A.L. Lester's Blog, page 31

reading roundup: July

I’ve been oxer-deep in reading this month and have seven books to share. The Cricketer’s Arms, Garrick Jones A gay romance/murder mystery set in 1950s Sydney. I loved this. I’ve probably said before that I think Garrick Jones’ historical detail is second to none. The combination of a murder mystery and romantic shenanigans is basically … Continue reading "reading roundup: July"

excerpt: the flowers of time

As promised, this week I have an excerpt from The Flowers of Time for you. Set in the 1780s, in England and Northern India, the main characters are Jones, a non-binary archaeologist who has lived in the mountains for most of her life, and Edith, who is a botanical illustrator. If Pater hadn’t made Jones … Continue reading "excerpt: the flowers of time"

life chaos abounds

I missed last week’s post because life got in the way, I’m sorry. Littlest has been in plaster casts on her lower legs and feet for a fortnight after a botox injection in to her ankles. This is to help prevent her feet from curling under any more than they are and hopefully enable her … Continue reading "life chaos abounds"

character sketch: Alec Carter

Alistair Carter, one of the two main protagonists from Lost in Time and Shadows on the Border, is a Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. I imagine him as looking quite like the chap on the left on the cover of Shadows, although with a raincoat and a Homberg hat. He’s in his mid-thirties at … Continue reading "character sketch: Alec Carter"

reading round-up: June

I’ve read lots and lots of lovely books this month, including: Detour by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore I go through phases where I don’t read contemporary romance at all; and when I do. they have to have *something* there to hold my interest. This did, all the way through. Two people with pretty severe … Continue reading "reading round-up: June"

research rabbit-holes for june

The last few weeks’ research rabbit-holes have been pretty varied. I’m still flailing around in the Himalayas and in eighteenth century India for Flowers of Time and on top of that I’m still fact-checking for Inheritance of Shadows.  This is the stack of reading I took away on holiday last week. It turns out that … Continue reading "research rabbit-holes for june"

here, there and everywhere

This week’s post is a lazy one, just a heads up to a couple of other things I’ve written in the last few weeks. (I’m on my holidays this week, in Devon with the family). Firstly, my monthly newsletter has got some ramblings about where I am with work and dachshunds, plus a link to … Continue reading "here, there and everywhere"

works in progress: progressing, and that’s about all

I’ve done a load over the last month, but not much of it actual writing. Because of the shenanigans with MailChimp pricing levels, I’ve ported my newsletter over to MailerLite, which I think will be a good thing long term, but was a pain in the neck to do at the time. And I’ve done … Continue reading "works in progress: progressing, and that’s about all"

reading roundup: May

A quick round-up of some of my reads this month, in no particular order. These have mostly gone up on Instagram over the course of the month… you can find me there as CogentHippo. Under the Radar by Lillian Francis A slow burn love affair between submariners in WW2. Fantastic historical detail that helps give … Continue reading "reading roundup: May"

York: Roman, Medieval, Viking. And geese.

I lived in York for three years during college. It’s a beautiful city, small and full of history. My degree was a joint effort in history and archaeology and it was a privilege to just be able to wander round and soak up all the different eras. I kept a narrow focus on medieval Britain … Continue reading "York: Roman, Medieval, Viking. And geese."