Building Blocks of Historical Fiction no 3 – Art and Artifice #HistFic
By Deborah Swift
/ September 4, 2020
What does historical novel give you that film or television doesn't? The answer is a total and intimate immersion. The...
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Tags:art and artifice, Fortune's Hand, historical fiction, Language in Historical Fiction, Nell Leyshon, R N Morris, The Colour of Milk, the Power of Words, word choice in historical fiction
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Morecambe Winter Gardens – a labour of love
By Deborah Swift
/ July 26, 2020
I've just been on a guided tour of Morecambe Winter Gardens. Its not the first time I've visited, but it...
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The Victorian Sickroom – a guest post by Charlotte Betts
By Deborah Swift
/ July 3, 2020
I'm delighted to welcome Charlotte Betts to my blog today, with her lovely informative article on the Victorian sickroom. Charlotte...
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My cold weather reading: ‘After the Fire’ and ‘Those Who Know’
By Deborah Swift
/ June 28, 2020
Here in the North West, we've had a sudden change of the weather from tropical to arctic, meaning my lockdown...
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Building Blocks of Historical Fiction no 2 – Suspicion versus Suspense #HistFic
By Deborah Swift
/ June 15, 2020
Often writers think that in order to convey mystery, or to keep the reader in suspense, they must withhold information....
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Review – Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain by Andrea Zuvich #SexyStuarts
By Deborah Swift
/ June 12, 2020
Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain by Andrea Zuvich - Review As many of you know, I've had an abiding...
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Tom Williams – ‘Burke in the Land of Silver’ #spies #Argentina
By Deborah Swift
/ June 5, 2020
Tom Williams is the author of several historical novels, including The White Rajah' which I really enjoyed. 'Burke in the...
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Recent Recommended Reads Private Lives by JG Harlond and Daughters Of India by Jill McGivering
By Deborah Swift
/ June 3, 2020
With lockdown in progress, and my new book just finished, I've made time for plenty of reading this month. Here...
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Bob Robbins Home Front Mysteries – J.G Harlond on writing about life in wartime England
By Deborah Swift
/ May 27, 2020
I'm delighted to welcome J.G Harlond today, for a post about memory and research, and the writing of her cosy...
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The Road to Liberation – Excerpt from ‘Stolen Childhood’ #WW2 #WWII
By Deborah Swift
/ May 7, 2020
To mark 75 years since the world celebrated the end of WW2, I'm delighted to host an excerpt from Marion...
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Tags:20th century, adventure, End of WW2, historical fiction, Liberation Berlin by JJ Toner, Magda’s Mark by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, Marion Kummerow, saga, Stolen Childhood, The Aftermath by Ellie Midwood, Too Many Wolves in the Local Woods by Marina Osipova, Victory, wartime, When's Mummy coming? by Rachel Wesson, WW2, WWII
The Gossip’s Choice, an interview with Sara Read #midwifery #17thCentury
By Deborah Swift
/ April 30, 2020
Welcome to Sara Read, whose new book The Gossip's Choice is out next week. As a fellow enthusiast for the...
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Recommended Historical Reads for wet Tuesdays #TuesdayBookBlog
By Deborah Swift
/ April 28, 2020
The Silken Rose by Carol McGrath Married at only thirteen years old to a King she has never met, Ailenor...
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Interview with Mary Anne Yarde – Saints, Standing Stones and an Ancient Curse
By Deborah Swift
/ April 24, 2020
I'm delighted to welcome Mary Anne Yarde to my blog today. Mary Anne is the multi award-winning author of the International Bestselling...
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Ailenor of Provence and Queenship by Carol McGrath #medieval
By Deborah Swift
/ April 11, 2020
I'm delighted to welcome historian and novelist Carol McGrath to my blog today, to tell us about the concept of...
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The String’s the Thing – Manet and fashion by Drema Drudge #art #historicalfiction
By Deborah Swift
/ March 29, 2020
I'm delighted to welcome Drema Drudge to my blog today to talk about Manet's models and their clothing, which feature...
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Review: The Bleak Midwinter by L C Tyler
By Deborah Swift
/ December 2, 2019
The fifth John Grey historical mystery 1668. John Grey is now a Justice of the Peace and lives in the...
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A Place in the World by Amy Maroney – review
By Deborah Swift
/ November 15, 2019
This is the last in the series and I'm sad to see it end. I thoroughly enjoyed this dual time-line...
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17th Century Witchcraft by L C Tyler
By Deborah Swift
/ November 14, 2019
Accusations In 1664, in Bury St Edmunds, the judge Sir Matthew Hale* - great lawyer but ‘as gullible as the...
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Spotlight on Tony Riches’ new novel ‘Katherine – Tudor Duchess’
By Deborah Swift
/ October 2, 2019
Attractive, wealthy and influential, Katherine Willoughby is one of the most unusual ladies of the Tudor court. A favourite...
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New Release! Silent Water by P K Adams – the Cracow Royal Court
By Deborah Swift
/ August 6, 2019
My new historical mystery Silent Water is a personal project in a way that my other writing has not been....
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Tags:16th century, Cracow, Jagellions, Lithuania, P K Adams, Poland, Queen Bona, Silent Water, Zygmunt I