Mastodon The Writing Desk: October 2017

26 October 2017

Book Review: Heroines of the Medieval World, by Sharon Bennett Connolly


New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

What makes a woman a 'heroine'? Sharon Bennett Connolly's new book Heroines of the Medieval World is organised by theme, so it's perfect for 'dipping in' at a random page or section - and you can be fairly sure of learning something interesting.

As well as more obvious medieval heroines, such as Joan of Arc and Eleanor of Aquitaine, I was pleased to see women like Jacquline of Hainault finally having the attention they deserve. It also passes the test of inspiring you to find our more about the lives of some of the less well known women, (which I have already started doing.)

This book is also full of fascinating and sometimes gruesome details, such as how Matilda de Braose (whose heroic achievements include having sixteen children) was imprisoned in a dungeon by King John with her son and left to starve to death. 

Some of Sharon's themes were a surprise, like the section on captive heroines or the idea of medieval mistresses being heroic. (I'd recently been reading about HenryVIII's 'Bessie' Blount and fell into the trap of not considering events from her point of view.)

This brings me to my main problem with this entertaining and highly readable book. Sharon Connolly admits these amazing women represent just the 'tip of the iceberg' of those she could have chosen to write about. It should have the subtitle 'Part 1' as there are so many more heroines, particularly from the Tudor period, I'd like to see included. I'm looking forward to the sequel: 'More Heroines of the Medieval World.'

Tony Riches 

Disclosure: A review copy of this book was kindly provided by Amberley Publishing

# # #

About the Author

Sharon Bennett Connolly was born in Yorkshire and studied at University in Northampton before working at Disneyland in Paris and Eurostar in London. She has been fascinated by history for over thirty years and has worked as a tour guide at historical sites, including Conisbrough Castle. Best known for her fascinating blog History ... the Interesting Bits she began focusing on medieval women and in 2016 her first non-fiction book, Heroines of the Medieval World was published by Amberley Publishing. Sharon is now writing her second non-fiction book, Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest, which will be published by Amberley in late 2018. Follow Sharon on Facebook and Twitter @Thehistorybits

25 October 2017

Writing Conquest: The Drowned Court, by Tracey Warr


Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

1107. Henry I finally reigns over England, Normandy and Wales, but his rule is far from secure. He faces a series of treacherous assassination attempts, and rebellion in Normandy is scuppering his plans to secure a marriage for his son and heir. With the King torn between his kingdoms, and Nest settled with her Norman husband, can she evade Henry’s notice or will she fall under his control once more? As her brother Gruffudd garners support in an effort to reclaim his kingdom, Nest finds she cannot escape the pull of her Welsh heritage. While the dissent grows and a secret passion is revealed, the future of Nest and her Norman sons is placed in dire peril. In this sequel to Daughter of the Last King, Nest must decide to whom her heart and loyalty belongs.


I’m enjoying writing a trilogy where some of the characters carry forward across the books and it’s possible to explore their motivations and experiences over time. I approach writing all my novels by asking questions that I have, after researching the historical evidence.

A key question to ask for The Drowned Court was whether Nest’s colourful sexual career (mistress of the king, abducted by a Welsh prince, and a series of marriages to Norman and Flemish lords) could be explained by her being lascivious, as some commentators have suggested. Or is there another way to look at the events of her life? 

I wondered about how she coped with loyalties torn between a Norman husband and children, and the struggle of her brother Gruffudd ap Rhys to regain his kingdom from the invaders? I was also intrigued to think about why Amaury de Montfort was such a stubborn opponent to King Henry in Normandy. 

Was Amaury simply ambitious, pugnacious, or did he have a sense of entitlement from his own kinship to the Dukes of Normandy or the status of his sister, Bertrade, former queen of France? And what would it have been like to meet King Henry? 

He holds the record for the highest number of mistresses and illegitimate children of any English king and he forced his Norman lords to acknowledge his daughter as his heir, enabling her to be the first woman to claim the English throne in her own right.

In particular, I had to make a decision about how to portray Nest’s kidnap by the Welsh prince, Owain ap Cadwgan. Was she a willing hostage (as some Welsh historians would like to believe) or was she raped? And what was the impact of this event on her marriage to the Norman, Gerald FitzWalter? Most of the action surrounding Nest takes place at the castles of Pembroke, Carew and Cilgerran, and she also spends some time in Dublin in this novel.

King Henry’s control of Normandy was ably supported by his sister, Countess Adela of Blois, and her network of spies. The nun, Benedicta, who played a small role in the first book, becomes a central character in The Drowned Court. What would it have been like to be a spy in the pay of the Countess of Blois at the great abbey of Fontevraud, which was ruled by women, and housed many illustrious, repudiated wives, including Bertrade de Montfort?

Tracey Warr
# # #

About the Author

Tracey Warr was born in London, lived for several years in Pembrokeshire, Wales and currently divides her time between the UK and France. She studied English Literature at Oxford University and holds a PhD in Art History. She worked as an art curator and university lecturer in art history and theory before starting to write fiction. She undertook an MA in Creative Writing at University of Wales Trinity St Davids in Carmarthen. Her first historical novel Almodis (Impress, 2011) was set in early medieval France and Spain. It was shortlisted for the Impress Prize, presented in the Rome Film Festival Book Initiative and won a Santander Research Award. Her second novel The Viking Hostage (Impress, 2014) topped the Amazon Australia Kindle bestseller lists. She was awarded a Literature Wales Writer’s Bursary for work on her Conquest trilogy about Princess Nest and King Henry I. She also received
an Author’s Foundation Award from the
Society of Authors for a biography she is working on about three French noblewomen, three sisters, who held power in 11th century Toulouse, Carcassonne, Barcelona and the Pyrenees. Tracey reviews books for Historical Novels Review and Times Higher Education. She is a tutor for residential writing courses in France with A Chapter Away (www.achapteraway.com). Find our more at: http://traceywarrwriting.com and find Tracey on Facebook and Twitter @TraceyWarr1

24 October 2017

Elizabeth's Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester by Nicola Tallis


Pre-Order on Amazon UK and Amazon US

The first biography of Lettice Knollys, one of the most prominent women of the Elizabethan era
Cousin to Elizabeth I - and very likely also Henry VIII's illegitimate granddaughter - Lettice Knollys had a life of dizzying highs and pitiful lows. Darling of the court, entangled in a love triangle with Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I, banished from court, plagued by scandals of affairs and murder, embroiled in treason, Lettice would go on to lose a husband and beloved son to the executioner's axe. 
Living to the astonishing age of ninety-one, Lettice's tale gives us a remarkable, personal lens on to the grand sweep of the Tudor Age, with those closest to her often at the heart of the events that defined it.
In the first ever biography of this extraordinary woman, Nicola Tallis's dramatic narrative takes us through those events, including the religious turmoil, plots and intrigues of Mary, Queen of Scots, attempted coups, and bloody Irish conflicts, among others. Surviving well into the reign of Charles I, Lettice truly was the last of the great Elizabethans.

# # #

About the Author

British Historian Nicola Tallis graduated from Bath Spa University with a first class BA Hons. degree in History in 2011, and from Royal Holloway College, University of London in 2013 with an MA in Public History. Since 2013 she has been studying for her PhD at the University of Winchester, where she teaches History. Nicola also worked as a historical researcher, most notably for Sir Ranulph Fiennes whilst he was working on his 2014 book, Agincourt: My Family, the Battle and the Fight for France. and is the resident historian for Alison Weir Tours. Find out more at Nicola's website http://nicolatallis.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @MissNicolaTal

21 October 2017

Book Review: Wolf's Head (The Forest Lord Book 1) by Steven A. McKay


Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

After viciously assaulting a corrupt but powerful clergyman Robin Hood flees the only home he has ever known in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Becoming a member of a notorious band of outlaws, Hood and his new companions – including John Little and Will Scaflock – hide out in the great forests of Barnsdale, fighting for their very existence as the law hunts them down like animals. When they are betrayed, and their harsh lives become even more unbearable, the band of friends
 seeks bloody vengeance.


I’d been intrigued by the success of Steven A. McKay’s Forest Lord series so decided it was time to take a look. The ‘Forest Lord’ in question is Robin Hood, and the story has been told countless times since medieval ballads. I was amazed to see the list of TV and film versions has more than I can be bothered to count, and ranges from a Disney cartoon version to a squeaky-clean Kevin Costner in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ and a more earthy Russell Crowe as ‘Robin Longstride’ (complete with Australian accent.)

I’m pleased to say Steven McKay’s series is a masterclass of how to breathe new life into well explored stories. He handles the multiple characters with the skill of a forest archer, picking his moment to surprise the reader. I liked the historical references to the Lancastrian revolt that provide a backdrop to the narrative and found his reading style engaging.

There must be something we can all identify with in the story of Robin Hood, a universal battle for fair treatment in the face of overwhelming odds. Steven A. McKay doesn’t flinch from the darker side of the tale and this is a series I’m happy to recommend. 

Tony Riches
# # #

About the Author

Steven A. McKay was born in Scotland in 1977. His first book, Wolf's Head, came out in 2013 and was an Amazon UK top 20 bestseller. Blood of the Wolf is the fourth and final book in the Forest Lord series. Steven is currently researching and writing a brand new tale - tentatively titled "The Druid" set in post-Roman Britain. He plays lead guitar and sings in a heavy metal band when they can find the time to meet up. Find out more at his website
https://stevenamckay.com/ and find him on Twitter @SA_McKay

20 October 2017

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Pleasing Mr. Pepys, by Deborah Swift


Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

London 1667. Set in a London rising from the ruins of the Great Fire, Pleasing Mr Pepys is a vivid re-imagining of the events in Samuel Pepys's Diary. Desperate to escape her domineering aunt, Deb Willet thinks the post of companion to well-respected Elisabeth Pepys is the answer to her prayers. 

But Samuel Pepys's house is not as safe as it seems. An intelligent girl in Deb's position has access to his government papers, and soon she becomes a target of flamboyant actress Abigail Williams, a spy for England's enemies, the Dutch. Abigail is getting old and needs a younger accomplice. 

She blackmails Deb into stealing Pepys's documents. Soon, the respectable life Deb longs for slides out of her grasp. Mr Pepys's obsessive lust for his new maid increases precisely as Abigail and her sinister Dutch spymaster become more demanding. 

When Deb falls for handsome Jem Wells, a curate-in-training, she thinks things cannot possibly get worse. Until ñ not content with a few stolen papers ñ the Dutch want Mr Pepys's Diary.

"Swift brought Deborah Willet, the Pepyses, and the London of the 1660s to life in an exciting and sometimes touching way...I didn't want to put it down, and found myself thinking about the story when I went about my day." - Andrea Zuvich, Author of His Last Mistress

"Deb Willet, Elizabeth Pepys's maid and the object of Samuel Pepys's attentions, is finally given centre-stage after 350 years, and her tale was worth waiting for. This is exceptional story-telling." - L. C. Tyler

"Laced with emotional intensity and drama, Pleasing Mr Pepys... (has) an intricate plot that features red herrings, unexpected twists, and surprises that will take readers on a very delightful ride." - Arya Fomonyuy, Readers' Favorite

# # # 

About the Author


Deborah Swift lives in North Lancashire on the edge of the Lake District and worked as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV. After gaining an MA in Creative Writing in 2007 Deborah now teach classes and courses in writing and provides editorial advice to writers and authors. Find out more at Deborah's website www.deborahswift.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @swiftstory.


Blog Tour Schedule

Thursday, September 28 Review at The Maiden's Court Guest Post at Books of All Kinds Friday, September 29 Guest Post at Let Them Read Books Spotlight at What Is That Book About Monday, October 2 Review at History From a Woman's Perspective Tuesday, October 3 Review at The Lit Bitch Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots Wednesday, October 4 Feature at A Holland Reads Thursday, October 5 Review at CelticLady's Reviews Friday, October 6 Feature at Passages to the Past Monday, October 9 Review at 100 Pages a Day Tuesday, October 10 Review at Locks, Hooks and Books Wednesday, October 11 Review at Book Nerd Friday, October 13 Review at Poppy Coburn Monday, October 16 Review at Just One More Chapter Review at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen Tuesday, October 17 Review at Laura's Interests Interview at Suzy Approved Books Wednesday, October 18 Review at Jo's Book Blog Thursday, October 19 Feature at T's Stuff Friday, October 20 Review at A Literary Vacation Guest Post at The Writing Desk

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a signed copy of Pleasing Mr. Pepys to one lucky winner! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules ñ Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter. ñ Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. ñ Only one entry per household. ñ All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. ñ Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Pleasing Mr. Pepys

17 October 2017

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Last Lancastrian ~ A Story of Margaret Beaufort, by Samantha Wilcoxson


New on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Margaret Beaufort is remembered as a pious and formidable woman. Before she was the king's mother, she was a young wife who was desperate to secure her son's future. Take a peek into the life of Margaret Beaufort before she dreamed of a Tudor dynasty.

The Last Lancastrian is a prequel novella to the Plantagenet Embers trilogy, which begins with Plantagenet Princess Tudor Queen: The Story of Elizabeth of York.



About the Author


Samantha Wilcoxson is an American writer and history enthusiast. Her 2015 novel, Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen, features Elizabeth of York and was selected as an Editors’ Choice by the Historical Novel Society. 

Samantha lives on a small lake in Michigan with her husband, three children, two dogs, and two cats. This crew provides plenty of good times and writing inspiration. When she is not reading or writing, Samantha enjoys travelling and learning about new places. Find out more at her blog http://samanthawilcoxson.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter @carpe_librum

14 October 2017

Guest Post by K.M. Pohlkamp, Author of Apricots and Wolfsbane


New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

At the start of the 16th century in Tudor England, Lavinia Maud finds her instincts as an assassin tested by love and faith. She balances revenge with her struggle to develop a tasteless poison and avoid the wrath of her ruthless patron. With her ideals in conflict, Lavinia must decide which will satisfy her heart: love, faith, or murder—but the betrayals are just beginning.

Finding Writing Inspiration From History

Through thousands of years of human history, we’ve done some pretty crazy things. We’ve invented, discovered, survived and destroyed. We’ve cultivated a varied mélange of settings across the world, spanning a vast array of cultures and technological marvels.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next manuscript, consider exploring the annals of our own story.History inspired my historical fiction thriller, Apricots and Wolfsbane, which follows the career of a female poison assassin in Tudor England. Last fall I read an article about “Forgotten Females of History” and learned the world’s first serial killer was a woman. The fact struck me and curious, I devoured everything I could find about Locusta, the poison master from Gaul.

In AD 54, Empress Agrippina conspired with Locusta to murder her husband, Roman Emperor Claudius, with a batch of poisoned mushrooms in order to place Agrippina’s son, Nero, on the throne. While Locusta was subsequently imprisoned in AD 55, Nero sought to secure his rule by contracting Locusta to craft a poison to murder Claudius’s son. When the concoction failed initial tests, Nero flogged Locusta with his own hands. Her second attempt succeeded and Nero bestowed Locusta with pardons, lands, and lavish gifts. He also sent pupils to study with the poison master.

But in AD 68, the Roman Senate tired of Nero’s rogue practices and the Emperor took his own life with a dagger before facing punishment. The Senate’s attention then turned towards Locusta, and without protection from the Emperor, she was convicted with an execution sentence. Some accounts say she was raped to death by a giraffe and then torn apart by wild animals. While that tale tantalizes the imagination, it is more likely she was led through the city in chains and executed by human hands.

Not much else is known about Locusta, which incited my imagination. As a female engineer for my day job, I related to the challenge of going against traditional female stereotypes. I imagined the challenges she must have faced and wondered if Locusta’s gender ended up being an asset in a field where surprise would provide an advantage. That’s when a story began to weave in my mind.

Being inspired by history is distinctively different than providing a fictional telling of historic events. The plot of Apricots and Wolfsbane is inspired by Locusta’s life, but is not a replication. It is mixed with the product of my own imagination, and while those familiar with Locusta will recognize bits of her inspiration, they are still in for the unpredictable ride. This is the distinctive difference between writing an alternate history or pseudo-history, and using history as inspiration.

One of the ways I reinterpreted my inspiration was by changing the setting. I lifted the aspects of these Roman legends and placed them in my favorite time period, Tudor England. I gave my assassin, Lavinia, parts of my personality, pouring my own experiences and viewpoints into the narrative. The message I wanted readers to take away also affected how I told the story, and further separated Lavinia from her Roman idol.

Whether history has inspired an author’s novel, or they seek to more closely reinterpret, research is paramount if the novel’s setting remains period. It is the little details of a historical fiction piece that bring the world alive to the reader, that transport them back in time. And getting those details correct is time consuming and challenging.

Thankfully, as authors, we a have the world at our fingertips through the internet. [Insert the obvious rant about verifying the validity of your internet sources here.] While writing I predominantly use the internet in three ways (other than distraction and procrastination…)

1) Looking at a picture helps me describe my scenes. Searching for period paintings, art, and photographs on Google images can help place your imagination in the setting of your novel.

2) When researching, primary sources are always best. Google Scholar is a fantastic way to find trustworthy sources.

3) When all else fails, historic author groups on Facebook and internet sites are an invaluable source of assistance. I have a seen all sorts of detailed plot circumstances crowd-sourced researched this way - and have used that resource myself.

The voice of a historical fiction piece also brings the world to life. While most readers would not suffer through 350 pages of Olde English, finding a balance with our modern slang is critical. Anachronisms and contemporary words are jarring in a period piece and take the reader out of the setting. I write with a thesaurus open to quickly look up the word origin of uncertain words and then have other options readily available as required.

History can provide inspiration for an entire novel, or just a solution for a small road block. As authors, we draw inspiration from everything around us - just don’t forget to look back in time as well.

K.M. Pohlkamp

# # #

About the Author

K.M. Pohlkamp is a blessed wife, proud mother of two young children, and an aerospace engineer who works in Mission Control. She operated guidance, navigation and control systems on the Space Shuttle and is currently involved in development of upcoming manned-space vehicles. A Cheesehead by birth, she now resides in Texas for her day job and writes to maintain her sanity. Her other hobbies include ballet and piano. Pohlkamp’s historical fiction thriller, Apricots and Wolfsbane, was published by Filles Vertes Publishing in October.

Find out more at the author's website https://kmpohlkamp.com/ and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @KMPohlkamp.

Using Vellum as a publishing tool


I enjoy having control over all aspects of the publishing process and for the last six years used a range of tools that produced good results. Then I saw this post by Joanna Penn (who helped me start self publishing)  Why I’ve Moved From Scrivener To Vellum For Formatting Ebooks

Like Joanna, I'd been alerted by a reader to an ebook formatting problem that didn't show up on my Kindle. (Line breaks to show change of scene had closed up on her e-reader) This made me wonder how any other readers had said nothing - and if it had cost me sales.

The solution seemed too good to be true. One easy to use tool that could import my Word document, allow me to design the layout based on good practice and produce perfect print and ebook editions with a single click. The problem was Vellum isn't available in a Windows version, so I finally had to make the switch to Mac.

I now wish I'd done this ages ago, as my new MacBook Pro (with context-related touch bar) is a joy to use, after putting up with the vagaries of Windows updates for years. I bought the full version of Vellum as a download and had no problems installing it, so was up and running right away. 

There are useful tutorials on YouTube, such as this one by USA Today best selling author Sara Rosett:



I found the interface so intuitive I rarely had to resort to using the online help. I particularly liked the way you can preview the results as a print book or on any of the popular e-readers:


Vellum makes tricky tasks such as handling images and layout of poetry and quotations really easy. There are enough options to satisfy most needs and the results were validated on Amazon and CreateSpace with no errors. 

Over the past month I've converted all my books to Vellum editions and am happy to recommend this wonderful tool to anyone considering self-publishing.

Tony Riches

13 October 2017

New Book Review: Apricots and Wolfsbane, by K.M. Pohlkamp


New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

At the start of the 16th century in Tudor England, Lavinia Maud finds her instincts as an assassin tested by love and faith. She balances revenge with her struggle to develop a tasteless poison and avoid the wrath of her ruthless patron. With her ideals in conflict, Lavinia must decide which will satisfy her heart: love, faith, or murder—but the betrayals are just beginning.


This dark, fast-paced tale keeps you guessing from the first page.  Pushing the boundaries of the historical fiction genre, K.M. Pohlkamp evokes a world where the usual definitions of right and wrong are the first casualties.

Obsessed with her quest to discover the perfect poison, it seems nothing is going to stand in the way of Lavinia Maud. Inspired by accounts of Locusta, Emperor Nero's notorious poisoner of ancient Rome, the relocation of the setting to Tudor London provides K.M. Pohlkamp with more than enough people to poison  - and reasons why.

I was impressed by the detailed research that must have gone in to writing this book, as well as the character development. This is perhaps not the best book to read to your children at bedtime - but one I'd love to see made into a movie. Highly recommended.

Tony Riches
     
# # #

About the Author

Originally from Wisconsin, K.M. Pohlkamp lives with her husband Jon in Houston, Texas, and is the  proud mother of two and a Mission Control flight controller. 

Find out more at the author's website 
https://kmpohlkamp.com/ and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @KMPohlkamp.

11 October 2017

Guest Post by Apple Gidley, Author of Fireburn


 New from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Fireburn tells of the horrors of a little-known, bloody period of Caribbean history. Anna weathers personal heartache as she challenges the conventions of the day, the hostility of the predominantly male landowners and survives the worker rebellion of 1878.


Writing is an intensely personal business. Until, that is, the manuscript is ready for someone else’s eyes. Letting go of those neatly typed pages, or pushing send, is achieved only after an agony of indecision. What, in the weeks and months of diligent research, in allowing the characters to invade every waking moment, to getting the actual words down, leads up to that pivotal moment and coalesces into a maelstrom of doubt. Is it good enough? 

What seemed lyrical prose becomes saccharine; witty dialogue dribbles into cliché-ridden twaddle and the plot line becomes riddled with holes, non sequiturs and repetition. And so procrastination sets in. A tweak here, a rewrite there, the deletion of tracts of what at one stage seemed integral to the story.

Finally courage is grasped with both hands, the stamp licked, the button pushed and the waiting begins. If lucky, encouragement is given to continue along the path started with a vague idea.

My first book, Expat Life Slice By Slice, was relatively easy to let go. It was memoir and therefore could either be enjoyed, or not, believed, or not. It was the story of a life spent in twelve countries as diverse as Papua New Guinea and Holland, Equatorial Guinea and Singapore, with another eight thrown in for good measure. It told of the ups and downs of a nomadic life, it offered encouragement and admitted to errors made in a world where traversing cultural differences can sometimes be fraught. And it had a ready-made audience. Other people like me, or who were about to embark on a global adventure.

The launch of Fireburn on October 1st this year was a wholly different affair. Those initial agonies returned tenfold. This wasn’t fact, this was my imagination on sale. Until writing this novel I had never truly understood Graham Greene’s words in his memoir, Ways to Escape, when he wrote, “there is a splinter of ice in the heart of the writer” and that “a writer’s job demands an aloofness”. That most prolific and wonderful of writers, is right.

In Fireburn, writing violent scenes between Anna and her husband, a rather unpleasant chap called Carl Pedersen, was straightforward at the time but reading them later was hard. Did people wonder if I’d ever been treated so brutally. I haven’t. But at the time of writing, the words flowed almost unbidden as Anna took over. 

And that is the trick I have learned to writing believable dialogue. The characters must be heard. Not just the actual words, but the nuances. 
Fireburn, set in 1870s St Croix (Croy) in the Danish West Indies, now the US Virgin Islands, is written in four voices: Anna, a young Anglo-Danish woman; Ivy, her lady’s maid from the East End of London; Emiline, a West Indian cook and weed woman; and Sampson, the black estate foreman. Each speaks in a different manner and Sam is able to switch between Crucian patois and standard English with an ever-increasing ease.

I have always been an inveterate eaves-dropper. To the extent my husband has at times chastised me for not listening to him but rather a conversation at an adjacent table. I am that person who does not mind being delayed in travel. I love airports for the endless mix of people and cultures, and even accents between the only language I speak with any great facility, English. As my imagination has run riot, innocent men, women and children have been turned into conniving, murderous villains, or cuckolded spouses, or stolen infants unaware of their true heritage. Just sometimes they have a happy life.

I use public transport to listen to conversations around me - no plot or incident ever written, certainly in historical fiction, hasn’t happened somewhere in the world. Just read the agony aunt columns. There is no end to our ability to disappoint, to cheat, to be cruel just as there is no end to the kindness and compassion around us - we just have to listen for it and then transpose it into words coming from our characters.

I have always loved to read, and writing historical fiction is a wonderful excuse to read. And research can be both fact and fiction. If we fudge history it doesn’t matter how believable our characters, we are doing our readers a great disservice. Our imagination might be at play but the facts must bear scrutiny.

So the novel is finished, the button pushed. The elation is as effervescent as champagne when the manuscript is accepted. The bubbles can though evaporate very quickly as the editing process begins. If you’re lucky, as I have been, arguments for keeping certain passages, certain phrases and words are respected, though at times a graceful acceptance that the editor knows best is by far the wisest option. They are the professionals and want only to showcase the writer in the most favourable light possible.

It is now nine days since the launch of Fireburn, the terror of rejection for a story from my imagination has not yet abated - perhaps it never will, but that fear will not stop me from writing the sequel, Transfer of the Crown. As I said, writing is an intensely personal venture, and I love it!

Apple Gidley
# # #

About the Author


Apple Gidley is an Anglo-Australian author whose life has been spent absorbing countries and cultures, considers herself a global nomad. She currently divides her time between Houston, Texas and St Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. She has moved 26 times, and has called twelve countries home (Nigeria, England, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Papua New Guinea, The Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Scotland, USA, Equatorial Guinea), and her experiences are described in her first book, Expat Life Slice by Slice. Her roles have been varied - from magazine editor to intercultural trainer, from interior designer to Her Britannic Majesty’s Honorary Consul. Now writing full time, Apple evocatively portrays peoples and places with empathy and humour, whether writing travel articles, blogs, short stories or full-length fiction. Find out more at Apple’s Blog and find her on Facebook and Twitter @expatapple.

10 October 2017

The Du Lac Princess (Book 3 of The Du Lac Chronicles) by Mary Anne Yarde



Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

The multi award-winning series; The Du Lac Chronicles continues:

War is coming…

The ink has dried on Amandine’s death warrant. Her crime? She is a du Lac.

All that stands in the way of a grisly death on a pyre is the King of Brittany. However, King Philippe is a fickle friend, and if her death is profitable to him, then she has no doubt that he would light the pyre himself.

Alan, the only man Amandine trusts, has a secret and must make an impossible choice, which could have far-reaching consequences — not only for Amandine, but for the whole of Briton.


# # #

About the Author

Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury—the fabled Isle of Avalon—was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood. At nineteen, she married her childhood sweetheart and began a bachelor of arts in history at Cardiff University, only to have her studies interrupted by the arrival of her first child. She would later return to higher education, studying equine science at Warwickshire College. Horses and history remain two of her major passions. Mary Anne Yarde keeps busy raising four children and helping run a successful family business. Find our more at her website and follow her on Twitter @maryanneyarde

7 October 2017

Book review ~ The Queen’s Mary, by Sarah Gristwood


Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Mary Seton is lady-in-waiting to the legendary Mary Queen of Scots. Torn between her own desires and her duty to serve her mistress, she is ultimately drawn into her Queen's web of passion and royal treachery - and must play her part in the game of thrones between Mary and Elizabeth I. Mary Seton is lady-in-waiting to the legendary Mary Queen of Scots.Must she choose between survival, and sharing the same fate as the woman she has served, 
loyally and lovingly, since a child?

I recently visited the V&A Museum in London and studied the small tapestries made by Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (Bess of Hardwick) during her imprisonment. They seemed to suggest a more whimsical side to Mary which made me want to find out more about her.

Tapestry in the V&A London
Sarah Gristwood describes Mary as ‘the most written about woman in history,’ so it is quite an achievement to show her life in such an original light and raise so many pertinent questions on the way.

We see Mary’s world through the eyes of her long-suffering lady-in-waiting Mary Seton (one of four attendants all named Mary and the Queen’s Mary of the title) A wonderfully flawed character, in turns insightful and naïve, much of her life is speculation - but this is where historical fiction helps to shine a light on important but less well known characters from our past.

Interestingly, Sarah Gristwood’s choice of Mary Seton was inspired after discovering a long-forgotten letter from Mary to King James, which gave a tantalising glimpse of the mind of the real woman.

I particularly liked Sarah’s use of metaphors such as the way the lives of the ‘Marys’ are likened to the steps in a dance, which brings them closer, then apart as they dance to another’s tune. Mary Seton is also likened to a hooded hawk, returning to her keeper even when she is allowed to fly free.

The narrative switches to the first person in the epilogue and I began to feel Mary Seton's presence and was left wanting more, which is always the test of a great book. Highly recommended.

Tony Riches

# # #
About the Author

Sarah Gristwood  is a best-selling Tudor biographer, former film journalist, and commentator on royal affairs. After leaving Oxford, Sarah began work as a journalist, writing at first about the theatre as well as general features on everything from gun control to Giorgio Armani. But increasingly she found herself specialising in film interviews – Johnny Depp and Robert De Niro; Martin Scorsese and Paul McCartney. She has appeared in most of the UK’s leading newspapers – The Times, the Guardian, The Telegraph (Daily and Sunday) – and magazines from Cosmopolitan to Country Living and Sight and Sound to The New Statesman. Turning to history she wrote two bestselling Tudor biographies, Arbella: England’s Lost Queen and Elizabeth and Leicester. Sarah was one of the team providing Radio 4’s live coverage of the royal wedding; and has since spoken on the Queen’s Jubilee, the royal baby, and other royal stories for Sky News, Woman’s Hour, Radio 5 Live, and CBC. Shortlisted for both the Marsh Biography Award and the Ben Pimlott Prize for Political Writing, she is a Fellow of the RSA, and an Honororary Patron of Historic Royal Palaces. She and her husband, the film critic Derek Malcolm, live in London and Kent. Find out more at Sarah's website