Winter in Canada...

Some photos from my first winter here in Toronto. These were taken at the Humber Arboretum, one particularly chilly Friday afternoon!

One Of The Best Books On The Subject...

I'm currently writing Part 2 of my 3 part Historical Fiction piece, "The Spanish Conquest Of Peru (1527-1541)". No idea when it'll be finished- probably some time next year (2020), but I'm not rushing it. 

Anyway, I've been using this book (pictured above) as one of my main sources. I've been using about 4 - 5 different books throughout, but this one is without a doubt the most detailed and extensive on the topic. Anyone interested in history (especially Peruvian history) should read it- it's amazingly detailed!

Phil Raymond

@philraymondsfh

#HistoricalFiction

#WritingCommunity

How To Read My Stories Anytime, Anywhere!

I'm converting my stories into PDF documents, all of which can be downloaded (you'll see the link in at the top of each story)... :D

Download The Assyrian Siege Of Jerusalem PDF

Download The Spanish Conquest Of Peru; Part 1 of 3 PDF

Download, and read them anytime, anywhere! 

Phil Raymond

@philraymondsfh

#HistoricalFiction

#WritingCommunity

Pisco Sour recipe (DRINK RESPONSIBLY!)

To celebrate the publication of "The Spanish Conquest Of Peru (1527-1541); Part 1 Of 3", I made a Peruvian cocktail called "Pisco Sours". Want to make them yourself? Here's the recipe:

Ingredients (Serves 4):

-180 ml of pisco
-120 ml of simple syrup
-120 ml of lime juice
-4 egg whites
-Half a cup of crushed ice
-Angostura bitters, or powdered cinnamon

Recipe:

1. Put the pisco, simple syrup, lime juice and egg whites into a cocktail mixer or blender. Mix for a few seconds.

2. Add the crushed use, and mix for a few more seconds.

3. Pour into a glass, allowing the foam to settle on top.

4. Garnish with the sours or cinnamon.

5. Drink ice-cold!

As you can see from the picture above- you should have a layer of liquid below, with a layer of foam floating on top of it. If it doesn't look like this straight away, give it time to settle until it does.

I like my Pisco Sours to be cold, almost frozen! On the right is a picture of one which I left in the freezer overnight. As you can see, the layers are not quite so distinct here (I took it out of the freezer just before I took the photo). I'll leave it in the fridge and drink it just after it's melted.

As always, if you follow this recipe then please drink responsibly. 

Cheers! Or, as they say in Peru, "Salúd!"

Phil Raymond
@philraymondsfh
#HistoricalFiction

Coming Soon... :)

A little advert I made today. Photo of the Plaza de Armas in Cusco taken by my brother (who lives there, so no copyright issues!). :)

One more week to go...

It's exactly one week till I publish "The Spanish Conquest Of Peru (1527-1541); Part 1 of 3". It's coming out next Friday 15th November, and I've decided that we're celebrating that day by making Pisco Sours :)

I've already started writing part 2...

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @philraymondsfh for frequent publication updates...

:D

Friday 15th November, 2019!!!

I've officially announced the publication date of "The Spanish Conquest Of Peru (1527-1541); Part 1 Of 3", as you can see above. I've also published it on twitter, which as we all know makes it 100% official.

So, mark it in your calendars! :D

My First Three Part Story!

I've decided that I'm going to publish my next piece (The Spanish Conquest Of Peru, 1527-1541) in three parts. I've already started the first part, and I'll let you know the official publication date once I'm close to finishing it. Then, I'll write parts 2 and 3. 

Also, you can now follow me on Twitter, with #philraymondsfh or @philraymondsfh

That's all for now! Hope you're enjoying my other piece so far (The Assyrian Siege Of Jerusalem, 701BC). I'm off to the library tomorrow to get some books on the Incas!

Phil Raymond

#philraymondsfh

"There lies Peru with its riches; Here, Panama and its poverty. Choose, each man, what best becomes a brave Castilian. For my part, I go to the south."  - Francisco Pizarro, 1528

I'm really pleased with the response to my first historical fiction piece, "The Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem (701 BC)". Thank you so much for everyone who's read it so far and given me encouragement and feedback! If you haven't read it yet, then you should definitely check it out. You can find it at the top of my blog. 

As you can probably tell from the quote at the top, I've also settled on the theme of my next piece, which will be the Spanish Conquest of Peru (covering the main events from 1527-1541). It's another one that is quite personal to me, this time because I lived in Peru for nearly 3 years, and have many great memories from there. I've also already received help from several of my Peruvian friends (particularly around the Quechua language) for which I'm very grateful. 

As usual, I will do my best to stick to the facts as closely as possible, while also providing an enjoyable story line. My historical fiction pieces are always meant to both entertain and educate, and so this one might take a while to finish, as finding that balance between entertainment and the often shocking truth is a delicate process. Please stay patient, I'll keep you updated on my progress, and will make it very clear when it's to be released. In the meantime, feel free to read my first piece, and let me know what you think (either in a public comment or in a private message. Constructive criticism only, please).  

Phil Raymond
#philraymondsfh

My First Historical Fiction Story: "The Assyrian Siege Of Jerusalem" (701 BC)

So, that's it! I've officially just published my very first piece of historical fiction work. If you haven't already read the title of this post, it's about one of the most celebrated Jewish Kings of the Old Testament, King Hezekiah, and the events surrounding the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem. It's taken a lot of research from a bunch of different sources (and it's gone through the editing process pretty much 100 times), but hey, that's the writing process for you. I'm glad it's done- I'm really happy with how it came out, but please read it yourself and let me know if you have any comments or questions (constructive comment section at the end of the story).

As you'll see when you click on the page (in the horizontal crossbar), it starts of with "Author's introduction", where I talk a little bit about the inspiration and process of writing the story. Then, it's the story itself, followed finally by the "Historical notes". I advise you to read all three in that order to get a well-rounded view of what I was going for, as well as to allow me to explain the history and my interpretation of it.

Not sure what I'm going to do next, but I thought I might have a go at writing about the Spanish conquest of Peru. I lived in Peru for 3 years, so I already know a lot of local history from the area. That might be the next place to go. But, that's not definite yet- after all, there is so much history yet to explore! I'll post here again when I've made my final decision.

But, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my first story, and please share it online with people you think would like reading it, too.

Phil Raymond
#philraymondsfh