Today I am hosting Karen Essex and her latest release, Renaissance Rivals as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club blog tour. Ms Essex has written an interesting story, featuring not only the rivals themselves, but also – however indirectly – the great masters of the period she is writing about: Leonardo da Vinci (who, […]
Meet our Renaissance Rivals – Lucrezia and Isabella Read More »
Today, I am delighted to welcome Tony Riches back to my blog, this time to celebrate his recent release, Queen Anna Anna was born a Danish princess, daughter to the keen amateur chemist Sofia of Mecklenburg and Fredrik II. Her mother was a big fan of Tycho Brahe, not so Anna’s brother, Christian IV, both
Queen Anna – welcoming Tony Riches and his latest release Read More »
Today, I have Tony Riches visiting me. He does that from time to time, usually because there’s a new exciting book of his to talk about. And yes, there IS a new exciting book to talk about, but as I haven’t read it yet, it will have to wait some weeks. Instead, I was chatting
In the shadow of a queen – Tony Riches shares the inspiration for his Elizabethan series Read More »
I must start by apologising: I should have posted this some days ago, but e-mails got crossed, my brain went on a blink, and so this Coffee Pot Book Club blog tour post is 48 hrs late. Euuw! Makes me feel itchy all over. Anyway: today I am welcoming Ms Alvear and her book The
The Cleansing – in which Ms Alvear transports us to Ancient Rome Read More »
And so, at last, summer is here. The lilacs stand in full bloom, the apple blossom has mostly drifted away in little puffs of white blossom, the columbines sway elegantly in the breeze while the lilies-of-the-valley perfume the air. I wake at four to the chorus of overjoyed birds. Okay, I do not know if
There are benefits to ushering book babies into the world vs real babies – like it doesn’t hurt quite as much. The labour behind a book baby is, however, in many ways as significant as that behind delivering a child. Hours and hours of research; days, weeks, months writing and honing your text; moments when
Welcoming my 24th book baby – Queen of Shadows is here! Read More »
Oh my, oh my. When I first picked up Ms Appleyard’s latest release, I was expecting to find it interesting. I did not quite expect to become so utterly engrossed I spent hours breaking off to research further, or to break off my reading to turn to hubby and say “did you know…” before launching
Today is the 1st of May. Here in Sweden, the cherry trees stand in flower, and the magnolia buds are just about to burst into short-lived flowering. I love magnolias. So does my little grandson, but only because magnolias have been around since the dinosaurs. He hasn’t quite grasped that “his” magnolia is not as
Lovely spring comes with a new book! – my May newsletter Read More »
Writing novels set in the distant past has its disadvantages. Like when your heroine ends up in a situation where you just know she’s dying for a piece of chocolate – except that chocolate hasn’t been invented yet. Or when the scene you’ve just written calls for cold fingers clasped around the comforting warmth of
The devil lies in the details – a reflection on writing historical fiction Read More »
I learned something new today: I had no idea PTSD was called nostalgia back in the 129th century – even if I can well believe people sneered and named the sufferers cowards. I think, sadly, that happens today as well to those permanently scarred by traumatic events. Today, I am hosting Ms Willey who has
Today’s spotlight shines on Nostalgia by Susannah Willey Read More »