This week Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill are joined by Sunday Times bestselling author Elodie Harper — journalist, classicist, and one of the most exciting voices writing historical fiction today.Elodie's Wolf Den trilogy brought the women of Pompeii's infamous brothel roaring back to life, and her stunning new standalone Boudicca's Daughter follows Solina — the unnamed, overlooked daughter of Britain's most iconic warrior queen — from the chaos of the Boudiccan rebellion to the glittering, treacherous court of Nero's Rome.

We talk about what it means to write from the perspective of history's silenced women, the surprisingly complex historical record behind the Iceni rebellion, and the fascinating question of what we can and can't know about Celtic Britain. Elodie also reveals why she chose Tacitus's single phrase — that the ancient Britons "made no distinction between the sexes when choosing commanders" — as a window into an entirely different world, and why she included human sacrifice despite her sympathies lying firmly with the Iceni.

Plus: the spark for The Wolf Den (courtesy of historian Dan Jones), the emotional experience of visiting Pompeii's only surviving purpose-built brothel at dusk, the craft decision to write Solina's sections in first person present tense, and why even the villain of the piece — Roman general Paulinus — ended up being surprisingly sympathetic.Boudicca's Daughter is out in paperback on 23rd April.

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Justin Hill and Matthew Harffy are joined by historian Peter Jones to explore the surprising world of medieval self-help. Drawing on his new book Self-Help from the Middle Ages, Peter reveals how people in the medieval period grappled with many of the same challenges we face today—stress, purpose, resilience, and how to live a good life.

From monastic wisdom and practical moral guidance to the everyday advice literature that shaped medieval society, this episode uncovers a rich tradition of self-improvement that predates modern “self-help” by centuries. Along the way, the conversation ranges across history, philosophy, and storytelling, offering insights for writers and history lovers alike.

If you’ve ever wondered what the Middle Ages can teach us about modern life, this is an episode not to miss.

DELEDDA MASTER: Master in Creative Writing & Translation: https://deleddamaster.com/

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In this episode of Rock Paper Swords, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill are joined by historian and novelist Edoardo Albert to discuss his new book, The Man Who Stopped the Sultan.

The book tells the dramatic story of Gabriele Tadino, a Renaissance military engineer whose expertise helped shape the defence of Rhodes during the Ottoman expansion under Suleiman the Magnificent. Along the way we discuss the Italian Wars, the revolution in gunpowder warfare, and the emergence of the professional military engineer.

We also talk about Edoardo’s fiction writing and his 30-Second Histories YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/@30-SecondHistories

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https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14768/9781472869999

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https://www.patreon.com/c/RockPaperSwordsPodcast