Please help me welcome As You Wish Tours and Author Mike Evers to my blog today!
Book Title: The Hopfield Tales
Author: Mike Evers
Release Date: June 17th
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Historical
Publisher: GMTA Publishing, LLC
Presented by: As You Wish Tours
BLURB
There's always more to a town than meets the eye. You just need to scratch the surface. The
quiet town of Hopfield is no exception. There are everyday people doing everyday things - just
like where you live. But history has a way of coming back to find us. And the voices of the past
Three fabulous fables for your delectation and delight:
BACKGROUND INFO
The Hopfield Tales is a trilogy of three novellas. Each story is set in a town in present day
Yorkshire and involves people who have encounters with characters from English history and
legend. The tales include the final, as yet unpublished story, Mark of the Legion.
The blurb for the unreleased novella, Mark of the Legion:
Bentham Cawley enjoys and quiet and humdrum life as a monk at the Brotherhood of the
Resurrection in Hopfield, Yorkshire. But this is all about to change - when he unwillingly
embarks on the monastery's new friendship programme and meets remarkable octogenarian
Just how does Ernest know so much about the past, and how is he connected to the legendary but
Some secrets wait centuries to be unlocked...
Review samples for The Spirit Archer and Campaign of the Gods:
"This is a novella that is entertaining, informative and imaginative. It's a wonderful story that put
a smile on my face." (The Spirit Archer; Ann Werner, Amazon)
"This is a good fun read which I really enjoyed. I particularly liked the way the scenes cut back
to the gods and their fated board game and the effect that had on our world of 'Midgard'. A great,
light-hearted bit of fun." (Campaign of the Gods; Ignite, Amazon)
The voices of the past can change our lives forever…
EXCERPT
From The Spirit Archer:
According to the map, he was now in the middle of Priory Wood, right next to where
the grave should have been – except there was no sign of it. About him was the mixed warbling
of birdsong and the rustling sound of a breeze blowing through the tree tops. In the distance he
could make out the hum of traffic on the busy road. Nice place, he thought – apart from the cars.
Where the hell was the grave? Looking around, Jamie noticed a trail heading through a thick
cluster of trees and made his way along it. And then he found it. It was huge. It was over 12-
feet tall and was constructed out of bricks and had tall pillars on the corners. Between the pillars,
high, wrought iron railings had been set up to protect the grave, and the effect was altogether
grand. On further inspection, Jamie noticed that it had fallen into disrepair and two of the pillars
were missing. It was still very impressive nonetheless.
The thoughts filled Jamie’s mind: what on earth was Robin Hood’s grave doing here,
and why did so few people know about it? Talk about a secret! Feeling elated at finding it, Jamie
walked around it and began searching for inscriptions or words indicating the identity of the
deceased. There didn’t seem to be much on the outside, and peering through the railings, Jamie
caught sight of the grave stone. It was blackened with age and flecked with moss. Jamie squinted
- he could just make out the inscription written on it:
Here underneath dis laitl stean
Laz robert earl of Huntingtun
Ne'er archir ver a hie sa geud
An pipl kauld im robin heud
Sick utlawz as his as iz men
Vil England nivr si agen
Obiit 24 Kal. Dekembris 1247
Jamie photographed the words on his mobile phone’s camera, before stepping back
to take more pictures of the whole grave. This will surprise a few people, he thought. Jamie
looked around, and spotting one of the pillars lying on the ground nearby went over and sat on
it. After checking through the photos on his phone, Jamie could feel the warm fingers of spring
sunshine coming through the trees. Ah, what a lovely spot, he thought, and wondered what could
have given Jock and Angus the heebie-jeebies. There certainly wasn’t anything creepy about the
place. Jamie stood up and, for a laugh, began talking to the grave:
“Rise up, Robert, Earl of Huntingdon, and summon your Merry Men!” he commanded,
“Tis’ now the time to protect the poor and unwary – CARPE DIEM, MIGHTY ROBIN
HOOD!” he proclaimed, grandly. The words echoed through the woods, startling some birds in
The boy checked his voice recorder was still running and the story emerged through the
I estimated by the moon that it was the middle of the night. Pembroke had reckoned on
the moment when the French were in their deepest slumbers as the best time to attack. And we
had all agreed with him. My Welsh archers were in the trees near a lake, nearly six thousand
good men and horses ahead of us. High to our left lay the massive ramparts of Château Gaillard,
its portals dimly glimmering in the still, chilly night. Approximately a hundred score yards,
or so, in the distance were the French lines. Philip’s men were stationed all the way to the
castle walls, and concentrated near the river. You had to admire them – they had replaced the
ruined crossing with their own bridge made of boats. We could even see strange wooden towers
floating near the bridge, their torches acting as beacons as to moths. The mighty French siege
force slumbered away, oblivious to our threat.
We had been assured that a fleet of nigh on seventy Anglo-Norman ships were
heading up the river to deal a hammer blow to Philip’s crossing - at the very moment of our land
assault. King John’s tactical master stroke was sure to win the day. We were poised to attack.
Jamie listened intently; his breath held in anticipation.
And then the attack began. A horn was sounded and we swarmed out of the forest.
The infantry, led by sturdy men at arms, marched steadily onwards towards the French
encampment, and the mighty cavalry units cantered around in a great arc to deliver a flanking
blow. On we went. My archers jogged behind the infantry until we reached our position, and
we readied our bows to fire. The minutes seemed like hours. We fired our first volley, and then
another. We could only assume we were hitting our targets at that point. We could not tell in
the mingled shouts and screams ahead of us. A few volleys later, a great thunder of hooves
announced the arrival of the horsemen and a shift of the lines as a huge hole was punched in the
side of the French. What a noise - such terrible sounds.
I sensed the French retreating and I signalled my men forward. We were near the
river by now. I ordered more shots, and my men replied the best way they knew how: dense
clouds of arrows fell upon the enemy - wounding and slaying. Never had I seen anything like it.
We sensed victory was near and I felt my elation growing – as saddened as I am to say so.
Robin sighed.
But the ships never came. They were stuck down the river – the tides, currents and
winds against them – the foolish had foundered on their folly.
“But - you were about to win, weren’t you? It sounded like you would,” said Jamie.
“Never assume anything in war, young man,” replied the archer.
The Campaign Begins
An entry from PC Walker’s Norse Myths and Legends Companion:
Ivar Ragnarsson (aka Ivar the Boneless ) : Viking leader and berserker. Ivar
commanded the Viking ‘Great Heathen Army’, which invaded England in AD 865, captured York
the following year and established Danish rule over half of early medieval England.
The nickname ‘Boneless’ is subject to much speculation. It is thought possibly due to Ivar
possessing great physical flexibility, lameness in one leg, impotence, or his even having a bone
disease. Whichever way you look at it, Ivar was undeniably a wise commander and fearsome
The people of Lower Bagton were enjoying a particularly bright, warm and sunny
Midsummer’s Day when, unbeknownst to them, a gateway from the otherworld had suddenly
opened nearby. In the woods near Bagton Mill the chirping birds and foraging mammals stopped
all activity, mesmerised by the shimmering maw that had materialised in the shrubbery. Sensing
the imminent danger, the woodland animals chattered frantically and decided to take flight.
They headed anywhere other than here.
The effects of Thor and Týr’s game in Asgard were having a strange and very real effect in
the present day. And whilst they were aware that things were taking a turn for the worse, they
had little way of knowing what was happening precisely. They just knew it was bad. And they
knew they couldn’t stop it, despite their best efforts. To make matters worse, Thor had rolled
double one – his first ever stroke of bad luck. Thor’s forces were entering the battlefield in a
random and ramshackle fashion, scattered and disorientated.
One such case was Ivar Ragnarsson, who after experiencing the very strange effects of a
space-time portal, found himself in a very odd place indeed.
On arriving, confused and terrified, the Viking leader was experiencing an overpowering
cold and darkness. An ungodly humming noise filled his ears and the icy blast of an arctic
wind chilled his exposed flesh. Fearing he had died and failed to find paradise in Valhalla, Ivar
thought the worst - he had ended up in Hel – to be punished for eternity. A fact he did not face
very well. He let out a moan.
“Oh, Odin, have mercy!” he pleaded to the icy darkness in his Old Norse tongue. He was
surprised by the reply coming through the gloom.
Mike often taps out stuff on his keyboard in the fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal genres: a
habit which his wife finds fairly amusing - and sometimes a little bit strange.
So far he has published two novellas - The Spirit Archer and Campaign of the Gods - with
GMTA Publishing. Along with Mark of the Legion, the novellas are due to be published as The
Mike's debut novel, The Chaosifier, is also available on Amazon, where it is ambushing
unsuspecting fans of contemporary fantasy with its general mischief and mayhem.
Mike's educational background is in History, International Conflict Analysis and Education. He
is qualified as a teacher in ESOL and Adult Literacy, and lives and works in West Yorkshire.
He's married to a long-suffering wife, Joanne, and they have a young son called Joseph.
AUTHOR LINKS
Amazon
Goodreads
BOOK LINKS
Amazon Kindle – The Hopfield Tales
Amazon Paperback – The Hopfield Tales
Smashwords – The Hopfield Tales
B&N – The Hopfield Tales
Amazon-The Spirit Archer
Amazon-Campaign of the Gods
Amazon-The Chaosifier
Smashwords
http://asyouwishtours.com/
Please thank Mike for joining us today! Check out his links and books!
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce
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