Those of you who follow my blog, know I have written several posts about the Spanish Hapsburgs (I have provided selection at the bottom of this post) Obviously, I am rather fascinated by this family and its penchant for incestous marriages–but I have been stuck on the Spanish branch of the family. Well, beyond casual
Yesterday was the First Sunday of Advent. Suddenly, the dreary, grey November exploded into light, as us Swedes hung up glowing stars, adorned our windows with our “adventsljusstakar” and generally began the countdown to Christmas. Now, had this been five hundred years ago, the first Sunday in Adent would also usher in the Advent fast.
My December newsletter – of Devil’s cats, dried fish and books Read More »
Today, I am happy to host Deborah Swift and her latest release, The Cameo Keeper as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Think Rome, think 17th century, and no, you do not get a pristine, tourist-friendly place. Instead, it is dark and dirty, poverty cheek to jowl with riches, power-hungry families striving for
The Cameo Keeper – diving into 17th century Rome with Deborah Swift Read More »
Anyone who has a thing about Tudor England will have heard of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife—the second one he divorced. Some say he felt tricked by Thomas Cromwell (and, I suppose, by Holbein) stating the real-life Anne was a far cry from the beautiful woman in her portrait. Whatever the case, Anne
From portrait to Protestantism – a post about Sibylle of Cleves Read More »
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 »
Hands up those of you who’ve heard of the Battle of Cartagena de las Indias. Hmm, very few, apparently. Now, I had heard of this battle before, because as a child I grew up in Colombia, and on several occasions I had the pleasure of visiting Cartagena de las Indias. And once there, it was
The consequences of Jenkin’s ear – the story of a naval battle Read More »
Today was supposed to be a writing day. I have two chapters left in my WIP, and one of them is going to be very, very hard to write—gruesome, is probably the right word—so I’ve been procrastinating. Until today. I had cleared my calendar, done some pep-talking along the lines of “Enough, already! Get it
Don’t mess with my baby! My October newsletter about Mama Bears and motherhood Read More »
Some weeks ago, I finally—FINALLY!—made it to Cádiz. This is considered to be one of the oldest city in Europe, and for those who know their history, it is probably best known for being the port Christopher Columbus set off from for his second and fourth journey. And it is as a port that Cádiz
Exploring a European cradle – say hello to ancient Cádiz Read More »
I discovered historical fiction already as a small child – thank you Henry Treece. But I fell in love with the genre when I discovered Georgette Heyer. Since then, Regency Romance has a special place in my heart – men in buckskin breeches and polished Hessians are hard to resist – so when I was
Lord Frederick’s Return – shining some light on Ms Kullman and her book Read More »
Today, I am happy to host Judith Arnopp’s latest release, Marguerite: Hell Hath No Fury! For those of you familiar with Judith, you may know she has penned an excellent trilogy featuring another Margaret–Margaret Beaufort–and that protagonist has something very important in common with today’s leading lady, namely they were both Lancastrian noblewomen. Marguerite was
Marguerite – Meet Judith Arnopp’s latest protagonist, a cornered lady who fought back. Read More »