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On the Homefront

Wargames at the table with Paul

This week finally allowed me the time to start using my new 3D printer. The learning curve was high, leading to a number of spoiled prints initially, but now that I have the settings worked out, things are going well. The ultimate intention is to print out an army of soldiers for wargaming purposes. This will also allow me to fight out battles for some of my books. Of course, the downside to this is that I’ll have to create two armies; otherwise, they’ll be no enemy to fight.

The Internet is full of valuable information, including extensive collections of files ready for 3D printing, and thanks to the software, I can scale the figures to any size I wish. Now all I have to do is figure out exactly how many figures I need to print! And paint them, Carol just reminded me.

November 2 @ 5:30 pm (EST/UTC-4)

Due to unforseen circumstances, I was not able to host my Facebook Live session last Monday. This coming Monday, I'll be talking about how real history has influenced my writing. If you have a question, shoot me an email so I can include it in the video.

To watch the video live, all you need to do is like my Facebook page for notification of when I go live or drop by on Monday.

Paul J Bennett Facebook Page

Did you know?

Here in Canada, the weather is turning cooler, and with that, many people will start to enjoy a hot beverage or two. But, as a devout tea drinker, I enjoy at least three cups a day, every day, no matter the time of year! My favourite flavour is a mix of Hazelnut and Swiss Chocolate, while for plain teas, I will always enjoy a piping hot cup of English Breakfast tea. Do you have a favourite hot drink?

Upcoming New Releases

Heir to the Crown: Book Eight

Releases: December 22, 20202

The Frozen Flame: Book Four

Releases: May 25, 2021

Pre-order Fury of the Crown
Pre-order Inferno

This Week's Review: Hocus Pocus

People's thoughts naturally turn to Halloween at the end of October. As a result, I thought I might review a movie that has become one of our favourites, even though our daughters are now adults. Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters; witches executed in Salem back in the 1600s, only to return in the present time.

We took the opportunity to watch it again this week, and I must admit that it has held up relatively well. Over the years, there has been talk of a sequel, and IMDB actually lists this as 'in progress', but let's hope they don't overdo the special effects. At its heart, Hocus Pocus is a family movie and something that even younger children could watch without too much worry. The antics of the three witches are quite entertaining, and the story is well-developed. The only thing that I can't understand is how a sequel would work. I won't give away the ending, but it certainly lends some finality to the story.

All in all, it's a fun, family-friendly movie for Halloween.

Congrats to Harvey for winning last week's eBook Giveaway! 

Remember, all you need to do answer the question below, then you will automatically be entered into the Giveaway to win your choice of any of my ebooks, even the soon to be released Flames!

The Longbow

Those familiar with the medieval period or of general English history are probably familiar with the longbow. It was used quite effectively during the Hundred Years War and became a staple of the medieval English army.  It is thought by some that the bow was first developed by the Welsh, and it is often called the Welsh Longbow, though the term longbow was not coined until some time later, in a document of 1444.

Being made of wood, no examples were thought to have survived to the modern age. That all changed with the discovery of the wreck of King Henry VIII’s ship, the Mary Rose, in 1971. That ship sank in 1545, and among its wreckage were 137 intact longbows. Those recovered ranged in size from 6’-2” to 6’-6” in length. (That’s 1.87 to 2.11 meters for those who work in metric). They also recovered a cache of more than 3,500 arrows, and from those, archaeologists calculated the longbow allowed a pull of 30 inches (76.2 cm).

The Mary Rose is preserved in Portsmouth, England, and since it opened for viewing in 1983, more than seven million people have visited it.

Five-Star Reviews for Flames

'Wonderful'

'Action-packed story!'

'An epic fantasy come to life'

'As books about Mages go this is Magic!!!'

'Another excellent read in the Frozen Flames series!'

'Action, magic, and a remarkable narrative'

'I highly recommend this book and series'

'Another good read from Paul Bennet!'

'Warning: Orc friendly zone'

'WOW, WOW, WOW'

Read Flames Today!

Work in Progress Update

We are heading into November, which means many authors will participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). This is a month-long challenge whereby people attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days, tracking their progress each day. I did try once but learned the hard way that giving myself a word goal for each day tends to work against my creativity. Instead, I find working on my current work in progress without a set word count has me writing more than that, sometimes upwards of 80,000 a month.

Having worked on Warrior Knight for just over two weeks, it's now sitting at 40,000 words. I'm on track for my goal of about 140,000 words, putting it on par with Temple Knight, its sister companion. (See what I did there?

Like that previous work, it shows the progression of the main character as they become a leader. However, Ludwig's advancement will take much longer than Charlaine's, so his growth to leader will continue on into his next installment, Warrior Lord. On the other hand, Temple Knight saw Charlaine firmly established as a leader by the book's end.

Well, that's about all I have time for today since I have to get back to work. (Well, maybe back to painting another figure or two.)

Until next time, here is a little snippet from the beginning of Fury of the Crown

Jack Marlowe sat on his horse, surveying the distant enemy lines. "I don't mean to alarm you, Your Highness, but we appear to be significantly outnumbered."

Prince Alric smiled. "Don't worry. Fitz has it all in hand."

The cavalier turned to look at his master. "We are outnumbered two to one. Granted, the fellow has some experience, but I think this time he might have bitten off more than he can chew."

"The baron knows what he's doing."

"Then why is he being advised by a smith?"

Alric chuckled. "You mean Aldwin? He's a lord now, remember?"

"Yes, but hardly a military advisor."

"I doubt the baron's seeking advice. More than likely he's taking the opportunity to teach his new son-in-law a thing or two about battle." The prince shifted his gaze to the cavalier. "Why so glum, Jack? I thought you lived for combat?"

"I do, but I'd feel much better knowing we had our own cavalry here instead of these…"

"Mercerians?"

"I have nothing against them as a people, but I can't accept that a bunch of commoners could make effective horsemen. And even then, we have very few of them. Why couldn't we have the Queen's Guard?"

"You mean the Guard Cavalry?" corrected the prince. "That's simple; they were needed elsewhere. There's still a frontier to guard, and they can't send everything they have here to Eastwood."

"But the Norlanders have had all winter to rest, and we've had to march through rain and mud."

Alric chuckled. "We'll win. Just you wait and see."

"I admire your faith," said Jack, "but I'd prefer to trust in the power of a good blade."

Author Spotlight

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These authors are returning the favour by sharing my books with their readers.

Call of the Chosen: 

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In a world once again threatened by an ancient evil,
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After three decades of fighting warlocks, killing mythical beasts, and hunting enchanted treasure, Tal has had enough. Running from the deeds of his past, he retreats to his home village under a different name and meets an unlikely companion: Garin, a village boy who dreams of making a name for himself and seeing the world beyond their sleepy town. 

When Tal receives a mysterious visitor, both he and Garin find themselves thrown into a sojourn across the kingdom. Soon, they become embroiled... MORE

A Druid's Portal:  A portal closed for 2,000 years. An ancient religion twisted by modern greed. A love that crosses the centuries. 

An ancient druid pendant shows archaeologist Janet visions of Roman soldier Trajan. The visions are of danger, death, and love—but are they a promise or a curse? 

Her fiancé Daman abandons her before the wedding, her beloved museum is ransacked, and a robed man vanishes before her eyes. Haunted by visions of a time she knows long gone, Janet teeters on the edge of a breakdown. 

In the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall and 2,000 years back in time, Janet’s past...MORE

Forboding: Lithia is a witch and possesses the natural inhuman strength, healing ability, and long lifespan that all witches have. Ronan, her lover, is a human royal guard and a former witch hunter. Together they travel the kingdom, hired by cities and villages to eliminate the creatures that prey on their citizens. 

While defending a town against an attack, the humans inexplicably turn on them. When the battle is over, no human is left alive. Word of the bloodbath spreads, and enraged humans blame the witches for the deaths. 

On the run and desperate for answers, every place they stop has new tales of similar massacres across the land. They discover a group of Naguals, hideous shape-shifting brutes, are behind the humans’...MORE

Anvil of Souls: Gods are hard to beat, even dead ones.

Victory! Hard fought, and a close thing, but victory all the same. But why did William feel so horrible about it all?

He had with Myriam VolFar brought Amder back to the world. He, William Reis, was made the new Forgemaster of Amder by the God himself. Valnijz’s return ended, and even the near immortal High Priest Zalkiniv is gone. The Valni were almost totally decimated, assuring safe passage for years to come.

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Paul@pauljbennettauthor.com

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