Rules are made to be broken…
Maybe.
Or maybe not.
Ready for its release on Friday, 20th July, Michael is accruing some nice words.
‘Prue Batten uses words with precision to immerse the reader in an historical setting, peopled with perceptively-drawn characters to keep you there long after the final page has turned.’ Annie Whitehead, historian and historical fiction author, and winner of the 2017 Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition
‘An excellent book that flows with the prose that one expects from Batten with turns I didn’t see coming. The attention to detail and the portrayal of Byzantine Constantinople is amazing.’ SJA Turney, bestselling author of both the Praetorian and Marius’ Mules series and of Caligula.
‘Michael is a feast for the imagination and the senses. Batten shows her talent as an expert wordsmith by conjuring the medieval world of Constantinople through the travails of a protagonist who is nuanced and believable. Highly recommended.’ Elisabeth Storrs, award winning author of The Tales of Ancient Rome saga.
Michael, book three of The Triptych Chronicle, reunites characters from the previous books in this series in a beautifully written account of life during the Byzantine era. Batten effortlessly draws the reader into this historic world with small details of everyday life as well as the overarching socio-political landscape of the time. What most impressed me is the attention to detail in Batten’s writing style, an aspect most evident in the lyrical, plausibly different speech patterns in the dialogue. Competition is fierce between merchant houses and there’s very little that the characters in this book will balk at in pursuit of the rarest and most valuable commodities. Batten intertwines personal and professional motivation in this intriguing and mixed cast of characters to build a web of mystery that dances through the plot. Michael is a thrilling, addictive masterpiece of historical fiction with an inescapable feel of authenticity. Reviewed By Caitlin Lyle Farley for Readers’ Favorite
And has scored a five star seal for its cover.
On 20th July, go to
Cheers all and wish the book a fair wind and smooth seas!
Adventure…
I wonder, does life become less of an adventure or more as one ages?
Let’s face it, when we’re young, we’re strong, fearless and the world’s our oyster. As we age and our bodies require more protection than they’ve ever had, perhaps we lose that sense of adventure. Or maybe, just maybe, because we are on the downward slope (let’s be honest here), we lose our inhibitions and look for more adventure, maybe even more danger to fire up the sense of achievement and adrenalin levels.
What inspires a new novel?
What inspires a fantasy?
It’s quite simple…
Yesterday my darling husband who still sees himself as something of a youngblood, had an on-farm accident off an ATV (Quadbike).
The first book published in my name is a book about an embroiderer.
Sigh, you say. Where’s the drama, where’s the angst.
Gardening.
One either loves it or hates it.
And I am one of those who loves gardening and to whom a man like Monty Don is a saint.
‘The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea.’
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Life sometimes makes me anxious.
I’m sure it makes everyone anxious. But the one place I feel content, free and at peace is in, on or by the sea. I wish Mum was still alive so that I could ask her how old I was when I was introduced to the sea.
When did I learn to swim? My memories go back to a time when I could swim and dive, perhaps I was six. After that, the memories come thick and fast…