Rock, Paper, Swords!

About Rock, Paper, Swords!

The Historical Action and Adventure Podcast - making history come alive! Bestselling authors chat about writing action and adventure stories, diving into some of the more quirky and unusual aspects of history, with a detour through music and its role in their process. Each episode covers different exciting themes, often with brilliant guests. Get bonus episodes and more by supporting the podcast on Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast or Buy Us A Beer at - https://ko-fi.com/rockpaperswords https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords

Publisher

Matthew Harffy

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Jun 2022

Latest episode

30 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

155 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Oct 2026

   The Princes of Paupers Pond: Family Secrets, Pre-War Norway & the Painter Who Became a Novelist (with Lars Elling)

   Two brothers lived next door to each other for decades and never spoke a word. When Norwegian artist Lars Elling was a boy, they were his grandfather and great-uncle, and he never learned why. Years later, that silence became his debut novel. This week on Rock, Paper, Swords!, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill talk to Lars about The Princes of Paupers Pond, a literary story of childhood adventure in the Norwegian forests, the bond between brothers, and the long shadow of decisions made before the First World War. In this episode: The real “War of the Apples”, and how a feud over fallen fruit became a novel How a painter shut out by the pandemic started writing, 9am to 1pm, seven days a week Why Lars’s prose is so visual, and how painting shapes his storytelling Writing Norway from a wine farm in South Africa The sequel, Filip of Starholm, which sends a young artist to Sarajevo in 1991 What gets lost, and what gets invented, when you turn family history into fiction Before the interview, Matthew and Justin catch up on first drafts, proof edits, agents and rejections, Professor Tom Licence’s book on Harold II, and Matthew’s Roman novel Guardian of Rome: Incendium. Perfect for fans of historical fiction, literary fiction, Nordic and Scandinavian stories, and anyone fascinated by the creative process. Support the show on Patreon from as little as £1 a month, or join for free to catch every free episode and update. If you enjoy the episode, please leave a review and share it with a fellow reader. Keywords: Lars Elling, The Princes of Paupers Pond, Norwegian novel, Nordic fiction, Scandinavian literature, historical fiction podcast, author interview, artist turned novelist, family secrets, pre-war Norway, writing podcast, Matthew Harffy, Justin Hill

2. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Editing Stories: How Novels Really Get Edited (Proofs, Pushback & Painful Notes)

   Justin's just had his proofs back — and Matthew's grilling him about it. This week, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill go deep on the editing process: the difference between developmental notes, line edits, copy edits and proofs, when to push back on an editor and when to just let it go, and the single most painful piece of editorial feedback Matthew's ever received (it nearly took out a main character in A Time for Swords). Plus: Justin's novel is out on submission and they talk candidly about the agonising wait, the myth of the big-money auction, and whether either of them would go back and re-edit an old book. And in the news: the Stamford Bridge 1066 Viking anthology is out now, and the A Century of Swords Kickstarter is still live. 🔗 Patreon: patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast (patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast)📧 rockpaperswordspodcast@gmail.com (mailto:rockpaperswordspodcast@gmail.com)

3. 

   2 Oct 2026

   Winchester Shieldwall, a wargaming forum on Viking Age warfare, and the crossover between academic history and tabletop wargaming

   Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill are joined by Professor Ryan Lavelle (University of Winchester, historical advisor on The Last Kingdom and Assassin's Creed Valhalla) and wargames designer James Morris to talk Winchester Shieldwall — their Viking Age wargaming forum bringing together historians, writers and wargamers. They dig into the Battle of Maldon, the myths around the Viking shieldwall, and the battles they'd love to refight one day, from Clontarf to the siege of London. Plus news on Matthew's new book deal, Stamford Bridge 1066: A Viking Anthology, and the A Century of Swords Kickstarter. Winchester Shieldwall is on Saturday 21st November at the University of Winchester — tickets: https://store.winchester.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/school-of-humanities/winchester-shieldwall-a-wargaming-forum-on-viking-age-warfare (https://store.winchester.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/school-of-humanities/winchester-shieldwall-a-wargaming-forum-on-viking-age-warfare) All our links: https://linktr.ee/rockpaperswords (https://linktr.ee/rockpaperswords)

Who has been a guest on Rock, Paper, Swords!

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Patricia Bracewell
• Pete Brown
• MJ Porter

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

31,400,988

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

44 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 79 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

86

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

85

Contact Rock, Paper, Swords!

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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