowerPoint in Message #4.

posted by dchaikin at 3:00 pm (EST) on Oct 21, 2011

I won a copy of your book Storyteller on 8/12/11 and never received a copy, is it still possible to get one?

posted by Skooshie at 12:54 pm (EST) on Sep 29, 2011

thanks, I'll check on it..
and thanks for the coupon, I'll let you know as soon as i finish reading it.

posted by avry15 at 10:41 pm (EST) on Sep 13, 2011

Hey,

I noticed that your book Storyteller is available as an iBook, Any chance of its becoming available on Kindle?

posted by urania1 at 8:29 pm (EST) on Aug 27, 2011

It's here! I'll be starting it tomorrow.

posted by yolana at 7:07 pm (EST) on Aug 22, 2011

thanks for the update, I'll let you know when it arrives. Again, I'm looking forward to reading it.

posted by yolana at 7:04 am (EST) on Aug 21, 2011

I have just enjoyed browsing your reviews. The Celtic focus of your listed library provides some intriguing titles and some unlikely gems--such as the work on early Irish farming! This was my first try at the "you might want to borrow" feature.... Good luck on your omnibus based on post-Arthurian times.

posted by bridgitshearth at 8:24 am (EST) on Jul 11, 2011

There are caves in both South and North Wales - the North wales stuff is a mix of mining and natural features. Some of the mines break into some very large natural passage. The South wales main area is west of Merthyr on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons. There's a big showcave Dan Yr Ogof, with some more sporting trips in the surrounding valleys.

Ireland - County Claire and the Burran is supurb, I've been there several times. Kerry and the Dingle peninsula also very pretty To be honest though pretty much all of the coastline is fascinating one way or another. The centre of Ireland tends more to low hills and boggy fields. There are cave in Clare and Fermanagh to the north, and decent walking everywhere. The basalt pillars of Giant's Causeway in the far north are supposedly rare/unique/stunning although I've not been there.

Enjoy the trip and Guinness!
'fox

posted by reading_fox at 4:24 am (EST) on Feb 10, 2011

Thanks Santa! Good picks, I'm looking forward to reading themin the net few days/weeks. Hope you were as lucky (or will be when they arrive) and that you've had a good festive season.

'fox

posted by reading_fox at 6:10 pm (EST) on Dec 25, 2010

Am reading [Warrior Race: A History of the British at War] by Lawrence James. 1st few chapters could be helpful in research for you.
Cheers.
Poleaxe

posted by Poleaxe at 12:43 pm (EST) on Nov 29, 2010

Thank you so much for your generosity! Hopefully, things will be better here next year and I can repay the generosity to someone else. Have a great holiday!

posted by bookaholicgirl at 9:48 am (EST) on Nov 24, 2010

I would love to be sponsored if you are still offering.

posted by bookaholicgirl at 7:24 pm (EST) on Nov 23, 2010

Quick note to confirm I've successfully commented at Tre Gwernin. Thanks!

posted by elenchus at 11:12 pm (EST) on Nov 4, 2010

Wanted to say I've enjoyed your posts and pictures at Tre Gwernin, but haven't been able to post a comment there. I have a Word Press account, and tried to log in with it, but failed. Sure I'll get it eventually, but thought I'd post here in the meantime.

I'm about halfway through Ash Spear and like not only the story(ies), but that overall it has yet another "feel", distinct from both Storyteller and Hawk. Haven't read anyone's reviews yet, but I'm curious to see what others thought.

posted by elenchus at 11:13 pm (EST) on Oct 16, 2010

Liked the Flickr series! I've never seen a stone circle in person, like anything else they appear quite mundane when in a random context. Almost strange that they're not ... strange. Reminds me how idea and emotion colour so much of experience.

posted by elenchus at 11:40 pm (EST) on Sep 22, 2010

I do have lithomania, and the hazy sky and treeline here add to the ambience. Maybe this will fit somewhere, if not the new cover!

posted by elenchus at 9:41 pm (EST) on Sep 14, 2010

Thank you very much. I will be putting some newly acquired books on my Kindle this evening, including Flight of the Hawk.

posted by 1dragones at 4:30 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2010

Thanks for your reply. You're welcome, any time :)

posted by mta at 1:16 pm (EST) on Aug 18, 2010

Haha, great review of Raiders From The North. I wasn't quite so scathing as you in my review, but I totally see where you're coming from. I don't see myself bothering with the rest of the series.

posted by wisewoman at 4:33 pm (EST) on Jul 11, 2010

Thanks, I will. I have been eying the thread but have avoided it so as not to see any spoilers.

posted by Storeetllr at 5:15 pm (EST) on Jul 7, 2010

Hi! Just wanted to let you know that "The Ash Spear" arrived in the mail a few days ago. Am really looking forward to reading it, right after I finish "Storyteller" and "Flight of the Hawk." Thanks so much!

posted by Storeetllr at 12:54 am (EST) on Jul 7, 2010

I thought (In Parenthesis) was quite intriguing, too! -- And I believe it was "pushed" to me by LT based upon the Storyteller books, pretty amazing how something so directly relevant was identified by the magic of LT. Not sure when I'll ever get 'round to reading it, but the connection is tantalising.

posted by elenchus at 9:05 am (EST) on Jul 1, 2010

Awesome, thank you! The Ash Spear is one of about five books I've got going right now, so not everything will be a spoiler. I'll come check it out!

Lisa

posted by bunkie68 at 2:32 pm (EST) on Jun 30, 2010

Hi Gwernin,

no, the book is only in dead-tree form. And hardcover dead-tree form at that!
But I have quite a few poems online at my website. (My publisher keeps asking me to limit what I make available online … she does have a point, I guess.)

posted by joannasephine at 7:58 pm (EST) on Jun 20, 2010

I'm very pleased to hear there's more poetry! I cracked Hawk this morning, but the train ride afforded time for just the first chapter.

posted by elenchus at 2:24 pm (EST) on Jun 18, 2010

Gwernin, I've just added a quote in the CK section of Raine's Defending Ancient Springs, it is the passage most directly relevant to the bardic 'high styled' speech I mentioned in the forums and perhaps saves you from looking that up during your current research! Though I do think you'd enjoy the book overall, based on your writing and your reviews, I don't see it as primary research for you and I don't want to delay Druid's Son.

I don't have a review of Raine, yet, but hope to complete one in the next week or so. Depends upon how much time I spend on Flight of the Hawk, instead.

posted by elenchus at 1:59 pm (EST) on Jun 18, 2010

Hi gwernin,

You just put (vote)Your question here(/vote), but with triangular brackets rather than parentheses.

Other than that, the only thing you need to know is that you can only have one poll per message. If you put more than one, they'll just turn out identical.

Hope this helps!

posted by _Zoe_ at 10:14 am (EST) on Jun 15, 2010

Hey, I won a copy of the Ash spear in a pdf format but I didn't receive it on the email you said you would send because my email address was spelt wrong. Could you send it again please? I am very interested and i pormise I'll post a good review.
Stephanie Adamopoulos
sadamopoulos10@strathcona.vic.edu.au

posted by Foxterrier at 6:06 am (EST) on Jun 11, 2010

Blimey that was fast! I was just gathering the details to let you know my review was up!

I wouldn't say 'didn't like' but perhaps not quite my cup of tea.

You've got a margin differnce on some pages - is this a bookpage issue? I didn't notice it on my Sony. Skimming the pdf I cna't see the runonwords, but I'm sure a careful re-read will find them.

posted by reading_fox at 11:30 am (EST) on May 17, 2010

Just finished Masters class and will get to your book asap. I am finally reading things I want to read. You are next on the pile of books!

posted by Amanda16948 at 11:12 am (EST) on May 11, 2010

Storyteller arrived today -- thank you! And I just finished my current fiction read last night, so I can start it right away.

posted by lorax at 1:02 am (EST) on May 11, 2010

Hi! Thanks for giving me a nudge! I started Storyteller last year when I got it because I like to read things in order, but misplaced it in a move. I'm now re-reading it and will move to Flight of the Hawk after that. Thanks again for the books and the reminder!

posted by MissTeacher at 9:38 pm (EST) on May 4, 2010

No worries, Storyteller is a great book and I will tell anyone this who ask. I am feeling guilty about how long its taken me to get round to reading 'Flight of the Hawk' - the MA is taking up more time that I expected. As it a bank holiday weekend here this weekend, with rain forecast (what a surprise), I know of at least one book I'll be reading and reviewing, and it will give me a chance to get to grips with the Sony Reader.

I also see that you've added the Dark Is Rising set to your library. These have been really recommended, as, unlike Alan Garner, I don't remember reading Susan Cooper as a child, so have had the box set sitting at the bottom of my Amazon basket for months and I really should get round to ordering them.

posted by riverwillow at 5:45 pm (EST) on Apr 28, 2010

Thank you so much! I just decided today on Lawrence University in Wisconsin. I'm very excited.

posted by yummyfishmeister at 9:35 pm (EST) on Apr 26, 2010

I'm so sorry I haven't gotten around to it yet! It slowly fell down my list of things to do what with homework and college applications. However, yesterday happened to be my last day of High School and I now suddenly find myself with piles of free time, some of which I will certainly use to read and review your book :)

posted by yummyfishmeister at 4:11 pm (EST) on Apr 24, 2010

Absolutely! Always happy to help. I'll get around to it this weekend, I expect.

posted by nanajlove at 9:07 pm (EST) on Apr 23, 2010

Falco and Titus - great cat names!

I prefer to read paper books - no E reader, and after a full day writing, I want to relax without sitting in front of the same screen. I'll look for your books in the marketplace. I expect I'll enjoy them. The ones I like well enough for a reread get saved.

posted by JannyWurts at 3:50 pm (EST) on Mar 25, 2010

I noticed that you have "Check for dup." as a

tag. That is one thing I am trying to do sometimes.

And I donʻt know under which of these new formats

(A, B, C, D, E (& icons following those) ) I can

do that conveniently. Or under what combinations of "Sort"

and "Sub-sort". Iʻm looking for something that would

put an "ORder by Author" or "Order by Title" format on

the screen at the same tame as the PENCIL ICON and the X

are on. Do you have any suggestions?

posted by rolandperkins at 10:27 am (EST) on Mar 24, 2010

I think I have both in now....but cannot work out how to link with the detailed common knowledge you have there. Physical copies on shelves have their merits...!!
Anthony

posted by aglawton at 1:49 am (EST) on Mar 10, 2010

see http://wp.me/p42Yg-hL Do add anything under comments....maybe which I should/could then incorporate in the main post

Anthony

posted by aglawton at 1:59 pm (EST) on Mar 9, 2010

Sorry to be tardy in using your information. One in so far! And I see you are actually G R Grove!
Anthony

posted by aglawton at 1:25 pm (EST) on Mar 9, 2010

Dear 'gwernin'

Thank you so much

is there, as I imagine there is, a way to import other people's records such as you tell me of, in to one's own catalogue?

Or do I need to do it manually?

all the best

aglawton

posted by aglawton at 2:13 am (EST) on Mar 2, 2010

I recieved my copy. Thank you so much.

posted by FrancesN at 12:17 am (EST) on Jan 30, 2010

I know I won one of your books The Storyteller, but I haven;t recieved it in my e-mail and I am just wondering if you could try to send it to me agian. It is one of the books that I am greatly looking forward to read.

posted by FrancesN at 6:10 pm (EST) on Jan 25, 2010

Hi. Back in 2008, you updated The Shield Ring from being the fifth book of the Dolphin Ring cycle to the sixth. I'm wondering if you could take a few minutes to pop along to the Series post I've just put up (http://www.librarything.com/topic/82145), as I'm confused about whether that's correct. (It might well be: I've very little concrete information to go on, so I thought putting it up for discussion would be the easiest thing to do!)

posted by wimble at 6:17 am (EST) on Jan 13, 2010

Thanks for choosing me to receive and review one of your books, only I have to report that I haven't received it yet. I have checked all spam filters etc, it just doesn't seem to have arrived. Could I trouble you to send it again, please - rmwhunter@blueyonder.co.uk.
Thank you, Happy Christmas.
Bob

posted by BobH1 at 8:36 am (EST) on Dec 23, 2009

Thank you for selecting me to receive one of your books. I look forward to reading it and submitting a review.

Mark

posted by MarkGuest at 9:29 am (EST) on Dec 18, 2009

Thank you for picking me to read your book! I will tell you that I am not really good at reading the descriptions when books are posted. I mean, The genre is right up my alley, but I didn't realize it was the 3rd book of a series. So, you'll get 3 reviews for the price of one. I am going to look for Storyteller and Flight of the Hawk during my Christmas break.
I am so looking forward to reading them!

Thanks again.
Cat

posted by MDLady at 11:31 am (EST) on Dec 17, 2009

Thank you! However, I haven't received the book could you please send it to me again? (Could you put ebook in the subject line?)
I look forward to reading it!
Chirtie

posted by Chirtie at 3:50 pm (EST) on Dec 7, 2009

THANK YOU!! I am looking forward to reading your book. I have a few books ahead of yours in line but it should be fairly soon.
With anticipation...
Stan @ Iluvvideo

posted by iluvvideo at 4:36 pm (EST) on Dec 3, 2009

In your blurb in the Member Giveaway section about The Ash Spear you refer to the books as being Flight of the Hawk, probably just a cut and paste error, but I figured you may want to see if that can be corrected for clarity.

Also, where can I find physical copies of the books in this series? I'd like to buy them if possible.

posted by StormRaven at 12:49 pm (EST) on Dec 3, 2009

I know it's rude to try to line jump, but I would very much like a pdf copy of "The Ash Spear." It's wonderfull that it comes without digital rights management so that I can put it on my Kindle to read. My hands are too worn out to work on the computer anymore so I am home on disability and doing a great deal of reading. We seem to like the same authors and I love this time period so I am sure I would enjoy it. Does Amazon carry your other books? I will have to check.

Merry Christmas or whichever holiday you celebrate.

Diane L Urbanec AKA glitrbug
OmahaUrbanec@aol.com

posted by glitrbug at 9:53 pm (EST) on Dec 2, 2009

Hi! I haven't had a chance to read your book yet, as my home computer has been out of commission. I hope to have it up and running soon, so I can start reading!

Lisa

posted by bunkie68 at 10:44 am (EST) on Nov 27, 2009

krissaboman@gmail.com is my current email adress

posted by Krissa7 at 7:17 pm (EST) on Nov 23, 2009

Still cannot download the file for Storyteller. It seems to have a bad segment in it, somehow. If you have an idea, or can make a fresh copy of the file? It would be truly appreciated. Thanks so much.
Sincerely,
Shirley Worthen
South Jordan, Utah

posted by shirfire218 at 1:34 pm (EST) on Nov 20, 2009

THANK YOU for offering me a chance to read your novel thru Library Thing. It is now on my currently reading list. I'm really looking forward to it.

posted by iluvvideo at 3:39 pm (EST) on Nov 19, 2009

Thank you, so much for the consideration of sending your e-book to me for review as per the Library Thing Member Giveaway award. I truly appreciate it and look forward to receiving it, downloading it and putting it on my to read and review list. I have gotten a good start on Ash Spear, and I really like it. I must admit due to circumstances, my reading time has shrunk drastically; something I regret more than I can say. Also I seem to have a bit of difficulty with the e-book format as I am an old dinosaur and seem to be addicted to the printed format I have grown to love so dearly. However, I shall do my best as I am also on a moratorium for buying new books. By the way, I have received the link from you for Storyteller and am having some difficulty downloading it. I will give it another try, and if that fails I may contact you again, if you don't mind.
Sincerely,
Shirley Worthen
South Jordan, Utah

posted by shirfire218 at 1:58 pm (EST) on Nov 19, 2009

I got your book by email yesterday. I look forward to reading it and hope to have a review up in a few weeks. Thanks!

posted by justabookreader at 6:24 am (EST) on Nov 19, 2009

I greatly appreciate snagging the copy of Storyteller. Thank you for listing it. I look forward to recieving it and will post a review as soon as possible. Thank you

posted by Altarasabine at 3:52 pm (EST) on Nov 18, 2009

I recieved them today and am pleased as punch! Thank you so much!

posted by pollysmith at 7:48 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2009

Oh My Goodness! Thats so nice of you! I'm looking foreward to having them, Thank you very much!

posted by pollysmith at 6:56 pm (EST) on Oct 6, 2009

no prob!

posted by pollysmith at 7:44 am (EST) on Oct 6, 2009

cool! Thanks!

posted by pollysmith at 8:58 pm (EST) on Oct 4, 2009

well no, I never have. I could send a money order!
What would the cost be I wonder? I can't afford a lot but ten or twenty dollars wouldn't be beyond my limit.

My address:

Paulette Smith
8910 East Main Street Lot # 17
Reynoldsburg Ohio, 43068

Let me know, okay?

posted by pollysmith at 7:27 pm (EST) on Oct 4, 2009

Are you serious? I would love that boxed set! How much do you want for it?

Pollysmith

posted by pollysmith at 6:33 pm (EST) on Oct 4, 2009

The day and age when an author can alert a fan to the release of a new text is a *wonderful* time indeed. Thank you for alerting me to "The Ash Spear" being made available.

Will there be an etext edition released for sale via Lulu Press or Amazon? I am slowly converting (most of) my dead tree guts books to digital and already have the first two in .PDF form.

posted by An_Fear_Glas at 6:42 pm (EST) on Aug 17, 2009

Hi,

Just wanted to say thanks again for "Flight of the Hawk". I was a pleasure to read. I posted a review about a week ago. I'm looking forward to "The Ash Spear", which I intend to purchase.

Best Regards,
Dan

posted by dchaikin at 12:43 pm (EST) on Aug 4, 2009

Thanks for the correction. I guess I didn't scroll far enough when I reached the end of the story :)

Thanks for sending me the first two books as well. Believe me, I'm going to be getting to them fairly soon.

posted by ElenaGwynne at 4:12 pm (EST) on Jul 13, 2009

Diolch am eich ateb i fi, a mae'n ddrwg gen i hefyd achos mod i'n just nawr sgrifennu ateb i chi! Diolch yn fawr am ddechrau yn Gymraeg yn eich neges olaf :) Diolch hefyd am y ddogfen PDF. Darllenais yr llyfr a dw i wedi 'sgrifennu adolygiad ar librarything ac Amazon hefyd nawr. Roedd y llyfr yn iawn - cyffrous a diddorol. Diolch yn fawr eto.

Wna i ddefnyddio Saesneg i ateb i'r gweddill o'ch neges.

Regarding Lawhead - he is definitely worth reading. His books: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, Grail and Patrick: Son of Ireland all cover a very similar period to yours. he also sets some books a few hundres years later but still with a strong Celtic bent in Byzantium, The Iron Lance, the Black Rood and The Mystic Rose.

There are some marked differences between Lawhead's books and yours (most notably that he always centres his stories around faith communities, which you appear to stear clear of), but in terms of research and details your work is reminicent of his - and I mean that in a good way, because whilst being a little picky in my first review, both your books and his are thoroughly researched.

Whilst talking details: in Flight of the Hawk you mention crannogs in Scotland, and say that they are less common in Wales. Indeed, Wales has only one Crannog and coincidentally I was speaking to Sian Rees of Cadw about it last week. The Welsh Crannog at Llangorse lake dates from the 9th century, so indeed in the 6th century in Wales there would be no crannogs at all.

On an explanation of the "ll" sound in Welsh - yes that is going to be hard. I usually go for:

Put the tongue on the roof of your mouth, behind your teeth, just as if you are making an "l" sound, and then blow air as you make the l sound. If practicing with a friend, try not to spit on them :)

Anyway, thanks again for the PDF of the second book, and I hope you like the review.

posted by sirfurboy at 6:03 am (EST) on Jul 10, 2009

If you think I could comprehend ASH SPEAR without the information contained in STORYTELLER, by all means, start there. I'd ultimately love to read both, though I suppose the order might not be of utmost importance... you're the author; you tell me. :)

posted by wowcaipora at 3:18 pm (EST) on Jul 3, 2009

I would LOVE to take a look at ASH SPEAR! And as there's no better place to start than the beginning, I'll take up your offer of STORYTELLER as well. Please contact me at wowcaipora@hotmail.com and I'll send you back a review as soon as I can. :) Have a great JULY 4th! :)

posted by wowcaipora at 7:12 pm (EST) on Jul 2, 2009

Again, thanks. That's very kind of you. I'm guessing you have a fantastic amount of material. It's so good to see someone making something of the old Welsh legends. I shall certainly review it when I have the time to read it. And again, I wish you luck with this series.

posted by TracyRowan at 1:47 am (EST) on Jun 23, 2009

Y'know I would love to read the second book, but honestly I cannot promise you any sort of timely review on it, so I hesitate to say yes. Work and home issues are flying at me right now, and with a backlog of Amazon.vine stuff to get through as well... Well you know how it is, I imagine.

I'd actually feel better about it if I could contact you when I feel as if some time has opened up for me. But then, time never seems to... I'm going to leave it up to you. If you want to send with no clear option for being reviewed, or wait until I clear some time... either way it's your call.

Thanks again for letting me read Storyteller. I think you have done amazing work.

Dargie

posted by TracyRowan at 6:15 pm (EST) on Jun 22, 2009

Gerwin,
I was half way into Storyteller, and seem to have lost the pdf. file you sent me. I have busy taking management classes online, and had to break from reading the book. I really want to finish the book, if you can resend the pdf. My email is: silvio808@yahoo.com

Thanks!
Suzanne

posted by SFM13 at 12:34 pm (EST) on Jun 22, 2009

Hi! I'm sorry it took me so much longer to get to read Storyteller, but things got very busy here (garden, reviews, my own writing) all of a sudden. Anyway, I wanted you to know that I finally posted a review here as well as on Amazon.com and my Dreamwidth and Live Journal accounts.

I really enjoyed Storyteller, and am terribly impressed by your knowledge of the time and place. I hope you do well with it. Thank you so much for letting me read it.

posted by TracyRowan at 1:44 am (EST) on Jun 22, 2009

Thanks! I'll be sure to post in that thread when the book arrives and I look forward to reading it!
Natalie

posted by yummyfishmeister at 8:02 pm (EST) on Jun 7, 2009

Thank you so much. I will be happy to post reviews for you once I finish reading the book. My preferred email address is dovelady1962@hotmail.com
Elizabeth

posted by myfavoritethings at 12:23 pm (EST) on May 28, 2009

Another question for you - Is there a place I can find high resolution images of your covers?

posted by dchaikin at 2:21 pm (EST) on May 22, 2009

It's the quality control that makes me hesitant to pick up self-published books. And, really, it's books like yours that me more willing to do so.

again, thanks for the interesting publishing info.

posted by dchaikin at 10:35 am (EST) on May 22, 2009

Thanks for explanation.

Cheers,
d

posted by dchaikin at 10:25 am (EST) on May 22, 2009

Hi gwernin, I just finished Storyteller, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I'll have to think on it a bit before I review. I definitely plan to get to the second book sometime. I'm curious, was Storyteller a self-published book? I don't know anything about publishing, I don't even know exactly what self-published means. I'm asking because I'm thinking of mentioning something of the sort in my review and want to be sure I get it right.

Thanks again for the copy!

Cheers,
d

posted by dchaikin at 9:38 am (EST) on May 22, 2009

The PDF arrived safely. It's in my reading queue and I should get to it some time next week. Many thanks. I really look forward to reading this.

posted by TracyRowan at 6:22 pm (EST) on May 19, 2009

I'm glad to hear that! You can ship the PDF to: dargienfo@gmail.com There's no real hurry on this as I have a bit of a queue right now due to the fact that it's spring and getting the garden in has taken time away from reading. However I am catching up and I will definitely get to this in a timely manner.

Thanks so much for allowing me to become one of your readers.

Dargie

posted by TracyRowan at 2:09 am (EST) on May 18, 2009

Thank you for the copy of "Storyteller". I plan on reading during my memorial vactaions..

posted by CKHillman at 6:43 pm (EST) on May 15, 2009

It's been ages since I read any fiction about dark age Britain that moved me. Something about the excerpt you posted on the giveaway page stirred my imagination. I would certainly be happy to read and give my honest opinion of your book.

I'm not sure if by "established reviewers" you mean those who do it for a living, or those of us who enjoy sharing our ideas and opinions with others. I'm one of the latter. I've been reviewing over on Amazon.com for nearly a dozen years and am one of the top thousand reviewers there. I've copied all my book reviews to Library Thing, so if you're interested in seeing what I've done, you can check them out right on this site.

Recently I've begun reviewing for Thomas Nelson Company, and am involved in a few other publishers' review programs.

Thanks

posted by TracyRowan at 6:21 pm (EST) on May 15, 2009

Thank you so much for sending Flight of the Hawk so quickly, as wells as for the thoughtful letter and promotional DVD! I am very excited about reading it, as I am a huge fan of Celtic lore, historical fiction, the Dark Ages...pretty much everything this book is about! I have not yet read Storyteller--do you think I should before I start Flight? I usually like to read series in order, but I've found that some work either way. I believe I have entered the Member Giveaway, but I'm going to check now just in case.

I expect to start reading your book in early June, as I am smack in the middle of Drums of Autumn and also have a few library books to go through before they're overdue :) I can't wait! (Don't tell, but I've moved yours ahead of some other books I need to read and review.) Cheers!

Mary

posted by MissTeacher at 6:06 pm (EST) on May 15, 2009

Thank you for the copy of "Storyteller". I plan on reading it as soon as school is out. Just 14 more days... not that I am counting...LOL!!

posted by Amanda16948 at 7:43 pm (EST) on May 14, 2009

I'm so excited! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

posted by MissTeacher at 1:33 pm (EST) on May 12, 2009

Gwernin,

Thanks for the offer! I'll check out the first three chapters online, since I don't want you to send out a hardcopy if it looks like it's not my cup of tea, and let you know.

posted by lorax at 12:06 pm (EST) on May 12, 2009

Thank you, I received my copy of "Storyteller" today. Look forward to reading it!

posted by epivet at 5:24 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2009

i got my copy of "King Arthur's Raid on Hell" yesterday. I shall start reading it soon. Thanks very much for sending it.

posted by jaelquinn at 1:20 am (EST) on Mar 25, 2009

That is to say, that we do appreciate you. You sound like a cool person and I have pointed your work out to my partner as well.

posted by chellerystick at 12:06 am (EST) on Mar 25, 2009

I'll buy you a t-shirt; that way you don't feel so left out. (;

posted by chellerystick at 7:21 pm (EST) on Mar 24, 2009

I got my copy of "Guernen Sang Again . . ." today. Thank you, I will start reading it very soon.

posted by StormRaven at 4:20 pm (EST) on Mar 18, 2009

Definitely. I was thinking of Llywelyn yesterday as well and posted a comment on my facebook page in remembrance. Interesting how much things have changed in 726 years. I also find it rather interesting that my birthday is today, the day after Llywelyn's death, though I was born 695 years later.

I'm glad to hear my review helped. There are a lot of historical fiction readers out there and the good ones can be hard to find. Sharon Kay Penman, who wrote Here Be Dragons, has a new blog and I commented on your books and website there. She responded that she would check them out!

posted by cuffindell at 12:30 pm (EST) on Dec 12, 2008

Yes, I can help you with that. There are a few different ways to easily input Roman letters with diacritical marks. You can find the best methods here:

http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/bylanguage/welsh.html

Personally, I use the additional keyboards method in a Windows XP environment, as detailed in the link provided here. If set up with a hotkey for switching between keyboards, it is pretty painless. An example: the Icelandic keyboard allows one to make acute accents over any vowel, and allows for eth, thorn, o-umlaut, and a few other useful characters. I keep English, Icelandic, and Welsh keyboards in my language bar and use the hotkey of Alt-Shift to switch between them as needed, and the Language Bar sits on the taskbar, so you can always see which one is active.

This screenshot shows just the English and Icelandic keyboards, which is all I need here at my job. This might help you set up yours this way if you prefer this method.

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8257/gwerninsspr5.png

posted by An_Fear_Glas at 6:52 pm (EST) on Sep 18, 2008

Regarding your question about "Ancient warfare : archaeological perspectives": it is hard to say yet whether it is a good text. I purchased it on the same day that I added it to my catalogue. I have only read one article and the introduction thus far since I am currently taking notes on Motz's "Faces of the Goddess".

This is a TOC for the book:

1.) Introduction --- John Carman, Anthony Harding
2.) The origins of war and ethnic violence --- Jonathan Haas
3.) Biosocial and bioarchaeological aspects of conflict and warfare --- Don Brothwell
4.) Beyond the Western way of war: ancient battlefields in comparative perspective --- John Carman
5.) Stone Age warfare --- Slavomil Vencl
6.) War and peace in prehistoric Eastern Europe --- P. M. Dolukhanov
7.) Neolithic enclosures in Greek Macedonia: violent and non-violent aspects of territorial demarcation --- Dimitra Kokkinidou, Marianna Nikolaidou
8.) The origins of warfare in the prehistory of Central and Eastern Europe --- John Chapman
9.) The origins of warfare in the British Isles --- R. J. Mercer
10.) Warfare: a defining characteristic of Bronze Age Europe? --- Anthony Harding
11.) The emergence of warrior aristocracies in later European prehistory and their long-term history --- Kristian Kristiansen
12.) Into the Iron Age: a discourse on war and society --- Klavs Randsborg
13.) Hoplite obliteration: the case of the town of Thespiae --- Victor Davis Hanson
14.) The elusive warrior maiden tradition - bearing weapons in Anglo-Saxon society --- Deborah J. Shepherd
15.) Epilogue: the future study of ancient warfare --- John Carman, Anthony Harding
16.) Bibliography
17.) Index

As you can see, there are more than a few articles in the set which are very tempting reads, and there is a lot of work in there by well regarded scholars.

My only complaint thus far, and it is a minor one, is that the article I have read (The origins of warfare in the British Isles --- R. J. Mercer) is misleading in the name. The article is about half a brief mini-history of primitive European warfare, and the other part is mostly dealing with archaeological evidence of early archery in Britain and what sort of information we can plausibly extrapolate from that evidence. It is good information, and I find the article quite useful, but the misleading title irritated me.

I will let you know if I find any unusual gems in the mix of articles.

posted by An_Fear_Glas at 5:55 pm (EST) on Sep 18, 2008

Hi there,

Thanks for the recommendation. Unfortunately, I could find Food of the Bards available on ABE or Amazon, but I'll certainly keep an eye out. Sounds like a great resource. Any other interesting books you've been reading?

Carrie

posted by cuffindell at 12:30 pm (EST) on Aug 28, 2008

Thanks for marking me as interesting. I look forward to tracking down your books in Australia.

cheers
Macbeth

posted by Macbeth at 8:08 pm (EST) on Jun 16, 2008

Hi gwerin, I see we share quite a few titles. I recommend you take a look at 2 of my friend's catalogs: MACBETH & DONOGH, they might have some items of interest as well. Cheers, A

posted by Ammianus at 3:58 pm (EST) on Jun 12, 2008

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/A1FE8DZ84XU92D/ref=cm_pdp_lm...

Very handy lists. I found three promising books that had escaped my attention.

posted by An_Fear_Glas at 1:24 am (EST) on May 7, 2008

I just noticed that you have e-text versions of your books at Lulu Press! =)

That is excellent. I just ordered one of the two available to replace my print version of it in order to see how well the .pdf is formatted, and it is definitely usable. Thank you for thinking to offer e-text versions. I usually prefer to read fiction on my Tablet PC with Adobe Reader (sitting under trees in parks, of course!), and this will give me an excuse to re-read your historical fiction books.

posted by An_Fear_Glas at 1:53 pm (EST) on May 5, 2008

You might like this Groups topic. (grin)

http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?newpost=1&topic=35787

posted by An_Fear_Glas at 12:16 pm (EST) on May 3, 2008

£50, mynyffari, tamaid yn ddrud! Diwedd y mis, efallai. Ond pendant.

posted by Ffred_Clegg at 8:45 am (EST) on Apr 18, 2008

Dwi'n gweld nifer o lyfrau diddorol yn eich llyfrgell - ydy'r un newydd John Koch yn werth ei brynu?

posted by Ffred_Clegg at 3:15 pm (EST) on Apr 17, 2008