October was quite a busy month for me. First, I had the pleasure of visiting Dresden with dear friend and fellow writer Alison Morton. Among other things, we undertook a seventeen kilometre trek through the beautiful Saxon Switzerland National park (yes, I know, very confusing: Switzerland in a German park?) to see the famous Bastei […]
My November newsletter – a reflection on the passing of time Read More »
Today, I am going to introduce you to St Eulalia. Both of them, because yes, there are two. Why St Eulalia, you may ask. Well, that’s all Alma’s fault. Alma is the main character in my WIP and at present (well, in the year 1337) she is in Mérida, one of those very, very ancient
Some years ago, I got a very official looking letter from a lawyer in a small town in Sweden. I had no business in said town, had at most driven through it, so I was rather curious as to what the letter might contain. Very formally, the letter informed me that I was a potential
Just another mother – homage to a woman without whom I wouldn’t exist Read More »
The other day, my BFF and I shared a nice cuppa while having a bit of a moan about the fact that we are no longer bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Instead, we have odd aches, have to our shock realised we can no longer leap out of bed (our bodies protest too loudly) and have a
Mellow and mature – a reflection on growing old(er) Read More »
Sometimes, hubby and I spend several hours over the weekend solving crosswords. He is much better at it than I am, mainly because there are so many words/clues that only exist in the rarefied world of crossworders (is that even a word?) and he has been solving crosswords for yonks. Today, one of the clues
I have previously written about Eleanor of Castile, but in that post I focussed on the children she birthed. And lost. She lost most of them, unfortunate woman that she was. This post is about her last few years—mainly because that’s where I’ve been spending time with her, as my latest novel is set 1287-1290,
A slow march into permanent night – of a queen’s death Read More »
Some weeks ago, I was at Marstrand. Most of you have never heard of this little Swedish gem, but should you ever make it to Sweden, I would recommend a visit. An hour or so north of Gothenburg, Marstrand was once a heaving, bustling place, an important harbour city that thrived due to the herring.
When the light at the end of the tunnel winks out – a somewhat sad story Read More »
I find it very improbable that there has ever been a little boy who looked up from his morning porridge and told his proud parents that when he grew up, he wanted to be an executioner. Nor do I think any parent would have been overly thrilled had their beloved son expressed such a desire.
This morning, I had a crisp roll with my tea. Crisp rolls are one of Sweden’s contributions to the world, albeit we call them “skorpa”. Traditionally, crisp rolls were made from left over bread that was cut into slices and then baked in the oven at low heat for a very long time, resulting in
In early September of 1312, Fernando IV of Castile died alone. Medieval kings were rarely alone. Even when they slept, there tended to be someone close at hand, sleeping on a pallet or standing guard. Not so in the case of our Fernando. Even more suspiciously, Fernando was a young man in his prime. All