I’m delighted to announce that Ruso and Tilla’s seventh adventure, set in the great city of Rome itself, is now available on an e-reader near you! Find out more about it here.
If you live in the USA, Canada or Cambridge*, VITA BREVIS should also be available in a bookshop. (*The fine folk at Heffers Bookshop have arranged a few sneaky imports in time for their Summer 2016 Crime Party on Thursday.)
Paper copies will set sail across the Atlantic before long and, with a fair wind and strong rowers, should arrive in September.
To apologise for the delay, here’s a caption competition! The best caption sent in from the UK or Ireland for the photo below by the end of July wins a signed copy of VITA BREVIS. Friends from elsewhere are very welcome to enter but sadly you will win only the honour of keeping us all amused.
What’s going on here? We need to know!
Ruth Downie 
Silly me, I managed to set up the ‘reply’ system so that nobody else could see and enjoy the responses. That’s now fixed, and meanwhile thanks to Jonathan and Paul for setting a very high standard with,
“And you thought you could win the Virility Trophy with that? Next!”
and,
“Honey, I Shrunk the Emperor.”
Haha; that one is even smaller!!!
My caption entry;
“and I thought my Stigil was small !”
(Man standing:) ‘Look Ruso, if you really want to get that First Aid book of yours written do it somewhere else, I’m here to rehearse the lavy scene with Mr Jacobi for the BBC series I Claudius. And in answer to your question, no I don’t think sitting here in the buff will cure you of writer’s block.’
Yay! Great news!
Caption competition (for your amuse ment, as I reside in Canada):
“I said ‘show me a festival’…”
Lisa
“And where have you hidden the other one?”
Ruth,
My choice for caption is, “By Jupiter, Best and Greatest, Medicus, you said it wouldn’t fall off!”
Should by some stroke of Jupiter’s, Best and Greatest, luck you should chose my bit of silliness, please send signed copy to my cousin: #
And why are you making the colonies wait until September for Ruso and Tilla’s seventh adventure? Unfair! Keep that up, young lady, and we just might elect The Donald …
*Cheers! *Jamie Dodson
Author of the award winning Nick Grant Adventures Series, Coming soon – Book IV *Revenge of the Black Dragons* Mobile: 256-457-3275 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/NickGrantFans Webpage: http://www.jamiedodsonbooks.com Email: jamie@jamiedodsonbooks.com
#edited by me for privacy reasons but I’ve kept the details! – Ruth
No, no, the colonies have it first! It’s the Britons who are having to wait. I’m definitely not taking the rap if you elect The Donald! 🙂
These captions are glorious, everyone, thank you!
Well you asked to see the milk of human kindness Quintus!
This statue of you will have to satisfy your wife while you are in Gaul
Dear Ruth,
No clever caption, alas, but just want to say congratulations. Again. Planned to eke out the pleasure of reading it, but failed miserably and devoured it. Loved it. Sharp human behaviour observations as usual. Spot on descriptions of what goes on in a doctor’s head, re doubts and reassurances. Some hilariously Pythonesque dialogue I thought, in places. Satisfied my romantic yearnings re Ruso and Tilla (oh, and Accius and Horatia). Love the Christos mob and the even handed way all the characters (except the Christos mob) pray to whomever might be listening in the deity department. Now plan to enjoy “the play” aka the audio book. I’ve also enjoyed revisting all the earlier books,print and audio. They are keepers for me. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
Sherry
Thanks so much for the kind words, Sherry! I’m delighted that you enjoyed it, and I’m sure you’ll love Simon Vance’s storytelling on the audio. – Ruth
This is the only Vestal Virgin the supermarket had in stock.
“Well, Miles Gloriosis, it DOES say, “Participant” on the base. You were expecting…?”
“Which part of ‘toga party’ didn’t you understand?!”
Oh! I thought Brevis Schlong was your name!
Oh; Sorry. Brevis Schlong is your NAME!