Posts by Jack Whyte
Storytelling at its Best
Last time I was here, I ended my spiel by saying that this week, as a follow-up, I would post a list of the favourite novels in my life, and that they would all be Historical novels, because I love—and I write—Historical fiction. The books that I have loved most deeply and passionately throughout my…
Read MoreTo Honour a Blessed Companion
My entire life has revolved, in one manner or another, around books, and I honestly cannot remember a time in my life, after I had learned to read at age 5, when I did not have a book of some description close at hand, be it unread, waiting to be read, or read to the…
Read MoreThe Tide of Times Preamble
A new departure for an aging writer… When I returned from wintering in California last spring I was contacted by the new managing editor of our local newspaper, the Kelowna Daily Courier. He introduced himself to me as being recently appointed and told me, much to my surprise, that he believed I should have a…
Read MoreIt’s that Christmasy time of year again.
A year ago on this day, I had been home from hospital for ten days and I was regally installed in a Laz-E-Boy recliner in my living room, where I would remain for at least the next complete month before I dared to venture beyond my primary comfort zone… Fundamantally, I didn't know next to…
Read MoreMore On Book Titles…
It occurred to me yesterday, thinking about what I said in my last entry here, that I can illustrate the kind of situation that authors and publishers encounter all the time, when it comes to the names and titles of books. The first book in my series on "The Guardians" was published here…
Read MoreBook Titles . . . Argh!
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet… Apparently that's not the case, though, when the conversation shifts to the topic of books and their names, and I know, as an author, that I'm not alone in catching the rough edge of criticism from frustrated readers who…
Read MoreExercising privilege: Blogs, Tweets and Podcasts
Today marks the three-months-to-the-day date since I went “under the knife” to remove a tumour from the upper lobe of my left lung on November 30th last year. Hallelujah! Three months down and I’m feeling better—stronger, healthier and more optimistic—every day. I’ve said before that I thought I’d heard “them” say that it would take…
Read MoreIt’s Been A While, but I’m Back…
Can you say, “Impaired Immunity Responses”? I can, because I’ve had some, these last few weeks and I’ve heard them described and defined enough times to clarify their meaning and their pronunciation… It’s been quite some time since I last set foot here in the web site, and even longer since I’ve logged…
Read MoreIt’s not what you say that counts…
I’ve been playing around with an announcement for some time now, and finding it to be one of the most difficult tasks I’ve ever had to face, not because it’s that earth-shaking on its own, but simply because of the underlying shades of meaning and consequence that go along with it. It’s a very private,…
Read MoreCamulod Goes to Britain: Part Two
Here's what's in my mind: I ended the first part of this long update by saying that the UK publisher, Sphere, is now going to rename the series yet again, this time to “Legends of Camelot”, shaping it to current British tastes and sensibilities, and that the British marketing drive will start with ebook publication,…
Read More