My Themistokles' Olympia 432 BCE - arrival and settling in

This is Part 3, from 11 to 15, of my Pic&Quote series. The quotes are from The Boy in Two Minds and the pictures are mainly photographs taken as research.

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Posted on social media on 

June 21 2024

Pic&Quote 11

#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy

 

From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 19

On board “The Pelican”, moored in a crowded harbour at night.

 

< Themis dozed, but was suddenly awake as the ship rocked. He sat up and made out the ship's dog Beast in the starlight, standing at the rail, growling with teeth bared. 

‘Just the boys, then,’ came a harsh whisper from the quay. ‘We can give you forty drachmas each for them. In silver.’ >

Photo 2016 off the Peloponnese

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Posted on social media on 

June 25 2024

Pic&Quote 12

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From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 25

In Olympia

 

< Phidias looked mischievously down at Themis. ‘Why, young Themistokles? Are you impatient to have your next meeting with the god Zeus?’

Themis smiled but did not speak. What could he say? That he was afraid that that meeting would be his last day on earth? >

Photo of Zeus abducting Ganymede, 2000. Archaeological Museum of Olympia, T2, by Zde, via Wikipedia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Large terracotta (110 cm), 480-470 BC.

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June 29 2024

Pic&Quote 13

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From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 27

Above Olympia

 

< The view from this high place was glorious in the growing light. Layers of misty grey and blue hills lay between Themis and the pale green sea.

He breathed the scents of the new day, then bent to pick a hyacinth to offer to Artemis – and froze.

Beside the rocks to his right a brown bear swayed on all fours, watching him. >

Photo 2024 ©Julia M Newsome

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Posted on social media on 

July 02 2024

Pic&Quote 14

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From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 30

Near Olympia

< Their agreed meeting place was a built-up spring on the outskirts of the village where this valley joined that of the Alpheios. Frog was already there, talking to a stout woman who was sitting on a stone bench, spinning.

She was saying, ‘Running alone can be dangerous. There are boys stolen every year by the slavers. You’d best stick together.’ >

Research photo ©Julia M Newsome

Such springs are still common in rural areas with their stone benches, usually under plane trees.

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Posted on social media on 

July 05 2024

Pic&Quote 15

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From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 31

In the Temple to Zeus, Olympia

< Themis lay along the beam in the temple roof and watched a huge parcel, wrapped and crated, being brought in through the mighty doors by a team of ten men. He could hear the stamping of the oxen on the temple ramp as the hubbub inside suddenly stilled. >

 

 Research photo ©Brian Donnelly

The present state of the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Olympia in southern Greece, an area of devastating earthquakes throughout history. The one standing column was renovated for the 2004 Olympic Games.

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#Paris2024

The Paris Olympics begin in less than two weeks now. As I'm sure you are aware, there are constant postings and news items about the qualifying rounds in various countries. Lists of the athletes who will participate in each of the 208 countries have now appeared, including 33 Individual Neutral Athletes from Russia and Belarus, countries the International Olympic Committee have suspended because of the invasion of Ukraine violates the Olympic Truce.

This truce, or 'laying down of arms', originates at the ancient Games. The online encyclopaedia, Britannica, says:

"Before every Olympiad ... heralds from Olympia moved around Greece inviting participants and spectators and announcing the truce. Contrary to what many have thought, especially some modern Olympic officials, the Greeks did not cease their wars against one another during the Games or the Olympic truce. Rather, the truce, besides protecting Olympia from invasion, forbade any individual or government to interfere with anyone traveling to and from the Olympics." https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Olympic-Truce-1688469

It would be so much better for the world if, as once believed, conflicts did cease during the Games ... 

And, according to the above web page, the International Olympic Truce Foundation, based in Athens, is working towards this goal. Learn more here.

Thanks for reading this far! The next five Pic&Quotes in my series will appear in my next blog post. So, till next time ...

All photographs ©Julia M Newsome unless otherwise credited.

Birkby Books

The Connection Trilogy by J M Newsome:

1. The Boy in Two Minds 9781838413606 

(first edition was The Boy with Two Heads, 2012, Trifolium Books, now out of print)

2. The Girl in Two Worlds 9781838413620

3. An Ancient Connection 9781838413644

Ancient Athens to Ancient Olympia ...

This is Part 2 of my Pic&Quote series. The quotes are from The Boy in Two Minds and the pictures are mainly photographs taken as research.

You may also be interested in my posting on this blog of Oct 21st 2014 titled "Phidias' workshop - using real places in fiction" which examines another dimension of "on-location" historical research.

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May 31st 2024

Pic&Quote 6

#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy

 

From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 11

< So this was the Painted Arcade. This was where the best artists were asked by the City to paint its history. Themis walked over the bridge in a dream.

Panainos came back to take his arm. ‘Come on, fish face. Close your mouth and come and see something wonderful.’ >

Photo 2024

The remains of what may have been the Painted Arcade in the ancient Athenian Agora/market place. Now, Metro Line 1, the Green line, runs through the ruins. 

Not quite so 'wonderful' nowadays!

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June 4th 2024

Pic&Quote 7

#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy

From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 12

< Looking along the bridge, Themis saw Straton and his brothers walking towards him.

Efsevios leaned towards Themis' ear. 'Drawing insulting

pictures can get you into a lot of trouble,' he whispered.

'Only if they lie,' said Themis with a grin, stepping back.

'Don't go out alone,' threatened Straton as they turned away. >

Photo 2012

Four figures advance onto the pedestrian crossing at The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece in 2012, exactly where the bridge was in the extract above.

 

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June 7th 2024

Pic&Quote 8

#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy

From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 13

< In his dream, Themistokles felt himself picked up as the god leaned forward and he was lifted down and down, past the knee, the sandals, the lion footstool, and at last laid gently on the ground. ‘Come again when you are ready,’ said the voice from far above. >

Photo 2012 

An artist's impression in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, of the 12 metre high statue of Zeus built by sculptor and architect Phidias (with the help of an army others, perhaps like my Themistokles). The ivory and gold statue stood - or rather, sat! - in the god's temple (completed around twenty years earlier) for hundreds of years. It became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

I know of no account of the statue's actual creation, so I made it important that it was finished in time for the 87th Games in 432 BCE.

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June 7th 2024

Pic&Quote 9

#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy

From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 17 

On board “The Pelican”. Themis' uncle Panainos is seasick.

< ‘Of course, everyone in the Peloponnese will be on the lookout for spies ... ’ Then Panainos groaned and sighed as the ship picked up speed. ‘Ergh … Go away, Themis, and let me die in peace.’ >

 

Photo 2018

A model of an ancient trading vessel with one mast and a square sail similar to The Pelican, in The Archaeological Museum, Thessaloniki.

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June 7th 2024

Pic&Quote 10

#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy

 

From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 18

On board “The Pelican”

< The black clouds had strung out from the land in a long line, pushed towards them by the northwest wind. Under them, the waves were flattened by curtains of leaden rain.
‘We might just make it!’ shouted the captain. ‘Hold on and pray!’ >

Photo 2019, off the Peloponnese. 

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The next five Pic&Quotes in the series will appear in my next blog post. 

I thought you might also like to see a couple of the reviews of The Boy in Two Minds first edition (2012).

They highlight the relevance of the story to the Paris Olympics 2024:

"This is a story on different levels, from different points of view. It brings ancient Greece to life, especially the OLYMPIC TRAINING [my caps] before the competition." (S K Bracher on Amazon)

"A very clever concept for time travel: the mind of a 21st century girl in the body of a young Greek athlete!” (Caroline Lawrence, author of the million-copy-selling The Roman Mysteries)

Thanks for reading this far, and please let me know whether you are enjoying my Pic&Quotes ...

All photographs ©Julia M Newsome unless otherwise credited.

Birkby Books

The Connection Trilogy by J M Newsome:

1. The Boy in Two Minds 9781838413606 

(first edition was The Boy with Two Heads, 2012, Trifolium Books, now out of print)

2. The Girl in Two Worlds 9781838413620

3. An Ancient Connection 9781838413644

The whole trilogy at last ... and a request

It’s a year and a half since I posted anything here. And this will be mainly information for potential buyers rather than a blog chat. So unless you are here to learn about buying one or more of these books, I suggest you skip it! There are far more important things in this world at present to focus on.

Meanwhile, in the years it's taken to get all three books written and published, there have been lots of comparatively tiny hiccups and delays in the process. So I felt it was better not to write anything at all, rather than a series of petty complaints! But my beta readers, and Kate, who designed the covers, and Fliss, who proofread and painted the iconic medallions, were always on hand and enthusiastic, seeing me through frustration after frustration, a Book 3 publication date that could not be pinned down, and a launch that could not happen in the end. 

Thank you all.

For now, I would just like to ask any of my readers who is also enthusiastic about “Time travel to Ancient Greece” to buy one or more of the E-books (available at approximately a third of the print price), read it/them, and review it/them if you feel strongly enough. This will help my on-going, rather amateur marketing efforts immeasurably. 

The situation with the print versions at present is that, without any reviews and almost no orders through book shops or Amazon as yet, delivery times in UK are being given by Waterstones and others as up to 5 weeks! However, the print titles do appear on their websites and on those of the wholesalers who supply your local bookshop (as far as I can discover). On other Amazons, like Germany, Canada and Australia, delivery times differ widely, while in the USA Amazon delivery is 3-5 days. 

Meanwhile, I'm encouraged to be told that the trilogy would make a fine gift for fans of 'ancient worlds'. But please see below concerning Book 1 on Amazon UK (only - not other Amazons or UK bookshops), and please note that, in spite of repeatedly being informed, as yet they have not caught up with the fact that the third book of the trilogy is out and connected with the other two. It still describes them as 1 and 2 of 2! But I've set up my Author Central page on Amazon UK and am expecting eventually to be allowed to reorganise their listings of my books.

As for me, in spite of the above, it’s still a great treat to have copies of all three to line up and gloat over! I can order and receive as many print copies as I have space for, with minimal delay. Perhaps I should set up a 'shop' here - if I can work out how ... 

None of which is, of course, a good sales pitch on my part! However, I must admit that this is not how I make my living. I write because I love writing, and the marketing and distribution have never been a priority. Unlike the extremely capable and efficient providers of marketing advice on social media, I don't feel driven to spend huge amounts of time and money setting up email lists, publicising on-line launches, offering freebies and doing blog tours all at once and immediately. I do intend to get round to some of these as time allows, and I certainly mean to keep posting on LinkedIn, the notorious X, and my professional FaceBook page. I am also making it known that I can offer author visits to local schools and bookshops in the New Year. And I want to give value for money, which is why I suggest the E-book at present - "enthralling" content without the costs of paper and printing!

Meanwhile, thank you to all those who have already been sharing my news, including those who have read one or more of the books and have praised them. 

Lastly, I’d like to draw attention to Book 1, The Boy in Two Minds. If you didn't already know, part of its story takes place partly during the 87th ancient Olympics (432 BCE), and therefore may be of particular interest in 2024, with the Paris Olympics (33rd of the modern era) in July. There are some old but complementary reviews of the original 2012 version (titled The Boy with Two Heads) still discoverable on this page on Amazon. That edition is officially out of print and unobtainable now (although it’s almost the same text as the present Book 1). My thanks to those who reviewed it so kindly in those far off days. 

The three incarnations of 
The Boy ...

In fact, Book 1 has been through three incarnations, and Amazon UK are still offering the middle one shown here instead of the latest (it has the same ISBN). So if you only want to buy Book 1, I suggest you do so now, while their price for it is still less than £5! Once Amazon’s old stock is gone, the version with the new cover at the ‘normal’ price will be £13.99 or so. At least this shows that fiction about Ancient Greece and its Olympics is sales-worthy! Meanwhile, the whole trilogy with its coordinated covers, as in the photos above, is only available from a bookshop prepared to order it for you.

Thank you for reading this rather boring blog post. I’m working on a more interesting one next ... and it will be posted in less than 18 months.

The Connection Trilogy

Paperbacks: 

The Boy in Two Minds trade paperback ISBN 9781838413606

The Girl in Two Worlds trade paperback ISBN 9781838413620

An Ancient Connection trade paperback ISBN 9781838413644

E-books:

The Boy in Two Minds E-book ISBN 9781838413613

The Girl in Two Worlds E-book ISBN 9781838413637

An Ancient Connection E-book ISBN 9781838413651

All photographs © Julia M Newsome unless otherwise credited.