A few days ago, Annie Whitehead visited with a post about a Northumbrian queen. Today, she introduces us to Æthelflæd, a lady very, very close to her heart as is evidenced by her beautiful novel, To be a Queen. A must-read for any Anglo-Saxon afficionado, IMO. So, with no more ado, let’s hear it from […]
Marching through history – meet Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians Read More »
Some years ago, I read Cathie Dunne’s book, Ascent and was quite fascinated by how she’d described the, to me, unknown Poppa and her marriage to Hrolf. In Sweden, we call him Gångar-Rolf “Walking Rolf” because he went to so many places, but that is neither here nor there. Given how fascinated I was by
Marching through history – Cathie introduces the forgotten Poppa Read More »
As most of you know, various Anglo-Saxon tribes settled in Britain after the departure of the Romans. Not always a peaceful process, by the 7th century several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had been established at the expense of the Celtic-Roman inhabitants. One such kingdom was Northumbria, home to various kings with names beginning with Osw… Today, Annie
Marching through history – today with Annie Whitehead and Eanflæd, queen of Northumbria Read More »
After yesterdays brief stop in the Roman Empire, we are now back in Britain. It is the time of Arthur, of Guinevere and the Round Table. Except that in Helen Hollick’s take on Arthur, Guinevere is Gwenhwyfar and in no way a retiring violet. Helen writes marvellous female characters, and I personally think her take
Marching through history – Gwenhwyfar as Helen Hollick sees her Read More »
We’re leaping a couple of centuries forward today, more precisely to the 4th century. Today’s guest, Alison Morton, has written an excellent book about this tumultuous era – if you’ve not read Exsilium yet, you’re in for a major treat! – so I am more than delighted to have her shed some light on this
Marching through history – today’s protagonist is Galla, daughter and mother of emperors Read More »
History is like a wide, sweeping river, it’s source lost in a past so distant we know very little about it. Humankind rose on two legs in that long-ago past, hesitantly peering out over the endless expanses around them. The river of history was as yet a trickle, and these our ancestors have left scant
Beginning the March – a Woman’s History Month endeavour Read More »
Today, the limelight is on one of those books that always makes me cry, which is why I leapt at the opportunity to join this Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Helen Hollick paints an unforgettable portrait of Harold Godwinesson, so if you’ve not read Harold the King (I Am the Chosen King in the US)
All hail Harold – shining the light on a great novel! Read More »
Today, I am shining the light on Heidi Eljarbo and her dual timeline novel, The Paris Portrait. I’m a big fan of dual timeline stories, even more so when the historic timeline centres around a formidable woman–in this case the incredibly productive and talented painter, Madame Le Brun. I am thinking MS Eljarbo’s protagonist,
I have moments when I am jealous of today’s guest. Not because Elizabeth St. John has the most amazing set of interesting ancestors (mine were mostly backwater farmers and miners) but because her writing is so utterly delicious, her characters so vivid, her plots so elegantly constructed round the skeletons of historical facts. Her latest
A tour de force – a WOW new release by an amazing author! Read More »
Today, Linnea Tanner visits my blog, promoting her book, Amulet’s Rapture. She has also made it free for a couple of days on Amazon – see link below! Now Linnea is a writer who combines great insight into the actual history she sets her books in–including the complicated political landscape–with a delicious dollop or two
Amulet’s Rapture – dig into Celtic history with Linnea Tanner! Read More »