Virginia Crow's Blog: Crowvus Book Blog, page 2

#MGMonday Celebrating a Summer of "Doorway to the Sunset"

 I'm sorry I haven't posted a Middle Grade Monday post for a few weeks. The summer holidays have been in full swing and we have been far from idle. At the start of the holiday, I published the sequel to my debut novel. "Taking Wing" came out in July 2019, and it's a great relief to have launched "Doorway to the Sunset" which continues the story.

Not only does it feel great that it's finally out there, but it was super to be back with those characters again. The Feather Down series is a story I tr...

#HistFicThursdays - New Release - The Stealth of Caledon

Tomorrow (15th August), The Stealth of Caledon is released in paperback. I’m meeting this with mixed feelings – excitement and apprehension. I suppose there is nothing unusual about this, but it marks a very significant step for me, and I’m nervous about taking it. The step is that this is the first historical fiction book I’ve published since The Year We Lived… That was more than four years ago, and I’m not sure I can remember now how to do it all!

The Caledon trailer
watch it with sound and you ...

#HistFicThursdays - Inspirational Series - Merlin

 I remember when I was little, watching a Making Of documentary about Robin of Sherwood. One of the points which the writer made was that each person who retells the Robin Hood legend adds a little something to the story. He introduced the idea of the occult – the Baron de Belleme in particular is a terrifying character – and this later influenced other Robin Hood adaptations, including the character of Mortianna in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

You might be surprised to find that this blog is n...

#HistFicThursdays - A Shape on the Air by Julia Ibbotson - Spotlight

 This week for #HistFicThursdays, I'm delighted to be teaming up with The Coffee Pot Book Club to welcome back Julia Ibbotson and her fabulous writing! Here's a spotlight on her brilliant book, A Shape on the Air.

So, let's meet the book...

Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the 'dark ages' unfold.

How...

#HistFicThursday - Gothic Horror - The Clockmaker

One of the shortest stories included in my upcoming anthology was written for an Edgar Allan Poe competition in 2021, in which my work came Runner-Up, and is titled The Clockmaker.

Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for his works of Gothic Horror, but it is easy to forget that he also dabbled in Science Fiction, as did many of his Gothic contemporaries. Indeed, a quick Google search has informed me that there are anthologies which solely contain his Science Fiction.

The Clockmaker was designed to marr...

#HistFicThursdays - Caledon - Book Trailer

Today, I am so excited to share my new series trailer for Caledon. As many of you know, as well as Historical Fiction, I am also a massive fan of fantasy literature. Caledon combines the two.

After launching the first book during lockdown, and the second only making it as far as an eBook, this summer will finally see the print version of The Stealth of Caledon. Next year, The Strength of Caledon (which was serialised on Smashwords last year) will be released, followed by The Wisdom of Caledon (20...

#HistFicThursdays - A Significant Day For A Significant Age

I don't write many older characters. I suppose age - as with most things - is relative in fiction. When I began writing The Watcher's Heir (my will-be-finished-one-day high fantasy epic), I was still at school and my hero began the story aged 25, an age I could not imagine ever reaching but an age I thought would still be considered young by many. If I ever manage to finish and edit that story, I'll be extending his - and a few others' - age!

Having grown older, I've realised the advantages and t...

#HistFicThursdays - The Standing Stone on the Moor by Allie Cresswell - Guest Post

For today's #HistFicThursdays blog, I am delighted to be welcoming Allie Cresswell to the blog with a guest post about her brand new book The Standing Stone on the Moor, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour!

But first, let's meet the book...

Blurb

Yorkshire, 1845.

Folklore whispers that they used to burn witches at the standing stone on the moor. When the wind is easterly, it wails a strange lament. History declares it was placed as a marker, visible for miles—a signpost for the lost, directing ...

#MGMonday: What I've Learned From Blog Tours

June is a 5 Monday month, meaning there's an extra #MGMonday blog to write. This Author Life blog is all about blog tours, and whether they are really worth their while for middle grade books.

What is a blog tour?

In the past, authors would travel around the country, promoting their book at bookshops and festivals. IT was a logistical nightmare, not to mention prohibitively expensive for many authors. Then, there's the headache of making sure you actually have an audience at these events.

Cue, the ...

#HistFicThursdays - Nero and Sporus by SP Somtow - Book Excerpt

 Today for #HistFicThursdays, I am delighted to once again be teaming up with The Coffee Pot Book Club, this time to share an excerpt from SP Somtow's fantastic new book Nero and Sporus!

First of all, let's meet the book...

Finally available in one volume! The decadence of Imperial Rome comes to life in S.P. Somtow's Literary Titan Award-winning novel about one of ancient history's wildest characters.

The historian Suetonius tells us that the Emperor Nero emasculated and married his slave Sporus, t...