rlfj: Blog

I learned that it's not 'wrinkle out' but 'winkle out.' This was in two chapters, so I uploaded a fix to both. Thanks.

It was pointed out to me that the British king never really beat the Scottish king. "I don't know what your Scottish readers will say to your comment that the King of England beat the King of Scotland in battle :-) The reality was James VI inherited the crown on the death of Elizabeth I and became James I of England and united the Crowns, but not the Kingdoms, it was the last of the Stuarts, Anne that did that, with the Act of Union."

Technically, I specified, "Each land had their own king, and they battled often. England's king won." At the time of the Vikings, England was carved up into many small kingdoms. At the beginning of the Viking period, the sack of Lindisfarne in 793, there were seven kingdoms, known as the Heptarchy. Over the next few hundred years, the number declined, some by submission to other English kings and some by submission to the Vikings. Eventually they ended up with just one English king.

I think this one is a touch nit-picky, but you're allowed to disagree. Thanks for reading!

No, this isn't a blog about my future writing. Chapter 16 is about the future plans of Lars and the Vikings. The Vikings are moving to England. God help the Vikings and God help England! I know that everybody will have their own take on what should happen. Some will disagree with the approach I've taken, but that's the way things work. I tried to be realistic with the possibilities.

As for my future writing - Send me some ideas! I already have a collection of erotic short stories that will be put online shortly after Vikings finishes. These are some stories I've had cooking for a few years that I finally got around to finishing. No, I need an idea or two for something 'serious'. I have no interest in adding chapters to either the Carl Buckman or Grim Reaper stories. That seems like moving backward, not forward. Suggestions for a new story would be appreciated. Thanks.

For those curious, the usage of Private Military Contractors is ubiquitous on military bases. Many think it is limited to overseas conflicts, but the reality is that they are used in military bases around the world. Much of this is due to the decline of conscription to maintain manning levels after the end of the Vietnam War. An all-volunteer army required considerably higher pay rates to attract recruits. A decision was made to shrink the military to 'essential' combat duties. No longer would soldiers be used for housekeeping duties such as cooks and cleaners and maintenance. Instead, we would contract those functions out to the private market.

There was, and is, considerable disagreement as to the wisdom of this system, but it is the system we have. In any case, there is a wide range of capabilities and specialization in the PMC community. Some specialize in the housekeeping and maintenance functions described early in the story. Others specialize in combat functions. For those curious, the description of the PMCs in this story passed both American and British military editors.

When I wrote this story, I had completely forgotten about The Technicolor Time Machine by Harry Harrison. At the end of that story, the hapless hero is presented with a producer who wants to do a movie about the Crucifixion. I just happened to come up with it as well, as a potential disaster.

As Travis says in this chapter, "I have the feeling this thing, whatever it is, is moving into the end game." We are now in the final third of the story. Some of the chapters will be a little short, like 13, but others will be quite long. That's just the way things work. We'll also start learning what caused the Vikings to show up, as well as what is going to happen to them. Getting a little sci-fi in the next few chapters.