Best Matthew Harffy Podcasts (2024)

1
American Civil War author Cody C. Engdahl joins us for an entertaining chat today! 1:11:15

34m ago1:11:15

1:11:15

If you would like to help us with our running costs, and get exclusive bonus episodes every month, and other cool perks, check out our patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast Born and raised in Detroit, now living in Nashville, Tennessee, Cody C. Engdahl describes himself as a practitioner of the Southern Gentlemanly Arts, an a…

1
Historical research! What resources do we use for our own novels? 1:06:55

2h ago1:06:55

1:06:55

Researching is a huge part of a historical fiction author's life. In this episode we discuss what we use to embed ourselves in our chosen time periods. Support us on one of our 3 tiers on Patreon - patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcastIf you're an author or publisher and would like to sponsor one of our episodes, please get in touch. You can find us o…

1
Commissioning Editor Kit Nevile joins us today! 1:05:56

12m ago1:05:56

1:05:56

Today we have a special guest who we think will be of particular interest, especially to aspiring writers. Kit Nevile is a Commissioning Editor at publishers Canelo. He is particularly interested in thrillers, horror, and action/adventure books, and just so happens to be Steven’s editor! Before working at Canelo he was at Persephone Books and White…

1
Giles Kristian, author of Arthurian, Viking and award winning thriller novels joins us today! 1:13:21

3d ago1:13:21

1:13:21

During the 90s Giles Kristian was lead singer of pop group Upside Down, achieving four top twenty hit records! As a singer-songwriter he lived and toured for two years in Europe and has made music videos all over the world. Giles is half-Norwegian and his family history inspired him to write his first historical novels: the acclaimed and bestsellin…

1
What IS historical fiction? How do YOU define it? 56:27

10d ago56:27

56:27

This episode is sponsored by Paul Bernardi's brand new historical thriller Blood Feud. Please check it out HERE! On today's episode we're talking about what IS "historical fiction". It's a genre that seems to encapsulate so many other genres, crime, thrillers, action and adventure… but what actually makes a story historical fiction? The Historical …

1
Christian/Miles Cameron interview! CHIVALRY, CIA and more! 1:09:17

1M ago1:09:17

1:09:17

THE EMPEROR'S SWORD is out next week, 25th April 2024, so we thought we'd remind you of this chat we had with him... Another fantastic guest this week, as Christian (also known as Miles) Cameron joins Steven and Matthew to chat about his books, research, re-enactments, historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, being a member of US Intelligence, and load…

1
We wrote a book TOGETHER! It's out next week! 8:35

1M ago8:35

8:35

Yes, Matthew and Steven have written a non-fiction book together! It's called Tips for Writing, Publishing and Marketing Your Novel and it comes out on Thursday April 25th 2024. You can pre-order it now, and it will also be available to read with Kindle Unlimited. Check it out at the links here - https://mybook.to/RPSTipsForWriting The book will al…

1
SHIELDWALL! Justin Hill, multi-award winning author, joins us today 59:26

24d ago59:26

59:26

Justin Hill has skilfully crafted bestselling stories that traverse a diverse range of settings, from the captivating landscapes of China to the tumultuous epochs of the Early Middle Ages, to the nightmare, war-torn future of the universe of Warhammer 40k. He is the recipient of several prestigious literary accolades, including the Somerset Maugham…

1
SJA Turney - Rome, Caesar, Caracalla, Vikings & so much more! 57:46

1M ago57:46

57:46

Simon Turney, aka S.J.A. Turney, hails from Yorkshire, England. His passion for history shines through in his more than 50 novels, where meticulous research meets immersive storytelling. From ancient Rome, to medieval Europe, Turney's versatile body of work brings the past to life with vivid characters and compelling narratives. In his latest novel…

1
Douglas Jackson! Nazis, Romans, mad emperors, serial killers & more! 1:02:26

3M ago1:02:26

1:02:26

Useful links: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/908155.Douglas_Jackson https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast We’re on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast and X @rock_swords You can find out more about our books on www.matthewharffy.com and www.stevenamckay.com/ Douglas Jackson traded his role as assistant editor a…

1
Researching locations for authors 52:39

2M ago52:39

52:39

Something of an unplanned episode today. We were supposed to be interviewing someone but they didn't turn up! Since we still needed an episode we decided to go ahead and discuss researching the locations in our books, including some of our favourite trips to those places. As this was completely unscripted and we'd not prepared for it we do go off o…

1
C.J. Box! Joe Pickett, Big Sky + lots more as we chat with the 10 million selling author! 51:21

3M ago51:21

51:21

Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing acclaimed author, C.J. Box. C.J. Box is an award-winning, multi-million selling author, best known for his compelling mysteries set against the rugged landscapes of Wyoming. With over two dozen novels to his name, Box is most celebrated for his Joe Pickett series, featuring the dedicated and morally-drive…

1
Join us! A Patreon announcement! 2:51

4M ago2:51

2:51

'Tis true, we are now on Patreon! Head on over to the link below and join us! In return you'll get bonus episodes (one is already available, as we discuss David Gemmell's classic novel Legend) and more fun perks. Go on, you know it makes sense... Become a Top Fan or a Producer today, and help us keep the show going, and growing, in 2024 and beyond!…

1
Writing tools - Scrivener, Aeon etc. Can Matthew persuade Steven to adopt his writing tech?! 1:02:45

4M ago1:02:45

1:02:45

We're now on Patreon! Get bonus episodes and other cool perks by signing up here: https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast It’s been ages since we recorded an episode and today for the first time in months it's just the two of us. We’re going to talk about planning and writing novels with particular focus on the tools we use, the processes we…

1
Griff Hosker, inspirational historical novelist, is our guest today! 1:12:54

4M ago1:12:54

1:12:54

Our guest today is the prolific author of historical fiction, Griff Hosker. It seems to me that Griff writes faster than many people read. He has written series of action-packed books covering everything from the Vikings to the Second World War and everything in between. He is a constant presence on Amazon lists and social media, and I for one am o…

1
Vikings, the Great Heathen Army & Alfred the Great! Steven talks his new book. 46:07

5M ago46:07

46:07

Matthew interviews Steven about his new book, THE HEATHEN HORDE, which came out on October 26th 2023! Viking raiders, Alfred the Great, and the usual fun chat - it's all in here so give it a listen and please spread the word. Buy the book here - https://mybook.to/HeathenHorde Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and leave a 5 star review if you…

1
AI and Copyright for writers with the 'Copyright Waffle' podcast! 1:21:12

5M ago1:21:12

1:21:12

Listen to the end to make sure you hear THEIR cover version of our theme song, and also OUR cover of their theme song! Our guests today are Chris Morrison and Jane Secker from the Copyright Waffle podcast which is dedicated to “Decoding copyright and bringing you enlightenment”. As well as hosting their podcast, Jane and Chris are also the authors …

1
Author of Viking sagas, Eric Schumacher chats with us today! 1:11:22

5M ago1:11:22

1:11:22

Our guest today is Eric Schumacher. Eric Schumacher is the author of six Amazon best-selling novels and one novella set in the Viking Age. By day, he is a brand storyteller and PR consultant for early stage video game and tech companies. By night, he wanders into the past, using known history and ancient tales to create stories about people living …

1
Christmas Greetings 2023! 4:37

5M ago4:37

4:37

Just a very quick message to wish our listeners and readers a very merry Christmas for 2023, and best wishes for 2024. Check it out! Don't forget we have a brand new ACOUSTIC version of our song "Christmas is Coming" available on all streaming outlets like Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music etc so please give it a listen and share with your friends and…

1
"Christmas is Coming" - our new song, OUT NOW! 0:41

6M ago0:41

0:41

Yes, we have a brand new festive rock song for all you lucky boys and girls. Stream it NOW for free on Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, iTunes and all major streaming services, just search for "Christmas is coming Rock Paper Swords". Give it a like, add it to your Christmas music playlists, and please do share with your friends on soci…

1
Christmas 2023 Rock,Paper,Swords/A Slice of Medieval Crossover! 1:08:21

6M ago1:08:21

1:08:21

Today, as the Christmas season is upon us we are doing something a bit different. Rock, Paper, Swords is joining forces with our friends from the Slice of Medieval Podcast to bring you a special episode, where we will look back on the year that is drawing to a close and forward to the year ahead. If you enjoy this episode please leave a five star r…

1
Not just Genghis Khan. The Mongol Invasion - Nicholas Morton interview! 53:24

6M ago53:24

53:24

Our guest today is Nicholas Morton. Nicholas is an associate professor at Nottingham Trent University. He is the author or editor of nine books, including The Field of Blood and several other books about the Crusades and medieval Europe and the Near East. His latest book is The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East. Th…

1
Amazon KDP head Darren Hardy. Indie authors check this out! 52:47

7M ago52:47

52:47

Our guest today is Darren Hardy, manager of the UK Author and Editorial Programmes at Amazon. Before that Darren was UK Manager for Kindle Direct Publishing. With nearly 20 years working at Amazon, Darren is the perfect person to answer all our questions about what goes on behind the scenes at KDP and what new and exciting plans Amazon has for the …

1
Matt Lewis - we talk with the host of GONE MEDIEVAL! 1:00:26

7M ago1:00:26

1:00:26

Our guest today is Matt Lewis. Matt is an author and historian of the medieval period, with a particular interest in the Wars of the Roses and Richard III. He has written biographies of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry III, Richard Duke of York, and Richard III, as well as accounts of The Anarchy, the Wars of the Roses, and Rebellion in the…

1
A Savage Moon! We chat with Theodore Brun about Vikings & other good stuff 1:03:35

8M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

Today's fantastic guest is Theodore Brun, author of The Wanderer Chronicles. He has a brand new book out NOW called A SAVAGE MOON, which Matthew read and endorsed thusly: 'A fever dream of dark lusts and an ancient evil. A Savage Moon drips with passion, betrayal, loyalty and loss. A wonderful book!' We spoke about his work and his life in general,…

1
Matthew Harffy! A Day Of Reckoning & EXCLUSIVE REVEAL of his next book's title! 54:23

8M ago54:23

54:23

Something a little different today - we have no guests for a change! Instead, Steven interviews Matthew about his brand new book A DAY OF RECKONING, the third in his A Time for Swords series, which came out yesterday. It's a fun episode covering various aspects of the writing/publishing process, and Matthew even tells us the title of his NEXT book …

1
Angus Donald - Vikings, Robin Hood, and lots more! 1:10:56

9M ago1:10:56

1:10:56

Our guest today is Angus Donald, author of the Outlaw Chronicles, about a medieval gangster called Robin Hood, a 17th-century series about an unusual but rather brilliant chap called Holcroft Blood. And writing as Angus Macallan, he has also tried his hand at fantasy with the Gates of Stone. His most recent novels are in the Fire Born series, set i…

1
Paul Finch - 1066, crime writing, being in a "shieldwall" & Black Sabbath! 1:03:35

9M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

Our guest today is Paul Finch. Paul Finch is an English author and scriptwriter. He has a diverse and very successful career, from the popular TV programme The Bill, to horror and fantasy stories and films, Doctor Who spin-off stories and the incredibly successful gritty crime series of DS Mark Heck Heckenberg novels, with over 1 MILLION book sales…

1
Dr Joanne Ball, Roman/battlefield archaeologist! 1:03:40

10M ago1:03:40

1:03:40

Our guest today is Dr Joanne Ball. Joanne is a Roman archaeologist and battlefield archaeologist based at the University of Liverpool, with a PhD in Archaeology on the subject of Roman battlefield archaeology. She is a regular contributor to several magazines focused on ancient history and was co-editor of Ancient World Magazine. And is soon to hav…

1
Ethan Bale/Clifford Beal - The medieval action adventure author joins us today! 1:10:56

10M ago1:10:56

1:10:56

Our guest today is Ethan Bale, author of The Swords of the White Rose series. Book 1, Hawker and the King's Jewel came out last year and the follow up, The Lost Prince, has just been published. Ethan Bale (Clifford Beal), is a former defence journalist. Despite writing about modern military technology for much of his career, he was always passionat…

1
Jason Kingsley OBE - Modern History TV & Rebellion - Judge Dredd, 2000AD, Sniper Elite & more! 1:10:46

11M ago1:10:46

1:10:46

Our guest today is Jason Kingsley, an incredibly successful businessman and a technologist who is also obsessed with the past. He is CEO of Rebellion Developments, game developers responsible for such games as Alien Vs Predator and the hugely popular Sniper Elite. Rebellion Publishing purchased 2000AD in 2000, and publishes comics featuring some am…

1
Alex Gough - Carbo Chronicles, ancient Rome, swearing in historical novels, music and loads more! 1:05:56

12M ago1:05:56

1:05:56

Alex Gough is an author of Roman historical adventures. The Carbo Chronicles, including Watchmen of Rome and Bandits of Rome, was written as a result of a lifelong obsession with ancient Rome, and the culmination of a lot of research into the underclasses of the time. He has also written a collection of adventures following Carbo and other characte…

1
A couple of announcements! 5:59

12M ago5:59

5:59

This is a super short episode just to give listeners an update on how we're planning on moving forward with the podcast. Matthew's latest book, "Forest of Foes", gets a paperback release, and Steven has also just made a brand new MODERN DAY short story available for pre-order, called "Have You Seen This?" so we discuss those a little bit too. Enjoy…

1
Robin Warder/The Trail Went Cold - true crime inspiration for historical fiction tales! 50:54

12M ago50:54

50:54

TRIGGER WARNING! At 13:16 there's a VERY creepy answerphone message, listener discretion advised, don't listen alone in the dark...Today’s guest Robin Warder has written articles for various websites including Cracked.com, but he’s most well known for his excellent podcast The Trail Went Cold which is a true crime podcast he’s been doing since 2016…

1
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the impact it might have on writers, artists, and creatives in general. Scary stuff! Or is it...? Includes an AI-written song! 54:57

1y ago54:57

54:57

Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short, is a hot topic at the moment. Perhaps the HOTTEST topic. It is cropping up in the news every day and there are predictions that it will take our jobs away or even take over the world! It probably isn’t quite as dire as those predictions would have us believe, but there is no doubt that AI generated text and…

1
Ben Kane! Rome, Spartacus, medieval/ Richard the Lionheart, now Vikings in Ireland! 1:09:45

1y ago1:09:45

1:09:45

Ben Kane will need little introduction to many of our listeners, but here goes anyway. Ben is a historical fiction novelist, best known for his books set in the ancient world, particularly the Roman empire. His series include The Forgotten Legion, Spartacus, and the Hannibal series of books. In 2013, Ben along with fellow novelists Anthony Riches a…

1
Viking Blood & Blade, and Kindle Storyteller WINNER Peter Gibbons chats to us today! 1:03:59

1y ago1:03:59

1:03:59

Peter Gibbons is an author based in Kildare, Ireland. He completed a Law Degree in Liverpool University before embarking on a career in the Insurance Industry. After many years working in the UK & Ireland he decided to follow his dreams and wrote his debut novel, Viking Blood and Blade. After smashing into the independently published historical fic…

1
Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson talks Norse/Viking mythology and his new album - RökFlöte! 1:25:32

1y ago1:25:32

1:25:32

Incredibly, we managed to get an interview with the legendary Tull frontman (Steven's favourite band in case you didn't hear him mention it on every previous episode...)! Ian talked with us about the brand new, rocking Jethro Tull album RökFlöte, Norse mythology, Vladimir Putin appearing at a Tull meet-and-greet, the time journalists demanded detai…

1
Book covers! What makes a great cover ? Also, Steven's new book's COVER REVEAL is today! 59:21

1y ago59:21

59:21

On today’s episode we’re going to talk about the first thing that most readers see before they’ve read a single word of a book. The old adage goes that one should never judge a book by its cover, but we all know that the majority of people do just that. A great cover can get a prospective reader to take a chance on a new author, and a bad cover can…

1
Todd Kerns, bassist for Guns 'N' Roses guitarist SLASH joins us today! 1:22:30

1y ago1:22:30

1:22:30

Another episode and another musician guest. Todd Kerns (aka Todd "Dammit" Kerns) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most noted for being the bass player and backup singer in “Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators”, and for being the front man of “The Age of Electric”. His latest album is with Heroes and…

1
David Gilman, author of the Master of War series, chats with us today! 58:34

1y ago58:34

58:34

David Gilman has worked as a firefighter, professional photographer, he was a soldier in the Parachute Regiment’s Reconnaissance Platoon and a Marketing Manager for an international publishing company in South Africa. From 2000 until 2009 he was principal writer on the TV series A Touch Of Frost. His MASTER OF WAR series follows the fortunes of Tho…

1
VIKINGS! Jethro Tull - RökFlöte album review. 53:15

1y ago53:15

53:15

It's a first for us here at RPS - an album review! Well, ROCK, paper, swords, right? There's two very good reasons for us doing this review (even putting aside the fact Steven is Tull's biggest fan): 1 - We were sent advance copies of the album, so it's only fair we did our best to listen to it and get an honest review out before the album is relea…

1
Starting our new books! What are they about? - Episode 30 34:29

1y ago34:29

34:29

We've both just started work on our new books. Join us to hear about the process. Research, challenges, pressures, deadlines, and, of course, fun! You probably already know that Steven's writing about Alfred the Great and the Vikings, but listen to find out what new historical period Matthew is venturing into... The King Alfred coin - https://twitt…

1
Big Big Train bassist/songwriter Gregory Spawton interview! 1:10:05

1y ago1:10:05

1:10:05

We are delighted to have another musician on today’s episode. Gregory Spawton is the founder of progressive rock band, Big Big Train. Big Big Train have released 14 studio albums and several live performances too. Big Big Train have been named Prog magazine’s Band of the Year on numerous occasions as well as winning Prog’s Album Of The Year awards …

1
IAN ROSS - The Twilight of Empire author joins us today! 1:10:39

1y ago1:10:39

1:10:39

IAN ROSS is the author of the “Twilight of Empire” series, six historical novels set in the early 4th century AD, the era of the Roman emperor Constantine. The first of the series, “War at the Edge of the World”, was published in the UK in 2015, and the sixth, “Triumph in Dust", in 2019. His books have subsequently been published in the USA, Austra…

1
Listener Questions PART 2! 29:37

1y ago29:37

29:37

The second of our episodes where we answer questions sent in by listeners. Some great ones again here, really got us thinking and we both enjoyed it! If you have any more for us, please do send them via Facebook, Twitter or our websites. Next week we'll have a longer episode with another AMAZING guest (the one and only IAN ROSS!), but we'll do more…

1
Listener questions PART 1! 38:14

1y ago38:14

38:14

We recently posted on Twitter and Facebook asking for listener questions. Today we're going to answer some of those questions and they really provoked some interesting responses from Matthew and Steven! We’ll be answering more in a future episode and it might well become a regular thing, so if you have any questions you’d like us to answer, post th…

1
Some news and big announcements! 23:21

1y ago23:21

23:21

Another bonus episode! We chat about the brand new FULL theme song and how it came about, and we also have a couple of pretty BIG announcements, so tune in, and don't drop out! https://www.canelo.co/news/2023-02-22-canelo-set-to-publish-a-great-series-by-steven-a-mckay/

1
Rock, Paper, Swords FULL THEME SONG! 3:56

1+ y ago3:56

3:56

So many people have told us they really enjoy the short intro/outro music we recorded for the podcast so...We've written a full four minute theme song complete with daft cheesy lyrics, full-on rock vocals, and searing guitar solos (two of the buggers!). It's just a bit of fun, we hope you like it... Look out for another bonus episode tomorrow with …

1
TV historian & novelist DAN JONES joins us today! 2023 top episode! 1:06:00

1+ y ago1:06:00

1:06:00

Dan Jones is a bestselling historian, TV presenter and award-winning journalist. His books, which have sold more than a million copies worldwide, include THE PLANTAGENETS, THE TEMPLARS, THE HOLLOW CROWN. His book CRUSADERS was published in autumn 2019. He co-authored the Sunday Times bestseller THE COLOUR OF TIME and THE WORLD AFLAME, published in …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Matthew Harffy Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide