If you’re in Oxford, U.K. on Saturday, July 6, do swing by the Oxford Indie Book Fair to say hello! I’ll be there selling all my books at a special discounted rate. I’m also always delighted to sign old copies of my books, so do bring them along! Many thanks to #OxIndieBookFair and @artsfestivaloxford for organising the event. I’m really looking forward to meeting these other fabulous Oxford-based indie authors and industry professionals–it looks to be a stellar day. Hope to see you there!

You may have noticed that the website is getting a bit of a ‘glow-up’—I’m in the process of adding some exciting new features to the site which I hope will help you, my gorgeous readers, immerse yourselves even more fully in the early-mediaeval world of The Chronicles of Iona. I will let you know when those features are fully loaded and ready for you to explore!

In the meantime, I’m here in Crete, hard at work on Book 5, a good part of which takes place in the Hebrides and the Orkneys—deeply evocative locations which I had the absolute pleasure of re-visiting recently while doing preliminary on-site research for the new book.

One of the things I love most about writing these stories is that Aedan and Columba had such a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on their world, both in their own lifetimes and for the subsequent history of Europe as a whole. In a period of history which is often impenetrable to the modern gaze—the Early Middle Ages, that is from about 400 to about 800 A.D., has been called ‘dark’ for a good reason; few primary sources remain—these two leap out. For me, this happily means that, as their stories widen in scope over the course of the books, so does the fictional world I get to create for them.

Next up, in Book 5, will be the west and north of Scotland, as I’ve said. And, after that, we get to Scotland’s Pictish east. By the end of the series (I’ve got 8 books planned), we’ll have had the opportunity to explore the furthest most reaches of 6^th-century Britain and Ireland …

I hope to have Book 5 out by Christmas. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at the glorious cover, which I very much love, designed with the help of the supremely talented Victoria Hamilton (thank you Vicki!). I hope you like it as much as I do!

I recently joined Oliver Webb-Carter for Aspects of History’s podcast. We talked about life in the ‘Dark Ages’.

As the Romans departed, Britain and Ireland underwent a hugely tumultuous period as Christianity developed, but also natural phenomena caused mayhem.

I help Ollie clear up the murky past, describe life in the period, and talk about some of the prominent figures from a time when history merges into myth–many of them characters from the series.

Listen here: https://aspectsofhistory.com/podcasts/episode-102/

Jumping on with a little news about my Youtube channel—you know how sometimes you can meticulously keep on top of passwords and sometimes you … can’t? Well … long story short, I’ve had to recreate my Youtube channel as I’m locked out of the original one. Fortunately I have everything to hand and it’s not been too laborious!

If you were following me over there, I’d like to direct you to the new one which, now that book 4, ‘Cradle of Saints’, is published, I’ll be growing and updating on a more regular basis.

You can now find me at https://www.youtube.com/@PauladeFougerolles-Novelist—and what’s more, you’ll be rewarded with the premiere of my stunning new promo video, made by a filmmaker local to the part of Scotland that I write about, Joe Osborn of Carsaig Films—such a talent, and one to watch! The promo shows Aedan mac Gabran awaiting the arrival of the exiled abbot St. Columba, filmed on location at Dunadd hillfort in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll—the event which kicks off the whole series.

Do please subscribe to the new channel, and let me know what you think of the promo.

All the best!

‘Psychic Distance’ is a technique that deals with where the narrative, and therefore the reader, stands in relation to the characters, with how far the reader is taken, by the narrator, inside the characters’ heads. Generally speaking, there are 5 levels of distance, from the most objective (where the narrator provides information and context about the story at the expense of the characters’ internal lives) to stream-of-consciousness (where the narrator is so embedded inside the characters’ emotions, thoughts, and senses that we see little of what’s going on in the outside world). In a book, authors will often go back and forth between the different levels of ‘psychic distance’. It all depends on what they need to achieve at any given point in their story.

With ‘Exile’, I started off with a more remote ‘psychic distance’ mainly because of the book’s genre, historical-fiction, and particularly its sub-genre, stories that are set in early-mediaeval Britain, the so-called ‘Dark Ages’. Crucially, ‘The Chronicles of Iona’ does not follow a single historical personage; it does not have a single main viewpoint character, which is most often what you see in my genre. Rather, it is a dual biography. It tells two stories simultaneously, that of St Columba of Iona and of his compatriot and partner-in-crime, Aedan mac Gabran, king of Dalriada—men, moreover, who, though they set about changing the world, are not yet household names.

In addition, it was hugely important to me from the start that I also give voice to those who are traditionally under-represented in both my genre and the historical sources for my period as a whole—women, children, the dispossessed, slaves, etc. So, in each book, I also needed to bring in key secondary viewpoint characters who would help to carry that particular story’s narrative weight. These key secondary viewpoint characters change with each book. In this way, just like the mediaeval world they are trying to bring to life, the books needed to be ‘polyvocal’: they are to have many voices.

To add to this, the series is set predominantly in Scotland and Ireland—a Gaelic world. It is not Saxon, British, or Viking, which are the ‘Dark Age’ worlds most often explored in historical-fiction of this period. In many respects, the early-mediaeval Gaelic world of ‘The Chronicles’, with its unique customs, laws, languages, religions, myths, and histories, is another country altogether. This required that I find just the right balance between my expertise as an historian and the story’s narrative needs—that is, between fact and fiction.

For all these reasons, what I was attempting to do would be new for many readers and I needed to ease them in.

So, the start of the book, crucial for any reading experience, had to do two essential things: it had to introduce Columba, whose excommunication from Ireland in 563 and exile to Scotland is the inciting incident for the series as a whole, and it had to begin to build a relatable world.The easiest way to do this was through a more remote ‘psychic distance’. It allowed me to set the stage before launching into the heart of the story.

That done, I could shift in closer, and then stay in that more intimate ‘psychic distance’ for the rest of the series. (Though observant readers will note that I pull back occasionally to use a ‘narrator’s’ voice—or a ‘bard’s’ voice, if you like—particularly when introducing new locations like islands or hillforts.) In theory, this kind of approach allows the reader to ‘feel’ the story as the characters live it, and it is the ‘psychic distance’ most often used in fiction today. I switch over to this closer ‘psychic distance’ at Chapter 2, a shift which coincides exactly with the introduction of Aedan as the story’s other main viewpoint character.

Which is all well and good. Except that, as a number of readers have said over the years, it is with Chapter 2, with Aedan’s point-of-view, that ‘Exile’ really takes off. When I go in, they go in.

That may be precisely because I have, by Chapter 2, built the world well enough that readers can now just go with it. That the first chapters in their more remote ‘psychic distance’ did the job they needed to do.

But … and this is the really fun part about writing … what if I could go back and do the same from the start of the book? What if I could I accomplish the same amount of ‘world-building’ at the very start of ‘Exile’, but within the confines of a closer ‘psychic distance’? From deeper within Columba’s point-of-view? It’s more challenging, to be sure—there’s a lot going on in those first forty-or-so pages—but could I do everything I needed to do while getting readers immersed into the world more quickly?

With this in mind, for ‘Exile’s’ revised 2^nd edition I set myself that challenge …

And I am happy to report that I could and I did. It was an informative and hugely satisfying exercise. With this 2^nd edition, I now launch into Columba’s mindset immediately, indeed with the book’s first sentence. This not only quickens the pace, it should help new readers get straight into the story, which is where we want them to be.  

I loved doing it, and I hope you enjoy it! You can find the updates via this Linktree link – and as I mentioned in my last post, as big thank you, if any long-time readers would like a free copy of ‘Exile’s’ 2^nd edition, send me a photo of your copy of the original edition (print or digital), and I’ll forward you a link! Pics can be sent to paula@pauladefougerolles.com.

The revised edition has a number of useful new features. Most obviously, it has got a new and improved cover. In fact, all the books now do. I couldn’t be more thrilled with them! I particularly love the new cover of book 3, ‘Island-Pilgrim’, as it now sits harmoniously on the shelf with its siblings.

To ‘Exile’, I’ve now added a comprehensive list of Cast of Characters. Over the years, readers have asked how to pronounce the books’ Old Irish and Old Welsh personal and place names (which, for the sake of authenticity and out of a love for those languages, I didn’t fully anglicize), and so, starting with the second book, I began to add Casts of Characters—but ‘Exile’ didn’t have one yet. As the theatre for the series gets ever bigger and the cast of characters continues to blossom (we’re on to Orkney next!), this should help keep everything straight.

‘Exile’ also sports gorgeous new maps! All the books do, in fact. These are a significant upgrade from my hand-drawn ones which, while they had a Tolkeinesque aesthetic that I adored, could not quite encompass everything the books needed them to do. For them, I must wholeheartedly thank and indeed praise Victoria Hamilton who has been helping me so brilliantly with the social- and marketing outreach for the series this past year-and-a-half. (If you’ve been enjoying my increased social media presence, it is thanks to her!) To get the maps just right, it is no exaggeration to say that she spent weeks and weeks courageously manipulating a very finicky ‘Illustrator’ program while simultaneously appeasing a very exacting author. The maps are not only as informative as they need to be, they are full of a wonderful artistry and energy. I love them!

The new edition also gave me the fantastic opportunity to go back and re-read all the books with an eye to how I might rewrite them. This is something artists rarely get to do, especially writers. But, as we continue to write, we continue to perfect our craft and to grow as people, which means that we can read something we’ve written and know that we’d now go about it differently. In this way, eagle-eyed readers will note that the Preface and first two chapters of ‘Exile’ have been slightly streamlined in order to adjust their ‘psychic distance’. (If you’re interested in the mechanics of this aspect of how narrative is constructed, please see my next blog post.) While rewriting, I also cleaned up typos and fixed the location of (or ‘retconned’, as we say in the business) a couple of the Pictish provinces since, thanks to recent scholarship, we now know where they are, but the rest of the narrative is unchanged.

The updated books are now available on Amazon – visit my Linktree to discover them. But most importantly—and this is super exciting!—these new editions are now accessible to major retail bookstores. The series could always be stocked by independent booksellers, but major retailers were not able to buy them. Now they can. The books are print-on-demand and will take about two weeks to arrive, but you can go into your favourite bookstore and request them now. This is a huge step for the series!

Finally, in honour of you, my beloved long-time readers: if you send me a photo of your copy of the original edition of ‘Exile’ (print or digital), I’ll forward you a link for a free e-book of the new, revised 2^nd edition! Send your photo here: paula@pauladefougerolles.com.

To end, I’d like to send out a heart-felt thank you to all of you. Your love for these characters and their world has been inspiring. It is enormously rewarding to hear from you and, as the books become more widely available, I am in no doubt that exciting times are ahead!

I’ve been writing books for over 10 years now, and I can tell you, it doesn’t get any easier to submit your work for independent review!

So it’s rewarding to have some really positive feedback from readers and reviewers – especially when those reviewers may not have read the whole series.

I’m delighted to share the full review from Foreword Clarion – champions of independently published writing – which came with a full 5 stars.

“Set in medieval Britain, Paula de Fougerolles’s thrilling historical novel Cradle of Saints is full of passion, violence, warring Scottish lords, and the Black Death.”

“Cradle of Saints is an epic historical novel in which politics and religion lead to clashes and power struggles in the British Isles.”

And from Blue Ink Reviews…

“The story’s realism and authenticity is constantly compelling. Combined with the author’s narrative flair and her strong, sympathetic characters, Cradle of Saints is sure to hook historical fiction fans who have an interest in this era.”

My favourite reviews come from readers though, so if you’ve read Cradle of Saints, or any of The Chronicles of Iona, do please leave your thoughts on Amazon or Goodreads.

I’m dying to hear what you think, so do please drop reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

I’ve had a few people ask about availability in their region; my books are available in every Amazon marketplace, so the easiest way to find me is to log into your local Amazon site and search my name ‘Paula de Fougerolles’ (there aren’t many of us!).

Thanks again.

Well, dear readers, I am very pleased to announce that ‘Cradle of Saints’, the fourth book in ‘The Chronicles of Iona’, is here at last!  

The story begins in 574 as Columba and Aedan mac Gabran hunt down their enemies through the wilds of Ireland’s ancient north and west, Columba to find Aedan’s lost brother, Aedan to unite the warring peoples of Dal Riata and to defeat once and for all the tyrannical overlord who holds them all hostage. But an even greater enemy threatens: bubonic plague ravages Europe yet again, bringing the West to its knees—a mortal peril from which none of them may escape …

You can get your print copy directly from Amazon.com here. A Kindle edition will follow soon, and Smashwords will follow (I’ll keep you posted!). Visit the UK site here >

I have loved writing this book (more on that below …). And I do hope you enjoy it. If you can, please leave reviews on places like Amazon and Goodreads, as that’s always hugely helpful.

Also coming soon are the 10^th-anniversary editions of ‘Exile’, ‘Prophet’, and ‘Island-Pilgrim’, with some new brand material and gorgeous new covers—watch this space!

On a personal note, I’d like to say a few of things about the writing of this book:

Firstly, I knew from the very beginning, over two decades ago when I began to sketch out the first outlines of this world in the pages of my journals, that bubonic plague would factor heavily in this particular book. It had to: when bubonic plague, which first appeared in Egypt, spread to Britain, Scotland, and Ireland in the 540s, Columba was a young man and Aedan but a baby. They somehow survived it, but something like half of the population did not. In the 570s, it was back again; and remained active in Europe for two centuries—two centuries! So its terrible spectre loomed large over every aspect of Columba’s and Aedan’s lives.

Because of this, I had factored in plague as one of the main narrative drivers of this part of the series. What I could not have guessed then was just how timely this would turn out to be.  

Because, you know: COVID-19. Thankfully, I found the process of writing about pandemic while also living through it to be oddly therapeutic. I suppose that’s because, ultimately, all writers, all artists, should (must?) grapple with the whole notion of life and death—why we’re here, and why we’re then not. It’s these kinds of musings that make art useful, and I would argue necessary. It’s why I write. As an added bonus, historians also get to look at how the people and societies who came before us made sense of their personal existence, and of existence in general (if they managed to make any sense of it at all). For me, being able to speculate about why people lived the way they did, and why they believed what they believed, is the fun part of the job, in fact an obsession for me—the ‘why’ often being far more compelling than the ‘how’.

Our lives are fragile, even in the best of times. That is both a burden and a gift to know. How much more so would that knowledge have been to the people of the 6^th century, who were facing mortality rates of up to 50% with no hope of vaccines? How did they react? What did they do? What did they not do?

It was deeply informative to compare then to now. Two things really stood out. The first is just how similar our responses to pandemic have been to our poor forebears’. Their despairs, their sacrifices, their failings and nobilities, both individually and institutionally, are also our own. The second is that, just as they did, we are finding our way through, and lifting up others as we go—a thought which I find immeasurably comforting. I hope some of that comes through in this book.

Lastly, I’d like to say a heart-felt thank you to all of you who have been so patiently awaiting ‘Cradle’s’ publication. Like for so many of you, it has been a challenging time for my family, never more so than this past year when we lost an outsized number of those we loved. This book is dedicated to them, with love and gratitude for the blessings of their lives: bright lights and sorely missed, all.

With its uncanny parallels to the Covid era, the story became bigger than I had originally plotted, and there turned out to be so much more to explore! So, if you can bear with me, I’m finishing it up now and will have it ready for you in early 2022. 

That said, on this significant anniversary it gives me enormous pleasure to give you the cover artwork for the book, and to open up Kindle pre-orders.

‘Cradle of Saints’, the fourth book in the series, follows Columba and Aedan mac Gabran as they hunt down their enemies through the wilds of Ireland’s ancient north and west. But an even greater enemy threatens as Bubonic plague ravages Europe yet again, bringing the West to its knees—a mortal enemy from which none of them may escape.

With the tale ranging across the storied landscapes of early-mediaeval Donegal, the north of Ireland, and the Isle of Man, it was a great opportunity to showcase this detail of the ‘Hibernia’ plate from Abraham Ortelius’ ‘Epitome Theatri Ortelani’ of about 1601 for the cover of the book. In the early days before Iona’s enormous and wide-ranging influence really took off, the territory either side of the North Channel, from Argyll to the north and west of Ireland, was Columba’s stomping ground, his and Aedan’s home.

I love this cover. After ‘Exile’, which set the tone for the series and was the fruition of decades of dreaming and hard work, it is my favourite cover yet. I’d love to know what you think of it!

Head over to Amazon today to place a pre-order if you’re keen. But, don’t worry, I’ll also keep you posted as we get closer to the launch date.