Pam Lecky's Blog, page 8
August 17, 2023
It’s Publication Day for The Last Letter from London
Starting out, I was unsure what I could bring to the WW2 genre that would be unique. But then I realized few had written about the war from a neutral Irish perspective. Luckily, all I had to do was delve into my family and local history for inspiration.
Essentially, the series is about spies and fifth columnists, a subject covered in depth both in print and on screen. This made research a lot easier than it often is for my Victorian murder mysteries, and soon I had the bones of a story, ideas for sub-plots, and an entire cast of characters dying to appear on the page.
How it all begins …
Eighty-two years ago, a German pilot dropped four bombs on neutral Dublin City. Ireland was still recovering from the War of Independence and the Civil War when WW2 broke out in Europe. The government at the time declared Ireland neutral, mainly because we had neither the manpower nor the resources to become involved in the conflict. Relations with Britain were already strained, and Ireland’s stance made Churchill furious. The complex relationship between the Irish and their ex-colonial masters interests me, and I explore it to some extent in all the novels.
The German attack on North Strand, which opens the first book, Her Secret War, happened only a few miles from where I grew up. As a young child, I passed the bombed-out sites regularly, but it wasn’t until my late teens I heard about the bombing and the relevant history. As I wanted to anchor the novels in Irish history, the story of what happened that night in North Strand, seemed an excellent starting point. My heroine, Sarah, is lucky enough to survive, but the incident changes her life, forcing her to make incredibly tough decisions. Like many Irish, she has family in Britain and when they hold out the offer of a new life and a job, Sarah leaves Ireland. Revenge for her sister’s death is key to that decision. Unfortunately, her new life slowly falls apart as her family history catches up with her, and she is drawn into the dark world of WW2 espionage. Needless to say, Sarah’s nationality leads to complications, and her loyalty is tested to the limit.
As Sarah’s story moves to the UK, I drew on my family history. My mother and her sisters left rural Ireland to work in Britain during WW2. One aunt followed her boyfriend, who had joined the RAF, and she worked in a munitions factory. Another aunt wanted to study nursing, and my mother was a ‘clippie’ (bus conductress) on the Birmingham buses. The novels are not their story, but there are glimpses of their experiences dotted throughout the fiction. The greatest challenge was getting up to speed on day-to-day life. I knew a lot about the overall timeline and events of the war, but it was the nitty-gritty details of life on the Homefront which would ground the stories in reality.
The second book, Her Last Betrayal, continues Sarah’s story. She is now employed by MI5 and must work with a new colleague, a US Naval Intelligence officer, who is hostile and suspicious of her motives. Their mission is to track down IRA members who are facilitating British fifth columnists and Abwehr agents entering and leaving the UK (something I discovered during research). Just as they appear to be making progress, one of the MI5 team is revealed to be a German mole. Their mission thrown into chaos, Sarah and Tony must learn to trust each other if they are to survive.
In the third and final novel in the series, The Last Letter from London, Sarah is now an experienced MI5 officer. However, she is about to face her most challenging assignment yet, for she becomes the handler for a mysterious French double agent (who was inspired by the real-life spy, Nathalie Lily Sergeuvei). Sarah must deal with the fallout from her agent’s extremely erratic behaviour. To say the women do not like or trust each other would be an understatement. I must admit it was great fun to write about the interaction between these two diametrically opposed characters, thrusting them together on a dangerous mission to Lisbon, which was the centre of European espionage.
All I had to do was sit back, watch them fight it out, and write up the field report!
The Sarah Gillespie series, published by Avon Book UK, is available in eBook, paperback and audiobook from all good bookstores and online retailers.
The Last Letter from London Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheLastLetterFromL
August 1, 2023
Historical Fiction Author of the Month: Suzie Hull
Welcome to my Blog Series, Historical Fiction Author of the Month.
Each month, I will showcase a different historical fiction author. Their books will range from romance to mystery and adventure to crime, and will be from many different eras. I hope you discover a new author and their work to enjoy. Happy reading!
Suzie Hull
Award winning author Suzie Hull lives in Northern Ireland with her family and numerous rescue cats. She has two WW1 Historical Romance books published by Orion. In July 2022, her debut novel, In This Foreign Land, won the prestigious RNA Joan Hessayon Award 2022.
Her second book, Far Across the Ocean was released in November 2022.
After leaving school she trained as a Montessori Nursery teacher and has spent the last thirty years working with children in a variety of settings. Suzie has always had an enduring passion for reading and history, and enjoys researching each book.
What enticed you to write in this genre?I have always enjoyed learning about the past and was always drawn to historical books when I was a child. My maternal Granny had a wealth of little stories she would tell me and my sisters; these went back as far as the early 1920’s and particularly during WW2. They lived in Derby, and Grandad worked for Rolls Royce as an engineer developing the infamous Merlin engines for Spitfires and other planes. I had a vivid recollection of Granny holding me up at the window one night and telling me about the night Coventry burned, and that just stuck in my head.
On my paternal side, there is a huge Quaker family with a lot of records going back to the late 1600’s and I love delving in and researching my relatives. Being Quaker, we are related to one of the big Chocolate families and also Clarkes shoes, but it gives me a lot of inspiration for my novels. My second book, Far Across The Ocean, was inspired by a true story from relatives who had moved out to Madagascar during the late 1800’s.
Explore Suzie’s Books
In This Foreign Land: ‘I beg of you this one thing – that if I should perish here, in this foreign land, that you will look after her.’
March, 1914. When talented artist Isobel embarks on a journey to Egypt, it’s to reunite her best friend Alice with her husband, Wilfred – and to use the stunning sights of Cairo as inspiration for her own paintings.
A whirlwind romance was the last thing she expected, but when Isobel meets Wilfred’s handsome brother, Edward, neither can deny the strong connection between them – especially when unexpected tragedy strikes, leaving them all reeling.
Just as they get to grips with their grief, WW1 erupts, and the lovers are forced to separate. They promise to meet again in London. But when Edward is listed as ‘missing – presumed dead’ only weeks after landing in France, Isobel is devastated, unmarried and on the brink of ruin. She has only one way to save her honour… but it means betraying the love she holds so dear.
https://mybook.to/ThisForeignLand
Far Across The Ocean: The answers to her past and present lie far across the ocean…
December 1913. Clara Thornton won’t allow being jilted at the altar to squash her spirit. Against the wishes of her aunt and uncle, Clara decides to travel to Madagascar to learn more about the tragic shipwreck that took the lives of her missionary family, and marked her forever.
Clara is escorted abroad by Xavier Mourain, a handsome young merchant who works with her uncle. The two of them start off on the wrong foot, but Clara can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious Frenchman who helps her unravel the mystery that has always haunted her. But as their love blossoms, war begins. And the world will never be the same again.
For Clara, all the answers seem to lie far across the ocean. But some of them might be closer than she thinks…
https://mybook.to/FarAcrossOcean
You can find out more about Suzie and her work by checking out her social media links below:
July 31, 2023
Buccaneer: The Early Life and Crimes of Philip Rake – The Coffee Pot Book Blog Tour
Congratulations to Chris Thorndycroft on publication day for Buccaneer: The Early Life and Crimes of Philip Rake, part of the The Molucca Star Quartet Series.
You can follow the full tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/06/blog-tour-buccaneer-early-life-and-crimes-of-philip-rake.html
Buccaneer: The Early Life and Crimes of Philip Rake By Chris ThorndycroftBristol, 1713. When Philip Rake, pickpocket, smuggler and scoundrel is arrested and thrown in jail, he assumes he has a short walk to the gallows. But his father, a wealthy merchant who has remained a figure of mystery throughout his life, throws him a lifeline; become an indentured man on an expedition to the East Indies led by his friend, Woodes Rogers.
Woodes Rogers is looking for Libertatia – the fabled pirate kingdom of the legendary buccaneer Henry Avery – and the hoard of treasure rumoured to be hidden there. But Philip wants his freedom and when he learns that there are men onboard who once sailed with Henry Avery and plan to take the treasure for themselves, he jumps ship and embarks upon a career of piracy.
Philip’s story takes him from the backstreets of Bristol to the sun-baked hills of Madagascar and on to the tropical islands of the Caribbean in a thrilling tale of adventure in which he rubs shoulders with some of the most notorious pirates of the age including Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
Buy Links:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link: https://mybook.to/Buccaneer
Author Bio:
Chris Thorndycroft’s writing career began with short horror stories which appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Dark Moon Digest and American Nightmare.
His first novel under his own name was A Brother’s Oath, book one in the Hengest and Horsa trilogy, which deals with the beginning of Anglo-Saxon England. He has always had a passion for historical fiction, kindled at the age of six when he first saw Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). His books are deeply grounded in real history but often reimagine legends such as King Arthur and Robin Hood, weaving them in with historical events.
He currently lives in Norway with his wife and two kids.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://christhorndycroft.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cthorndycroft
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisThorndycroftAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christhorndycroft/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christhorndycroft
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Thorndycroft/e/B015EQARZM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8130216.Chris_Thorndycroft
July 14, 2023
The Last Letter from London – Character Inspiration: A Female Spy of WW2
The current popularity of WW2 fiction has highlighted something long overdue – the recognition of the unsung heroines of wartime spying, and their contribution to winning the war. Having read Tim Tate’s fascinating book, Hitler’s British Traitors, and Max Hastings’ intriguing The Secret War, I wanted to learn more about the women who risked so much for the war effort. The stories of these women, particularly those who operated on the Home Front, inspired the Sarah Gillespie series of books.
Eileen Nearne c. 1940: Photo Credit NYTimes.comIt wasn’t long before the Allies realised the value of using women as spies. They tended to go unnoticed, were rarely stopped and questioned, and were therefore invaluable as couriers. Some played the fragile female card to get out of tricky situations, and who could blame them – it usually worked! In the field, these women were just as ingenious as their male counterparts in fooling the enemy. They were intelligent, brave, and cunning.
There is a long list of female spies, some you will have heard of, others whose names are lost to history. Many of the most famous worked for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France behind enemy lines, such as Eileen Nearne and Odette Hallows. However, it was a double agent, whose work entailed deceiving the Germans about the location of the D-Day landings, whose story caught my eye.
Nathalie Lily Sergueiew (1912-1950)Nathalie was born in Russia, five years before the revolution. In the years leading up to WW2, she travelled extensively and studied in Paris, becoming proficient in French, German and English. In the mid-1930s, she worked as a journalist in Germany and was approached by German Intelligence, but she refused to work for them. But then things changed. As the temperature in Europe rose, Nathalie’s loyalty was firmly in the Allied camp, and she saw an opportunity to help. She joined the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence Service) with every intention of betraying them.
In Berlin, Nathalie was trained in spycraft, learnt to use secret ink and coded letters, and was trained to use a radio transmitter. Most importantly of all, she was schooled in identifying different Allied uniforms and equipment. The Abwehr plan was to send her to Britain to report on troop locations and movements.
Nathalie Lily Sergeuvei courtesy of MI5 at the National Archives UKHer German handler sent her to Spain, the plan being that she would continue on to England via Gibraltar, which she would eventually do. However, before her departure, Nathalie went to the US embassy in Madrid and volunteered to work for the Allies. From there she was sent to MI5’s Madrid Station, where she turned up with her pet dog Babs, demanding that her pet bypass quarantine laws and travel with her to England. Much to her displeasure, her request was refused, and she had to leave the dog in Gibraltar.
Nathalie arrived in England at the end of 1943 and within weeks of starting work as a double-agent, she was described as “exceptionally temperamental and troublesome”, leading to her being codenamed Agent Treasure! Despite her behaviour, MI5 put her to work, sending coded letters to her German handler (the code based on a particular French novel). Nathalie passed him a mix of true and false information made up by MI5 as part of a deception plan around D-Day. Agent Treasure reported that there were very few troops in Southwest England (it was teeming with them!) and that she had a boyfriend in the 14th Army from whom she received valuable intelligence (the boyfriend and the unit were nonexistent). Other double agents sent supporting information and all of this helped to deceive the Germans that the Allies would land at Calais and not Normandy on D-Day. This plan was codenamed Operation Fortitude.
But Nathalie couldn’t stay out of trouble. All hell broke loose when she subsequently admitted that she had revealed her true identity to a US Air Force officer during a love affair, giving MI5 nightmares that her identity and the whole double-cross system might implode. But worse was to come! Nathalie, still pining for Babs, her dog, threatened to go on strike due to the delay in their being reunited. Then, when the news that her dog had died came through, Nathalie believed the British had murdered her dog and she wanted revenge. With only weeks to go before D-Day, she told her handler that the Germans had given her a ‘control signal’ to show she was broadcasting under duress. She threatened to use it and to blow the entire double-cross system apart. A sticky twenty-four hours followed, but fortunately, Agent Treasure didn’t act on her threat, and after D-Day, she was hastily retired!
Nathalie was certainly a handful and keep her handler and MI5 on their toes. However, the letters and transmissions she sent contributed to the success of D-Day, and she deserves the credit for this.
Inspiration for Adeline Vernier {Agent Honey}As you can imagine, Nathalie’s story had my writer’s antennae twitching like mad! I just had to base a character on her in my next book, The Last Letter from London.
And so, Adeline Vernier, was born.
Adeline is as temperamental and manipulative as Nathalie was, but I substituted Babs the dog for a Russian boyfriend, trapped in occupied France and in hiding out with the French Resistance. Sarah Gillespie becomes Adeline’s handler and must deal with the fallout from her agent’s erratic behaviour. To say the women do not like or trust each other would be an understatement. I have to admit that it was great fun to write about the interaction between these two diametrically opposed characters, thrusting them together on a dangerous mission to Lisbon and then writing up the field report with glee!
Two women, one mission. But can they trust each other?
The Last Letter from London will be published on 17th August 2023
Book 3 in the Sarah Gillespie WW2 Series
eBook * Paperback * Audio
Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheLastLetterFromL
July 6, 2023
Turning the World to Stone by Kelly Evans: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
Today, I am hosting Kelly Evans for the blog tour for Turning the World to Stone – The Life of Caterina Sforza Part One 1472 to 1488. Kelly has kindly provided a snippet (please see below).
You can follow the full tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/05/blog-tour-turning-world-to-stone.html
Turning the World to Stone – The Life of Caterina Sforza, Part One, 1472 to 1488Vilified by history, Caterina Sforza learned early that her life was not her own. Married at age ten, she was a pawn in the ever-changing political environment of Renaissance Italy.
Resigned to her life as a fifteenth-century wife, Caterina adapted to the role she was expected to play: raising and educating her children, helping the poor in her new home, and turning a blind eye to her husband’s increasingly shameful behaviour. But Fate had other plans for her, and soon Caterina’s path would be plagued by murder, betrayal, and heartbreak.
“Could I write all, the world would turn to stone.”
Buy Links:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link: https://mybook.to/Caterina
Turning the World to Stone Snippet
Caterina laughed and sent a passing page to inform the musicians. She received a pleased nod from the recorder player and stood facing Leone. His face lit up delightedly when the song started, and he proved himself a true match for Caterina’s dancing skills. There was no time to talk as they moved through the fast, hopping steps and as the music finally ended, it took them a few minutes to catch their breaths.
“Signor, I applaud your talent,” Caterina led them away from the other dancers to a table set off to the side of the room. She glanced over at Girolamo and found him engaged in a conversation with a rotund man who looked like his waistcoat had given up trying to encase him and hung open in resignation.
Caterina sat and waved her hand at the chair opposite. Cobelli sat quickly as if afraid the countess would change her mind. A maid brought them glasses of wine and a plate of vanilla wafers as they settled comfortably to watch the others.
Leone leaned forward. “That man your husband is speaking with? He doesn’t know it, but his wife is sleeping with his brother.”
Caterina’s eyes widened. No one had ever started a conversation with her in this way before. She glanced over at the well fed man again and giggled. “Is that true?”
He nodded vigorously. “It is, Madonna. I take my job as a chronicler seriously. I don’t deal in rumours or falsehoods.”
She looked at him critically. Was any man capable of such a feat? “We’ll see,” she replied.
Author Bio:
Born in Canada of Scottish extraction, Kelly Evans graduated in History and English then moved to England where she worked in the financial sector. While in London Kelly continued her studies in history, concentrating on Medieval History, and travelled extensively through Eastern and Western Europe.
Kelly is now back in Canada with her husband Max and a rescue cat. She writes full-time, focussing on illuminating little-known women in history with fascinating stories. When not working on her novels, Kelly writes Described Video scripts for visually impaired individuals, plays oboe, and enjoys old sci-fi movies.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.kellyaevans.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaucerBabe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyevansauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyevansauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/kellyewrites/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kelly-evans
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kelly-Evans/author/B0187JGTOQ
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14335541.Kelly_Evans
July 3, 2023
The King’s Champion by Nancy Northcott: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
Today, I am delighted to host Nancy Northcott for the blog tour for her new release, The King’s Champion, Book 3 in The Boar King’s Honor Trilogy. Nancy has kindly provided an excerpt (please see below)
You can follow the full tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/05/blog-tour-kings-champion-by-nancy-northcott.html
The King’s Champion by Nancy NorthcottThe Boar King’s Honor Trilogy
A wizard’s misplaced trust
A king wrongly blamed
A bloodline cursed until they clear the king’s name.
Book 3: The King’s Champion
Caught up in the desperate evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France in the summer of 1940, photojournalist Kate Shaw witnesses death and destruction that trigger disturbing visions. She doesn’t believe in magic and tries to pass them off as survivor guilt or an overactive imagination, but the increasingly intense visions force her to accept that she is not only magically Gifted but a seer.
In Dover, she meets her distant cousin Sebastian Mainwaring, Earl of Hawkstowe and an officer in the British Army. He’s also a seer and is desperate to recruit her rare Gift for the war effort. The fall of France leaves Britain standing alone as the full weight of Nazi military might threatens. Kate’s untrained Gift flares out of control, forcing her to accept Sebastian’s help in conquering it as her ethics compel her to use her ability for the cause that is right.
As this fledgling wizard comes into her own, her visions warn of an impending German invasion, Operation Sealion, which British intelligence confirms. At the same time, desire to help Sebastian, who’s doomed by a family curse arising from a centuries-old murder, leads Kate to a shadowy afterworld between life and death and the trapped, fading souls who are the roots of her family’s story. From the bloody battlefields of France to the salons of London, Kate and Sebastian race against time to free his family’s cursed souls and to stop an invasion that could doom the Allied cause.
The King’s Champion concludes Nancy’s Northcott’s exciting Boar King’s Honor Trilogy.
The King’s Champion – Universal Buy Link
Buy Links, Book 1 & 2:
This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
The Herald of Day – Universal Buy Link
The Steel Rose – Universal Buy Link
The King’s Champion – Excerpt From Chapter 1 – The trucks carrying Kate and other soldiers arrive on the outskirts of Dunkirk.
Refugees fleeing south clogged the road. Men and women with weary, defeated faces dragged carts or carried bundles. Some bore children on their backs, the little ones’ eyes wide and full of dread. A lucky few actually had horse-drawn carts, likely farm wagons, with belongings and family jammed into them. The soldiers and their trucks moved through the mass at a crawl.
At last, as the day waned, the truck ground to a halt, apparently on the outskirts of a town. The ruined buildings lining the road stood between two and four stories tall. Some were narrow, while others had as many as six windows across. None of them had any glass remaining, and chimneys stood like grim sentinels where upper floors and roofs had been blasted away.
“Everybody out,” someone called from the front of the truck.
Kate scrambled out with the men around her. They melded into the ranks of the infantry.
“Road’s blocked ahead,” the stocky man climbing down from the cab announced. “It’s faster to go on foot. The Jerrys have destroyed the port. We’re to head for the beaches on its east side.” He left the engine running and removed the radiator cap.
Kate had seen soldiers do that before. The engine would eventually seize, making it useless to the Nazis.
She fell in with the men around her. No one had more than a pack and his rifle. Deserted buildings lined the road, their doors and windows gaping, empty holes revealing shadowy piles of rubble within. Here and there, the setting sun hit a west-facing window and illuminated the wreckage inside.
There was still enough light for photos. Kate dug out her camera. Stepping out of the mass, she clambered onto a chunk of broken masonry that looked like part of a brick wall.
Ahead, a giant pillar of smoke filled the horizon. An acrid whiff of something that might’ve been burning oil rode the breeze.
She opened her camera, focused on the men marching toward her, and clicked the shutter. Then she faced forward to capture the men marching away. The photos might be a little underexposed, but maybe she could fix them in the darkroom.
Closing the camera took only a moment. There might be other opportunities, though, so she held onto it as she joined the men marching past.
When they eyed her curiously, she smiled.
“Kate Shaw. Consolidated News Union.” She offered her hand to the man on her right. He shook it carefully, with hardly any pressure.
“What’s your unit, and how has it been for you fellows?” she asked. Assuming they were all North Yorkshire Fusiliers might be a mistake. As soldiers raced for the beach, units became jumbled. Or so she’d heard.
Before the men could answer, someone up front shouted, “Take cover!”
Everyone looked up. A trio of planes headed their way, swooping low.
“Messerschmitts!” a man farther forward yelled.
The fighters could strafe, and everyone on the road was exposed. They all dashed for the nearest buildings. Huddled in a wrecked kitchen with two of the men, Kate did what she’d done so many times since the fighting started. Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and thought, Don’t see us. Don’t see us. Don’t see us.
Author Bio:
Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman. Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy, history, and romance.
Nancy earned her undergraduate degree in history and particularly enjoyed a summer spent studying Tudor and Stuart England at the University of Oxford. She has given presentations on the Wars of the Roses and Richard III to university classes studying Shakespeare’s play about that king. In addition, she has taught college courses on science fiction, fantasy, and society.
The Boar King’s Honor historical fantasy trilogy combines Nancy’s love of history and magic with her interest in Richard III. She also writes traditional romantic suspense, romantic spy adventures, and two other speculative fiction series, the Light Mage Wars paranormal romances and, with Jeanne Adams, the Outcast Station space mystery series.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.NancyNorthcott.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NancyNorthcott
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nancynorthcottstreetteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancynorthcottauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancynorthcott/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nancy-northcott
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nancy-Northcott/author/B00ITY5KLS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3468806.Nancy_Northcott
July 1, 2023
Historical Fiction Author of the Month: Elizabeth St. John
Welcome to my Blog Series, Historical Fiction Author of the Month.
Each month, I will showcase a different historical fiction author. Their books will range from romance to mystery and adventure to crime, and will be from many different eras. I hope you discover a new author and their work to enjoy. Happy reading!
In this post, I am delighted to feature author Elizabeth St. John.
Elizabeth St. JohnElizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England’s kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.
Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.
Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.
Elizabeth’s books include her trilogy, The Lydiard Chronicles, set in 17th Century England during the Civil War, and her newest release, The Godmother’s Secret, which explores the medieval mystery of the missing Princes in the Tower of London.
What enticed you to write in this genre?Growing up in England where the weather promotes reading and the countryside is full of castles and ancient churches, I spent much of my childhood buried in old books, family papers and walking around ruins. My parents loved history and reading and passed those genes on to me. Our favourite days were spent “St.John-hunting” where we would follow some thread in our family tree and end up in a forgotten churchyard or country house, face-to-face with an ancestor. When I came to write The Lydiard Chronicles I felt I knew the characters intimately because of my familiarity with their correspondence, wills, diaries and portraits preserved at our ancestral home of Lydiard Park and within The Lydiard Archives.
I’m very fortunate since my family kept many personal documents, and an extensive family tree preserved on great pieces of Antiquarian sized paper which had been handed down by generations. Those inspired me to want to write only relying on primary sources, and so I then visited museums and libraries where records might be stored. The Lydiard Chronicles draw on Lucy Hutchinson’s seventeenth century memoirs, which are archived at Nottingham Castle. When I first encountered them thirty years ago, they were hidden in a battered file cabinet in the castle offices, and by asking and poking around I was thrilled to see the notebooks first hand. Now they have a beautiful dedicated display within the Castle.
When I was looking for inspiration for my latest novel, The Godmother’s Secret, I literally entered my own name into our digitised family tree to see who else was recorded. About half a dozen Elizabeths appeared—Victorian, Georgian, and Tudor women; some who had lived at court, others who led simple lives in the English countryside. But I was intrigued to find Elysabeth St.John who lived in the 15th century – and over the moon when I discovered she was aunt to Henry Tudor and the godmother to Edward V – the eldest brother of the missing Princes in the Tower. I had a new family story to investigate!
Explore Elizabeth’s Books
The Godmother’s Secret
If you knew the fate of the Princes in the Tower, would you tell? Or forever keep the secret? Bound by blood and rent by honour, Lady Elysabeth Scrope is torn between the crown and her family, knowing that if her loyalty is questioned, she is in peril of losing everything—including her life.
https://geni.us/GodmothersSecret
The Lydiard Chronicles: A True Family Saga
The Lady of the Tower
Love should set you free. Not send you to the Tower of London. Lucy St.John, a beautiful highborn orphan at the court of King James, faces a devastating betrayal, forcing her to fight for her survival—and her honour—in a world of deceit and debauchery.
By Love Divided
Allen and Luce Apsley 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. In the dawn of England’s great rebellion, love is the final battleground.
Written in Their Stars
The rebel. The spymistress. The courtier. As the women work from the shadows to topple Cromwell’s regime, their husbands fight openly for Charles II’s throne on England’s bloody battlefields. Separated by loyalty and bound by love, Luce, Nan and Frances hold the fate of England—and their family—in their hands.
You can find out more about Elizabeth and her work by checking out her social media links below:
Website: http://www.elizabethjstjohn.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElizStJohn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethJStJohn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethjstjohn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethjstjohn/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-st-john
Amazon Author Page: https://geni.us/AmazonElizabethStJohn
Goodreads: https://geni.us/GoodreadsElizStJohn
Next Month’s Author will be Terry Lynn ThomasJune 29, 2023
Book Spotlight: The Puppet Maker by Jenny O’Brien
The Puppet Maker by Jenny O’Brien(Publication Date: 17th October 2023)
The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike:
“Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me.”
When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn’t expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after her little girl. This mother doesn’t want to be found. Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person’s case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.
Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey’s crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in. Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made – the DNA matches Casey’s. Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it’s too late?
Heart-pounding and totally addictive, The Puppet Maker is the first in the Detective Alana Mack series that will have fans of Ann Cleeves, Angela Marsons and LJ Ross racing through the pages late into the night.
Pre-Order Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C9JJ5XYB
About Jenny O’Brien 
Born in Dublin, Jenny O’Brien moved to Wales and then Guernsey, where she tries to find time to write in between working as a nurse and ferrying around 3 teenagers. In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You’ll be pleased to note she won’t be entering Bake-Off.
She’s also an all-year-round sea swimmer. Jenny is represented by Nicola Barr of The Bent Agency and published by Storm Publishing and HQ Digital (Harper Collins).
June 13, 2023
A Murder on Oak Street by I.M. Foster: The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
Today, I am delighted to host I.M. Foster for the book blog tour for her book, A Murder on Oak Street. Inez has kindly provided an excerpt for your enjoyment (see below).
You can follow the full tour here: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/03/blog-tour-murder-on-oak-street.html
Murder on Oak Street by I. M. FosterNew York, 1904. After two years as a coroner’s physician for the city of New York, Daniel O’Halleran is more frustrated than ever. What’s the point when the authorities consistently brush aside his findings for the sake of expediency? So when his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar on their wedding day, he takes it as a sign that it’s time to move on and eagerly accepts an offer to assist the local coroner in the small Long Island village of Patchogue.
Though the coroner advises him that life on Long Island is far more subdued than that of the city, Daniel hasn’t been there a month when the pretty librarian, Kathleen Brissedon, asks him to look into a two-year-old murder case that took place in the city. Oddly enough, the case she’s referring to was the first one he ever worked on, and the verdict never sat right with him.
Eager for the chance to investigate it anew, Daniel agrees to look into it in his spare time, but when a fresh murder occurs in his own backyard, he can’t shake his gut feeling that the two cases are connected. Can he discover the link before another life is taken, or will murder shake the peaceful South Shore village once again?
Buy Links:
This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/3GVXlO
Murder on Oak Street: ExcerptDaniel O’Halleran stared down at the crumpled body, blood spreading out in a deep crimson pool beneath the man’s head. He reached over to close the victim’s turquoise eyes. Something wasn’t right here, aside from the fact that a body was lying battered and broken on the rough wooden floor. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but then that wasn’t his job, now was it?
“Well?” Sergeant Timothy O’Halleran asked, a frown creasing his aging brow. “What killed him, then?”
Trying to suppress a smile, Daniel stood up, brushing the dust from his pants. His uncle knew very well what had killed the man, but clearly wanted to make Daniel feel important in his new position as a coroner’s physician for the city of New York. “You’re well aware what killed him, Uncle Timothy.”
His uncle gave a quick glance around before slapping him on the back of the head. “Ye’re a professional now, lad. Act like one, eh? Yer da didn’t spend all that money for a medical degree for ye to be acting the fool.”
This time Daniel did laugh, but he removed the smile from his face quickly as his uncle’s frown deepened. He was right. Richard and Sarah Adams had raised him as their own in every respect after his mother had died. For all intents and purposes, they were his parents, even though he’d insisted on retaining his mother’s surname. He did want to make them proud of him.
Wiping a hand across his face to remove any remnant of tomfoolery, as his adoptive mother called it, he took a deep breath. “He’s cracked his skull and bled out.” Daniel bent down again, sniffing the man’s clothing. “Probably drunk, but I can’t be certain.”
“Sure, I can smell it from up here,” Timothy said. “Whiskey, I’d say. I’m thinking ye need to be getting out a bit more if ye’ve any doubt.”
“It’s not what he’s been drinking I question, but the amount that made it into his stomach. Most of the smell is coming from his clothing, not his mouth. What selfrespecting drunk would let that much liquor go to waste?”
Timothy nodded. “Ye may be right, me boy. I know the man, and he’s not one to be found tipping more than a glass or two, especially in a place such as this.”
Daniel rubbed a thumb beneath his bottom lip, hesitant to say what was on his mind, but the thought was apt to come out anyway. He nodded up the stairs. “Maybe he was here for other reasons. I’ve no doubt that girl was pregnant. If he wanted her to have it aborted . . .”
This time Timothy shook his head. “I’ll not be believing that. More likely he was here to talk her out o’ such a drastic act, and someone caught him at it. The father, perhaps.” He scrubbed the day-old stubble on his chin. “What about the wretched sod in the corner room?”
“I suspect that was natural causes, but I’ll be able to tell you more—”
“I know, when ye get a better look.” His uncle rested a hand on his shoulder. “Ye’d best be quick about it, though. The chief will be wanting this one wrapped up before the widow gets any ideas. She’s way out on Long Island, so ’tis not likely he’ll be spending a great deal o’ time or resources on it.”
“But if the man’s been murdered . . .” Daniel stood, indignant to think the chief might put other considerations before the truth.
Timothy pointed a finger at him. “Now ye listen here, boyo. ’Tis the way things are. If the widow wants to hire someone to investigate, she’s free to do so. The city’s not likely to be spending good money on a drunkard found dead in a tenement, especially with a pregnant lass stabbed to death two floors above. Saints preserve us, lad, the knife’s lying at his fingertips.”
“There’s no proof it’s his knife, or that it was even used in her murder. Perhaps I could try and use that new fingerprint system I’ve heard mentioned to see if—”
“It doesn’t matter,” his uncle said, cutting him off. “’Tis lying beside him, and that’s how the bigwigs will see it, whether ye like it or not.”
“Then why ask me at all?”
“This is a good job, and ye won it fair and square, but ye can lose it just as easily. Give the boss yer opinion and leave it at that. And for the love o’ God, don’t be going making any waves, or ye might find yerself unemployed with a reputation as a troublemaker. Fingerprints, indeed!”
Daniel sighed, his shoulders slumping as if a weight had been laid across them. “It may not matter one way or the other.”
“And why’s that?” Timothy narrowed his eyes. “Out with it.”
“Prudence wants me to resign and go into practice with her father.” He shrugged, trying to shift the heaviness from his shoulders, and rubbed the scar on his forehead. “It certainly pays more, and she’s used to the finer things in life. Besides, I’d actually be helping living people, and if the department’s not going to follow up on anything anyway . . .”
“Humph!” His uncle grumbled in Gaelic, words Daniel didn’t understand, and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. “That’s all a bunch o’ malarkey, and ye know it. Ever since ye’ve been a wee lad ye’ve spoken o’ naught but joining the police force. Yer da saw how important that was to ye. Sure, he wanted ye to have a grand education and all, and yet he found a way for ye to have both, didn’t he? Now here comes this society lass, asking ye to give it all up. Yer da put yer dreams above his own. He always has. I can’t be saying the same for this lass.”
“Let’s not get into that again.” The longer they dwelled on the topic, the more his forehead ached. “You don’t like Pru. I understand that, but she does love me, and I her. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
“Then she should be wanting what’s best for ye.”
“And what about me wanting what’s best for her? I have to think of her needs as well.”
His uncle gave a half shrug. “’Tis why I never wed meself.”
Daniel chuckled, the ache along his scar easing a little. “You never wed because you eat and drink your job, and you couldn’t find a woman who would put up with it . . . or you.”
“True enough, though when I see yerself all grown like ye are, I do regret it from time to time—not having a lad o’ me own.” He sniffed before continuing and gripped Daniel’s arm. “That aside, I just want ye to be happy, lad. Ye know that.”
“I do, Uncle, though if you don’t let me get going, I’ll be sacked regardless.” He picked up his medical bag, the one his uncle had spent a fortune on for his graduation. “I’ll see you for dinner Wednesday night, seven o’clock sharp. You know how Hattie gets if you’re late.”
“Now there’s a woman that might have turned me head once upon a time.”
“She’d have knocked that thick Irish head of yours off its block.” Daniel walked outside with his uncle and looked up at the dilapidated building. “I know Dr. Scholer will do his best, but if we rule it a murder, will the department at least see if any of the other tenants saw anything?”
Timothy scratched the back of his head. “Ah, Danny! I’ll do me best, but the truth o’ it is there’s likely not a soul in there that heard a thing. Aside from the drink, I’m thinking there might be a good deal o’ opium use going on.”
Daniel nodded. “But you will try?”
“O’ course I will.”
Daniel squeezed his uncle’s shoulder and headed back toward his buggy, his uncle’s voice calling after him.
“Ye’ll be letting me know what ye find?”
Daniel waved his hand, a smile crossing his face once more.
A Little bit about Inez …
I. M. Foster is the pen name author Inez Foster uses to write her South Shore Mystery series, set on Edwardian Long Island. Inez also writes historical romances under the pseudonym Andrea Matthews, and has so far published two series in that genre: the Thunder on the Moor series, a time-travel romance set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Borders, and the Cross of Ciaran series, which follows the adventures of a fifth century Celt who finds himself in love with a twentieth century archaeologist.
Inez is a historian and librarian, who love to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogically speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. Inez is a member of the Long Island Romance Writers, the Historical Novel Society, and Sisters in Crime.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://imfostermysteries.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/IMFosterMystery
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMFosterMysteries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfosterauthor
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/i-m-foster
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BFQK8854
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22926746.I_M_Foster
June 12, 2023
Book Spotlight: Penelope – Tudor Baroness by Tony Riches
Lady Penelope is one of the most beautiful and sought-after women in Elizabethan England. The daughter of the queen’s nemesis, Lady Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex, she becomes the stepdaughter of Robert Dudley when he marries her mother in secret.
Penelope’s life is full of love and scandal. The inspiration for Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet Astrophel and Stella, she is inevitably caught up in her brother Robert’s fateful rebellion.
A complex and fascinating woman, her life is a story of love, betrayal, and tragedy. Discover how Penelope charms her way out of serious charges of treason, adultery, and forgery, and becomes one of the last truly great ladies of the Tudor court.
A maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth, Penelope outlives the end of the Tudors with the death of the old queen and the arrival of King James, becoming a favourite lady-in-waiting to the new queen, Anne of Denmark.
Buy Links:
“This is the story of a woman who lived life on her own terms, and one that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.”
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C78KDRK3
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C78KDRK3
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C78KDRK3
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C78KDRK3
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his new Elizabethan series,
Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches.
