Legionary Books, LLC

13 June 2008

Well it's been a while since I've posted an update regarding my writing, so here goes:

I'm struggling my way through the initial draft of my next Soldier of Rome book, "Heir to Rebellion." To be honest, this book was not part of the original plan for the series. In fact, the sole reason for its existence is because there was too large of a gap between the second book "The Sacrovir Revolt" and what was to be the third book (now the fourth) "The Centurion." That's okay, because this one allows me to more gradually develope Artorius and the rest of the characters instead of having them age eight years overnight. Speaking of age, at times I find that I need to remind the readers (and myself) how young Artorius still is at this stage of the series; 23-years old at the start of Heir to Rebellion.

Those who've read the first two books can already guess as to the basic premise of the third book in the series. It picks up about a year after the end of The Sacrovir Revolt with Artorius and company trying to solve a series of grizzly murders that look to sow the seeds of dissent in the Gallic city of Lugdunum.

For those looking for "epic" force-on-force battles that we saw in The Legionary (and to a lesser extent, The Sacrovir Revolt) I am sorry to say that you will probably be disappointed. Since all books in the Soldier of Rome series are based on actual events, I cannot invent an entire war that historically did not happen. That being said, Heir to Rebellion is still extremely violent and probably the most emotionally wrenching book of the series thus far. I let a couple of female friends read excerpts to get a woman's perspective on certain events, and both literally broke down crying at some of the stuff I had written. Hmm, means this one should be a best-seller! I WILL get on the New York Times list yet!

Right now I'm about halfway through the intial draft and hope to have a complete story ready for revision / rewrite (where the actual work begins) sometime this summer. In all honesty, I do not foresee Heir to Rebellion coming out in print before February of next year. If anyone has any comments, questions, or feedback, please don't hesitate to shoot me a line.

Best Regards!

James

14 February 2008

Today the newest book in the Soldier of Rome series, The Sacrovir Revolt, was released. Currently it is only available through the publisher's catalog, however I will add updates to the Buy the Books page as soon as it is available through other outlets. Having now published my second book is a pretty significant event for me; I just hope readers enjoy this one as much as The Legionary. With best regards,

James

3 December 2007

The proof-reading is complete and now Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt sits at the publisher. My eternal gratitude goes to my sister, Angela Mace-Langorgen, for her tireless efforts that made what was once a trainwreck into something readable!

After lengthy consultation with my cover artist Justin Cole, we have decided to take a different route with the cover art. Sketch samples of these changes will be posted on here within the next few days.

Since I am having the publisher run this book through a professional editior, I am not certain as to how long th publishing process is going to take. My best guess is 90 - 120 days, though it may be less if the editing goes rather painlessly. I will keep updating as we get closer to publication. Check back for more information.

James

18 November 2007

20 October 2007

Below is a preliminary sketch of Justin Cole's cover picture for "Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt." Once completed, he is going to take it to a computer graphics designer to add color. And yes, I know that is not a Roman helmet. I told Justin he's watched "300" one too many times! ;) He's currently fixing it to look like a legionary helm. Would love to hear what readers think about seeing this as a book cover!

13 October 2007

Myself and Don "Praxus" LaMott will be attending Legio VI Ferrata's annual Castra Romana 16-18 November 2007 in Charleston, South Carolina. I will be selling a limited number of autographed copies of "Soldier of Rome: The Legionary." Books will be available for purchase throughout the event, with a book signing on Saturday, 17 November (time to be determined). While I am going to set aside a block of time specifically for book signings, if you do happen to catch me at any time during the event, I will gladly sign any books you may have. Please note that I do NOT charge a fee for this. Looking forward to seeing some of you there!

James

1 October 2007

Anyone familiar with Roman historical novels has probably read William Altimari's book Legion. Mr. Altimari is an accomplished scholar and historical novelist. I am pleased to say that he has given me permission to post one of his essays on this website, entitled "Researching the Historical Novel." This is a must read for anyone who is looking to write their own historical novles.

12 September 2007

*Note: all images from the Ermine Street Guard are copywrited and used with permission.