Blog
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...
On the Record – The Permanence of History through Fiction #amwriting
"Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes." - Desmond Tutu Mr Swiftstory and I have been watching The Secret History of Writing on TV. If you live in England you can watch this programme on...
‘Changing the dream’ – An interview with author Joan Schweighardt #ecology
I am thrilled to welcome Joan Schweighardt, author of The River Series to my blog today, to talk about her fascinating journey into the rainforests of South America and how it inspired her books. Hi Joan, first off, tell me about your travels to South America and what...
Never A Cross Word – The history of crosswords with Liz Harris
I'm thrilled to welcome Liz Harris to my blog today to enlighten us about crosswords. Over to Liz! If you heard someone claim that in their relationship that they’d never had a cross word, you’d raise your eyebrows in disbelief. ‘Pull the other one!’ you’d exclaim. At...
Death in Delft by Graham Brack – a #17thCentury murder mystery
This is the first Master Mercurius novel I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. Set in the immaculately detailed setting of 17th Century Delft, Master Mercurius is a character it is easy to warm to. An undercover priest as well as a protestant cleric, he is keen to do...
Author in Search of a Character – Why James Burke?
I'm delighted to Welcome Tom Williams to my Blog today to tell us about how he came to write the Burke series, described succinctly by Paul Collard as 'James Bond in Breeches.' Over to Tom: Why James Burke? Would it make any sense to say I did it for the money? If I'm...
Introverts and Extroverts in Historical Fiction
I recently came on a discussion in a facebook group about introverts and extroverts in fiction. (Sorry to whoever started this thread; I can't find it again now!) But it really made me stop and think, because as a reader I have always been a fan of what I call ‘quiet...
Historical Fiction – the joy of writing extraordinary commoners
I've just started a new book and after quite a bit of research, this is the first week of actually typing anything for my new project, book two of a series set in Italy. I'm a pantser, so I just launch straight in and then try to write my first draft as quickly as...