Pam Lecky's Blog, page 18

A Conversation with Catherine Meyrick

Today in the Library we have Catherine Meyrick, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.



You are very welcome, Catherine, please introduce yourself:

Hi Pam, thank you for inviting me.

I am an Australian writer with a love of history. I grew up on the outskirts of Ballarat, a large regional city about 70 miles from Melbourne, one of the first places where gold was discovered in the early 1850s. In many ways, history is a constant presence in Ballarat from the fine 19th century buildings and the wide streets (the main street is wide enough to turn a bullock team) to the Eureka Stockade, an armed rebellion by gold miners objecting to the cost of a miner’s licence, seen basically as taxation without representation. It ultimately resulted in the Victorian Electoral Act 1856 which mandated adult male suffrage.

I moved to Melbourne when I was seventeen to study as a nurse and have lived here ever since. Nursing wasn’t really my calling so I dropped out and went to university where I took a double major in History. I then joined the Public Service and while working full-time completed a MA in History and later Librarianship qualifications. Until recently I was a customer service librarian at my local library – the person you come to when you want your questions answered, such as where to find that book you borrowed two years ago but can’t remember the name of (an easy one to answer). I am also an obsessive genealogist and have managed to identify previously unknown family members and clear up mysteries using both traditional document-based methods and DNA.

I enjoyed ‘composition’ when I was at school and making up stories to scare my sister but usually ended up scaring myself more. Through my twenties, I wrote bits and pieces, mainly poetry and short stories that ended up in the bin whenever I moved house. I started writing in earnest when my first child was born (she is now 30) and once the children were at secondary school, I started taking writing courses. About ten years ago I climbed on the rollercoaster of agents and publishers and submissions. I ended up with an agent and a tentative offer of epublishing but, in the end, thought I could do better by myself so I independently published my first novel in as both an ebook and paperback in 2018.

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

I write historical fiction with romantic elements mainly because I love history, think relationships are an important element of human life and prefer stories with a satisfactory ending.

I come from a family where history was important. My father read a lot of historical fiction and my mother biographies of historical figures. Mum would often read out interesting or amusing snippets from the books she was reading. She was also a meticulous family researcher and her stories about her forbears made these long dead people real, not just names attached to dates and locations. When we stayed with our grandparents, as they had no television, evenings were spent in front of the fire listening to the adults talking and telling stories. My grandfather was a great storyteller and he often told tales about his childhood and his family in a way that brought the past to life. When I started on my first novel, I never considered writing about the present. I feel that, perhaps, I understand the past better than the present.

The first historical novel I clearly remember reading was The Flight of the Heron by DK Broster, a thirteenth birthday present from my father. The books that I remember clearly from my teens are all historical – These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, A Spy of Napoleon by Baroness Orczy, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (read at fourteen over three nights in the middle of a school week). The only other book that stands out is The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer – my mother went halves in the cost but never took her turn reading. I still have these books which might indicate that I am a bit of a book hoarder.

I found that I was usually more interested in the subplots involving fictional characters than the reimagined lives of the big names in the novels I read. My novels so far have been about fictional Elizabethan women of the middling sort set against the upheavals of the times. I believe that the people of the past, while they held some attitudes that we now find objectionable, were in many ways like we are today with similar hopes and longings, and a desire to have some say in their own lives. For most ordinary women relationships were important, few occupations were open to them with marriage and household management the usual life path. The choice of a spouse, a matter over which most did not have a complete say, was of critical importance. It could mean the difference between a contented life or one of misery and discord. For this reason, the path to and through marriage plays an important role in my stories – the ‘romantic’ element set in what I hope is a reasonably authentic background.

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

I have read for pleasure nearly every day since my teens, and before that our father read to us every night. It is a sure sign that a book is not working for me if I decide sleep is a better option than reading. I will read nearly anything provided the story is engrossingly told, although I do tend to read mainly historical fiction. Looking at what I have read this year, most of it has been historical fiction except for a couple of murder mysteries, a verse novel, a memoir and my lockdown comfort reading of Tove Jansson’s Moomins series. These days I am more likely to read biographies of historical figures, particularly those who are well known, than fictional retellings of their lives. Gareth Russell’s biography of Catherine Howard, Young and Damned and Fair, is better and more comprehensive than any novel I have read about Catherine. I think this is partly because biographical fiction must be selective and take a position and I end up having internal ‘discussions’ with the author about why they have a different interpretation from mine and that does tend to pull me out of the story – not a good thing with fiction and definitely not the author’s fault. Pausing and thinking about the topic sits more easily with reading non-fiction. While not discounting the brilliance of Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light and Dairmaid MacCulloch’s Thomas Cromwell: A Life, my most enjoyable read this year has been A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M Wolfe, a murder mystery set in and around the court of Elizabeth I – suspenseful, humorous and compassionate with a delightful fictional main character and a massive Irish wolfhound called Hector!

What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?

All of it!

My writing goes through many, many drafts. Each draft has its own pains and difficulties. I begin with a rough plan – a beginning, ideas for some middle scenes, the ending. I write the first draft longhand then reread and scribble notes all over it. I type all that up, struggling occasionally to read my handwriting and, sometimes, being lazy, leave scenes in note form rather than fleshing them out. What I end up with is really a comprehensive plan of the novel as so many aspects of it still require development. This is where the real work begins and I think, for me, this is the most difficult stage. I have to confront the purpose of every scene and the actions of the characters, incorporate the ideas from my notes and bring in all the senses. And the only way to do this is to sit down and force myself to plod on even if it feels like I am writing rubbish. But at the end of each day, I usually have at least a few decently written paragraphs finished. It is here that I find the magic starts to happen – unplanned but important characters spring to life fully formed, insights into characters’ behaviour and motivation become clear, extra unplanned but necessary scenes take form. These usually appear not when I am at my desk, but out walking alone, taking a shower, gardening or even scrubbing the front step.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

When I started out, I had to fit my writing around work and family responsibilities so I generally wrote at the end of the day, once everyone else had settled in for the night. I still find that I can work quite well late at night but I am most productive if I can get up early, before anyone else is around except the cat. I concentrate better moving straight from sleeping to writing. If I can put in three to four solid hours before even thinking about the day’s problems, I feel I have done well. That leave the afternoons for the messy and confusing social media and business tasks as well as my other job of domestic manager.

You have been chosen as a member of the crew on the first one-way flight to Mars – you are allowed to bring 5 books with you. What would they be?

I suppose as this is a flight to Mars, weight is important so I can’t include the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett and argue that they are a single item – it is five books but really only one long story. So my five would be

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Scarlett O’Hara. Need I say more?

Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman: The story of Joanna, illegitimate daughter of King John, who married Llewelyn, Prince of Gwenydd (north Wales) in 1205.

Wintercombe by Pamela Belle: Silence St Barbe, the young wife of an older Parliamentary officer, has to deal with danger and her own personal conflicts when Royalist soldiers occupy her house during the English Civil War.

Harp in the South by Ruth Park: The story of a struggling working-class family in Sydney just after World War 2. This is a much-loved Australian classic. I have a copy which includes the sequel, Poor Man’s Orange, so I am counting this as a single book.

The Once and Future King by TH White: An enthralling retelling of the Arthurian legend told with both wit and warmth.

Please tell us about your latest published work.

The Bridled Tongue follows the life of Alyce Bradley as she adjusts to an arranged marriage and faces the long-buried resentments her marriage stirs up.

‘ Death and life are in the power of the tongue.’

England 1586.

Alyce Bradley has few choices when her father decides it is time she marry as many refuse to see her as other than the girl she once was–unruly, outspoken and close to her grandmother, a woman suspected of witchcraft.

Thomas Granville, an ambitious privateer, inspires fierce loyalty in those close to him and hatred in those he has crossed. Beyond a large dowry, he is seeking a virtuous and dutiful wife. Neither he nor Alyce expect more from marriage than mutual courtesy and respect.

As the King of Spain launches his great armada and England braces for invasion, Alyce must confront closer dangers from both her own and Thomas’s past, threats that could not only destroy her hopes of love and happiness but her life. And Thomas is powerless to help.

Book link

books2read.com/BridledTongue

If you would like to know more about Catherine and her work please see her social media links below:

Website:           catherinemeyrick.com

Twitter:             @cameyrick1

Facebook:        CatherineMeyrickAuthor

Instagram:       catherinemeyrickhistorical

Pinterest:         catherinemeyrick15

New Release from Sharon Thompson

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Sharon Thompson is a best-selling, Irish author who writes historical novels, with plenty of criminal elements for Bloodhound Books UK. When she is not plotting gritty manuscripts (like ‘The Abandoned’ and ‘The Healer’) Sharon enjoys conjuring light-hearted short stories for magazines like Woman’s Way. Living in rural Donegal, Sharon loves binge-watching movies and TV programmes, walking on the beach with her dog, and making time for coffee or a glass of wine with friends. An avid tweeter, Sharon runs a trending tweet-chat #WritersWise, and can be found online, chatting on messenger or typing out a new idea. ‘The Quiet Truth’ is due for release on 9th Dec 2020. Sharon has also signed with Poolbeg Books Ireland. Her historical, crime novel called ‘The Murdering Wives Club’ from the Sinful Roses series will launch in January 2021.

The Quiet Truth



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Can love really conquer all? When Charlie Quinn returns to Northern Ireland, having spent sixty years in Canada, the people he left behind are shocked to see him. They presumed he was dead.
But Charlie has come back for one reason, Ella, the love of his life and a notorious child murderer. She is back in the headlines and Charlie wants the truth to finally emerge.
As he looks back at his life, we learn that nothing is as it seems.
Is Ella really a killer?
Does Charlie know more than it appears?
And can two lost souls get to live happily ever after?
Life isn’t easy. But death is the most challenging thing of all…

Buy Links for The Quiet Truth 

A Conversation with Author Elizabeth St. John

Today in the Library we have ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Elizabeth St. John , who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.



Here’s a little bit about Elizabeth:



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Elizabeth St.John spends her time between California, England, and the past. An acclaimed author, historian, and genealogist, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Lydiard Park and Nottingham Castle to Richmond Palace and the Tower of London to inspire her novels. Although the family sold a few country homes along the way (it’s hard to keep a good castle going these days), Elizabeth’s family still occupy them in the form of portraits, memoirs, and gardens that carry their legacy. And the occasional ghost. But that’s a different story.

Having spent a significant part of her life with her seventeenth-century family while writing The Lydiard Chronicles trilogy and Counterpoint series, Elizabeth St.John is now discovering new family stories with her fifteenth-century namesake Elysabeth St.John Scrope, and her half-sister, Margaret Beaufort.

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

I have always loved history and my favourite books growing up were The Children of the New Forest, The Secret Garden and, of course, The Chronicles of Narnia. The ability to travel through time to discover adventures and people that face the very same challenges we do – who fall in love, fight in wars, raise families and form life-long friendships – creates a thread through the centuries that I find incredibly reassuring and inspiring. Whether kings and queens, or commoners and those whose voices are seldom heard, I am fascinated by the human stories that lie under the surface of the historical facts.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

Without a doubt, my family. I’m really fortunate to have a colourful and well-documented family history, and so my stories are inspired by my ancestors. At the same time, my mum was a voracious reader, and some of my earliest memories are of our trips to the library and talking of books. My daughter is a gifted storyteller and editor, and she has been such a great sounding board as I embarked on this career late in life. My husband listens patiently and takes care of all the 21st century chores when I’m deep in a book, and my brother and sister-in-law have clambered over more ruined castles and tramped through more muddy fields than I could possibly number in the pursuit of long-lost St.Johns.

What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?

That’s actually changed over time. When I wrote my first book, The Lady of the Tower, I’d been carrying the story around inside me for so long, that filling the empty page was easy and editing every precious word was agony. Now, I love editing and find writing the first draft the most challenging, especially starting out. I have to have a stern word with myself to just get the words down and remind myself that I don’t have to share this rubbish with anyone else! Once I’m going, then it starts to flow.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

I prefer early morning, before the day catches up with me and mind fills up with all the other distractions that can break concentration. But I have taught myself a discipline that I can block two hours at any time and shut out the world. I actually enjoy writing on flights (I used to travel frequently before lock-down) – unless there’s a good movie or two I haven’t seen. After all, I may find inspiration for a hero in Henry Cavill, right?

You have been chosen as a member of the crew on the first one-way flight to Mars – you are allowed to bring 5 books with you. What would they be?

Well, because they’re on my kindle, I’m going to cheat and bring a couple of collections. My worst nightmare would be running out of things to read.

The Lord of the Rings, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Collected Stories of Dylan Thomas, Outlander and Wolf Hall.

Please tell us about your latest published work.

I wanted to share the second book in The Lydiard Chronicles, By Love Divided. Set against the backdrop of the English Civil War, I was really inspired during my research to discover how my family managed to keep their deep love for each other intact, even when fighting for opposing beliefs. Perhaps this gives us a little hope in the conflict we are encountering in today’s world.

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London, 1630. Widowed and destitute, Lucy St.John is fighting for survival and makes a terrible choice to secure a future for her children. Worse still, her daughter Luce rejects the royal court and a wealthy arranged marriage and falls in love with a charismatic soldier. As England tumbles toward bloody civil war, Luce’s beloved brother Allen chooses to fight for the king as a cavalier. Allen and Luce are swept up in the chaos of war as they defend their opposing causes and protect those they love.

Will war unite or divide them? And will they find love and a home to return to—if they survive the horror of civil war. In the dawn of England’s great rebellion, love is the final battleground.

A true story based on surviving memoirs, court papers, and letters of my family, By Love Divided continues the story of Lucy St.John, the Lady of the Tower. This powerfully emotional novel tells of England’s great divide and the heart-wrenching choices one family faces.

Links:

By Love Divided

Universal: https://books2read.com/u/3kpQYg

Amazon: https://geni.us/MyBookBLD

If you would like to know more about Elizabeth and her work, please follow the links below:

Follow me on Twitter @ElizStJohn

Facebook: Elizabeth J StJohn

Website: elizabethjstjohn.com

The Sign of the Blood: Blog Tour

Today I am delighted to host Laurence O’Bryan on the last stop of his blog tour for The Sign of the Blood.

Firstly, a little bit about Laurence …



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My roots go back to a small estate deep in the Mountains of Mourne near the Silent Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland.

I went to school in Dublin, drank way too much, studied English and history, then business, then IT at Oxford University.

My research has taken me all over the world, from San Francisco to deep in the Muslim world. There are secrets everywhere. I enjoy writing about them. I hope you enjoy reading about them.

You can connect with Laurence on Twitter

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Laurence, you have an amazing series of books set in the Roman era. Please tell us a little about them.

I spent twenty years studying Roman history and reading every book about Constantine the Great I could find. I also visited numerous sites where my Roman series is set, including in London, where I lived for ten years, Jerusalem, Rome, Trier, York, Nicomedia and Istanbul.

The first novel in the series, The Sign of The Blood, is about the rise to power of Constantine the Great, the women who helped him, and the others who wanted him dead.

The Road to The Bridge, the second novel in the series, is about the lead up to the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. and how Constantine the Great lured Maxentius, his rival emperor, out of Rome.

The third novel in the series, The Cursed City, is about the dedication of New Rome, later to be called Constantinople, and how Constantine fell out with his wife, Fausta, and his son Crispus, and what he had to do to survive.

To join the mailing list and receive news of these books use this link: http://bit.ly/TSOTBseries

And now, a treat; an extract from The Sign of the Blood:

Gesoriacum, northern Gaul, 306 A.D

In the stone palace of the governor of Gesoriacum news of the arrival of Constantine, son of the Emperor of the west, spread as quickly as if a war horn had sounded from the town gatehouse. Excited whispering spread from the flag stoned palace kitchen to the wooden lookout towers. Even the rats, who outnumbered every other living thing, by far, knew something was happening.

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The Emperor, Constantius Chlorus, Constantine’s father, was busy with matters of state, meeting his Legates and other senior officers. The meeting, in the basilica, the largest hall in the palace complex by the port, had begun to bore him. The arrival of his son at the south facing town gate, notified to him by an excited messenger, gave him the opportunity he’d been waiting for to end the meeting.

“We will finish,” he said. He waved dismissively at the officers around him. “We will come back to planning how to eradicate the Picts tomorrow.”

“Crocus, you wait behind.” Crocus was the commander of his Alemanni cavalry, auxiliaries who followed their own customs, but were sworn to fight for Rome.

The chandelier with fifty candles, hanging by a chain from the central wooden beam, swayed a little as the double height doors swung open and the salty wind from the sea swept in.

The Emperor, Chlorus, was in his mid fifties. His hair was gray, but still thick. His beard well-cropped. His iron-gray eyes were shadowed by heavy brows. For military briefings, such as the one he’d just been conducting, he still wore his old soot-black chain-mail shirt with the two large medallions from his most illustrious campaigns secured in position above his heart.

From Chlorus’ leather legionaries’ belt hung an ordinary legionaries’ dagger, the only weapon he ever wore these days. It signified his roots as an ordinary legionary. A purple cloak hung in drapes down his back. He was sturdy, fit for his years, and tall like his son, and he wore his prestige like a second invisible cloak. Almost everyone in the town knew that he had, against great odds, reunited the western Empire since his elevation to the rank of Caesar fourteen years before. And the officers he commanded, who were filing out of the room, knew exactly how he had achieved his success.

Crocus waited. Braziers around the oak map table they’d been standing around kept the chill from the cloak-penetrating sea breezes at bay. The gray spume flecked channel that separated Gaul from Britannia, from which the breezes came, could be seen from two small grilled windows at the end of the room. Crocus went to warm himself by one of the braziers. The Emperor joined him.

“You hadn’t much to say.”

“You know my opinion about those officers, Emperor. They make my blood run to ice. Did you not hear them? They think logic wins wars.” He rubbed at his beard. The matted hairs would not be cut until their Summer campaign had ended.

“And they all know what you think of them.”

Crocus made a noise like an animal growling.

“But you’re right, they are an innocent bunch, though even you must have been young once. Us two, we make the real decisions, you know that.”

Silence flooded the hall.

“It’s your son, isn’t it?” Crocus seemed very sure of himself.

The Emperor looked around, as if examining the legionary banners that hung from the walls for the first time. “Perhaps I will find him a post as a senior Tribune.”

He paused, turned to Crocus. “I hear his experience is with cavalry. Do you have room for another officer?”

Crocus’s expression didn’t change.

He knows the art of hiding his real feelings.

“Whatever you wish, my Lord. I am sure he’s won many laurels. You must be proud of him. The stories in the taverns about him get more incredible every night.” Crocus passed a hand over the warm coals as if testing how hot they were.

“If half what they say is true, he’s the type who’ll be looking for a good post.” Crocus sniffed. “But I’m not sure if our cavalry unit is big enough for his aspirations. He’s the right age to lead a whole Legion, isn’t he? The younger the better, I always say.” He looked at the Emperor, a slightly quizzical expression on his face. 

He knows how I resent getting old.

“He’s the right age, all right,” Chlorus answered. He put a hand over the coals to test their warmth as well. “But he’s been away a long time. I once thought we might never see him again. And do you know, I have no idea why Galerius released him. That toad never acts unless there’s something in it for him.”

“I have no idea what he wants, Emperor.”

“Neither do I. That’s the problem.”. 

He looked around, checking to ensure no one else had remained in the hall without them noticing. There was no one to be seen. The heavy studded doors had been closed from the outside by his Imperial guards, and the long hall was quiet except for a faint crackling from the braziers. Thin lines of smoke curled up from them to disappear high among the blackened rafters.

“May I speak openly, Emperor?”

“Yes, speak your mind.”

Both Crocus’s hands were testing the heat of the brazier now.

“Five years we’ve fought together, my Lord. We’ve cut off Frankish raiding parties and we threw back two hungry tribes who wished to take the best Roman estates at the edge of our territories. I won my place at your right hand through my skill in battle, and in leading my men to victory, but I hold my place now through my wit in understanding the men around me. Is that not so?” He waited for the Emperor to reply.

“It is.”

“Well, I must tell you this. Every spring my daughter asks why I must go away and fight for you Romans again, and every year I tell her we are accumulating booty and fighting to secure the peace of a great Empire and our place in it.” He stood up even straighter and pushed his chest out.

“But every year the booty gets smaller, and as for peace, it’s as far away as ever. These Picts,” he spat the word out, “What gold will they have? A few torcs and bracelets that when melted down won’t even pay my men for a month’s fighting. We need rich cities to plunder, Emperor. How else can we get ready for when our axe hands grow weak and our daughters look for dowries?”

The Emperor’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Tell your daughter we have plans for another ten years of campaigns. After Caledonia we will take Hibernia and then . . .” He waited, weighing the effect his words were having. “The forests of the Franks. There’ll be little gold I know in all of this, but there’ll be land we can farm, and tribespeople for our slave trade. We will allocate these new lands to all who fight with us when the task is done, and I promise you, your tribe will be granted enough to easily pay the dowries of a hundred daughters.”

Crocus shrugged indifferently.

“There are many risks to every plan, Emperor. You know this. The greatest threats arise around our own camp fires, even from our own hearths.” His hands went out, palm up, in a gesture of finality.

“You cannot think Constantine is a threat already!” The Emperor laughed. He’d thought about it, but he wouldn’t give Crocus the satisfaction of knowing any of his fears.

“Not a threat, Emperor.” Crocus replied. “But you must know if we give him a senior position in the cavalry he’ll quickly earn the loyalty of his men. You know that. Even if he’s half as good as they say, he’ll get respect for who he is, for being your son. And then he’ll want more. And he’ll have some of our best as his blood brothers then. Who knows what he’ll aspire to. Do you?”

“So how do you suggest I deal with him Crocus, and remember he’s not Hannibal arriving at our gates with his elephants.”

How far did Crocus think he should go?

“When a son comes of age for position in our tribe, Emperor, he either fights his father, submits to his father’s every wish, or he is banished.” His tone dropped. “And do you know which what is the most difficult way for a father? Winning.” He pointed a finger at the Emperor. “Being the victor if the fighting path is chosen. Sacrificing a son is not easy but the price of power was always high.”

The Emperor didn’t reply. His silence hung in the room.

“All I say is that you must consider what even the dogs know, the cubs of the strongest want themselves to be the strongest. It is only natural. Your son will pick his path, if you do not pick it for him.” Crocus braced himself on the flag stoned floor, his feet shifting wider. “If you need services from me, Emperor, any service at all, I am your loyal servant.” He bowed his head slightly. 

The Emperor knew at once what he was referring to. Crocus had arranged for two disaffected officers to disappear in the past twelve months and he dealt with local disaffection quickly. All that made him useful.

“I know what the dogs know, but I am no Agamemnon. No sacrifice has been demanded of me. If there’s no room for him in your cavalry, I’ll not force him on you. Go now, fetch him here. Fetch Constantine, I will greet him publicly.”

Crocus saluted, turned and strode away.

The Emperor stared into the glowing embers of the brazier. Was Crocus right? Would Constantine be a danger, not a support? No, he had to give his son a chance.

Bloody Alemanni succession rituals. They are not the Roman way. Constantine had survived the east. He deserved a place with his father. He remembered the tall adoring youth he’d sent away, against every familial feeling, to Diocletian’s palace many years before. Now he should make amends.

No. That would only make his son soft. He remembered his long ago promises. You have nothing to fear. That was all lies. So, did he still feel guilty? Was that why he was so wound up by his son’s arrival? Does he bring back too many memories of his mother. The dismal Helena.

He’d have to make provision for her now.

She could move back to Treveris, now that he’d vacated the city. He would notify her. But would she want to come and visit Constantine? That would be interesting, especially if Theodora got to hear about it all.

Old wives and new rarely get on well in Imperial circles. 

As he walked down the flag-stoned corridor lined with small busts of the great Emperors the aching pain in his stomach returned. Cursing the sickness that had reduced his nights to sleeplessness and dull pain, he held the palm of his hand firm against the pit of his stomach.

Prepare for everything.

That was what Diocletian always used to say, whenever he’d been asked for advice.

And he’d almost decided what to do about Constantine. He just needed answers to a few questions. Why had Galerius released Constantine at this time?

The ache in his stomach felt worse as he considered it all.

For years, he’d imagined helping his son when he returned, and now that time had arrived, the idea suddenly seemed unwise. Why was that? He’d striven hard not to spoil the boy? Had he gone too far?

He stopped, leaned a hand against the red brick wall, sniffed. He could smell salt. Salt and damp. Decay taints every crevice in this place. It’s even in the plaster. It never survives too long on this coast. He rubbed the wall. A small crimson coated piece crumbled into his hand. He examined it, looked at its perfect shiny skin and then its fragile powdery underside.

Why was everything so flimsy, so fleeting, every shiny victory so soon forgotten, every pleasure gone so soon after the moment it was felt, while all around the wolves stalked, waiting for their opportunity?

He’d fought his way up only to find his greatest task now was to thwart others who tried to follow his example. Powdery ash trickled through his fingers, drifting to the foot polished floor.

Everything would be different now that his son had arrived. He’d known that, felt it instinctively, since he’d first heard Constantine was coming. But did that mean Constantine would be the wolf? How would he know?

The last piece of the plaster crumbled though his fingers and fell to the floor.

Laurence, thanks so much for sharing this extract and visiting my blog today. Wishing you the very best of luck with your series.

A Conversation with Author Tim Walker

Today in the Library we have ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Tim Walker, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into his life as an author.

You are very welcome, Tim, please tell us about yourself.

Thank you for inviting me, Pam. I’m an independent author living near Windsor in the UK. I grew up in Liverpool where I began my working life as a trainee reporter on a local newspaper. After attaining a degree in Communication Studies, I moved to London where I worked in the newspaper publishing industry for ten years before relocating to Zambia where, following a period of voluntary work with VSO in educational book publishing development, I set up my own marketing and publishing business, launching, managing and editing a construction industry magazine and a business newspaper.

My creative writing journey began in earnest in 2013, as a therapeutic activity whilst undergoing and recovering from cancer treatment. I began writing an historical fiction novella, Abandoned, following a visit to the nearby site of a former Roman town, publishing in 2015 (revised and extended in 2018). This would become book one in a series, A Light in the Dark Ages. The aim of the series is to connect the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend, presenting an imagined history of Britain in the fifth and early sixth centuries. Now there are five books in the series, published between 2015 – 2020.

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My latest novel, published in June 2020, is Arthur Rex Brittonum, a re-imagining of the story of King Arthur (book five in the series). It received a Highly Recommended commendation by the Coffee Pot Book Club in June 2020. It follows on from 2019’s Arthur Dux Bellorum, the story of a youthful Arthur (book four in the series), that received recognition from two sources in 2019 – One Stop Fiction Book of the Month in April, and an honourable mention in the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year (Historical Fiction) Awards. The series starts with Abandoned, followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (2017); then book three, Uther’s Destiny (2018). Series book covers are designed by Canadian graphic artist, Cathy Walker.

I have also written two books of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (2015), and Postcards from London (2017); a dystopian thriller, Devil Gate Dawn (2016); Perverse (verse and short fiction, 2020); and a three-book children’s series, co-authored with my daughter, Cathy – The Adventures of Charly Holmes (2017); Charly & The Superheroes (2018) and Charly in Space (2020).

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

I have always enjoyed reading historical fiction, ever since I read with fascination Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Eagle of the Ninth, as a teenager. It is not surprising, then, that my first attempts at creative writing were the short stories that make up my first book, Thames Valley Tales. Many of these tales evoke the rich history and legends associated with places beside England’s longest river. I visited Silchester (formerly the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum) for a walk in 2014 and pondered the question, “what would the reaction of the Britons have been to the Roman withdrawal on or before the year 410 AD?” This started me off researching and writing a short story, Abandoned, that grew to a 20,000 word novella. I revisited this novella in 2018 and added in new characters and material to extend it to a 50,000 novel. My love of history and the magic of creating a world and breathing life into my characters meant that historical fiction was the genre that chose me.

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Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

Yes. I read, review and move onto the next book. I enjoy reading historical fiction, not just in the period I write in, but in other historical periods, such as the Tudor era where I’m enjoying SJ Parris’s Bruno Giordiano series. I recently read a more recent historical fiction novel, Joseph Kanon’s The Good German, set in post-War Berlin, and enjoyed his skilful creation of period detail, with engaging and memorable characters. There’s always something to learn from reading other author’s fiction.

Are you a self-published/traditional or hybrid author?

I am a self-published author and have only once made an attempt to find a publishing agent. I quickly gave up and concentrated on self-publishing. This feels natural to me, given my publishing background, and I enjoy the technical aspects like formatting paperbacks and e-books and loading to a platform. The only services I buy in are proof-reading, copy editing and cover design. Everything else, including marketing, advertising and sales, I do myself.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

I guess my biggest influence is from the historical books of Bernard Cornwell. I’m pleased that I was well into book two in my series before I read Cornwell’s The Winter King – his story of Arthur and book one in a three-book series, The Warlord Chronicles. I absolutely loved this novel, and would have felt defeated if I not already mapped out my own series and was well on the way. I have since completed his series, and thoroughly enjoyed it – soon to be a TV series I hear on social media. I admire his style of writing – less literary and more action and adventure, but with enough complexity to challenge the reader. I think his storytelling has had an unconscious influence on me, and certainly inspires me. I had found a successful author I can aspire to, and whose approach is close to what I’m trying to achieve. I had already set my stall out before ‘discovering’ his Warlord Chronicles series, honest! I was just pleased to find a top quality example of where I want to be.

Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?

Yes, enormously. I have always been enthralled by the history of England and whilst experimenting with creative writing when doing an online creative writing course in 2013, was instinctively drawn to creating stories around historical locations, events or characters. I was fascinated to find that the site of the Roman town of Calleva was only 40 miles from where I live, and I have often popped over there for a walk and to feel the call of history. I get value from my English Heritage membership, and my most recent expedition was to Hadrian’s Wall where I planned a whirlwind tour of five Roman museums and sites over two days. I’m fascinated by Roman Britain and am still reading history books about it.

What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?

Given my journalism background, I was instantly comfortable with ‘write what you know’ and the whole area of researching your subject matter. The switch from factual writing to fiction was interesting and refreshing, but not that difficult. In my first novel, Devil Gate Dawn, I put a lot of my own life experience into my main character, George Osborne. This definitely helps to make your character believable, realistic and relatable to your readers.

Please tell us about your latest published work

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My latest book is Arthur Rex Brittonum, published in June 2020, the fifth and final part of my series, A Light in the Dark Ages. I feel a great sense of relief and achievement in completing a series that covers a little-known period in British history due to the paucity of verifiable evidence. We know that the Romans left around the year 410 AD, and that Saint Augustine baptised the first Anglo-Saxon King in 599 AD, but what happened between these dates? These are the years in which Geoffrey of Monmouth, who published his History of the Kings of Britain around the year 1139, tells us that Constantine, Vortigern, Ambrosius Aurelianus, Uther and Arthur were kings. Historians have been unable to find solid evidence to verify their existence. It remains in the realm of legend, until such a time as archaeologists uncover new finds or lost manuscripts are found. I have rolled up my sleeves and written about these characters, building to the life of King Arthur, who may have died at the Battle of Camlann around the year 539 AD (according to historians who have attempted to date entries in the Welsh Annals that record two key battles that may have involved a real, historical Arthur).

Amazon universal link for paperback and Kindle: http://mybook.to/ArthurRex

Amazon universal link for the book series: http://mybook.to/DarkAgesSeries

E-books also available for Kobo, i-books, Nook and other platforms: https://books2read.com/ap/ngjpb2/Tim-N-Walker

If you would like to know more about Tim and his work, please check out his social media links below:

http://www.timwalkerwrites.co.uk   

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/678710.Tim_Walker

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/TimWalkerWrites  

Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/TimWalkerWrites  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/timwalker1666

A Conversation with Author Brook Allen

Today in the Library we have ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Brook Allen, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

You are very welcome, Brook, please introduce yourself:

[image error] Brook Allen

Hi, Pam! Thanks for hosting me. I am a writer of historical fiction and particularly love ancient history. That said, I read historical fiction from all periods and sub-genres. My husband and I live in rural Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains and are parents to two extremely well-read and well-heeled Labrador Retrievers who answer to the names Jak & Ali. I recently completed the Antonius Trilogy, three books telling the life story of Roman statesman and general, Marc Antony. It was a fantastic experience, traveling and following his footsteps in Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Turkey. And my first book in the trilogy (Antonius: Son of Rome) won an international award recently; a silver medal in the Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewer Awards for 2020.

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

Historical Fiction is my genre of choice. It offers such fascinating research and travel opportunities. My next project is American History, right here in my home county, and I’m just as excited to dig into this research as I was when I was in Alexandria, Egypt—Cleopatra’s capital city—taking notes. Historical fiction is so full of intrigue and adventure. Truly, when it’s written well, there is NOTHING boring about history!

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

Now that I’m an author, yes—I read all the time. And typically, I stick to my genre, but occasionally I sin and try something new.

A Conversation with Author Emma Lombard

Today, I am delighted to welcome Emma Lombard into the Library.  She has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

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Before becoming a historical fiction author, Emma was an editor in the corporate world across various industries—aviation, aquatic ecology, education and the world of academia.

Her blog series Twitter Tips for Newbies is popular in Twitter’s #WritingCommunity for helping writers (new to Twitter) navigate the platform and find their professional voices on social media. She also writes a monthly column for ENVIE Magazine, in which she shares publishing industry resources for authors.

She is the author of the upcoming historical adventure, Discerning Grace.

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

I inhaled books when I was younger—across all genres. My first ‘adult’ book that I read when I was 12-years-old was ‘The Power of One’ by Bryce Courtney. It was the first book that made me sob out loud. I had no idea books had that power! My reading tastes then swiftly moved to Wilbur Smith’s historical Courtney family saga, with my favourite book being ‘The Burning Shore’. Through my teens, I also devoured dozens of Danielle Steele and Joan Collins novels. With an insatiable appetite for reading, I stopped using book covers and blurbs as my attraction to a book, but rather chose books by the whopping size of their spine. This led me to read ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’ series, ‘Shantaram’, which I absolutely loved, and my latest door-stopper find was Diana Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’ series. Since I’ve become an author, I spend more time writing than I do reading, but I do still like to squeeze in a book or two here and there.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

I would have to say Wilbur Smith. He writes amazing romantic adventures and sweeping family sagas with unforgettable characters. While writing larger-than-life adventures that span the globe, he always weaves in great romantic elements between his characters. I adore Smith’s descriptions of the African wild (especially after having lived there myself). I wanted to emulate that same romantic adventure feeling with my own books, so you can imagine how tickled pink I was when one of my beta readers said that my early manuscript had a Wilbur Smith feel to it. I hadn’t even let my beta readers know this tidbit of information, so it was the highest compliment of my burgeoning writing career!

Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?

Moving to multiple countries has always meant having a new place to learn about. I think, sometimes, when you’re born and live in one place, you don’t always get to know the history of the town or country where you live in as much detail as when discovering it for the first time as a new resident. Moving across the globe has given me an appreciation of exploring new places. I adore travelling! And I’m a sucker for castles and stately homes. A happy day for me is one immersed in a museum, or on a guided tour around a city. Put me in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris (France), or in South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh (Scotland), or in the ruins of Pompeii (Italy), or in the Sterkfontein Caves in Muldersdrift (South Africa), or in the goldmining town of Sovereign Hill in Ballarat (Australia), and I’m in my element! Knit this together with my long love of reading historical fiction, and it was inevitable that being a historical fiction author was on the horizon for me.

What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?

To give my main character, Grace Baxter, more agency instead of her being a victim of circumstance. I was pushed to get her to create and direct her own circumstances. This was a bit more of a challenge having a female lead character in the early 1800s because of societal restrictions on women in those days. But I also figured that there had to be pioneering women, even back then, who broke the mould. Since Grace is inspired by my three times great grandmother, who indeed bucked the norm in her day by leaving her well-to-do family in England to elope with an English sea captain and live with him at sea, I felt I had a little more leeway to play with when writing Grace’s character. And besides, what’s a rollicking romantic adventure without a feisty heroine!

If a movie were made of one of your books, who would you like to play the lead roles?

I actually presented this question to my beta readers one time, and we got into a riotous conversation about it—so fun! We ended up agreeing that Keira Knightly would make a fantastic Grace Baxter because she’s small, slim and well-talented to play the part of Grace’s slightly un-gracious London socialite persona, and double up as lad in disguise hiding in plain sight as a ship’s servant. Chris Hemsworth secured himself the role as Lieutenant Fitzwilliam. His height and blond hair are a perfect match to Seamus, and he’d brilliantly portray Seamus as a chivalrous yet unbending Royal Navy Lieutenant whose life is blown to smithereens by an equally wilful lass. I’ve always envisaged the ship sets of Cape Town Film Studios in South Africa being used for my books (cough cough, any film producers, these sets are already built and ready to use … just saying …) These sets were used to film ‘Black Sails’ and the ship scenes for the Season 3 of ‘Outlander’. Since ships play a big part in each book in my series, I would love them to feature prominently in the movie or tv show.

If you could travel back in time, what era would you go to? What draws you to this particular time?

I know I’d have to join a loooong line at the standing stones at Craig Na Dun in the Scottish Highlands to go back to the 1700s to be with Jamie Fraser, but I reckon it would be worth the wait! My Instagram profile doesn’t say, ‘Mentally married to Jamie Fraser’ for nothing. But in reality, I like my creature comforts just a bit too much, so I’m perfectly happy for my body to sit on my comfy couch under the aircon, and let my mind wander back in time instead.

Please tell us about your latest endeavours.

2020 has been a tough year all round for everyone. I began querying literary agents in 2019 and received seven requests for my manuscript to be read, but as 2020 evolved into the year of chaos, I didn’t even have one request, despite querying three times the number of agents. If that wasn’t a sign that things were tougher than ever, then the feedback I got from a couple of agents saying that the publishing climate was at its toughest at the moment just cemented it. While a little disappointed, I’m certainly not undeterred, and I plan to query my first book, Discerning Grace, directly with publishers in 2021, while I continue writing the rest of my series. In the meantime, I have a fun and entertaining monthly newsletter, By the Book, for readers to hop aboard. Or you can find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

 

Irish Books I love 2020

So delighted to be included in this amazing list! Thanks, Grace.

Wordfoolery

Hello,

To celebrate Irish Book Week, I’ve written a bonus post about books by Irish authors. Readers from outside Ireland can be forgiven for gravitating towards the classics like WB Yeats’ poetry or James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, Edna O’Brien, etc. but Irish writing is so much broader than those writers. So varied, in fact, that I’ve no hope of including everybody. This is my personal selection from my own bookshelves.

For #IrishBookWeek, I dare you to dabble in the library, bookshop, or online and discover your own taste in Irish writing. It may surprise you.

The books are not ranked because asking me to say which is my favourite is simply cruel and impossible.

The Complete Plays – Oscar Wilde (Amazon.com)

I know I said I wouldn’t cover the classic Irish writers but Oscar is brilliant and my copy of this book is tattered with…

View original post 1,058 more words

Publication Day – A Feigned Madness by Tonya Mitchell

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for Tonya Mitchell’s debut, A Feigned Madness. It’s a wonderful and fascinating read which I highly recommend.

A Feigned Madness

Elizabeth Cochrane has a secret.

She isn’t the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwell’s Asylum think she is.

In truth, she’s working undercover for the New York World. When the managing editor refuses to hire her because she’s a woman, Elizabeth strikes a deal: in exchange for a job, she’ll impersonate a [image error]lunatic to expose a local asylum’s abuses.

When she arrives at the asylum, Elizabeth realizes she must make a decision—is she there merely to bear witness, or to intervene on behalf of the abused inmates? Can she interfere without blowing her cover? As the superintendent of the asylum grows increasingly suspicious, Elizabeth knows her scheme—and her dream of becoming a journalist in New York—is in jeopardy.

A Feigned Madness is a meticulously researched, fictionalized account of the woman who would come to be known as daredevil reporter Nellie Bly. At a time of cutthroat journalism, when newspapers battled for readers at any cost, Bly emerged as one of the first to break through the gender barrier—a woman who would, through her daring exploits, forge a trail for women fighting for their place in the world.

Buy Link: Amazon




If you would like to know more about Tonya and her work, please check out her links below:

Facebook         https://www.facebook.com/TonyaMitchellAuthor/

Twitter               https://twitter.com/tremmitchell

Instagram:        https://www.instagram.com/tmitchell.2012/

Email:               tmitchell.2012@yahoo.com

Stepping Back into Saxon England Blog Tour

FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE:
https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/p/follow-tour-and-step-back-into-saxon.html
When I was approached to host a spot on this blog tour I could not resist. Both Annie and Helen are wonderful writers and two of the most supportive authors you could wish to meet. So, it is my absolute pleasure today to host this post on Murder in Saxon England by Annie Whitehead.

I’m delighted to be Pam’s guest today as part of the joint Stepping Back into Saxon England tour with Helen Hollick and, as I know Pam writes great murder mystery fiction, I thought I’d talk about some Anglo-Saxon murders, the mystery being that almost all the ones we know about, weren’t murder. Meanwhile there were plenty of others that would have benefited from a sleuth like Lucy Lawrence on the case…

Murder in Saxon England

Firstly, and sadly, there seem to be a lot of documented cases of child killings and female killers. But as I’ll try to show, they should be taken with a large pinch of salt.

Children

In the seventh century, a Mercian king had two sons who had been baptised by St Cedd. This so offended their father that he ‘killed them both with his own hands.’ The problem with this story is that the boys, if they even existed, had a sister who was allowed to live, and became a holy woman, living as a nun on her father’s estates. It hardly seems compatible with an anti-Christian child killer.

Then we have the strange case of the abbess who paid to have her little brother killed and was discovered when a dove dropped a message on the altar of St Peter’s in Rome, alerting the pope to the crime. To avoid being discovered, she chanted a psalm backwards and her eyes fell out. Now, there is slightly more evidence for the existence of this brother, but he wasn’t a child, he simply pre-deceased their father the king and, tellingly, this abbess had a long-running argument with the Church about her abbey lands, so this might be why she received such a bad press.

There’s another recorded murder of a young man, but there may be some truth in the story. He was killed for objecting to the marriage of his mother to a contender for the Mercian throne, and he may very well have been caught up in a dynastic dispute.

Murderesses

[image error]A murder which certainly happened was that of Edward the Martyr, who was allegedly killed by, or on the orders of, his stepmother. I’m not convinced, because she too was given a rather bad press, but there’s no disputing the fact that her son then became king.

Another woman accused of murder was a Northumbrian princess who was married to the son of her father’s rival and, according to the Venerable Bede, arranged her husband’s killing. We are not told why, or whether she was punished.

We do know of a later murderess who, jealous of her husband the king’s advisers, poisoned one of those counsellors and accidentally killed her husband along with him. She was punished, banished abroad, and was supposedly the reason why kings’ wives in Wessex from that point on were never called ‘queen’.

Assassination attempts

In seventh-century Northumbria King Edwin was establishing his supremacy when an assassin was sent from the south to his court. He had a poisoned blade hidden under his cloak. Lunging forward, he made a rush for the king and was only prevented from killing Edwin by the bravery of Edwin’s thegn, who put himself between the assailant and the king, although Edwin nevertheless sustained an injury. The thegn was somewhat less fortunate.

And this leads me nicely onto the second batch of recorded deaths, which I think warranted more investigation…

Convenient Deaths

[image error]In 946 King Edmund was murdered, supposedly either in a brawl, or by a robber who’d been previously banished but returned, evidently with a score to settle. Investigation by historians though suggests that this was more than likely a political murder arranged by members of a rival court faction.

His sons eventually became kings, one after the other. Trouble was, there were still rival factions at court, so much so that for a while the country was split, with one half supporting one son, the other supporting the other. And then, around two years after the partition the elder son, still only a teenager, died. There’s absolutely nothing anywhere in the records to say how, or where, but it was very timely for his enemies.

This wasn’t the first time the country had been split. Those boys’ father had become king after the death of King Athelstan. When his father died, he left Mercia to Athelstan, and Wessex to Athelstan’s half-brother who, conveniently, was dead within the month. Again, no record of foul play.

[image error]We’re starting to get a pattern though. In the latter part of the period, England endured a renewal of the Viking incursions only this time they weren’t raiding, they were conquering. Cnut had come to stay, and after a series of bloody but ultimately indecisive battles, it was agreed that the country would be jointly ruled by him, and his English adversary, Edmund Ironside. Guess what? Edmund was dead within the month. No record of foul play.

Of course, it is possible that Ironside died from wounds sustained in the last battle, but this wasn’t recorded either. I’m fairly certain that cause and effect would have been understood – you get wounded in battle, you die a short time later, the wounds are probably what killed you.

What I love about studying this period, and writing about it, is that we have two avenues of exploration. The later, Anglo-Norman chroniclers, who tend to over dramatize and exaggerate, giving us sordid stories about child killers and evil women, and the more contemporary sources who give us minimal information and seem to ignore the obvious.

Diving down these paths on the search for the truth is good fun, but often inconclusive. Maybe I should take Lucy Lawrence with me next time?

 

Annie Whitehead Author Bio:

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Annie has written three novels set in Anglo-Saxon England. To Be A Queen tells the story of Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians. Alvar the Kingmaker is set in the turbulent tenth century where deaths of kings and civil war dictated politics, while Cometh the Hour tells the story of Penda, the pagan king of Mercia. All have received IndieBRAG Gold Medallions and Chill with a Book awards. To Be A Queen was longlisted for HNS Indie Book of the Year and was an IAN Finalist. Alvar the Kingmaker was Chill Books Book of the Month while Cometh the Hour was a Discovering Diamonds Book of the Month.

As well as being involved in 1066 Turned Upside Down, Annie has also had two nonfiction books published. Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (Amberley Books) will be published in paperback edition on October 15th, 2020, while her most recent release, Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword Books) is available in hardback and e-book.

Annie was the inaugural winner of the Dorothy Dunnett/HWA Short Story Competition 2017.

Connect with Annie:
http://viewauthor.at/Annie-Whitehead
https://anniewhitehead2.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/AnnieWHistory
https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/anniewhiteheadauthor/