How to Cook Game in the Ancient World

 As Christmas approaches, our thoughts naturally turn to the dinner table. I've written a piece on how the Romans cooked for the Christmas issue of Shooting Times - get the festive issue in print.

Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine

Nicholson Baker's debut novel, published in the late 1980s, has been reissued by Granta in a handy pocket-sized paperback. It's about an office worker who buys a new pair of laces - and that really is all the plot. I've reviewed it for the Times Literary Supplement.

Literary Review Christmas Children's Books Round Up

I've been reviewing children's books for Literary Review for about 15 years now... and it never fails to please me how many powerful and wonderful books there are. I wish I had space to cover more. This year, I've reviewed:

 

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny

The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant

I, Ada by Julia Gray

The Midnight Swan by Catherine Fisher

The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff 

You can read the review here, but do get the December/January issue - a bumper double one. 

One other small item of news: I received the CD audioboook of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog. I always enjoy the physical versions, rather than the digital ones - somehow it makes a more satisfying experience to load the CDs into the machine. My lurcher, obviously, is already listening...

Write Your Own Myths

 I'm absolutely thrilled with this beautiful cover by Anette Pirso, who has also illustrated WRITE YOUR OWN MYTHS throughout, making the book a rich and beautiful experience. It's a non-fiction title for 12+ - a guide to creating your own myths with creative writing prompts.

Signed Copies

 If you'd like a signed copy of any of my books in print, please do get in touch (see CONTACT)
and I can arrange to have them sent to you via a local bookshop.

The Arrow of Apollo - myth based adventure for 10+

The Double Axe - retelling of the Minotaur myth for 10+

How to Teach Classics to Your Dog - light-hearted introduction to the Classics for adults.

Reviews: How to Teach Classics to Your Dog in Wunderdog; The Arrow of Apollo in Argo.

 Today we give thanks for the existence of specialist magazines. The brilliant Wunderdog has reviewed How to Teach Classics to Your Dog; and Argo, the magazine of the Hellenic Society, has reviewed The Arrow of Apollo.

Leonie Breeds in Argo was very perceptive about The Arrow, and finishes her kind review: "As you read, you find yourself immersed in a fastmoving but well-structured plot. This is a book to be enjoyed."

Richard Madeley on TalkRadio

 I chatted to Richard Madeley on TalkRadio about how to write a novel. You can listen here, from 1230.

Audiobook of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog

 I had oodles of fun recording the audiobook for How to Teach Classics to Your Dog. You can now buy it from Audible, here.

Launch of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog, and a review of Peter Stothard

 Today is the day we are launching HOW TO TEACH CLASSICS TO YOUR DOG, my quirky introduction

to the Greeks and the Romans. I very much hope that you enjoy it, and also, if you do, would be very grateful for any reviews. You can order a copy here, from Waterstones, or pop into your local independent bookshop.

I've reviewed Peter Stothard's new book, with a suitably classical theme, The Last Assassin, for The Spectator. Read it here.

Finished copies of HOW TO TEACH CLASSICS TO YOUR DOG

 

 Finished copies of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog have arrived - they look absolutely beautiful. 

"Engaging and funny and clever. Written with the verve of a novelist and the insights of a scholar. Illuminates the pleasures and relevance of the Classics today." - Dr Harry Sidebottom, author of the Warrior of Rome series.

Readingzone's Book Club: Reading of The Arrow of Apollo

 

 I've made a short video for Readingzone's Book Club, which you can see here.

Philip Reeve reviews The Arrow of Apollo

 Philip Reeve has been one of my absolute favourite children's authors, since I first encountered his fantastic Mortal Engines series, in which a devastated Earth is traversed by moving cities. So I am really thrilled that he's reviewed The Arrow of Apollo on his blog, which you can read here.

Proof of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog

Ecce! Proofs have arrived of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog, which will be published in October by Oneworld.

"Philip Womack and Una – his optima canis – are tremendous companions in their journey round the classical world. The ultimate vademecum.." Harry Mount

The Tower by Philip Womack

I'll be posting sections from my YA short story, 'The Tower', on Ko-fi, over the next few days. It's a fantasy piece about isolation. You can read it here.

Review of The Arrow of Apollo in Books for Keeps

I'm absolutely delighted with this lovely 5* review of The Arrow of Apollo in Books for Keeps.

Competition: Chance to win a copy of THE ARROW OF APOLLO

If you'd like to be in for a chance to win a copy of THE ARROW OF APOLLO, head over to Twitter, where WRD are running a competition.

Literary Review Summer Children's Round Up July 2020

Here's my review of three children's books for Literary Review, by Tania Unsworth, Richard Lambert and Jenni Spangler. Read it here.

William Mayne's Jingle Stones Sequence

During lockdown, I have been returning to the books I read as a child: partly for comfort, partly from a sense of curiosity. When I stumbled on William Mayne’s Earthfasts, it was as if a magnesium flame had been lit, that past time scorching into the present, reforged and changed. Published in 1966, the novel begins with a truly eerie moment, when a drummer boy appears out of the ground to David and Keith, two startled teenage boys.

The drummer boy carries a candle, whose removal has woken the sleeping King Arthur: it’s not the right time for him to return, and the candle must be replaced. That simple plot breakdown doesn’t do justice to this work, which also deals with Yorkshire dialects, history, troublesome boggarts, translations of Horace, and the mysteries of life and death.

I hadn’t read Cradlefasts, the sequel, which appeared 30 years later. I probably thought I had grown out of children’s books. Mayne updated the setting, so the boys who were teenagers in the 1960s are still the same age in a world of mobile phones: it all adds to the disorienting effect. A young girl claims to be David’s dead little sister; the drummer boy longs for his own time. There’s barely any plot to speak of, instead relying on a vivid sense of landscape and an exploration of mortality. It hardly seems to follow the previous novel at all, until right at the end, when things slide dizzyingly into place.

I’m hooked. Candlefasts, the final part, which appeared in 2000, brings in giant spiders and the particles of time itself. For a period when the world seems to be half-embalmed, out of kilter, I can’t recommend them enough. Often wilfully obscure, Mayne’s writing yet achieves moments of startling epiphany.

Mayne killed himself in 2010, having been found guilty of abusing girls. His books were removed from schools and libraries. This raises difficult questions about art and its relation to its maker. Should such troubling circumstances cloud the beauty of his works? He produced over 100 titles; none are in print. You can get them second hand. You’ll find jewels.

10 minute challenge for Authorfy

⭐️ NEW! ⭐️ We’ve got a new 10 minute challenge every day, hosted by a different children’s author.

They’re fun, inspirational & perfect for #homelearning

Today’s is with @WomackPhilip!

Full video: https://t.co/jWJfPyXI6r#Authorfy10minutechallenge#UnitedByBooks pic.twitter.com/YeJ6qd7na9

— Authorfy (@authorfy) June 19, 2020

Interview on France 24 about The Arrow of Apollo

There is an interview here on the France 24 English language website, which is about children's books to get you through COVID. There's a bit about THE ARROW OF APOLLO, around 9 mins in. Have a look here.

Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World by Philip Matyszak

My review of Philip Matyszak's new book, Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World, is in this week's Spectator. Read it here.

Cover for HOW TO TEACH CLASSICS TO YOUR DOG by Philip Womack

I'm absolutely thrilled to reveal the spiffing cover for my first non-fiction book, How to Teach Classics to Your Dog, which will be published in October by Oneworld.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins: review

I've reviewed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the new book by Suzanne Collins, a prequel to her Hunger Games trilogy, for The Guardian. Read it here.

Philip Womack talks to Catriona Ward about his new book, THE ARROW OF AP...

I had a lot of fun chatting to novelist Cat Ward about THE ARROW OF APOLLO.

A reading from The Arrow of Apollo by Philip Womack

The Penguin Classics Cover Generator

The Penguin Classics Cover Generator is a delightful tool. I've had fun making mock ups of what it might be like to be published by them...You can find it here.

Burn by Patrick Ness: review

I've reviewed Patrick Ness's latest novel, Burn, for The Guardian. Read it here.

Review of THE ARROW OF APOLLO in Literary Review

There's a lovely review of THE ARROW OF APOLLO by Julia Gray in Literary Review:

Winter by Philip Womack: The London Magazine

I've spoken before of my love for the London Magazine; so I'm really thrilled to have a short story, WINTER, published this week. It's about the perils of literary ambition, with some (gentle) satire. You can read it here.

Michelle Paver interview: Books for Keeps

In what seems like a different world, I interviewed Michelle Paver about her new book, Viper's Daughter. We met in The Ivy club, which was crowded with people having meetings, enjoying breakfast and reading the papers. Let's hope that world returns soon. Here's the piece, for Books for Keeps.

Guest Blogs on Writing for Jericho Writers

Jericho Writers asked me to write two guest blogs for their site: on the omniscient narrator and on character motivation.

You can read about the omniscient narrator here, and about character motivation here.

English Monsters by James Scudamore: review

I've reviewed James Scudamore's novel, ENGLISH MONSTERS, for the Financial Times.

His second, HELIOPOLIS, I reviewed many years ago in Literary Review. 

The Dressing-up Box by David Constantine and Sudden Traveller by Sarah Hall: review

My review of The Dressing-up Box by David Constantine, and Sudden Traveller by Sarah Hall, two new collections of short stories, is in this week's Times Literary Supplement.

10 Best European Novels

I've suggested a list of the 10 Best European novels for The Independent. Read it here.