Paperback by Annaril Publishing, £7.99 (ebook £2.99)
Since ending her career at Kintore Primary School in 2011, grandmother Nancy Jardine has been busy writing novels.
The latest one, The Taexali Game, is the first of her Rubidium Time Travel Series of Adventures, and the one with the strongest connection to Aberdeenshire to date. The action takes place in Kintore and around the Garioch area in AD210, during the invasion of the legions of Septimius Severus, Emperor of Rome.
According to Ancient Roman and Greek sources the tribes in the Aberdeenshire area were called Taexali, hence the name of the book which is intended to be read by middle grade/YA readers and older readers who love a good adventure.
It’s dedicated to her former primary seven pupils who, as part of a project, wrote some fantastic short stories about a local Celtic tribe who were invaded by soldiers of the Ancient Roman Empire.
These were so good, Nancy joked that one day she’d write a full length book herself as a companion novel for a Celtic/Roman school project which could be read and shared as a class novel.
It’s taken many years for this adventure tale to transpire this is the end result.
The book tells the story of Roman Emperor Severus and his evil son, Caracalla, march the legions of Rome to Scotland with the intention of subduing the Celtic tribes of the area and enforcing Roman rule.
Bringing that era to life is time-travelling trio, Aran, Brian and Fianna, who as a result of playing an interactive game, accidently find themselves back in time with a list of adventures to tackle.
The book, officially launched on May 22, will also be available to buy at Focus Craft Fairs around Aberdeenshire or can be ordered directly from the author via e-mail: nan_jar@btinternet.com.