He's one of the most successful historical fiction writers of his generation — the first author ever to top the UK fiction and non-fiction bestseller charts simultaneously, and the man behind sweeping epics on Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and the Wars of the Roses. After a long time trying to get him on the show, Matthew and Justin finally sit down with the brilliant Conn Iggulden.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Conn talks about what drew him to Nero as a subject — a figure loved by the Roman people despite his cruelties, shaped by one of history's most fascinating and ruthless women, Agrippina. He reflects on the challenges of working with unreliable ancient sources, the missing texts he'd give anything to read (Agrippina's autobiography, the lost end of Tacitus), and how he navigates the gaps that historical fiction always has to fill.

The conversation takes in Roman slavery, suicide and honour, why visiting a battlefield in person changes everything (including a story about the six-foot-wide exit ramp at Sandal Castle that explains a medieval defeat), and his upcoming novel about the Battle of Arnhem — a project with a deeply personal dimension, since his own father was there.

There's also a joyful digression into Dungeons & Dragons, David Gemmell, the famous photo with Bernard Cornwell and George MacDonald Fraser, why fantasy is actually harder to write than historical fiction, and the title dispute between Conn and his brother that's been going on for decades.

If you love historical fiction, this one is essential listening.

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Ever wondered what really happens between a writer's first flash of inspiration and the moment a book lands in your hands? In this episode, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill pull back the curtain on the entire journey of getting a book published, and they don't hold back.
With nearly 40 published books between them, across traditional publishing, self-publishing, and everything in between, Matthew and Justin walk through every stage of the process: the creative spark (and what happens when inspiration doesn't show up on schedule), the research rabbit holes, the difference between pantsers and plotters, pitching to agents and editors, navigating advances and royalties, structural edits vs. copy edits, cover design battles (stirrups in the wrong century!), title negotiations, publication day anticlimax, translation deals, and the bittersweet moment your book ends up remaindered — or spotted in a second-hand shop.
They also dig into the financial realities of publishing that most authors don't talk about openly: what advances actually mean, why earning out matters more than a big payday, what the Society of Authors can do for you, and how PLR and ALCS quietly supplement an author's income year after year.
Whether you're an aspiring writer, a published author, or simply a passionate reader curious about how the books you love are made, this is a conversation packed with insight, honesty, and the occasional laugh.
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What does it take to spend 50 years championing history's most maligned king and turn that passion into six published novels?

This week on Rock, Paper, Swords, hosts Justin Hill and Matthew Harffy are joined by Anne Easter Smith, author of a celebrated series of novels spanning the entire York dynasty. Born near Winchester, raised partly in Egypt watching Suez Canal convoys from her window, and a resident of the United States since 1968, Anne has one of the most extraordinary life stories we've heard on the show, and it's all filtered into the rich, meticulous historical fiction she writes.

Anne tells us how Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time converted her into a lifelong Ricardian at the age of 21, how a chance meeting at a New York City party led to a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster, and how she built her six-novel York dynasty series from the ground up, always insisting on visiting every location her characters walk through.

We also dig into the realities of the publishing industry: the golden age of author tours and dedicated publicists, the impact of the 2008 recession on advances and promotion, and the surprisingly personal dynamics of the agent-author relationship.

Anne also previews her upcoming panel at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Maynooth, where she'll join Margaret George and Leslie Carroll to make the case for history's supposed villains: Richard III, Nero, and Marie Antoinette.

Before Anne joins us, Justin and Matthew check in on their own writing: Matthew is filling in the historical detail on his first Roman novel (a possible new series set in ancient Rome), while Justin is on deadline for his latest Warhammer novel and thinking ahead to a contemporary shipping story.A brilliant conversation about history, storytelling, the craft of writing, and the power of fiction to make us feel the past.

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