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Books to invest in for Christmas Reading – mulled wine optional.
Excellent murder mystery with larger than life characters and a tone in which you can tell the author is enjoying the telling of the tale. John Lovat, the bastard brother of one of Queen Elizabeth's courtiers and always second fiddle to his snooty brother, is employed...
70th Anniversary of Brief Encounter
This year marks 70 years since Brief Encounter was made in 1945. It was one of my mother's favourite films, a real weepie, and one which seemed to touch the heart of a nation. Just why, is explored in this lovely documentary on Radio 4 which I listened to earlier in...
The Betrothed Sister – 11th century epic
I have read all of Carol McGrath's Hastings Trilogy, and have been entranced by this little-known period of English history. Her most recent features a woman about whom little is known, but McGrath's research into the politics, events and atmosphere of the time have...
New Anthology of Historical Essays
My post at English Historical fiction Authors this month is on the plunder of Basing House in the English Civil War. Read the post here. Basing House inspired some of the events in the Highway Trilogy where I imagined the occupants of Markyate Manor might have...
The Smoke of her Burning by M C Logue
The Smoke of her Burning Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to one Captain - Colonel, now - Holofernes Babbitt. Hollie to his friends. A man who begins the Uncivil Wars series as a disaffected mercenary cavalry captain in the Army of Parliament, and...
Interview with Victoria Delderfield, author of The Secret Mother
I first met Vicky on the MA in Creative Writing at Lancaster, and loved the premise of this book, which she was working on at the time. Now, at last, two children and a whole lot of work later. The Secret Mother is finally out, and getting the recognition it deserves....
The Ghosts of Markyate Manor – a hermit, an heiress, a highwayman
The name Markyate is derived from the Old English words mearc and geat and means 'the gate at the boundary', presumably between Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. In the 12th century, with the consent of his abbot, a monk went out from st Alban's and into the woods to...
Murder on the Minneapolis by Anita Davison
Murder on the Minneapolis - the Flora Maguire Mysteries by Anita Davison I often read how most writers, even established ones, find it hard to change genre. For historical fiction authors this is especially challenging. How difficult is it to switch your...
Female Mystics in Fiction
I have just finished 'Illuminations' by Mary Sharrat, about Hildegard von Bingen. A reader might be surprised that there could be so much plot in a book which is essentially about a woman enclosed firstly as an anchorite, and later as a nun. However the enclosed...
Rembrandt’s Mirror by Kim Devereux
I was offered a review copy of 'Rembrandt's Mirror' by Kim Devereux, and was so fascinated I asked Kim for an interview about her debut novel and the experience of writing about such a well-loved artist. Deborah: We get an intimate portrait of Rembrandt in this book,...
Fetch Nurse Connie by Jean Fullerton
As I'm a blogger, I received a copy of 'Fetch Nurse Connie' from the publisher in return for an honest review. Anyone interested in the post-world war two period will just love this. Full of great little details that really bring the past to life, this is a...
UK Independent Publishers – a ‘do they add value?’ check
I meet regularly with other novelists to critique our works in progress, drink tea, and discuss the various merits of the biscuits. Recently at one of my novelists group meetings we were discussing independent publishers who might publish a full length novel. I...
Editing Historical Fiction, my way
I am in the middle of edits for two of my books, one a young adult novel and one a 400 page adult novel. These are the edits I make before I send out to my agent, a publisher, or in some cases the public. There will be other edits later, but as some publishing houses...
A Cruel Necessity by L C Tyler
'A Cruel Necessity' by L C Tyler is unique - crime fiction set during Cromwell's rule after the English Civil Wars. What makes this mystery different is the intentionally humorous twist. This is a period I love, and L C Tyler has done a great job of bringing it...
The Apothecary’s Widow – Diane Scott Lewis
A Lady’s Murder in Eighteenth Century Cornwall When I attended the Historical Novel Society Conference in San Diego, one of the panels spoke of the future of historical fiction. They agreed that historical mysteries would remain one of the most popular aspects...