Today, dear peeps, we’ll be lingering in 13th century Sweden. (Blame it on a recent road trip, which had me passing places that were once seats of power in the nascent kingdom of Sweden, now mostly are backwaters . . .) Now, the reason why this story caught my eye was because of a name: …
The abducted bride – the story of Ingrid Svantepolksdotter Read More »
Once upon a time there was a king named Valdemar. Okay, we might need to slow down as there have been quite a few kings named Valdemar, especially in Denmark. Not so much in Sweden, though, and this particular king was Swedish. Sweden in the 13th century was not Sweden as it is today. Huge …
The consequences of not keeping it in your pants – a medieval morality Read More »
Last week, I participated in a celebration of Helen Hollick’s thiry years as a published writer. Seeing as I am rather intrigued by her take on the Arthurian legend as depicted in her trilogy, Pendragon’s Banner, I asked her to write a post about her perception of the fair Guinevere. Well, I already knew her …
Today, I am hosting Mercedes Rochelle on my blog. She is presently doing a Coffee Pot Book Club tour named The Last Great Saxon Earls. Who these earls were? Well, Ms Rochelle concentrates on one family, the Godwines, which essentially means we’re talking about the last Anglo Saxon king of England. But events were set …
Capable and ambitious – a combo that made Godwine a power-broker in Anglo Saxon England Read More »
Today, I am hosting a stop on MJ Porter’s Coffee Pot Book Club tour featuring her book, Pagan King. We’re thrown back into the seventh century, a time when mighty (and Christain-ish) Northumberland is challenged by pagan Mercia and its capable ruler, Penda. Last time they clashed, Penda won. Will history repeat itself? Well, let …
Let us shine the light on Penda of Mercia – or more correctly, on author MJ Porter. Read More »
Once upon a time, there was an avaricious gent named John. Our John was in the logistics business, more specifically, he transported people back and forth across the Thames. Okay, so this is a looong time ago, and while the intrepid and savvy Romans managed to span the river with the first ever London bridge, …
Sometimes, I start out by researching one person and end up fascinated by another. In this particular case, I wanted to know more about Hans II, King of Denmark and Norway (“And Sweden!” he adds, but as he was only king here for like three years, I see that as more of a parenthesis) This …
Ms Ironbeard, King Hans and the failure of a royal marriage Read More »
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 »
One of the huge benefits of writing historical fiction is all the tangential little research excursions. In my upcoming release, Her Castilian Heart, I needed a location for dire deeds. I knew roughly what I wanted—an abandoned, ruined castle—but in 1289, not all that many medieval castles were abandoned or ruined as they were still …
My mother always used to say that concentrating your words to a succinct few was the hallmark of a good speaker—or writer. I’m guessing she’s sighing heavily wherever she is whenever she takes a peek at my work, because dear peeps, it seems to me abbreviation is a skill I am not good at. I …
The case of the swelling narrative – or how one book becomes three. Or four. Or ten. Read More »
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