rlfj: Blog

Researching and writing Chapter 12 proved one of the most humorous of the entire book. Norse wedding rituals came up, specifically the negotiations involved in a marriage. Why so amusing? For one thing, the negotiations were between the two families, and my parents and my wife's parents despised each other. We kept them apart as much as possible for over thirty years. For another, ask yourself just how many goats your spouse is worth. Then discuss that question with her (or him) and try to keep a straight face! Then you can talk about the reasons for a Viking divorce, and we haven't even discussed how to ask your wife about her morning-gift!

For those who read Chapter 11 immediately after it went up, you noticed my attempt at doing the Runic language in the story failed. It just doesn't translate into html. I would have needed to post the lines as a picture, so I simply deleted it and reposted it. It still works fine without the runes.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! I remember learning once that the Royal Navy used RAF planes and pilots. It seems that was in error. For all the fans of the Royal Navy, I have committed ritual seppuku. You can stop beating on me.

Also, it was pointed out that Harald would eventually need a crown on his tooth. I added a line on that.

In Chapter 11 I use the Runic alphabet for a few words. Please don't complain if I have used the wrong Runic alphabet. I know there are several, but I just couldn't figure out which one would have been used. I don't think it's that critical, but please don't complain. Thank you in advance.

For those curious, the Red Arrows are the UK version of the US Air Force Thunderbirds or the US Navy Blue Angels. They belong to the RAF. The Royal Navy doesn't have a demonstration team for the simple reason that the Royal Navy doesn't have a separate air force. Instead, the Royal Air Force operates the aircraft which fly from the British aircraft carriers. I've heard arguments both for and against this system, but it's their system, so it's their decision.

A comment on a recent Supreme Court decision. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in the case of MAHANOY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT v. B. L. that a high school student's blog rants could not be used against the student by the local school district for disciplinary purposes. Specifically, the young girl (B. L.) was not promoted from junior varsity cheerleader to varsity, and she went on a teenybopper social media rampage. The school promptly kicked her off the team. So what? The Supremes ruled that not only did the girl have freedom of speech, but that the school board overstepped their bounds: "The circumstances of B. L.'s speech diminish the school's interest in regulation. B. L.'s posts appeared outside of school hours from a location outside the school. She did not identify the school in her posts or target any member of the school community with vulgar or abusive language. B. L. also transmitted her speech through a personal cellphone, to an audience consisting of her private circle of Snapchat friends."

Why does this matter? Back when I was writing The Grim Reaper, in Chapter 12 there was a major uproar when the bad guy (Candy Pants) was expelled from his first high school and ended up playing football for the rival school. That was considered a violation of the Georgia High School Association's sports regulations. Instead, the school district ruled that the events causing the expulsion (Grim's beating) didn't happen on school grounds and therefore weren't sufficient cause for Candy Pants to be forced off the team. It's like I predicted a SCOTUS decision! Just thought that was weird.

Had a couple of typos in 7 and 8, so I reloaded them. Thanks for pointing them out. Fixed. Also learned a bit more about coins. For those curious, coins would have been common in Scandinavia, even if they were simply stolen from England and Scotland. They would almost certainly not have dates on them. They generally would have been stamped with the profile of a king and his name in Latin. You would probably need a specialist to date things that way. Enough said.

I got some good feedback from my British editors in this chapter. It seems that Yanks and Brits really do speak different languages. When I used the words sheetrock and lumber, I was informed that the British used plasterboard and timber. I had to change some wording in the story. There were a few other incidents like that in the story. Interesting!

Chapter 9 is halfway through the story, so I am turning on voting. Hope everybody likes it. Vanity, thy name is author.

I had an excellent suggestion from a reader - check the coins the Vikings had in their possession. Look for the dates on the coins. That's actually a pretty good idea. I did some research and learned that Ninth Century Vikings didn't use coins. It wasn't until a hundred years later before coins began to be produced in Norway. They used bullion before then, bulk gold or silver. (Grab a bunch of gold cups and plates from a church, that sort of thing.) However, it's still a good idea, because coins were available in England, so they would have been taken in any raids and the Vikings would understand them. I added a short paragraph about that. Thanks!

Chapter 8 looks at military medicine. Up until this point, what I knew about military medicine was based on MASH, a 1970s TV show about a 1950s war, where Hawkeye and BJ performed 'meatball surgery' in tents by the light of a kerosene lantern. Modern military field hospitals are vastly different. They are modular and palletized. When they are airlifted or driven to the site they are expanded and unfolded and then linked together in a variety of configurations by an engineer detachment. The engineers will probably take longer leveling the site than bolting the pieces together. If you need a dental office or an OB/GYN suite, just bring in the correct modules. And for those curious, yes, they have laparoscopic capabilities, which was the most astonishing thing I learned.