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Denny Bradbury Books

Denny Bradbury Books

Monthly Archives: July 2011

Inspiration

31 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by dennybradburybooks in Denny's Diary

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InspirationA friend once asked me how I came up with ideas for my writing. I found it diffcult to answer as I had not considered why or how I thought of things to write as they just came to me, seemingly at random. Of course we are the product of all that we were when we were born and everything that has happened to us since. It isn’t only about being interested in the world, both big and small, but in storing away the incidental overheard conversations in the back of our minds then, without notice they come forward and there is the start of a poem or a story.  I ended up by saying to my friend that if you are interestd in a subject then your enthusiasm will translate to the reader.

If we write for ourselves then perhaps all we may hope is that some others will join us on the journey.

Denny Bradbury

Borvo

21 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by dennybradburybooks in Denny's Diary

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It still gives me a thrill to see my work in published form. Having spent so long with the written word either on screen or in draft paper form it seems to take on a whole new life when it comes as a book.  This is also true of ebook form as the finished ‘whole’ has an entity all of its own. Borvo has been with me a long time and I find it hard to leave him to get on with his story, it is as though he was a real person. Indeed, others authors say similar things about their characters, sometime we want our ‘people’ to do something and it feels wrong so they end up going their own way and almost taking us with them on their journey.

I will miss him, perhaps until I feel moved to explore the possibility of continuing his journey in a sequel, I must let him go. Now it is up to others to enjoy his legend and hopefully be caught up in his dilemma.

Denny Bradbury (DNI Bradbury)

Plunge yourself into the Dark Ages, in Denny Bradbury’s new book “Borvo”

21 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by dennybradburybooks in Misc

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Borvo by Denny BradburyIt was a time of kings, of battles, of a society based on community, love, honour and friendship. This was the Dark Ages, the setting for Denny Bradbury’s new book “Borvo”.

So often people think of the Dark Ages as a time when little was recorded and yet the richness of the art and the culture still draws us through the ages back to a different time.

It was a time of great Kings like Alfred the Great. Kings who went into battle to unite their country but it was also a time of ordinary people. These were our forefathers, people who are directly related to you and me.

Find out what it was like to be alive as royalty, the people, religion and new ideas collide in this rich adventure which Denny Bradbury has woven.

Denny’s passion for poetry (“Denagerie of Poems”) and adventure (“The Reunion”) brings to life the story of a young boy who grows into a man during this time. It’s an adventure that everyone can relate to, even today. It’s a story about discovering who you are, about discovering what it means to be an adult and what it means to discover, that we all have a role in this world.

The main character is a healer. He knows how to use plants and herbs. We so often forget that the medicines we use today came from the herbs that were found in fields. Denny also weaves this element into the plot, allowing us to find out how important these skills once were. Of course, knowing about healing can have it’s advantages and disadvantages.

“I just love this period,” says Denny. “I’ve studied the Anglo-Saxon era for many years and I’ve been wanting to write a book based there for a long, long time. Borvo just brought together all those ideas into one exciting story.”

“I wanted it to appeal to everyone thought. I wanted children to pick up the story and find themselves transported to a different time but I also wanted to reach adults like me. Whatever age we are, we all love that sense of adventure but we also find fascinating the question of who we are and what our place is in life.”

Denny Bradbury is also one of the new era of authors embracing the online world. She has a popular blog containing literary news that Denny shares with her readers. There are articles about the themes in her works and she also shares her personal thoughts and ideas with her readers. This can be found at dennybradburybooks.com

If you would like a review copy of the book then please contact FocusedPR at the details below.

The Tales of Storytellers

20 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by dennybradburybooks in History

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Tags

Borvo, Denny Bradbury, entertainment, glee, King Alfred, saxon, scops, storyteller


We all like a good story.  Collectively we spend billions of pounds on print books, e-books, and audio books.  Hours of our lives are taken up watching TV soaps, dramas and big-budget films.

Theatres are full with standing ovations; families and friends meet up and exchange life stories.

Stories can be factual or fictitious, sometimes a combination of both.  Yet in all accounts they are entertaining.

Our love of stories in the present is no different to the love of stories in historical times.

Denny Bradbury’s latest offering, ‘Borvo’, is set in Anglo-Saxon times during the reign of King Alfred.  One of the characters travels between villages, entertaining the people with his wit and cunning.

These wandering storytellers or ‘scops’ were respected.  It was a true skill to pass on information, make it entertaining, and keep the interest of the audience.

Their tasks were many:

  • Reporters – passing news from town to town
  • Teachers – hiding ‘lessons’ within their stories, rights and wrongs, advice on how to live in a respectful and helpful manner
  • Historians – reciting past events and keeping them fresh in the minds of the people
  • Morale – it was necessary in times of battle and hardship to keep spirits high
  • Loyalty – stories were told in such a way to leave their ‘employer’ in high regard

No royal residence or home of high society was complete without a scop at banquets.  They would entertain the guests with stories, music and riddles.  Some would show off other skills, such as juggling.

Scops often recited stories with a rudimentary harp or a lyre (hence the terms ‘lyrics’).  This allowed for easier understanding of the words.  Rhythm and rhyme enabled the scop to remember the many fables and historical events.

These storytellers tended to write and perform their own work.  Although performances would include items of fantasy and extravagance, they often began life as factual stories but ‘altered’ for entertainment value.

They were usually welcomed wherever they went; people longed to hear of news from other villages.  As such, scops were offered free food and shelter as a thank you for their visit.

Other people in the entertainment business were Gleemen.  Although similar to scops in many ways – storytelling, performing music and other acts – they did not have a ‘base’, a home in which they could return.  Instead, Gleemen relied on their talents to pay for lodgings and feed themselves.

They were not always welcomed where they roamed and were the Saxon equivalent of modern-day buskers.

The art of storytelling has not died over the years, it has merely transformed.

King Alfred championed the use of English in written form as opposed to Latin, making texts more accessible.  He also brought in education for a wider range of society.

Over the years, stories were written rather than spoken and historical events were documented and not just confined to memory.

The need for oral narratives began a decline but the need for stories continue to this day.

Laura Scott

You can buy Denny Bradbury’s books online by clicking on the links below.

Borvo by Denny Bradbury    

Author helps children to become writers

20 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by dennybradburybooks in Literacy News

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An author who grew up in Kingston is re-creating what she describes as a “bleak and bare” bedroom for an exhibition.

Dame Jacqueline Wilson, best known for her Tracy Beaker series wants to show young ones that anyone can be a writer.

Its all part of an exhibition taking place in Newcastle this October.

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