Blog
White Space in Historical Fiction
The reader's reaction happens in the gaps. I've just been reading a book about time. In it, we were encouraged to take a pause for a few seconds to allow a breathing space. Later that night I was reading a historical novel as my bedtime reading, and noticed that it...
An interview with Keith Stuart – Pied Piper a #WW2 novel set in 1939
I'm delighted to welcome Keith Stuart to my blog today to tell me about his new book, Pied Piper. Here's the blurb: In September 1939 the British Government launched Operation Pied Piper. To protect them from the perils of German bombing raids, in three days millions...
The Chinese Puzzle by J C Briggs – Review #Victorian #MurderMystery
I have enjoyed several of J C Briggs books and I intend to catch up with them all eventually. This one centres around a mysterious Chinese Ambassador who appears at the opening of The Great Exhibition. At first the mystery is about tracing a missing person, a Chinese...
The Damask Rose by Carol McGrath #medieval #SheWolfQueens #Review
"Edward, always Edward. He came first. He was her husband and her King." I have read all of Carol McGrath's books and find them to be impeccably-researched and detailed evocations of the period. This one is no exception, and paints a vivid picture of Eleanor of...
Is your editor your servant or your master?
As an author whose books are set in the past, servants and masters often come up, and the idea of a hierarchy based on who pays who. (see this post) Also as an author I rely on my editors to help me make my book the best it can be. I love editors, and most authors...
Hotel Obscure – short stories by Lisette Brodey #GreatReads #TuesdayBlogs
Every now and then I feel like reading something different . Hotel Obscure is about as far away as you can get from my current life as a comfortably-off, middle aged (if not old!) woman in a small quiet village in Northern England. Hotel Obscure of the title is an...
Murder at Beaulieu Abbey by Cassandra Clark is out today! #MurderMystery
I'm delighted to spotlight the new Abbess of Meaux murder mystery by Cassandra Clark on it's publication day! From Cassandra: I am now writing the Abbess of Meaux series of historical mystery novels set in fourteenth century Europe. I'm pleased to be able to draw on...
Courting Danger by J G Harlond #WW2 #MurderMystery
I've read both the other books in this series so was really looking forward to this third book. And its an absolute cracker. When the local doctor is found semi-submerged in a pond associated with the Old Gods - Gogmagog Ditch, Bob Robbins and his sidekick Laurie...
Historical Fiction – Info-dumps and how to ditch them #amwriting #HistFic
Readers of historical fiction love complex world-building, but only when it is integral to the story. How do I tell if I've written an info-dump? Nothing within the info dump is occurring in the actual moment of the scene. Often they are regurgitations of the past...
Paul Walker’s ‘A State of Treason’ Elizabethan Spy Thriller #audiobook #CoffeePotBookClub
I'm delighted to highlight the new Elizabethan spy mystery 'State of Treason' today by Paul Walker. Audiobook listeners will be delighted that it is already available in audio - Listen Here London, 1578 William Constable is a scholar of mathematics, astrology and...
The Lengthening Shadow by Liz Harris #Review #CoffeePotBookClub
Review of The Lengthening Shadow I've read all three of the Linford Saga books now and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Liz Harris has a flowing easy-to-read writing style that pulls the reader along. This is the third part of a series but can definitely be read as a...
Editing Historical Fiction: Fix your childhood tics with glee
When I am writing, I am aware that my own childhood reading history can creep into my writing, dragging it back to an era less sophisticated than where I am now. Often we forget that these shorthand phrases still exist in our sub-conscious somewhere, and they are...
My new website, simplicity out of complexity
I'm delighted to say my website is now fully functional, and I can relax! Having an author website that actually performs well for me and that I can update easily was a priority. I have limited time, so I didn't want to spend ages designing it myself, as I'd much...
COVER REVEAL! New covers for the Women of Pepys’ Diary Trilogy
I’m delighted to be able to show you the three new covers for the Women of Pepys’ Diary Trilogy , published by Headline Accent. First, Deb Willet, self-possessed maidservant to Mrs Pepys, and a woman of wit, intelligence and courage. In Pleasing Mr Pepys, she is...
Historical Fiction Recommendations – ‘THE PROPHET’ and ‘ALVAR THE KINGMAKER’
Science, religion and superstition clash in this intelligent murder mystery I read the first book in the Tabitha Hart series, The Almanack, and was really keen to read the second. And I’m pleased to say I loved this intricate murder mystery, with its potent dose of...