The largest Roman villa ever found in Wales lies less than a metre under Margam Country Park.

Is it better to put a title at the beginning of each chapter in your book or should you merely put a simple number? I’ve never used chapter titles when writing my own books although I’ve absorbed them when reading other books. What do chapter titles do? They can act as promises of what’s to come in the next few pages, be it a potential escalation (The Reading of the Will), an emotional disaster like loss or dread (The First Betrayal), or perhaps they point to an ironic promise that primes the reader for subversion (

As in previous years, reading books has given me enormous pleasure. Let's be honest, I've been a voracious reader since I was five. This year, I published a new thriller, Double Stakes, the sequel to Double Identity and Double Pursuit  plus participated in a number of events and sat down to draft the next Roma Nova book. Enough of me, the writer; here I’m writing here as a reader. This is not a beauty contest nor a selection. I chose the books in the image totally at random. The list below contains books I’ve read this year and enjoyed.

A blog about pirates, 1066, King Arthur, history, mysteries, writing and general chit-chat interesting bits and pieces

As in previous years, reading books has given me enormous pleasure. Let's be honest, I've been a voracious reader since I was five. This year, I published a new thriller, Double Stakes, the sequel to Double Identity and Double Pursuit  plus participated in a number of events and sat down to draft the next Roma Nova book. Enough of me, the writer; here I’m writing here as a reader. This is not a beauty contest nor a selection. I chose the books in the image totally at random. The list below contains books I’ve read this year and enjoyed.

The US made it clear this week that it plans to help the parties of the European far right gain power. Keir Starmer and his fellow leaders have to face this new reality, writes Guardian columnist Jona...

Salvete! Fear not, I’m not going to write this post all in Latin, but I thought I’d make a glossary of words used in the Roma Nova novels. Some are Latin, some derived from Roman customs or functions. You'll only find them sprinkled here and there in the books, something novelists do to add authenticity or atmosphere. But we must think about how to get the meaning across without a clumsy explanation.