In AD121 the Twentieth Legion of Rome stands at the northern frontier of Britannia. Forgotten, neglected and dour in spirit, they must still do their duty for an Empire whose meaning is becoming lost to them.
As the lives of the local Teviot family intertwine with the legion, relationships of love and bitter anguish unfurl. Will the invading army push north? Will the disputing native tribes unite in an uprising? Can Marcus be with Jolinda?
When peace is fragile, friendships count for everything...
What inspired you to start writing?
Simon Scarrow initially, although he doesn't know this! He was taking too long in bringing out another book in his wonderful Roman Eagle series. I was missing his heroes Cato and Macro, so thought I would create my own characters to fill the gap. The timing of this hiatus in my reading coincided with a family holiday to Hadrian's Wall and the rest is history, as they say!
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Completing the first draft was the hardest part of writing Wall of Stone. I don't consider myself a natural storyteller and had to graft to get the story down.
“The first draft doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to be written.”
I don't know whose quote that is, but I do know it helped me get to the end. I kept moving forwards. If a chapter was getting sticky, I'd leave it highlighted in red and shift on to the next. Returning to fix the problems proved easier with more of the story laid out. I have since likened writing to doing a cross-stitch; you have to put the hours in and unravel knots along the way!
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Brutus Antonini, the legionary who rarely speaks one word when ten will do. What a great guy he turned out to be. Writing his dialogue was such fun and not as easy for me as my husband would have you think :-)
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Oh dear, I haven't followed the celebrity world since I became a mum in the early 1990s and always let the side down in the tv and film round of a quiz! The last films I watched, or at least gave my full attention to, were Dances With Wolves and Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Is Kevin Costner still available? His performances hold the right intensity and charisma for my main character, Legionary Marcus Guintoli, but I fear I may be thirty years too late in publishing Wall of Stone for this pairing to succeed! I feel sure my readers would have some good ideas, I'll have to ask them.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Ultimately, that delightful feeling of having read a book with a satisfying plot and to be invested enough in the characters to want to read more about their lives. That, plus an idea of the political reasons behind the decision to build such an incredible barrier across northern England. I hope I have also given an insight in to some of the difficulties that can occur on a personal level when an invading army begins to settle and interact with the local people.
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Heather Robinson
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