Weekend in Wales - A bit of a Roman(tic) holiday

Carleon (Isca) Roman fortress wall

Last weekend, I was in Caerleon, South Wales attending the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference. It’s a joyous event, where you re-affirm old friendships and form new ones, where you’re are reminded of old things you’ve forgotten and learn new ones.  Talks on characters, publishing contracts, marketing; presentations by those who have made it and those who hope to; meetings with publishers, agents and industry gurus. And the wine…

For a flavour of the event, have a look at these.   Warning! May contain shoes and smiles.
RNA blog – Day 1 pictures      RNA blog – Gala dinner (and shoes)      A first timer’s view

I’m not going to repeat their words – they’ve said it all. But I’m going to tell you about something else I did that weekend before the conference got started.

I went off on a Roman holiday.  Caerleon or Isca Augusta was one of the three permanent Roman military HQs in Britain. Isca became the headquarters of the II Legion Augusta in about AD 75, when Governor Sextus Julius Frontinus began the conquest of Roman Wales. Recent finds suggest Roman occupation of some kind as late as AD 380. More info here.

Being me, I took a load of photos. The most impressive remains are of the amphitheatre, the only fully excavated one in Britain. (Click to play my video in the rain.)

 

 

 

Nearby are part of the fortress wall and the Prysg Field Barracks (right) the only Roman legionary barracks visible in Europe.

After arriving here in AD 75 from the other Isca  (Isca Dumnoniorum, or Exeter as we now know it) the 5,000 strong Legio II Augusta stayed for 200 years.

 

 

 

The National Roman Legion Museum contains a wealth of finds, including carved gemstones lost down the drains! Of course, there are amphorae on display and a nice piece of mosaic, as well as coins, funerary stones, domestic and military detritus. A reconstructed barrack room gives you an idea how small the soldiers’ quarters were. If you are visiting, they have a schedule of events not to miss.

 

Roman garden

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the museum is a Roman-inspired garden which gave me a few ideas for my own.

 

 

 

 

 

And if you fancied a swim, then the fabulous display at the Roman baths museum could entice you in. (It’s only a hologram, so I wouldn’t dive in, but very effective at giving you an idea.)

And there is more to come. Last year archaeologists found traces of a huge building which may turn out to be the size of Fishbourne Roman Palace in Sussex.

 

 

Update: Walking by the fortress wall in the fine rain, but still loving and absorbing everything, I bumped into a fellow walker. We chatted and he obviously caught on that I was a ‘Roman nut’.  He told me he was a member of the University of Cardiff faculty involved in digging the site. Poor man! He was bombarded with questions.

Photo courtesy of the South Wales Argus

But as he was speaking to another enthusiast, he said they were developing excavations as there had been indications there was much more to find. There always is, of course, but his was a humdinger. He revealed that remains of a Roman harbour had been found in a meadow by the river. All very hush-hush, so please not to speak about it. I almost jumped up and down, but did manage to keep my dignity.

Look through the gallery of pictures for more images of what Roman Caerleon might have looked like.

 

 

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO. The sixth, RETALIO, came out in April  2017. Audiobooks now available for the first four of the series

Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, for FREE when you sign up to Alison’s free monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.

July 14th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Events, Research, Roman life, Roman military, Romans, Romantic Novelists' Association | Comments are closed

Second-hand books – unfair to authors or an enticement to buy?

Some authors don’t like second-hand book stalls, whether run as a businesses or for a charity fête. In fact, they hate them. The author gets no royalty or secondary right or anything. The books are toted around, exchanged or traded like a lump of former tree for a pound/euro, so virtually free. I heard one say it was verging on piracy. A bit strong in my opinion, but I respect his right to say it.

However, consider this…

If you live in a non-English speaking country with no easily obtainable books in English, whether from a chain or an independent, bookstalls are an opportunity to discover new reads, new authors and to talk about books.
That’s the cultural argument.

But it could be that having discovered a new-to-you author, you are entranced by them, you want to read more of their work. Chances are the bookstall doesn’t have any more by that author. You go home, clutching your new treasure and dive on to the Internet and, notwithstanding the postage, order two or three more by the same author. I did exactly this after buying one book for 50 cents in a barn sale and promptly spent another £35.00 on Amazon.

So perhaps the second-hand bookstall or exchange, sprawled in boxes on a trestle-table once a month, isn’t a demon from hell, but a spur to a buying frenzy by keen readers.

Or have I set a cat among the pigeons?

July 1st, 2011 | Tags: | Category: Books | 2 comments - (Comments are closed)

A new writing critique group where cake always matters

This afternoon, I launched a rocket-fresh new writers’ group.

When I arrived in my new home in France, I eagerly searched out existing groups. Like any new relationship, it takes a while to mesh with established groups, so I went to several meetings, full of optimism and using my best networking and charm skills. I dutifully presented my work for critiquing. Now, I’ve hardened up over the past year or so, but I blinked, hard, when one member turned on me and said he hated it. In those words and with fury all over his face.

Okaaay.

I took a deep breath and explained about genre writing, the large readership of women’s fiction, etc. etc. He used the H word again. Embarrassment from the facilitator. I persisted over a few more meetings, even volunteering a session on character (Thank you, Arvon), but concluded too many of the personalities in the group were parading their egos. Time to move on…

Dispirited and dejected after several months, I knew none of the groups was right for me. Writing is a visceral, instinctive thing and I should have clicked instantly if a group was right. Alas, no clicks.

I was spoiled after my terrific group in the UK where I  met my critique partner (I blogged about writing buddies here last March.).

So after drinking enough vinegar, I decided to brew my own champagne. A writer friend who had traipsed round some of the groups with me and a colleague with a track record of writing plays and musicals who was starting on her first long fiction met over tea and cake (thanks to Helen of Haddock in the Kitchen) and set up our group. We hope to invite another local writer, an alumnus from UEA, no less, and then set to work.

The buzz from talking, exchanging and communing on an almost telepathic level with other obsessives cannot be beaten. We have our objectives and the next date.

Do you belong to a writing group? How does it enhance your writing?

June 16th, 2011 | Tags: | Category: Insights, Writing skills | 4 comments - (Comments are closed)
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