Alone With Glory
The Colour of Blood
A Different Kind of War
The Hardest Fight
> News
About the Author
FAQs
Did You Know?
Food
Glossary
Bibliography
Links
Buy the Book
NEWS 1 Feb. 2012.
FACT, FICTION - OR BOTH?
Here we are in 2012, a year which will bring several important bicentenaries for those interested in the Napoleonic Wars.
Peter has been working hard on the new book "The Blast of War", which will focus on many of the key events in the Peninsula two hundred years ago. With important sieges and battles, there is plenty for engineer Tom Herryck to get his teeth into, while other characters are fully involved in events at Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca and elsewhere.
As with previous Ties of Blood novels, "The Blast of War" will tell the true story of what happened in 1812 through a mixed cast of real and imagined characters.
So, if you want to know what happened to "Black Bob" Crauford or General "Daddy" Hill that year, join Tom Herryck, Robert Blunt and the others as the Ties of Blood adventure continues with "The Blast of War".
ALWAYS REMEMBER
11 November is a date with a resonance for anyone with a sense of history.
There was recently an interesting 200th anniversary (slightly happier) on Armistice Day.
On 11 September 1811 the British wine merchants returned to Oporto after Wellington had evicted the occupying French. In their "club", the Factory House, they celebrated with a meal of 11 courses - a tradition which is observed to this day.
HALFWAY TO WATERLOO
The latest book is out. You can order it right now, by going to the BUY THE BOOK page. (PLEASE CHOOSE CORRECT REGION - eg USA/Canada are ROW not EU...)
With the publication of this latest title the Ties of Blood series will be at the halfway point!
The new one is called "The Hardest Fight" and concerns the battles and sieges of the year 1811. Each of the Ties of Blood books appears on the 200th anniversary of a key event in the Peninsular War and tells the tale of that year's key events.
1811 was a big year in the war, with the balance of power delicately poised, and that is the story of "The Hardest Fight". The history is gripping - here it is told as a story.
Throughout the series there will be plenty of battles, discreet amounts of blood and guts; gentlemany fellows falling out with one another, suffering great privations, eating and drinking when they can, fighting nobly - and, of course, not quite understanding how it is that ladies conduct their own private thought processes.
Normal life, then...
And talking of Waterloo, there is a campaign to mark the bicentenary with a bank holiday!
If you think this is a good idea you can make it happen by excercising your franchise.
Go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26429 where you can vote online. 100,000 votes will provoke a government debate to consider the idea.
FACE TO FACE
Peter has opened a Facebook account, purely to speak to the Ties of Blood family. It's all about friendship...
ELEGANT CONVERSATION PIECES
Recently Peter gave a talk to the Bexhill Hanoverian Study Group www.bexhillhanoveriankgl.co.uk They are particularly interested in the history of the King's German Legion (consistently some of Wellington's best troops) who were quartered in Bexhill during our period.
Peter has been invited to the Horncastle Regency Festival www.horncastleregencyfestival.webeden.co.uk in May next year. Horncastle is a handsome Lincolnshire town, once home to Sir Joseph Banks among other famous individuals, and it will be a splendid location for an elegant period festival.
2012 tour dates to be announced soon!
RECONNAISSANCE MISSION
In May Peter enjoyed a successful research trip to the Peninsula, where he gathered material for next year's title "The Blast of War" and beyond.
Says Peter:
'It was good to re-visit some of the sites I'd already looked at and also to be able to take in several new locations I've only previously read about.'
'I've a good idea what the characters get up to in the next story, but it was rewarding to be able to absorb the atmosphere of these amazing places and picture what was happening two centuries ago.'
'1812 was a year of sieges and it was useful to visit the fortresses, most of which still give an impression of the stern challenge they offered their attackers.'
BLOG ON THE LANDSCAPE
In Spain researching the forthcoming 1812 novel "The Blast of War", Peter was lucky enough to be given a detailed tour of the fortifications at Badajoz by the local Spanish historians behind the excellent www.badajoz1812.blogspot.com
The enthusiasm and knowledge of the group was impressive and, as well as learning plenty of new information about the siege, it was fascinating to get a Spanish perspective on what was both a glorious achievement and a dark day for British arms.
The group is trying to push through a plan to put up a handsome memorial obelisk on the spot of one of the breaches. There are few enough memorials to British involvement in the Peninsular War (either at home or in the Peninsula itself) and they are to be applauded for their efforts.
A MINE OF INFORMATION
Peter recently gave a talk to the Friends of the Royal Engineers Museum at Brompton Barracks, Chatham. Around thirty people attended the talk.
'It was a very enjoyable evening,' Peter says. 'It's great to have a knowledgeable audience who come up with interesting questions.'
Later Peter was entertained to dinner in the officers mess. Great news: the museum has just been given the medals of Sir Richard Fletcher, sapper hero of the Peninsular War.
FITTING TRIBUTE
In May 2011 Peter was lucky enough to be invited to the annual commemoration service at the British Cemetery, Elvas. Marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Albuera, a handsome new memorial was unveiled in a moving ceremony in front of several hundred people.
The body of General Daniel Hoghton (a hero of the battle featured in "The Hardest Fight") is laid to rest in the cemetery, the only one in the Peninsula to contain battle casualties. Set within the walls of Elvas fortress, it is possible to see Badajoz, standing just across the border.
Find out more on www.british-cemetery-elvas.org
IT'S A FAMILY THING
The Ties of Blood tales work well because there are lots of intriguing characters involved in the genuine historical action - many of them belonging to the two families at the centre of the stories - and that is the glue of the series.
BUT, if there is family in the books, there is also family in the publishing story, and that is you - yes, YOU! YOU!
Tell your fiends about Bicorn however you can.
Peter has chosen to tell the tales in a particular way, and has decided to get them to his readers in a similarly unusual fashion. The books sell independent of publishers and bookshops, amazon, or legal downloads.
Lend one to a friend by all means, but do please buy one as a present as well - father's day, birthday, valentine's day; get your rich mate who likes Sharpe, O'Brian, Austen, Tolstoy or Bridget Jones to buy one - just so we can find a few farthings and sixpences to pay for the next!
WHAT'S THE STORY?
"A Right of Passage" is the answer - the latest Ties of Blood short story sent out ABSOLUTELY FREE to readers who bought a Ties of Blood book during the 2010 calendar year - but, of course, that offer is now closed.
"The Bird-Swindler's Friend", another fine yarn, was 2009's free story, hmm - sadly, now also unavailable.
Last Christmas, 2011, loyal Bicorn customers received a brand new short story "A Dozen Bakers".
All three stories are now unavailable. But Peter is working on a new one for next December...
The moral of this tale is: Buy a Book - Get a Free Story!
IT'S GOOD TO
TALK
"Love & War, Sherry & Tripe" is pulling in new converts to the goings-on of the era, while "Peninsular War: Fact and Fiction" is offered to those who doubtless know more than Peter does, but are interested to know how the stories come together...
The talks are fun and offer a chance for the author to meet readers, as well as general history fans, and hopefully to make new converts from those who think the H-word is a turn-off. Oh no it isn't !
Watch out for new talk later this year: "Once More Into The Breeches". Sieges of one sort or another...
BITS AND LIGHT BOBS
Writing has being going well on the new book ("The Blast of War", out April 2012) for Peter, plus thinking on the one after that. He still plans to publish as near as possible to the EXACT 200th anniversary of each chosen event.
Various kind people have added links to their sites - this is greatly appreciated and always reciprocated, if suitable to our subject.
Magazines, newspapers, radio stations, podcasts and websites have been generous and positive in pushing the books. Also just kind individuals, willing to get interested. It's hugely well-received and helps get the word out that the stories are there and the website is growing!
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Peter is happy to sign your copy of the book/s. If you order online, you can ask for a dedication when you visit the Buy the Book page on this site.
There are plans for a new edition of the series, so the signed first first editions will certainly be collector's items!
CLEAR VISION
There is a really interesting website detailing the aims and objectives of Peninsular War 200, an organisation promoting a better understanding of all aspects of the war and, in particular, working to gain more formal acknowledgement of the sacrifice of the men and women who died in the conflict. Have a look at www.peninsularwar200.org
Similarly Waterloo 200 is an umbrella organisation set up to oversee the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo due in the summer of 2015. Since 1973 they have been working to preserve and enhance the battlefield, encourage research and public education. www.waterloo200.org
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
There is a lot of interest in the food mentioned in the books. We've added a food button to the site and you can find recipes for several of the dishes mentioned in the series. More recipes will follow as our hungry friends eat their way about the Peninsula!