Imagine having a medical procedure without pain relief? The very thought invokes chills of horror yet for most people in human history, this has been the reality.
If you survived the pain, then a more deadly peril loomed in front of you - infection.
We have a belief in our modern times, that surgical competence and the ability to fight infection was non-existent in the past but the opposite is true.
Over thousands of years, filled with bloodshed and fighting, doctors, surgeons and healers did better than we think.
Evidence: ancient skulls that show evidence of brain/head operations including signs of healing which proves that the person lived beyond the procedure.
From Trepanation to Cosmetics: Mindboggling Ancient Surgeries (a splendid article!)
Drilling Deep: How Ancient Chinese Surgeons Opened Skulls and Minds
Book research for historical fiction writers:
I really try to write historical fiction as authentically as I can. There are a lot of arrows flying in Daughter of the Wolfhead and Agata’s enemy-turned-ally gets hit rescuing her from their common foe. I needed to know some real facts about arrow wounds and arrow extraction. Whilst General Kazan’s wound wasn’t as bad as Henry V’s, the YouTube video below was informative and helpful. Trigger warning - it is a little gruesome ;).
Book News
Robert Rozell has written a great for Agata. I promise he wasn’t paid!!
It has been a pleasant surprise to find that male readers enjoy the tale of Agata, Princess of Iberia.
A Kickstarter Campaign
An author friend, Christopher Schmitz, is launching a Kickstarter campaign for his brand new, 5 book + novella, fantasy series. The first book in the series is A Kiss of Daggers and will release on 31st of March.
For the Kickstarter, there are many tier support options starting from $1 for beautiful merch such as bookmarks and downloadable images right through to a top tier that gives you the opportunity to name a character in a future book, receive a stunning, foil embossed copy of the first book, ebook copies of other books by the author plus much more. Click on the image below to check it out and support Chris.
Free Fantasy and Adventure Books:
Sometimes the budget struggles to keep up with the reading appetite! Find some great reads for free - click the image below.
Strong Women
If you are like Robert (the reviewer mentioned earlier) here is a bunch of stories that feature strong women!
And here are my own books that feature strong, young women.
Also available in other bookstores.
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See you next time!
Emma