James Aitcheson signing day.

WOT! No post on the day before our signing?

Obviously trouble with our home computer where all the creative work is done.

No worries. Here at Cotswold Bookstore we await the arrival of James Aitcheson.

We're pleased to say that the other pile of Splintered Kingdom and Sworn Sword arrived yesterday so we should have enough for everybody.

However, this is not the case with the Honey Cakes. Strictly first come, first served!

Selling out?

The Splintered Kingdom and the paperback Sworn Sword have taken off so I've had to order another 10 of each.

Don't want to run out on the day of the signing do I!

James Aitcheson would never forgive us.

Especially after his complimentary comment about our window.

We're looking forward to seeing him again.

Tabletop knights

A great deal of interest already for James Aitcheson's books, both the paperback of Sworn Sword and the new hardback, Splintered Kingdom.

ERROR. On some of our flyers and even on this blog, I have put the price of Sworn Sword as £7.99.

It is, in fact, only £6.99!

Here's our interior display for the books with one spare knight as its centerpiece.

The Splintered Kingdom

Here's the jacket of James Aitcheson's new book.

I've only had time to dip into Splintered Kingdom but I can say that it starts at a cracking pace with Tancred, now in command of his own manor, setting off in pursuit of a gang of thieving Welsh.

The attackers have made off with some women and girls from a village on Tancred's estate and he has to take revenge or lose face in the eyes of his new English serfs.

His Sworn Sword was a great success last year and is now in paperback at only £6.99.



James will also be signing Sworn Sword so here's what we thought about it a year ago -

Sworn Sword by James Aitcheson
Paperback at £6.99

This debut novel has the subtitle ‘1066: The Aftermath’ so that’s the first thing that makes it unusual - it covers a period largely ignored. The second is that it is told from the Norman viewpoint. Tancred a Dinant, who fought at Hastings, is at Durham when the city falls to English ‘rebels’ and swears vengeance when he only just escapes with his life.
   The book centres on treachery concerning Harold’s burial but starts and ends with thrilling, action packed battles. There is copious period detail and the use of Old English adds authenticity. The author convinced even this Harold supporter that his characters had some right on their side and I thoroughly enjoyed this, the first in a series.

Sworn Sword - A great signing

 Here, at the start of a great day for both James Aitcheson and Cotswold Bookstore, the proud author of Sworn Sword stands outside the shop, showing us his book.

(Notice the excellent castle in the background wot I built)

I know it should have been a Motte and Bailey Castle but, unfortunately, Usborne don't publish one.

Even more unfortunately, even the one in the window is out of print for we could have sold a dozen in the past month.

Here's James, head down, busily signing the first of about half a dozen advance orders.











The admiring public. These good people have come out of their way to meet James.








.
And here are his proud folks who came up with him to lend support and who wandered around Moreton for over 3 hours before admitting defeat.

Good to meet you folks.

A really amazing day James.

We all hope the rest of your signing tour goes well.

Do give his site a look to see if he's anywhere near you in the next few weeks.

http://www.jamesaitcheson.com/?page_id=5

Mead missing.

Here's that incredibly young (and even younger looking) man who is coming tomorrow to sign his historical novel, Sworn Sword.

However, disaster looms as I forgot to order that traditional Norman drink, mead.

Apparently, James Aitcheson will drink nothing else.

I'll see what I can do as I swing past Tesco in the morning.

He's not due in till after 10am, so I'll have time.

The Castle - another view!

Did I remember to say that James Aitcheson, author of Sworn Sword, has his own site?

http://www.swornsword.com/

Yes, I know I'm overdoing the pictures of my fantastic castle but at least this is from a different angle.

And David's 'bee damage' has been put right.

Sales and orders have been very good so I think I'll be ordering more copies tomorrow.

By the way, if you want a signed copy but cannot get here on the day, mail or phone us and we will either post it on to you or put it aside for you to collect.

cotsbookstore@tiscali.co.uk   01608 652666

Do try to make it though, as we will be serving a honey cake baked by our very own Mrs Koff (Marilyn) and there may be traditional Norman drink on offer.

Sworn Sword arrives

I've just returned from a few days off. Nina was away too.

That left David in charge of the fort and what do I find on my return?

Actually, he was in charge of the castle - the one in the window, the one I spent three weeks patiently cutting and glueing.

In my absence it seems that a bombardment has damaged the South Tower and killed several of the battle hardened troops outside the castle walls!

David claims the damage was wrought by bees!


However, doesn't the window look so much better now that we have copies of Sworn Sword actually there!

This very reasonably priced (£12.99) novel is already selling well, so do come along at 10.30am on Saturday 13 August to meet James Aitcheson. A remarkable young man at the start of an exciting career.

T-shirt Trio

Sorry to inflict this on the good folks of Moreton-in-Marsh but with nearly eight weeks still to go, the Cotswold Bookstore team are walking billboards for the new Panama Oxridge book, Thyme Running Out.

The date and Thyme for the book signing  are Saturday 10 September at 11am.

Before that though, we have the signing for James Aitcheson with his Sworn Sword on Saturday 13 August at 10.30 am.

There might even be some traditional Norman fare - honey cake and mead.

Sworn Sword missing

Finally, here's the castle where it was always intended to go.

However, we were going to have some copies of Sworn Sword, by James Aitcheson, with it.

I promise - they're on their way.  I'll take another photo then.

Also looking for a sword - anyone?

Don't forget. The signing is 10.30 am on 13 August.



Author's note -

“The Norman Conquest was a time of rapid change on a scale that’s difficult to imagine today, and I’ve been fascinated with it for many years. But while the tale of 1066, King Harold and Hastings has been recounted many times before, what happened in the years that followed is less well-known.

I wanted to capture a sense of what it must have been like to live through that turbulent age.”

Events

Gutter Bookshop pointed me to this piece '...on why bookshops & booksellers matter by @R_Nash'

Click here to see the whole thing.

 http://t.co/UFZqYPT

I thought it a very interesting piece and homed in on this paragraph.

'Not all bookstores have gotten on board with the transition from being a place where books await customers to being a locale of social and cultural exchange, which happens to support itself in part by selling books. The brilliant Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas has noted that the less a retail experience is focused on selling stuff and the more it is about something else -- an event, an occasion, a vision -- the more a store will sell.'


Well, we've got quite a few events coming up, haven't we.
13 August James Aitcheson with Sworn Sword
10 September Panama Oxridge with Thyme Running Out
17 September Rebecca Tope with her Thea Osborne Cotswold series
AND
Phil Rickman with The Secrets of Pain and his previous Merrily Watkins titles.

New Link - James Aitcheson

  www.jamesaitcheson.com

Because he's our next signing.

10 am Saturday 13th August!

More a launch really.

His first ever signing!

What did those Normans drink in those days?

Perhaps we'll lay some on.

Sworn Sword - James Aitcheson

We received a visit today by the author of an historical adventure called Sworn Sword.

Here's the expected jacket to his book.

It is due out in August when we hope to have a signing for this very exciting new talent.

It is quite a scholarly work as a great amount of research was obviously required to set a novel in the years following 1066, a time hardly explored by authors previously.

I was naturally expecting a middle-aged college professor type, probably complete with beard.

I was astonished when this young man walked in and introduced himself as James Aitcheson, the author.

We'll be reviewing this excellent book in good time and I hope that you will come all in droves to meet him and chat about the good old times, before the Normans arrived!