Promo: #awardwinning #historicalfiction author Helen Hollick chats about her Writing Life

Today, I'm delighted to take part in my dear author friend Helen Hollick's 30th Publication Anniversary tour. 

Helen is telling us all about her life as a published and self-published author – and about some of her dearest friends, who you may just know...

Join us!

Many congratulations, Helen, on such a remarkable anniversary! 🥂🎉

My writing life

by Helen Hollick

 

Where have the last thirty years gone? On April 13th 1993 I celebrated my 40^th birthday. One week later I was celebrating again, this time, my acceptance by William Heinemann (now a part of Random House UK) for the publication of my Arthurian novels, the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy. It had taken more than ten years of writing what turned out to be the first two parts, The Kingmaking and Pendragon’s Banner to get that far. 

 

In other articles included in my online 70^th birthday / thirty years in print celebration I’ve talked about various aspects of the past thirty years – here, on Cathie’s blog (thank you for inviting me, Cathie!) I want to pay a tribute to three authors in particular who have supported me.

 

The late, great, Sharon K Penman tops the list. I found a copy of her Here Be Dragons in my local library. It looked interesting. In fact, it was magnificent. So much so, I wrote to her (having never written to an author before, and this was in the days pre-internet, so a hand-written letter with a stamp on it). I praised ‘Dragons’ and mentioned that I was attempting to write my own novel about King Arthur (having no inkling that the amount I had already written was enough to form half of a trilogy). A few weeks later I received a reply. Sharon was so sweet, so encouraging. She said: “If you can make a four page letter as interesting as you have done, I can’t wait to read the book!”

 

A short while later, she was in London, we met for coffee at the Museum of London. 

The outcome of that meeting was that Sharon offered to read the first chapter of what eventually became The Kingmaking – on the proviso that I would be willing to accept her criticism, good or bad. It was a deal.

 

I heard from her again several weeks later. There was criticism – but all of it constructive. The main advice being:  “You have too many long sentences, cut them down, and keep the pace going.” She also said she loved it, I was to get it finished and when that was done she’d recommend me to her agent. Skip forward to that April in 1993. Heinemann wanted to contract Sharon. Her agent offered them Sharon’s protégé instead ... me.

A while later, I cannot remember the date, 1994? ’95?, I found myself attending a re-enactment festival organised by the fairly new-founded Historical Novel Society. I was in good company: fellow authors giving talks were Elizabeth Chadwick and Bernard Cornwell. (Most of the questions put to Bernard after his talk were related to Sharpe and Sean Bean.) Bernard was such a lovely man, who took great interest in Elizabeth and my books. He confessed that in writing his novel about King Arthur he had tried writing it without a Merlin character. I laughed and told him I’d managed to do it. (He then confessed that his wife had read The Kingmaking and thought it was better than his... although he might have just been giving me some gentlemanly praise.) 

Helen Hollick with Bernard Cornwell

 

Some years later I attended a talk in London hosted by Bernard. I went along with my then Assisted Publisher, Helen Hart from Silverwood Books (see my other articles for why I was no longer with Random House – or my ex-agent!). After the talk I approached Bernard to say hello, wondering whether he remembered me from that previous event several years beforehand... He did! He looked up, beamed, grabbed my hand and declared “Hello Helen, how wonderful to see you!” We’ve kept in touch, on and off since then, and he gave me  this fabulous quote: “Helen Hollick has it all! She tells a great story and writes consistently readable books.”

 

I’m not sure if I would have had the courage to go Indie after Random House dropped me, if it hadn’t been for the support and encouragement from Elizabeth Chadwick. Not only a wonderful writer – in my opinion the world’s best historical fiction writer – but a dear and treasured friend. I am honoured to have dedicated the new edition of Shadow of the King (book 3 of the trilogy) to her. A small but heartfelt way of saying thank you to her as a brilliant writer and as a very dear friend. She too has given me a fabulous quote for my 1066 era novel, Harold The King (titled I Am The Chosen King in the US)  “A novel of enormous emotional power” and for my nautical adventures, the Sea Witch Voyages: "A wonderful swashbuckler of a read. Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean will love this to pieces of eight!"

Barbara Erksine, Helen Hollick, Elizabeth Chadwick

 

There are many other authors I’ve met and become friends with over these thirty years, too many to mention here, because this would turn into one of those awful Oscar acceptance speeches – suffice to say thank you to them all. They know who they are!

 

But finally I have a bigger thank you to make. Thank you to you, the readers who read and enjoy my books. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here now, celebrating thirty years of writing...  so thank you.

 

© Helen Hollick

 

Helen’s new, self-published, editions with beautiful covers designed by Cathy Helms of www.avalongraphics.org are, alas, only available outside of USA and Canada, where the same books are published by Sourcebooks Inc. (The new covers were offered – free – to Sourcebooks, but the offer was declined.)

US/Canada editions

~~~

Blurb:

 

THE KINGMAKING (Book 1) 

 

The Boy Who became a Man:

Who became a King:

Who became a Legend... KING ARTHUR

 

There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot.

Instead, the man who became our most enduring hero.

 

All knew the oath of allegiance:

‘To you, lord, I give my sword and shield, my heart and soul. To you, my Lord Pendragon, I give my life, to command as you will.’

 

This is the tale of Arthur made flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man who became the legendary king; a man with dreams, ambitions and human flaws.

A man, a warlord, who united the collapsing province of post-Roman Britain,

who held the heart of the love of his life, Gwenhwyfar

- and who emerged as the most enduring hero of all time.

 

A different telling of the later Medieval tales.

This is the story of King Arthur as it might have really happened...

 

“Helen Hollick has it all! She tells a great story and writes consistently readable books”

~ Bernard Cornwell

 

"If only all historical fiction could be this good." Historical Novels Review

"... Juggles a large cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill." 

~ Publishers Weekly

 

"Hollick's writing is one of the best I've come across - her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there's a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes."

~ Passages To The Past

 

"Hollick adds her own unique twists and turns to the familiar mythology"

~ Booklist

"Uniquely compelling... bound to have a lasting and resounding impact on Arthurian literature."

~ Books Magazine 

The Kingmaking: Book One

Pendragon’s Banner: Book Two

Shadow of the King: Book Three

 

Buy Links:

 

THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY 

New Editions available worldwide except USA/Canada

https://mybook.to/KingArthurTrilogy

 

Available USA/Canada 

US TRILOGY

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C38TXN

CANADA TRILOGY

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B074C38TXN

 

~~~

About the Author:

Helen Hollick

First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 

Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages. She has also branched out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with her Jan Christopher Murder Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working as a library assistant.

 

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon and occasionally gets time to write...

 

Website: https://helenhollick.net

All Helen’s books are available on Amazon: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Subscribe to Helen’s Newsletter:  https://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick

Her Blog: https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Twitter: @HelenHollick https://twitter.com/HelenHollick

 

Follow Helen’s Celebration Tour https://www.helenhollick.net/