Writing

The miser’s money put to good use – a walk through history inspired by Southwark Cathedral

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, …

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Caledon awakens – a blog tour post

Today I welcome Virginia Crow and her book, Caledon to my blog as part of her ongoing tour, arranged by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Caledon makes me think of an airline I travelled a lot with when I was a child, British Caledonian, but airplanes do not figure in Ms Crow’s book. Nope. Not …

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Bitten by the time travel bug – a reflection on why I write what I write

I must begin by apologising for the very loooooong radio silence. I do have a valid excuse in that I had surgery in December and then things didn’t at all go as planned. Where I had assumed I’d be up and about after a couple of weeks, turns out I had seriously understimated how long …

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Escaping to the Island of Dreams – of an upcoming release

Today, I am happy to welcome Harry Duffin and his upcoming release Island of Dreams to my blog as part of his Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Mr Duffin’s book is set in Cuba, and for many many peeps it was, in fact an island of dreams and future hopes, welcoming people desiring to start …

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Training to be a knight – a young squire is the protagonist in this new release!

Today, I have Carolyn Hughes visiting me. We met recently at the Historical Novel Society’s conference in Durham – an ideal setting for two peeps who share a love of everything medieval. In her recent release, Carolyn’s protagonist is in training to become a knight and is now a squire. I found that interesting as …

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Taking your vows seriously – or why the Godmother ended up having a secret.

Today, I have Elizabeth St.John visiting and I am absolutely thrilled, because Elizabeth is here to talk about her new release, The Godmother’s Secret  (and what a fantastic read this is, but more of that later) So, hi Elizabeth, and welcome back! Elizabeth: Hi Anna, thanks so much for inviting me on your blog. It’s …

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The hidden past – in which Christina Courtenay follows in the steps of the Vikings

Lately, my reading has included several books set in the 9th to 11th century, a period of time that comes to us as vague echoes through the mists of time. One of my recent reads is Hidden in the Mists, Christina Courtenay’s excellent dual time line book (more of that below) Her book made me …

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What is in a name? A desire to rebel?

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 …

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On ancient Roman roads – a guest post celebrating Ms Morton’s new release Julia Prima

One of the joys of having writer friends who share my fascination with history is diving down their rabbit holes. As long as I’ve known Alison, she’s been fascinated by maps (well, aren’t we all!) and how people travelled back in the good old days – more specifically in Roman times. It is therefore a …

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The case of the swelling narrative – or how one book becomes three. Or four. Or ten.

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 …

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