Blog
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...
Rebecca’s Choice – An #Interview with debut novelist Heidi Gallacher #historicalfiction #Romance
Its always a pleasure to interview someone who is launching their first novel, so I'm thrilled to welcome Welsh author Heidi Gallacher to my blog today to tell me about her historical romance, Rebecca's Choice, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club Tour. Tell me about...
Falling Pomegranate Seeds (All Manner of Things 2) by Wendy J Dunn #Tudor #CoffeePotBookClub
I'm delighted to introduce my readers and historical fiction fans to today's Book Blast, and author Wendy J Dunn. Her new Tudor book is out now! Winter, 1539 María de Salinas is dying. Too ill to travel, she writes a letter to her daughter Katherine, the young duchess...
Unto This Last by Rebecca Lipkin #Review
Unto This Last in certainly a great big brick of a book, but trust me every word of it is solid gold. I've been a fan of Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites since my teens and have many other books about their works and lives. Unto This Last is different - it's a...
Today’s the Day! Launch of The Lifeline #WW2 #Fiction
Confession. I have never been to Norway. I have never been to Shetland. Normally I would have done both. When writing and researching a book I like to do as much 'on the ground' research as possible. But this year it just wasn't possible, because of the virus. This...
A Painter in Penang by Clare Flynn #Review
I have read another couple of books by Clare Flynn and always enjoyed them so I looked forward to the chance to read and review this new release. Sixteen year old Jasmine is unhappy with her adopted parents in Kenya, and longs to return to her childhood home of...
Round up of Interviews and podcasts
For those that are looking for news of my books, The Lifeline will be published just into the new year on 5th January. It is already live on Amazon at its special pre-order price. A paperback and audiobook will follow. My new 17th Century novel, The Poison Keeper is...
Excerpt of ‘A Feigned Madness’ by Tonya Mitchell #CoffeePotBookClub
The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rat trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out. —Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochrane has a secret. She isn’t the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwell’s Asylum think she is....
The king just won’t stay down! by Mercedes Rochelle #medieval
Today I welcome guest author Mercedes Rochelle with this really interesting post about Richard II and a last minute betrayal. Rebellion, rumour, revolt - this story has it all! When Henry Bolingbroke took the crown, he was beset on all sides by well-wishers who urged...
The Lifeline – characters who brave mountainous seas, enemy fire, and below zero temperatures
My new novel, The Lifeline is now ready to pre-order, and is the third in my series of WW2 books. I became interested in it because I discovered a book about The Shetland Bus in a second-hand bookshop when I was browsing the WW2 shelves. I had never heard of The...
The Last Blast of The Trumpet – Marie Macpherson – excerpt
I'm delighted to welcome Marie Macpherson to my blog today with a fascinating wintry excerpt from her novel The Last Blast of the Trumpet. First, here's the blurb to entice you! 1564: Conflict, Chaos and Corruption in Reformation Scotland. He wants to reform Scotland,...
The Bridled Tongue by Catherine Meyrick – Review
Set in Elizabethan England in 1536 this is a well-written and absorbing romantic novel. Alyce Bradley, returning home after being a lady’s maid in a grand house (which turns out to have been not so grand) comes into conflict with her father over her future. His...
The Intriguing History of Fort St George by David Ebsworth
Today I welcome David Ebsworth to my blog to tell us about one of the fascinating buildings he came across during his research for his 'Wicked Mistress Yale' Series. Over to Dave: ‘I thought it was just coincidence,’ he said. A friend for the past sixty years reading...