W_L

I need to add in some missing pieces from my short story collection, i.e. Francis Walsingham's time as the Black Knight of Navarre, the "lost decade" of the 1560s (Which FYI was a relatively peaceful period in Elizabeth I reign and European politics, but there was a lot of buildup to later wars and civil wars). One thing about creating a brand new universe from scratch, I kind of have to bridge various character stories and explain things that I glossed over in this story, since it's Eli's first person account. Book 2 is currently something I am plotting. I have thought of a few roads to go down: Far East and chronicle this world's version of Sengoku Jidai (Japanese Warring States Period that led to the Tokugawa Shogunate aka my version of Shogun ) or I stay in Europe and follow Joachim Frederick (The formation of Prussian state, like the elimination of German states through a mixture of diplomacy, war, and intrigue. Basically, the 19th-century Central European History happens in the 16th century in my universe, while Austrian-Spanish Empire is at its peak. German history is a fascinating subject. It's probably narratively just as dark as Book 1 if not darker, because Germany wasn't unified with candy and smiles. Otto von Bismark wasn't called the Iron Chancellor for nothing.)

There are a lot of other Civilizations that I haven't explored fully, nor have we gone deep into what the Western Charter is capable of. The Russian Empire is not going to fall completely, but the kind victory that Eli and his husband seek is not what you may expect, even in this genre that I am playing in, it's out there. The Guardians of Eternity may get a nod at the end.

Thanks Chris

In my timeline, the Siege of Narva was the penultimate battle of the Livonian War, fought between Sweden and Russia in 1581. The Russian Empire prioritized fortifying this position above all others on the Baltic coast to avoid such a defeat. They followed a strategy adopted in the 18th century during the Great Northern War, which most historians in my timeline regard as the turning point for Russia's rise to international power. After establishing a presence in the southern Gulf of Finland in 17

Sadly, not many people like my history notes on the chapters. I do enjoy technical details in historical fiction, but it's not everyone enjoys. If readers want my author's notes, I can add them into my blog after I finish the book, like a free extra.

Aye, Russian historians don't like mentioning the destruction of Moscow in 1571, usually they call it the Moscow fire of 1571; even though, it was caused by the Ottoman allied army. After the attack, Ivan opened diplomatic relations with England under Elizabeth I. As for the antisemitism, it's a tragic history. Most histories are focused on Continental actions, but England wasn't exempt from such issues. Queen Elizabeth I, as much as her biographers, admirers, and movies/books depict a goddess, was not perfect. It's a tragedy that she discriminated against a friend due to his religion. On the flip side, while Queen Victoria is villified a lot for her tenure as the symbol of British Imperialism, she was a much more open-minded person. She was interested in the world and open dialogue without regard to race, religion, or gender roles.

So, what would you like to see in Stories? What function are we missing? For me, I do like the idea of dark mode, since I use color inversion to reduce eye strain when I read. It will make reading much easier. As for other features, I am wondering how's proposed mobile interface for TTS (Text-to-Speech) compatibility? One of the issues with some story sites with updated interfaces is read-back with third-party apps. I've figured a few workarounds by converting stories to MP3s, when I want to continue reading, while I work. Also, will there be a bookmark feature, so readers can keep their places in longer stories?

Thanks Chris It's a major factor!

I never imagined I would return to England with a Jewish slave, a gift from the Margrave of Brandenburg. Sadly, I was not the first English monarch to enslave Jews under the guise of protection. William the Conqueror, England's first king, set a precedent in the 11th century by bringing Jews from Europe to England for financial administration under the guise of 'royal property' transfer. This occurred because the Catholic Church prohibited devout Christians from handling money. Once the Jews ent

Thanks Chris Joachim is a patriot to some and a nationalist to others. It depends on your perspective, but he was put into a place and time with only his natural intellect and skills as an intelligence operative. Those skills served him well to modernize Brandenburg-Prussia up to a point, but he like other factions in my universe relied on old elites and traditional groups (Clergy, Fraternities, and so on) for assistance in his nation. These groups have long-held beliefs that were created to protect or increase their power, i.e. targeting another ethnic religious group like Jews or sexual orientation like homosexuals. Like Prussia/Germany of the 19th century, keeping old institutions while modernizing your country can be a successful shortcut to reach goals, but it leaves a lot of issues, which the 20th century revealed. Eli has done away with power blocs from British inherited nobles to the Church of England, favoring meritocratic nobility and a Veritas sect that practices what would be characterize as either Secular Skeptics or Secular Theists.

As a result of the events in Copenhagen and Denmark, I recalled Francis from the Pyrenees in mid-1575. We needed to strengthen our intelligence apparatus for both foreign espionage and domestic counterespionage. The Northern Pact had transformed from a minor player into a major international alliance with unknown elements. The Swedish Empire had emerged a century ahead of its time, and the Hohenzollern Duchy of Brandenburg-Prussia had become the Kingdom of Prussia through the acquisition of nort

Truck-Kun is also a shapeshifter, he sometimes becomes a train, a knife from a crazy person, or sleep demon that takes souls when you close your eyes. Truly, the greatest killer of Isekai genre (Well outside Yogiri, but that boy is the personification of death)

It takes long hours of staring at blank MS Word documents, a lot of concept sessions with your inner muse, and luck in matching with readers' interests at a given place and time. My best advice is to read more and consider what you enjoy.

Thanks Mark, It's very high praise from an established author like you

Thanks, glad you like the battle Intrigue is fun, especially on the side of one's supposed allies. I am about to explore another interesting historic international relationship in the next chapter.

I dedicate this chapter to @Mark Arbour I hope folks like the naval battle and history lessons about the British intervention in Denmark and Russia. It's one of Admiral Horatio Nelson's least remembered battles, but at the 1st battle of Copenhagen, he demonstrated a good post-battle atmosphere to minimize civilian casualties. Sadly, in the second battle without his presence, the capital of Denmark was bombarded by the British navy in its bid against France and Russia. UK-Russia have a complex relationship of betrayal and death. I highly recommend folks who enjoy this arc in my story to read up on The Great Game.

Inciting a successful rebellion is typically a complex and arduous task, often requiring years of internal disunity and careful coordination. For example, in England, I spent nearly a decade preparing before making my move against Queen Mary. However, there are exceptions to this rule, especially when the target nation is already weakened by prolonged conflict and heavy casualties. War fatigue has plagued aggressors and occupying nations throughout history. Russia had exhausted too many troops a

Be careful what you wish for

For those who know my interests, Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, whether it's original or the Lion King reimagining (My email is a play on the words of Hamlet for instance ). Though not based on history, it's themes are timeless and asked some very deep ethical/moral questions about justice and vengeance.

In my timeline, the threat of nuclear war loomed over the latter half of the 20th century. I knew that atomic weapon technology would eventually emerge earlier in our world, especially with the rapid progress fueled by future beings like me. Jack’s last incarnation, Merlin, had left instructions in Avalon for such an event, which only Robert and I could access. Many geologists in my era knew that Greenland, like the rugged lands of Russia’s Kazakh vassal state, was a rich source of uranium. This

Lol, Team Jacob will embrace everyone @KristaI think you should try The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer, if you want something that isn't super cerebral Sci-fi, but still brainy and stimulating with two compelling queer characters and an interesting plot. The author is likely a fan of Arthur C. Clarke. Nifty is a hodge podge, it has some good stuff and it's the reason why I came here in the first place, along with several other communities. As for reference books, Food: A Cultural Culinary History by Ken Albala, it's a college-level textbook that I bought with one of my Audible credits. I thought I could enjoy it, but dang, it was slow and didn't really give me much more detail than my knowledge of food history and interaction. I didn't finish it, I just skipped around the chapters and looked up some facts. (With Chapters like "From Eden to Kosher Laws" and "From Hippies to Foodies", it jumped around on food history)

Docile by KM Szpara I like sci-fi, I like dystopian stories, I like gay erotica, and BDSM is the cherry on top. However, I just couldn't accept the bad plot concept of the story or the shallow character dynamics. DNF'd after 20 chapters. While the author claims the book is an indictment on class and capitalism, it's really just a story that glorifies victimization and victimizers. There is no real power dynamic, it's just abuse without any heart.

Most people discuss warfare in terms of personal encounters, I'm a huge fan of battle strategy and engagement doctrine. I'm one of those dorks who liked the PBS/BBC "Battlefield" documentary growing up

The civil war in France had just begun in the autumn of 1572, but it would engulf Europe in flames by the end of the year. In France, Valois forces invaded the province of Lorraine, raiding the House of Guise for gold and supplies. Strategically, Lorraine was crucial as a key link to the German railroad, offering a direct line through Luxembourg to the Imperial capital of Aachen. Though Habsburg air power outmatched the Valois with a 4:1 aircraft ratio, the sudden collapse of Lorraine and the Va

Can someone explain to me the difference between a Lorry in the UK and a Truck in the US? I know they're similar based on context.