Bicorn - The Ties of Blood Peninsular War Novels

Peter is putting the finishing touches to the next Ties of Blood novel. This is "Even to the Knife", due out in late June 2013 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Vitoria. While there is plenty of action for your favourite characters, the battle itself yielded many amazing true stories, including the taking of the richest plunder seen on a battlefield in modern Europe! The booty ranged from millions in coin and priceless works of art to a marshal's baton and even King Joseph's gilded chamber pot...

Last Christmas Peter sent out the free Ties of Blood short story "The White Cockade". The story was sent online as a festive thank you to anyone who bought a hard copy novel during this last calendar year. The offer extended until 31 January 2012.
Like previous years' stories "The White Cockade" is no longer be available, but there will be a new story next December for discerning book purchasers in 2013.

There was a very well-informed audience and Peter also had the opportunity to visit the Rifles Museum, a wonderful resource for any Peninsular War student. For his previous talk he enjoyed a return visit to Chatham to tell the Friends of the Royal Engineers Museum about the events of 1812 ("The 1812 Overview"). Both of these groups ask great questions!

Last year he gave two different talks each day at the Napoleonic Association's hugely successful Living History Weekend at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham.

The NA weekends are great events for all the family. Each day features a battle and it's possible to visit the soldiers' camps and see how the men (women and children!) lived.

A talk for Georgian enthusiasts of a slightly different stamp was given when Peter offered "Love & War, Sherry & Tripe" at the first Horncastle Regency Festival. The sun came out and it was a fine weekend.

The "Love & War" talk also cheered the beautifully dressed literary crowd at the Bath Jane Austen Festival in September. You can find out more about the Festival at www.janeausten.co.uk

Peter's latest book is "The Blast of War", which focuses on many of the key events which took place in the Peninsula two hundred years ago. With important sieges and battles, there is plenty for engineer-hero 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" tells the true story of what truly did happen in 1812 through the experiences of a mixed cast of real and imagined characters.

So, if you want to know what happened to "Black Bob" Crauford or General "Daddy" Hill in the year 1812, join Tom Herryck, Robert Blunt and the others as the Ties of Blood adventure continues with "The Blast of War".

OUT NOW!

STOP PRESS: Cover photo - familiar chessboard; old friends of the series will want to know what is the colour of the spine this time?

EXPERT WITNESS

Peninsular War expert Colonel Nick Lipscombe has a new website detailing his books, talks and battlefield tours. Nick, author of the Peninsular War Atlas, has a deep involvement with Peninsular War 200 (see CLEAR VISION below) and you can find out more about him at www.nick-lipscombe.net

11 November is always a date with great resonance for anyone with a sense of history.

There was recently an interesting 200th anniversary commemoration (slightly happier) on Armistice Day.

On 11 September 1811 the British wine merchants returned to their businesses in 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.

The latest book is out. You can order it right now, by going to the BUY THE BOOK page.

Each of the Ties of Blood books appears around the 200th anniversary of a key event in the Peninsular War and tells the tale of that year's key events.

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.

Peter has a Facebook account, purely to speak to the Ties of Blood family. It's all about friendship...

In May last year Peter enjoyed a successful research trip to the Peninsula, where he gathered material for "The Blast of War" and beyond.

'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.'

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 knowledgeable group of local Spanish historians behind the excellent www.badajoz1812.blogspot.com

The enthusiasm and knowledge of the bloggers 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 also helped to push through a plan to put up a handsome memorial obelisk on the spot of one of the breaches (put in place 21 April 2012). 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.

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 during 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.

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!

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.

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!

"The White Cockade" 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 2012 calendar year - but, of course, that offer will close 31 January 2012.

"A Dozen Bakers" was given away in 2011, "A Right of Passage" in 2010 and "The Bird-Swindler's Friend", another fine yarn, was 2009's free story, hmm - sadly, now all unavailable.

"Love & War, Sherry & Tripe" is pulling in new converts to the goings-on of the era, while "The 1812 Overview" is offered to those who might well know more than Peter does about this momentous year, 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 !

Research has being going well on the new book ("Even To The Knife", out June 2013) 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!

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!

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

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!