Michael Wills Interview
It was fun to be interviewed by AllAuthor recently! If you want to know what inspires me to write, my research process, how I balance historical accuracy with creative storytelling and much more, have a read here.
Author Archive for: m.wills@wills.eu.com
Entries by Michael Wills
The Ulfberht Sword
One of the swords found in the Viking graves on the island of Sollerön in Sweden has a name engraved on it, Ulfberht. It was found in the first grave to be discovered. The temptation is to assume that this was the name of the Viking chieftain whose remains was buried there. Actually, the name […]
The first Europeans to visit America
“In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. Yes, he did, but he was not the first European to visit America. In fact, he was 500 years too late to claim that distinction. So, who did cross the Atlantic first? The Icelandic sagas relate that in 985, a merchant, Bjarni Herjolfsson, was the […]
The Last Vikings?
In 985 AD, an Icelandic Viking, Erik Torvaldsson, lured Norse families into attempting the dangerous 750 mile, (1200 km), passage from Iceland to Greenland. The reason they left Iceland is disputed, but it seems to be related to the scarcity of land on the Island. Such good land as there was, had been claimed by […]
A Gruesome Discovery
In 2012 the Olympic sailing events were held in Portland, Dorset, UK. In preparation for the Olympics, in order to improve transport links to Portland, a relief road was built over a hill in the Dorset Downs, called “The Ridgeway”. It was during the construction of this road that a completely unexpected archaeological discovery was […]
In The Dark
There is one scenic device, used by film directors and story writers alike, which can be guaranteed to heighten tension and drama – darkness. The dark robs us of the means to orientate, to feel sure of our surroundings and who might be in them. Familiar shapes become threatening, and sounds which cannot be identified […]