Rock, Paper, Swords! - the Historical Action and Adventure Podcast

Two brothers lived next door to each other for decades and never spoke a word. When Norwegian artist Lars Elling was a boy, they were his grandfather and great-uncle, and he never learned why. Years later, that silence became his debut novel.
This week on Rock, Paper, Swords!, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill talk to Lars about The Princes of Paupers Pond, a literary story of childhood adventure in the Norwegian forests, the bond between brothers, and the long shadow of decisions made before the First World War.
In this episode:
The real “War of the Apples”, and how a feud over fallen fruit became a novel
How a painter shut out by the pandemic started writing, 9am to 1pm, seven days a week
Why Lars’s prose is so visual, and how painting shapes his storytelling
Writing Norway from a wine farm in South Africa
The sequel, Filip of Starholm, which sends a young artist to Sarajevo in 1991
What gets lost, and what gets invented, when you turn family history into fiction
Before the interview, Matthew and Justin catch up on first drafts, proof edits, agents and rejections, Professor Tom Licence’s book on Harold II, and Matthew’s Roman novel Guardian of Rome: Incendium.
Perfect for fans of historical fiction, literary fiction, Nordic and Scandinavian stories, and anyone fascinated by the creative process.
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Keywords: Lars Elling, The Princes of Paupers Pond, Norwegian novel, Nordic fiction, Scandinavian literature, historical fiction podcast, author interview, artist turned novelist, family secrets, pre-war Norway, writing podcast, Matthew Harffy, Justin Hill

Justin's just had his proofs back — and Matthew's grilling him about it. This week, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill go deep on the editing process: the difference between developmental notes, line edits, copy edits and proofs, when to push back on an editor and when to just let it go, and the single most painful piece of editorial feedback Matthew's ever received (it nearly took out a main character in A Time for Swords). Plus: Justin's novel is out on submission and they talk candidly about the agonising wait, the myth of the big-money auction, and whether either of them would go back and re-edit an old book. And in the news: the Stamford Bridge 1066 Viking anthology is out now, and the A Century of Swords Kickstarter is still live.
🔗 Patreon: patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast📧 rockpaperswordspodcast@gmail.com

Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill are joined by Professor Ryan Lavelle (University of Winchester, historical advisor on The Last Kingdom and Assassin's Creed Valhalla) and wargames designer James Morris to talk Winchester Shieldwall — their Viking Age wargaming forum bringing together historians, writers and wargamers. They dig into the Battle of Maldon, the myths around the Viking shieldwall, and the battles they'd love to refight one day, from Clontarf to the siege of London.
Plus news on Matthew's new book deal, Stamford Bridge 1066: A Viking Anthology, and the A Century of Swords Kickstarter.
Winchester Shieldwall is on Saturday 21st November at the University of Winchester — tickets: https://store.winchester.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/school-of-humanities/winchester-shieldwall-a-wargaming-forum-on-viking-age-warfare
All our links: https://linktr.ee/rockpaperswords

Steven Savile returns to Rock, Paper, Swords! to talk about Chronicles: Medieval, the ambitious medieval sandbox game he's writing for Raw Power Games — and A Century of Swords, the 35-author historical fiction anthology launching alongside it on Kickstarter. Matthew and Justin (both contributing authors) dig into the game's Hundred Years' War setting, the anthology's scale, companion novels tied into the game itself, and what backers actually get for their pledge. Plus the usual writing updates and podcast news.
🔗 Steven Savile: https://stevensavile.com🔗 Chronicles: Medieval: https://www.rawpowergames.com/games/chronicles-medieval🔗 Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2231020/Chronicles_Medieval/🔗 A Century of Swords: https://centuryofswords.net
Support the podcast:🎙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast☕ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rockpaperswords🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords✉️ Get in touch: rockpaperswordspodcast@gmail.com

#HistoricalFiction #HundredYearsWar #ChroniclesMedieval #Kickstarter #HistFic

Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale returns to Rock, Paper, Swords! — this time with backup. He's joined by 90s action icon Jeff Speakman (The Perfect Weapon) and Chef-turned-director Joe Gatto to talk about Lost Echoes, The Movie: an indie feature adaptation of Lansdale's 2007 supernatural thriller, currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill dig into the story behind the story — a man who can hear violence echoing in sounds from the past, the alcoholic martial arts mentor who helps him fight it, and why three creators walked away from the traditional studio system to make this film entirely on their own terms. Plus: Speakman's 20-years-in-the-making comeback role, Gatto's leap from private chef to feature director, and why "you can be a dead body in the movie" might be the best Kickstarter reward tier ever devised.

Kickstarter & guest links:
Kickstarter — Lost Echoes, The Movie: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chefjoegatto/lost-echoes-the-movie
Chef Joe Gatto — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefjoegatto/
Joe R. Lansdale — Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeRLansdale
Jeff Speakman — Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Speakman5.0/

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All links: linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords
#LostEchoes #JoeLansdale #JeffSpeakman #IndieFilm #RockPaperSwords