A 20 Year Affair – Red Fury Revolt
Yep, I did some math recently, and ouch. Julius, Calgacus, and I go back twenty years. It all started in Annapolis, MD at an antique bookstore. I bought a book. Yep. I bought a book about historic women in history. I have it somewhere. But that book introduced me to Boudica, or it was Boudicca then.
A story developed in my head after learning about this fantastic, beautiful female who led 200,000 men against Rome to run these Roman jerks out of England. She tried, bless her. And Boudica introduced me to the Roman legions.
At this point, I was mired in the Roman quicksand. Which led to Red Fury Revolt, which is her story, rewritten about ten times. When I think about the first drafts, I cringe. So many words are so wrong. But I started learning about Ancient Rome and about the Britanni Celts.
What really challenges me is taking actual historical events as Boudica’s Revolt, the Christians in Rome, the actual life of Julius Agricola according to Tacitus, and, as Paul Harvey said, “And now for the rest of the story” … Can I bring this moment to life? And the Red Fury series began.
I uncovered a young man named Gnaeus Julius Agricola who was present when Boudica revolted. He was truly Rome’s second in command as a tribune laticlavius–a nice title for a ‘fetch it’s boy barely eighteen. But Julius was there and did experience the entire battle of Boudica.
As were Boudica’s daughters. No one knows their names, so I named them Rhianna (heroine of Red Fury Revolt) and Morrigan (heroine of Red Fury Chrysalis). It is reported that Boudica was whipped, and her daughters raped. Well, what if one daughter was not, and she was protected by the tribune laticlavius because he was angry at the procurator for what he did her Britanni tribe, and they fell in love? Well, that is where my journey with Rome began.
Calgacus is also historical. He did lead the Caledonii tribes in Scotland against the Roman legions to run them off their lands. And who led those Romans onto Calgacus’ lands? None other than Gnaeus Julius Agricola. I love my Celts in Britannia and Scotland/Caledonia, too.
What really sent me over the wall was, when I was visiting the places of Julius Agricola in England, having discovered a small tribe in northern Scotland named the Boresti In my story, Calgacus takes his ‘son’ as far from the Romans as possible, and settles with the Boresti tribe. I was on a train riding the east coast of Scotland on the very path Agricola took his legions. I came around the bend at Elgin and Bertha and looked out the train car window at the sight of the Boresti lands.
It was exactly as I had described it in my manuscript!! Down to the fjord, trees, and rise that I had created in one of my first drafts of this Red Fury series!! And then I found out it was Inverness. And yes. The Boresti did live there.
Yes. I am still in love with Julius and Calgacus and their story on how their lives converge at the Battle of Mons Graupius in my Red Fury series so far. We are halfway there in this story….
Where Julius and Calgacus’ lives begin
A.D. 60…
Three towns writhe under the Iceni queen’s wrath, as she leads her warriors intent on destroying all things Roman – be it Roman temples, Roman villas, or entire families sympathetic to Rome. At stake is Suetonius Paulinus’s reputation. With only 80,000 legionaries, will he destroy Boudica and her horde of 200,000 warriors or will he endure the disgrace in Rome for losing–to a woman? in this horrific historical revolt against Roman injustice. Julius Agricola-Rome’s tribune, and Rhianna-Boudica’s youngest daughter, become ensnared in the harsh worlds that are determined to destroy each other. Who will survive?
Purchase Red Fury Revolt:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJJFCYK
Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/bWrlY1
