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 »
In 1328, fifteen-year-old Maria of Portugal married Alfonso XI of Castile. He was a couple of years older than her, still a teenager, had been king since he was a baby and had, at the age of fourteen assumed control over his realm. They were first cousins on both sides, which required papal dispensations. (As
I generally plan my trips round things I want to see—and most of the time, what I want to see is historical. I can spend hours tracking down an obscure medieval gate or finding the few, sad ruined remnants of what was once a proud castle. I have recently been travelling in Spain. Málaga, Alhambra,
The disappointments of a travelling history nerd Read More »
Once upon a time, there was a king. A Castilian king, called Alfonso. By now, regular readers of my blog will know there are an uncountable number of Spanish kings called Alfonso – ok, not uncountable, but still, we’re talking far more than a dozen. This particular Alfonso was number XI and king of Castile
The king, his mistress, and his wife – A Castilian 14th century soap opera Read More »