Paul H Rowney-Author
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JUST PUBLISHED!
(Amazon Top 20 bestseller)
Imagine if a 500 year old house could reveal its secrets?
What if one of the oldest houses in Bury St Edmunds finally told the stories of the people that lived in it? Their trials, tribulations, lives and deaths? Their struggles to survive the turbulent times Mediaeval life threw at them?
How were they affected by, or even involved in, some of the monumental historical events that Bury St Edmunds experienced?
In The Crown Post author and former resident of the house, has woven a compelling and fascinating tale that combines factual occurrences with the fictional characters who might have lived in the (real) house.
Starting with its construction in 1485, through the Dissolution of Bury’s magnificent Abbey, the bloody English Civil to the deadly Black Death and the infamous Witch trials, the house and its residents witnessed them all first hand.
This compelling and entertaining novel of historical fiction weaves the house, and its occupants with the rich history of Bury St Edmunds. The book brings alive what it was like to live through one of the most exciting times in English history.
Add in a touch of mediaeval witchcraft, which has terrible and tragic repercussions on any child born in the house and you have a captivating and absorbing read.
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French Creek: Book 1 in the series
Love post apocalyptic novels? Looking for a thrilling and entertaining read? Want to read a novel with a different scenario from Zombies, EMP's, Pandemics & Nuclear War?
Following a combination of natural disasters, in the space of just a few weeks, one-half of America plunges back into the Pioneer era. With no functioning economy, law or order, utilities, healthcare or food supplies, the population east of the Mississippi collapses into chaos. Half of America is now a devastated wasteland with millions fleeing to the west for a better life.
To protect themselves against this flood of refugees, states west of the Mississippi use the river as a security barrier, creating a 'Berlin Wall' that divides America.
Five years after what became known as 'The Collapse', the small community of French Creek in Kentucky has adjusted to 19th-century living. They have survived the worst. Or so they thought. Until a group of strangers appear and begin disrupting their peaceful community.
The strangers are on the hunt for people wanting to make the dangerous journey across the Mississippi to the West. Their arrival creates tension and dissent as some villagers find the offer to leave a tempting one.
But it's not as simple as that. As the story unfolds you'll meet characters, good and bad, some who make it to the end of the book-and some who don't!
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A Return to the 21st Century?
Book 2 in the French Creek Series.
Can the collapsed eastern half of America, a society still stuck in the 18th century, be successfully brought back into the 21st century?
The Federal Government, now based in Sacramento, decides to use Kentucky as the launch pad for the ‘rescue, relief and reconstruction’ of the east.
But the plan is fraught with pitfalls:
-A corrupt Kentucky Senator will stop at nothing to ensure its success, so he can steal millions of dollars.
-A 'Mafia' god father, running Louisville, sees the move ending his lucrative lifestyle and will fight to protect it at all costs.
-Meanwhile, in Alabama, a power hungry preacher believes he can broker a solution-and make himself rich in the process.
-Finally, the leader of French Creek, Roger Makefield, finds himself trying to keep the peace between the warring factions-and to complicate matters, falls in love.
An engrossing chronicle of power, greed, corruption and hope.
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S.O.S The Storm of all Storms
Book 3: A pre-quel to the French Creek series.
Fiction based on fact: Why and how the Collapse of eastern America happened.
S.O.S. The Storm of all Storms takes readers deep into the heart of chaos, capturing the unforgiving combination of natural disasters that plunged the eastern half of America back to the Pioneer era.
In this fusion of truth and imagination, the book weaves a convincing story that reveals the series of interconnected events leading to the Collapse, asking, is it a question of ‘when, not if?’
From multiple perspectives spanning the United States and beyond, the book lays bare how modern America’s fragile society could unravel at frightening speed.
Yet the forces behind this devastation go beyond natural disasters to foreign and domestic terrorists who see the Collapse as an opportunity to overthrow American society.
In this fascinating novel S.O.S The Storm of all Storms, the boundaries blur between fact and fiction, leaving readers asking the question: where and when does reality end and imagination begin?.
As America descends into anarchy, the book leaves us with the unsettling notion that this catastrophic scenario could very well be closer to the truth than we think.
S.O.S. The Storm of all Storms is a packed with suspense and speculation, fact and fiction, immersing readers into a world where the norms of civilization disappear to be replaced with chaos, lawlessness and a society thrown back into the 18th century.
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Due to high shipping costs signed copies only available in the USA.
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JUST PUBLISHED! - The Crown Post
My new historical fiction novel, set in Medieval England.
Imagine if a 500 year old house could reveal its secrets?
Well, it has, in this fascinating and compelling new novel of historical fiction: The Crown Post.
The author, who lived in this medieval house in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England weaves actual historical events with fictional inhabitants of the house. From the date it was built, in 1485, until 1660, discover how its residents lived through the Black Death, the English Civil War, the destruction of the famous Abbey, the Witchfinder trials and so much more.
Available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and KU.
Reviews for A Return to the 21st Century? (Book Two in the series)
T. Madden
4.0 out of 5 stars A good addition to the series, I look forward
This is a good book, part of a good series, and I look forward to the next installment. That said, the politics of the author do not help this work of fiction. His portrayal of government corruption, inefficiency, and tension between civilian leadership and the military is excellent, spot on. His portrayal of citizens mistrusting, and being resentful and contemptuous of the Federal government and its military is pitch-perfect. This is a creative series, written by someone who appears to be a creative author, who understands government, government-military action, and politics.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great continuity for book #1
Loved the 2nd book as much as the 1st. The author does a great job of keeping the flow going. Will there be a #3??
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 31, 2023
It is hard for me to tell which book I like better; they complement each other. they each keep you to read without stopping. I enjoyed the author very much. I really see these two books into a successful movie.
R: 5.0 out of 5 stars What a sequel!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 12, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed the first French Creek book and was eagerly anticipating the follow up. I loved the plot and character development. I would highly recommend this book to any fans of dystopian fiction. It really makes you think!
Reviews for French Creek, (Book One in the series)
5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Read
Having read “Earth Abides” and “Alas, Babylon” so many years ago. I have longed for a book which told a realistic post- apocalyptic story. Finally, after all these years, here it is, “French Creek”.
No over the top gun battles, no miraculous turn of events at the end, just a solid story with relatable characters.
Am looking forward to the sequel in 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
A g, and certainly had me on my toes towards the middle and end. I look forward to the next book!
5.0 out of 5 stars Mostly story driven, no massive gun battles, and a full length book. Well worth the 99 cents I paid.
What I liked most about the book is that the collapse of society isn't the standard, plague, or EMP burst or nuclear war (although a plague was mentioned, it wasn't the cause of the collapse, but a secondary effect). It was a perfect storm of cascading effects that brought the US to its knees. A believable plot, with a bitter sweet ending, well worth reading.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this read!
Definitely not my usual read but I loved this book! The author leads us through exciting twists and turns while calling into question how humanity would actually respond in this scenario. I can’t wait for the next book!
5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating novel
I loved reading French Creek, very captivating story with twists and turns, find it hard to put down. I honestly see a movie coming from this book.
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Why write post apocalytic novels?
Why write a post apocalyptic novel? Good question. I started reading them over a decade ago and became fascinated by the way authors perceived people would react and behave 'when the shit hit the fan'. Excellent books like 'One second After' and 'Alas Babylon' portrayed what I believed to be a realistic scenario of life after some kind of countrywide disaster. Then came countless other books peopled by characters that knew more about guns than real life, who were secretly prepping for such eventualities and frequently featured zombies and other strange creatures. Not very realistic to my mind.
So I started French Creek. Spurred on, or inspired by, a small village I lived in for a few years in Kentucky. I often imagined how well this little community would survive and defend itself after some kind of apocalypse...and so the ideas for the book came together, obviously with several artistic liberties along the way!
However, much of the geography, local villages and towns mentioned in the book are real-and very close to where I lived. French Creek itself is a fictional community, though again, some of the characters bear a similarity to the people in the area I knew.
What I wanted to avoid when writing French Creek were: zombies or any kind of 'walking dead'! Also characters who had arsenals of weapons, were fully prepped and ready for any apocalypse. Who'd been stockpiling food and supplies in some remote 'bug out' cabin complete with solar panels and many of the comforts of the 21st century.
Working from that premise, came the book. I try to describe how real people in that part of Kentucky might cope if they found themselves back in a '19th century' society. I believe many of the old timers in these rural areas would have the knowledge and experience to survive, just.
Some of these skills appear in French Creek.
And now the sequel: 'Return to the 21st Century?' . The book picks up where French Creek finished. It introduces more interesting, zany and unusual characters, into the scenario that finally the Federal Government will try and start restructuring the east of America-with unpredictable results!
Just published, August 2023: 'S.O.S. the Storm of all Storms.
Why a pre-quel? Well in a way it was a chance to answer some of the comments I received about French Creek-and the premise of the Collapse being 'unrealistic'. Worringly, the more I researched the idea of a major catastrophe based on a series of natural disasters, the more I began to realize that so many aspects of the Collapse are all too real. So, the pre-quel mixes fact and fiction while I explore in more detail how we are all living on a knife edge.
As for me: (pictured right with our latest rescue dog, Dottie) .
Born 1954, London England. Moved to America in 2004. Now a US Citizen. Married. Two children. Five step children. Seven dogs and various other two and four legged friends I now live on a small farm near Nashville Tennessee. Currently writing a follow up to 'French Creek' called 'Kentucky Rises'.
Hold your own 'Apaulcalypse Party'
In March 2020 we held an 'Apaulcalypse Party'. The idea, in a lighthearted way was to play some simple survival games, then cook a meal. All without any electricity or modern 'conveniences'. Now, super organized preppers would probably scoff at out amateur efforts. But we were out to have fun, not prove a point.
So we shot at targets with bows and arrows, then .22 rifles. For some it was the first time using either-so it proved an educational experience. We had to fetch buckets of water from the lake, wash clothes in it, fashion a drying line (another first for a few participants!).
There were other tasks, and the winning team received nothing but bragging rights.
Then from a selection of tinned food, make and cook a main course and dessert: over an open fire that you had to find fuel for and start without fire lighters.
I kid you not, the imaginative and delicious meals that were cooked by the teams, were some of the most tasty food I've ever eaten. They were amazing in their variety and ingenuity. And if you could have seen the makeshift camp fires and limited cooking implements that were used, the results were even more astounding.
Almost before some of the younger members had managed to upload photographs of the day, the government declared a COVID shut down...it seemed for a moment we might have been practicing for the real thing!
We held them again in 2021 and 2022, each time the challenges became more difficult. And each year I never ceased to be amazed at people's ingenuity and imagination when it comes to solving these challenges.
Why not try organizing an Apaulcalypse Party yourself?
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