Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 113

Join Historical Fiction author, Cynthia Ripley Miller, as she takes a look at Life in ancient Israel: Lifestyles of the Affluent #History #Israel @CRipleyMiller

Check out Mary Ann Bernal's fabulous book — The Briton and the Dane: Birthright #Historical #Romance @BritonandDane

The Briton and the Dane: BirthrightBy Mary Ann Bernal

Two years have passed since Alfred the Great successfully defeated Guthrum, King of the Vikings.
The fair land of England is at peace. That is, until the harmony is threatened by Guthrum’s angry, vengeful, illegitimate son, Rigr, who is hell-bent on usurping his father’s throne.
Rigr demands his Birthright – an acknowledgment that he is the sole heir to the Danelaw, but his father refuses his claim. Rigr assembles his army, a motley, but formidable, cohort of disenchanted warriors.
Fearsome Guthrum, ruler of everything from Kent to Northumbria, is made aware of the threat and conjures his forces, meeting the rebellious host on the field at Thetford.
Thousands upon thousands of bloodthirsty warriors confront each other on the sunlit, windless plains of East Anglia. The victors will rewrite the course of history, and the fate of England is in the hands of the gods of war.

Excerpt
Helga crossed the inner bailey, walking swiftly towards her family’s private quarters since the sun would soon set, and the main gate closed for the night. She was not able to find Inga and the boys playing with the other children.  She kept praying they were already in their chambers, shouting their names while searching the empty rooms.  She was frantic, hurrying to the gatehouse just as the guards were about to shut the gate.
“Inga and the children are not back,” Helga yelled as she climbed the stairs.  “Do you see them on the main road?”
Helga listened halfheartedly while the soldiers reminded her that the scouting party had already returned and would not set out again until first light. She pushed the men aside, leaning over the wall and suppressing the urge to scream when she saw the deserted countryside.
Helga held back the tears while running to find David, who would still be in the great hall conferring with his advisors. She hurried through the open door and was out of breath by the time she came upon her husband.
“The boys are not in their chambers!” Helga exclaimed, out of breath.
“You are trembling,” David whispered, “what is wrong?”
“Inga has not returned with the boys,” Helga sobbed.
David shouted for his men to bring the horses and requested Brother Aidan be found to comfort his wife.
It did not take long for David and his men to reach the market town where the soldiers searched house-to-house while David spoke with the local merchants. As dusk became night, the men continued looking for the missing children, but they were unsuccessful.
Brother Aidan and Helga had been keeping vigil at the gatehouse, but they watched fearfully as David and his men galloped towards the main gate.
“David!” Helga yelled, frantic and in tears, by the time she reached her husband. “I am afraid.”
“There has been treachery,” David told her.
“What do you mean?” Helga asked between sobs.
“Dalla and Loki are not known.  Our children have been taken.”

Pick up your copy ofThe Briton and the Dane: BirthrightAmazon UK • Amazon US



Mary Ann Bernal
Mary Ann Bernal attended Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she received a degree in Business Administration.  Her literary aspirations were ultimately realized when the first book of The Briton and the Dane novels was published in 2009.  In addition to writing historical fiction, Mary Ann has also authored a collection of contemporary short stories in the Scribbler Tales series. Her latest endeavor is a science fiction/fantasy novel entitled Planetary Wars  Rise of an Empire. Originally hailing from New York, Mary Ann now resides in Elkhorn, Nebraska.

Connect with Mary Ann: Website • Whispering Legends Press • Twitter.

Read an excerpt of Mary Anne Yarde’s The Du Lac Prophecy (Book 4 of The Du Lac Chronicles)

The Du Lac Prophecy(Book 4 of The Du Lac Chronicles)By Mary Anne Yarde


Two Prophesies. Two Noble Households. One Throne.
Distrust and greed threaten to destroy the House of du Lac. Mordred Pendragon strengthens his hold on Brittany and the surrounding kingdoms while Alan, Mordred’s cousin, embarks on a desperate quest to find Arthur’s lost knights. Without the knights and the relics they hold in trust, they cannot defeat Arthur’s only son – but finding the knights is only half of the battle. Convincing them to fight on the side of the Du Lac’s, their sworn enemy, will not be easy.
If Alden, King of Cerniw, cannot bring unity there will be no need for Arthur’s knights. With Budic threatening to invade Alden’s Kingdom, Merton putting love before duty, and Garren disappearing to goodness knows where, what hope does Alden have? If Alden cannot get his House in order, Mordred will destroy them all.

Excerpt

The Abbey of Glastingberie.
“I think you are wasting your time. There is no need for relics and ancient weapons. We have God.”
“Well then the next time you are speaking to God could you ask him to send us an army of angels and several legions of knights on horseback,” Pert replied.
Everyone turned to look at Pert for his words were bordering on blasphemy and his tone was disrespectful.
Pert tore at the bread he had been given with his teeth and began to chew slowly.
“Your tongue is as sharp as the serpents,” the Abbot stated with contempt. “With the passing of the years and the hardships you have faced I would have thought you would have learnt by now when to keep your opinions to yourself.”
Pert scoffed and carried on eating.
“He and I never did see eye to eye,” the Abbot explained to Alan and Bernice. “Even as a young knight, he was always opinionated.”
“Pert was a knight?” Alan asked, but the Abbot ignored him.
“Arthur never complained that I was opinionated,” Pert replied.
“No, I don’t suppose he did.”
Pert scoffed again, but the Abbot ignored him.
“Were you there when Arthur died?” Bernice asked.
Alan stood up straighter. He was interested in the Abbot’s answer. Even Pert, he noticed, had stopped chewing and was looking at the Abbot.
“Yes. Bedwyr brought him here. I tried my very best, but the wound was fatal. There was nothing I could do but make his last moments as comfortable as I could. He didn’t want to die. He said there was too much still to do. He breathed his last in this very room.”
“Where is he buried?” Alan asked.
“I am afraid that is a secret,” the Abbot replied. “There are those who would desecrate his grave and steal his body away. Only myself and one other knows where Arthur rests. When will you retrieve the Shield?” The Abbot turned to Pert when he asked this question.
“Tonight, after the castle has fallen asleep.”
“The castle?” Alan asked.
“That is where the Shield is,” Pert stated.
“That is where Percival… I mean that is where Wihtgar said it was as well.”
“Everyone in Wessex knows it is there. They just don’t know where it is,” Pert said matter-of-factly. “Believe me, they have looked. They would kick themselves if they knew where it really was.”
“The best hiding places are the ones in plain view,” the Abbot replied thoughtfully.
“Well you should know, my Lord,” Pert said, rising to his feet and brushing the breadcrumbs from his clothes. “You buried Arthur after all.”




Pick up your copy ofThe Du Lac ProphecyAmazon Read for FREE with

Mary Anne Yarde
Mary Anne Yarde is the multi award-winning author of the International Bestselling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Britain and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, The Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.
Mary Anne is the founder of The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has been a professional reader since 2016 and in this time Mary Anne has reviewed many books for the big and small publishing houses, as well as books penned by her fellow indie authors. Mary Anne is also an editorial reviewer for The Coffee Pot Book Club. Mary Anne has been a judge for a prestigious Historical Fiction Book Award for the last three years, as well as being a Top Reviewer on Netgalley. 
Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury — the fabled Isle of Avalon — was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.
You can contact Mary Anne by email:
author@maryanneyarde.com


If you would prefer to chat on social media, then you can find Mary Anne on Twitter and Facebook.



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Restoration themed Recipes by M. J. Logue # History #Recipes @Hollie_Babbitt

Restoration themed RecipesBy M. J. Logue

Winter draws on – or at least, cold, wet, autumn.
It always makes me wonder what my characters would have made of it, in the mid-seventeenth century. I know my hero, the very slightly metropolitan Major Russell, has a slight thing for coffee – or at least coffee-shops, those Restoration hotbeds of gossip and dissent – and no taste at all for tea, no matter how novel it was at the time. (Complains about it tasting like lukewarm dishwater, which as the Stuarts served it without milk or sugar and it was phenomenally expensive, he probably isn’t wrong.)
But his wife, now, is another thing. Thomazine Russell is very much a good country housewife – even if she does have to live in London and have adventures occasionally – and she hates those new fancy foreign drinks that curdle your belly and keep you wakeful. (Her words, I might add, not mine.)  Thomazine is much more in favour of old-fashioned healthful drinks: caudles and possets.
Posset, you may have heard of.


If you are an aficionado of children’s fiction of a certain age, you may recall the Inspector’s suggestion to Kay Harker in John Masefield’s “The Box Of Delights”


But you young folks in this generation, you don't know what a posset is. Well a posset," said the Inspector, "is a jorum of hot milk; and in that hot milk, Master Kay, you put a hegg, and you put a spoonful of treacle, and you put a grating of nutmeg, and you stir 'em well up, and you get into bed and then you take 'em down hot. And a posset like that, taken overnight will make a new man of you!
Thomazine, on the other hand, wouldn’t have owned the Inspector’s recipe, and nor would most women of her day. Sir Kenelm Digby’s recipe of 1669 is much more typically rich – and alcoholic:
Take a pottle of Cream, and boil in it a little whole Cinnamon, and three or four flakes of Mace.
To this proportion of Cream put in eighteen yolks of eggs, and eight of the whites; a pint of Sack; beat your eggs very well, and then mingle them with your Sack.
Put in three quarters of a pound of Sugar into the Wine and Eggs, with a Nutmeg grated, and a little beaten Cinnamon; set the Bason on the fire with the Wine and Eggs, and let it be hot.
 Then put in the Cream boiling from the fire, pour it on high, but stir it not; cover it with a dish, and when it is settlede, strew on the top a little fine Sugar mingled with three grains of Ambergreece, and one grain of Musk, and serve it up.
So as you can imagine, the posset is definitely a drink for the wealthier sort: very rich and spiked with luxury spices. Caudle, on the other hand, is anybody’s business – the Good Huswife’s Handmaide gives us:


Take a pinte of good Muscadine, and as much of good stale ale, mingle them to-gether, then take the yolkes of twelue or thirteene Egges newe laide, beat well the Egges firste by themselves, with the wine and ale, and so boyle it together, and put thereto a quarterne of Suger, and a fewe whole Mace, and so stirre it well, til it seeth a good while, and when it is well sod, put therin a few slices of bread if you will, and so let it soke a while, and it will be right good and wholesome.
Still creamy and rich, but the creaminess coming from the eggs, like a custard, rather than from pints of cream. It’s interesting to see how the caudle changed over time from the Tudor meal-in-itself, with eggs and bread as well as wine and ale, into its rather more puritanical Victorian form - which was a sort of thickened oatmeal gruel with added beer. Sam Pepys recommends them for helping you get to sleep – they feature in his diary as a sort of nutritious nightcap on several occasions – but whereas the rather refined posset is very much a drink of conspicuous consumption the caudle is considerably more prosaic. It’s also interestingly political, in the mid-17th century, according to a recent exhibition by the Royal College of Physicians on alcohol, because – “During the English Civil War and Commonwealth, beer was the drink of puritans and wine the choice of royalists, used for elaborate toasts in honour of the exiled Prince Charles, the future Charles II”. Caudle is a wholesome blend of the two. Fortunately it’s been turning up in recipes since the 15th century, or I might have suspected a little Restoration spin being placed on that recipe….


It’s thought the English word “caudle” comes from the Latin word caldellum, meaning hot drink, and it’s also fascinating that in the Netherlands one can drink kandeel from the same derivative - a home brewed alcoholic drink made of white wine, lemon, cloves, cinnamon, sugar and egg yolk. The kandeel is not only a warming winter drink, not unlike advocaat, but traditionally it’s associated with childbirth: you can see why, with the amount of easily-absorbed nutrition in the form of eggs and warming spices. It’s still sold in the Netherlands and a modern website describes it to “help the breastfeeding and aid the baby to sleep”  - I just bet it does!! "Cake and caudel" or "taking caudle" became the acceptable term for a "lying-in visit", when women went to see their friends' new babies; these were strictly women-only visits, and it rapidly became something of a euphemism – right up into the Victorian period – for a session of scurrilous feminine gossip!
Caudles – and kandeels – were traditionally served in little two-handed bowls with a small spoon. A number of the bowls dating to the Restoration period portray Charles II with assorted mottoes, which lends a little bit of credibility to my theory of the drink as a symbol of political unity, but there were also many made in silver and a much more workaday tin-glazed ceramic which are still in existence. Because of their association with childbirth, the caudle-cup was an acceptable maternity gift. Interestingly enough, there was a tradition in France (according to Montaigne) of bringing the bridegroom a restorative caudle in the middle of his wedding night. The mind boggles.



A Deceitful SubtletyBy M. J. Logue

How far can you rely on a woman’s intuition…?
1666, London
Thomazine and Major Thankful Russell should be enjoying married life.With one teething baby and another on the way, life at the newly-rebuilt house at Four Ashes in the Chilterns is never dull, and they’re hoping to put the debauchery of Restoration London behind them.But then the indomitable poetess Mistress Aphra Behn arrives at their door…
Aphra claims to have promised to marry respectable merchant William Scot, who she met on a previous spying mission in Belgium. But he never turned up for the wedding.
She’s determined to discover his fate – and she wants Thankful to help her search Bruges.
Which may be how married couples behave in sophisticated London society, but there’s no way Thomazine is letting her husband loose on his own with the lovely, flirtatious Mistress Behn.It looks like the couple will once again have to put domestic bliss aside to unravel this intriguing mystery…
A Deceitful Subtlety is the second book in the Thomazine and Major Russell Thriller series, by M. J. Logue.
Pick up your copy ofA Deceitful Subtlety
Amazon 
M. J. Logue
M. J. Logue (as in cataLOGUE and epiLOGUE and not, ever, loge, which is apparently a kind of private box in a theatre) wrote her first short novel on a manual typewriter aged seven. It wasn’t very good, being about talking horses, but she made her parents sit through endless readings of it anyway.

Thirty-something years later she is still writing, although horses only come into it occasionally these days. Born and brought up in Lancashire, she moved to Cornwall at the turn of the century (and has always wanted to write that) and now lives in a granite cottage with her husband, and son, five cats, and various itinerant wildlife.
After periods of employment as a tarot reader, complaints call handler, executive PA, copywriter and civil servant, she decided to start writing historical fiction about the period of British history that fascinates her – the 17th century.
Her first series, covering the less than stellar career of a disreputable troop of Parliamentarian cavalry during the civil wars, was acclaimed by reviewers as “historical fiction written with elegance, wit and black humour” – but so many readers wanted to know whether fierce young lieutenant Thankful Russell ever did get his Happy Ever After, that the upcoming series of romantic thrillers for Sapere Books began.
M. J. Logue can be found on Twitter @Hollie_Babbitt, lurking on the web at asweetdisorder.com, and posting photos of cake, cats and extreme embroidery on Instagram as asweetdisorder.

Writing and Publishing Tips! #amwriting #ampublishing

The Coffee Pot Book Club
Promoting Historical Fiction since 2015

Writing and Publishing Tips





You have always dreamed of becoming an author. You have a fantastic idea that will make a great story. But… Where do you start? 
It can all seem rather daunting, but don't let that put you off. Think of it as an exciting journey of discovery — the beginning of a new and beautiful romance. However, as with life, you will find that what works for one writer may not work for another. What you need to do is find out what works for you.

The links below may help answer some of your questions. Please note, many of these links take you to other blogs and websites.
How to start writing a book
How to hook your reader in chapter 1

How to write believable characters. 
How to write memorable characters

How to write a backstory.

How to write dialogue. 

Four steps for writing romantic relationships that make sense

How to build a scene
Foreshadowing, what is it?

How (and when) to use documents in historical fiction

How to outline a novel
 How to banish writer's block
How to write historical fiction in 10 easy steps

10 essential research tips for historical fiction writers.

50+ top online research resources for historical fiction writers.

5 steps to writing a series

Storming the convention of Historical Fiction

Historical Writers Forum and advice group
Computer software for authors

Tips on editing

Understanding Copyright: 5 things new authors should know

How to make a living as a writer
6 steps to a Traditional Publishing deal
Frequently asked questions about literary agents
How to publish a book on Amazon
How to publish a book on Barnes and Noble
What is an ISBN and do you need one?

What is legal deposit (UK)?

Join me in conversation with Historical Fiction author, Diana Stevan #amwriting #HistoricalFiction #Giveaway@DianaStevan

Join me in conversation with Historical Fiction author, Diana Stevan.
Hi Diana, and welcome to Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots.Before we begin could you please introduce yourself to my readers.  I’m Diana Stevan, author of three novels and a novelette. I write about courage, love and intimate relationships.  
Sunflowers Under Fire is my third novel, a family saga / historical fiction, based on my Ukrainian grandmother’s life in Russia during the Great War and the wars that followed. It’s a very different genre from my first two. I’ve been seriously writing for a few decades, ever since I left my private practice as a family therapist.


Mary Anne: Sunflowers Under Fire sounds amazing What inspired you to write the story of your Ukrainian grandmother’s life?
Diana: I don’t think I would’ve written this novel but my granddaughter, Chloe, suggested I write this story after I had told her a number of anecdotes about my baba, Lukia Mazurets. She and I shared a bedroom for the first fifteen years of my life. She never talked about her life in the old country. Perhaps it’s because, like soldiers who return from war, the times were so painful that she didn’t want to re-live them in any way.
Mary Anne: What challenges did you face when researching this period of history?
Diana: Initially, Sunflowers Under Fire was written as creative non-fiction, but I faced so many challenges researching this period of history, that I ended up publishing it as historical fiction. It can also be categorized as true life fiction as most of it is true. The parts I had to imagine were some scenes, characters and dialogue in order to breathe life into some of the circumstances my grandmother found herself in.
In my research, I found there was little written about the refugees in that part of the world, nor nothing about an ordinary farm wife who had to survive and protect her family during extraordinary times. Perhaps Russian or Ukrainian authors have written about this period but I was unable to read these works. As a result, I spent a lot of time in various libraries combing the shelves for books of that time and place. I visited libraries in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, New York, and a Ukrainian-English library in Stamford, Connecticut. I also consulted with a professor of Slavic Studies and found other material online, including old World War I photos and videos.


Mary Anne: Can you tell us three things that set your novel apart?
Diana:  Sunflowers Under Fire is an unusual historical fiction because it’s set during WWI and the wars that followed in a part of the world we know little about. And yet, what Lukia Mazurets, a wife and mother, goes through has touched many readers’ hearts. Some have even likened it to stories they’ve heard about their own ancestors, family members from a different culture. Some stories are universal. This is one of them. This novel is a finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Award and a semi-finalist for a 2019 Kindle Book Award.
Mary Anne: Sunflowers Under Fire sounds fabulous and congratulations on your awards. Can you tell us what you are currently working on?
Diana: Because some readers wanted to know what happened next, I’m writing the sequel to Sunflowers Under Fire. I have two others in the works. A collection of short stories based on a rooming house I grew up in. Also a non-fiction book, Along Came A Gardener, combining thoughts from my 25 years as a family therapist with my love of gardening. Subscribers to my newsletter get the first chapter free. I’ve also sent them other chapters of this work-in-progress.


Mary Anne: Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today!
Scroll down to be in with a chance of winning an eBook copy Sunflowers Under Fire.


Sunflowers Under FireBy Diana Stevan

In this family saga, love and loss are bound together by a country always at war.
In 1915, Lukia Mazurets, a Ukrainian farmwife, delivers her eighth child while her husband is serving in the Tsar’s army. Soon after, she and her children are forced to flee the invading Germans. Over the next fourteen years, Lukia must rely on her wits and faith to survive life in a refugee camp, the ravages of a typhus epidemic, the Bolshevik revolution, unimaginable losses, and one daughter’s forbidden love.
Sunflowers Under Fire is a heartbreakingly intimate novel that illuminates the strength of the human spirit. Based on the true stories of her grandmother’s ordeals, author Diana Stevan captures the voices of those who had little say in a country that is still being fought over.



Giveaway
Diana Stevan is giving away one ebook copy of her fabulous book Sunflowers Under Fire.

All you need to do is answer this question:
What period of history are you most interested in reading about and why?
Leave your answer in the comments at the bottom of this post.
Giveaway Rules
• Leave your answer in the comments at the bottom of this post.• Giveaway ends at 11:59pm BST on December 2nd.You must be 18 or older to enter.• Giveaway is only open Internationally.•Only one entry per household.• All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.•Winners will be announced in the comments.• Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.


Pick up your copySunflowers Under FireHERE!  

Diana Stevan
Diana Stevan likes to joke that she’s a Jill of all trades as she’s not only worked as a clinical social worker, but also as a teacher, librarian, model, actress and a sports writer-broadcaster for CBC television. With writing her passion, she’s published fitness and travel articles for newspapers; poetry in the U.K. journal, Dreamcatcher; a short story in Escape, an anthology; and a novelette, The Blue Nightgown, a coming-of-age story set in the 1950s. Her novels cross genres: A Cry From The Deep, a romantic mystery/adventure about an underwater photographer who’s given up on love but encounters a woman from a previous century who hasn’t (2014); The Rubber Fence, women’s fiction, about three very conflicted women, inspired by her work on a psychiatric ward (2016) and Sunflowers Under Fire, historical fiction / family saga (2019. When she isn’t writing, she loves to garden, travel, and read. With their two daughters grown, Diana lives with her husband Robert on Vancouver Island and West Vancouver, British Columbia.Connect with Diana: Website • Facebook Author Page• Twitter • Instagram.

#BookReview — Written in their Stars: A Novel The Lydiard Chronicles Book 3) by Elizabeth St.John #HistoricalFiction #CivilWar @ElizStJohn

Written in their Stars: A Novel(The Lydiard Chronicles Book 3)By Elizabeth St.John

London, 1649.
Horrified eyewitnesses to King Charles’s bloody execution, Royalists Nan Wilmot and Frances Apsley plot to return the king’s exiled son to England’s throne, while their radical cousin Luce, the wife of king-killer John Hutchinson, rejoices in the new republic’s triumph. Nan exploits her high-ranking position as Countess of Rochester to manipulate England’s great divide, flouting Cromwell and establishing a Royalist spy network; while Frances and her husband Allen join the destitute prince in Paris’s Louvre Palace to support his restoration. As the women work from the shadows to topple Cromwell’s regime, their husbands fight openly for the throne on England’s bloody battlefields.
But will the return of the king be a victory, or destroy them all? Separated by loyalty and bound by love, Luce, Nan and Frances hold the fate of England—and their family—in their hands.\
A true story based on surviving memoirs of Elizabeth St.John's family, Written in their Stars is the third novel in the Lydiard Chronicles series.


"—and tonight we have attained the destiny foretold by the stars." John held her at arm's length, and a knife-blade of cold air sliced between them. "I signed the warrant to execute Charles Stuart, once King of England."
This is what they had fought for. This is what they had died for. The King was dead. Parliament had won. With Charles' blood comes rebirth. A nation born again.
But, to sign the death warrant of a king is no small thing. But the dream... The dream is too intoxicating, too great to heed the whispered warning that even Cromwell with his army could not silence. The King is dead, but his son is not.
Women, they may be, but they are not weak, nor helpless. Staunch Royalists, Nan Wilmot, Countess of Rochester, and Frances Apsley are dedicated to their cause and their new king. They may not be able to fight in Charles' army as their husbands can and would do again, but when it comes to espionage, well, that is something else entirely. 
Luce Hutchinson had rejoiced when they had taken the King's head from his shoulders, even if it meant driving a deeper wedge between herself and her brother, Allen Apsley. But when Cromwell is named Lord Protector, she and her husband John  — the king-killer— realise that they have swapped a king for something much worse. This was not the republic they had spilt their blood for. This was not what they had wanted at all.
From a cold January morning outside Banqueting House in Whitehall, to the filth and stench of the Parisian streets, and the quite tranquil graveyard at St Margaret's Church, Owthorpe, Written in their Stars: A Novel (The Lydiard Chronicles Book 3) by Elizabeth St.John is the profoundly moving true story of one family who fought on opposite sides of the English Civil War, but somehow, against all the odds, found their way back to each other.
When I read that last sentence, the last word, and noted the final full stop, I closed my eyes and as if in prayer, and I took a moment for myself in which I quietly contemplated the journey I had just been on. With tears still glistening in my eyes, and a sigh on my lips, I closed the book, sat back and allowed the poetic, the almost lyrical narrative to embrace me once again. The characters, their journey, their triumphs and their failures caught my imagination and captured my heart. I had come to not only care about these men and women who had lived so long ago but a part of me, a rather large part of me, fell hopelessly in love with them and their story — a story that was not lost to history but one that has certainly been overlooked by authors of historical fiction. I have never encountered a series that captures the essences of the English Civil War as well as St.John's The Lydiard Chronicles does. There is something intensely personal about the way St.John writes her ancestors story. I think if Lucy Hutchinson, author of Order and Disorder — the first epic poem by an Englishwoman — was alive today and read this book, this series, that depicts her family so elegantly and so unforgettably then she would feel a moment of profound gratitude and pride. Lucy's story, her families story, has been waiting all these years for St.John to put pen to paper and write it. This series was what St.John was born to write.
You know you are in the hands of a master when the unfamiliar world of the 17th Century becomes familiar. The Lydiard Chronicles is a gripping account of war, betrayal, love, hate and loss. Written in their Stars, an aptly named book indeed, begins with a death, and it ends with one too, and such stories, especially when based on true events and people tend to threaten to mesmerise the readers. St.John has gone one step further. She does not threaten to mesmerise — she does. This is a vivid account of one family as they navigate the new republic. The disillusionment of John Hutchinson and his wife, who were so excited, so relieved that the republic would bring long-lasting peace and fairness became something worse than the monarchy they had worked so hard to overthrow. Luce's passion, her intelligence which rivalled her husband and at times completely outshone him made this terrible realisation that perhaps they had made a mistake and that they had put their faith in an idea that had become corrupted made this book compulsively readable. Luce's journey throughout this series, but particularly in this book, is one I don't think anyone would willingly want to go on — it is utterly heartbreaking. Luce sees everything they had worked for destroyed. Her despair and pain became my own — a wonderful depiction of this incredible woman who saw and experienced so very much. Kudos, Ms St.John.
From cyphers to plots and failed rebellions, this book has more than enough action to keep a reader forgoing sleep. Sleep, indeed, was not necessary to me as I lost myself in this monumental work of scholarship. St.John has painted this story on a huge canvas, but the writing is effortless, there was never any confusion as to who everyone was and what role they played in this story of kings and politicians. 
The historical detailing in this book is staggering. I can only imagine how many hours St.John has dedicated to researching this era and these people. The sacrifice has undoubtedly paid off. There are no two ways about it — this book is brilliant. It is like watching a movie or a TV series. It asks nothing of the reader other than the commitment to keep reading, and you will want to read on. This book is astonishingly epic and yet beautiful to behold.

Written in their Stars is the third book in this series, but it stands very firmly on its own two feet. But for the love of everything historical, start at Book 1 — this is a series not to be missed. I am now a devoted fan of Elizabeth St.John's books. Historical fiction does not get any better than this. St.John has made history come alive and WOW, what a journey. What a story. This is a book that will break your heart, but at the same time, mend it. It is exceptional. When historical fiction is written this way, there is no such thing as too much.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy ofWritten in their StarsAmazon UK • Amazon US

Elizabeth St.John
Elizabeth St.John was brought up in England and lives in California. To inform her writing, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Nottingham Castle, Lydiard Park, and Castle Fonmon to the Tower of London. Although the family sold a few castles and 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 imprint. And the occasional ghost.

Elizabeth’s debut novel, The Lady of the Tower, has been an Amazon best seller since its release in 2016, and has won numerous awards for historical fiction. By Love Divided, the second in The Lydiard Chronicles series, follows the fortunes of the St.John family during the English Civil War,  and was featured a the 2018 Swindon Festival of Literature as well as recognized with an “Editors’ Choice” by the Historical Novel Society.  Elizabeth’s currently working on the next in the series, telling of the lives of the St.John women after the Civil War and into the Restoration.

Elizabeth loves to hear from readers, you can find her: Website• Amazon Author Page • Twitter• Facebook

Deborah Swift is talking about the challenges of Writing Historical Fiction based on a Diary. There is also a chance to check out Deborah's fabulous new book — Entertaining Mr Pepys @swiftstory

Entertaining Mr Pepys
Amazon

Deborah Swift
Deborah Swift is the author of three previous historical novels for adults, The Lady’s Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and A Divided Inheritance, all published by Macmillan/St Martin’s Press, as well as the Highway Trilogy for teens (and anyone young at heart!). Her first novel was shortlisted for the Impress prize for new novelists.
She lives on the edge of the beautiful and literary English Lake District – a place made famous by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Connect with Deborah: Website •Facebook• Twitter• Goodreads.

Check out Christine Hancock's fabulous #NewRelease — Bright Blade:The Byrhtnoth Chronicles: Book 3 #HistoricalFiction @YoungByrhtnoth

Bright BladeThe Byrhtnoth Chronicles: Book 3By Christine Hancock



Byrhtnoth thinks only of killing the man who stole his sword and wounded his wife. But the blade of revenge can strike both ways.
Erik Bloodaxe has broken his oath and claimed the throne of York. In his anger, King Eadred sends his army to ravage Northumbria. Sent north with the ships, Byrhtnoth suffers storms at sea and fire on land.
After an encounter with an old enemy he is left broken, in mind and body.Can Byrhtnoth survive until help arrives?
Will he ever fight again?

Excerpt


I sat in the sun sharpening my sword and thinking about the man I would kill. Not that I knew when and where the deed would be done, only that I would do it, and I hoped it would be soon. Holding up the weapon, I squinted down the length of the gleaming blade. It was straight and true. I plucked a hair from my head and dropped it onto the edge. The two halves fell to the ground. It would do, for now.
I had never possessed a sword like this: new forged and entirely my own. Lord Athelstan had sent it and my wife had presented it to me on our wedding day, as part of that ceremony. It was a reward for my service for him the previous year.
We had married at Christmas, now it was close to Easter. My wife had named the sword Wolf's Claw. I remembered the night when the garnets of the hilt had glinted in the firelight like eyes. She had explored the barely healed scars on my body inflicted by the wolf I had fought in Northumbria. She had her own scars. I could not blame the wolf for fighting for his life, but I did blame the man who had marked her. I thrust the sword back into the sheath as if it was his bloody flesh. The blade was eager to taste blood, Egbert's blood.
Pick up your copy ofBright BladeAmazon UK




Christine Hancock
I was born in Essex and moved to Rugby, Warwickshire when I married. I have a husband, two sons and two lovely grandchildren.
I am a long-term family historian, leader of the local history group and town guide.
I had never thought of becoming an author – I just wanted to write about some of my ancestors. In 2013 I joined a writing class. The class turned out to be about writing fiction. Before I knew it, I was writing a novel.
Byrhtnoth was a real warrior who died in the 991 Battle of Maldon, made famous by the Anglo-Saxon poem of that name. Growing up in Essex, I visited Maldon often, and attended the 1000 year anniversary of the battle in 1991.I wanted to find out what made Byrhtnoth such a famous warrior.
I finished the book but found it had become a series – how long, I have yet to find out.
Connect with Christine: Blog • Facebook • Twitter

Check out Elizabeth St.John's fabulous new book — Written in their Stars #HistoricalFiction #CivilWar #NewRelease @ElizStJohn

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Nan exploits her high-ranking position as Countess of Rochester to manipulate England’s great divide, flouting Cromwell and establishing a Royalist spy network as Frances and her husband Allen join the destitute prince in Paris’s Louvre Palace to support his restoration. As the women work from the shadows to topple Cromwell’s regime, their husbands fight openly for the throne on England’s bloody battlefields.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">But will the return of the king be a victory, or could it rip apart the very heart of their family<span style="background: white;">? Separated by loyalty and </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">bound by love, Luce, Nan and Frances hold the fate of England—and their family—in their hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">A true story based on surviving memoirs of Elizabeth St.John's family, Written in their Stars is the third novel in the Lydiard Chronicles series.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Pick up your copy of <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Written in the Stars<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Written-thei... UK</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Written-their-... US</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Elizabeth St.John</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eb9MWSJc7y..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eb9MWSJc7y..." /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Elizabeth St.John was brought up in England and lives in California. To inform her writing, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Nottingham Castle, Lydiard Park, and Castle Fonmon to the Tower of London. Although the family sold a few castles and 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 imprint. And the occasional ghost.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Elizabeth’s debut novel, The Lady of the Tower, has been an Amazon best seller since its release in 2016, and has won numerous awards for historical fiction. By Love Divided, the second in The Lydiard Chronicles series, follows the fortunes of the St.John family during the English Civil War,  and was featured a the 2018 Swindon Festival of Literature as well as recognized with an “Editors’ Choice” by the Historical Novel Society.  Elizabeth’s currently working on the next in the series, telling of the lives of the St.John women after the Civil War and into the Restoration.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Elizabeth loves to hear from readers, you can find her: <a href="http://www.elizabethjstjohn.com/"... style="color: #444444;">Website</span></a>, <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/AmazonElizStJo... style="color: #444444;">Amazon Author Page</span></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ElizStJohn"&... style="color: #444444;">Twitter</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethJSt... style="color: #444444;">Facebook</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt;"><br /></div><br />