Linnea Tanner's Blog, page 7
April 20, 2025
Katherine Mezzacappa The Ballad of Mary Kearney #HistoricalFiction #IrishHistory #WomensFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn
I‘m delighted to welcome Katherine Mezzacappa as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between April 14th – 25th, 2025. Katherine Mezzacappa is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Ballad of Mary Kearney, published by Histria on 14th January 2025 (288 pages).
Below are highlights of The Ballad of Mary Kearney, Katherine Mezzacappa’s author bio, and a guest blog about the historical background for the novel.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/03/blog-tour-the-ballad-of-mary-kearney-by-katherine-mezzacappa.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF MARY KEARNEY
The Ballad of Mary Kearney
by Katherine Mezzacappa
Blurb:
‘I am dead, my Mary; the man who loved you body and soul lies in some dishonorable grave.’ In County Down, Ireland, in 1767, a nobleman secretly marries his servant, in defiance of law, class, and religion. Can their love survive tumultuous times?
‘Honest and intriguing, this gripping saga will transport and inspire you, and it just might break your heart. Highly recommended.’ Historical Novel Society
‘Mezzacappa brings nuance and a great depth of historical knowledge to the cross-class romance between a servant and a nobleman.’ Publishers Weekly.
The Ballad of Mary Kearney is a compelling must-read for anyone interested in Irish history, told through the means of an enduring but ultimately tragic love.
Triggers: Some scenes of violence, including judicial killing; rape.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3yxPpJ
AUTHOR BIO: KATHERINE MEZZACAPPA
Katherine Mezzacappa is Irish but currently lives in Carrara, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea. She wrote The Ballad of Mary Kearney (Histria) and The Maiden of Florence (Fairlight) under her own name, as well as four historical novels (2020-2023) with Zaffre, writing as Katie Hutton. She also has three contemporary novels with Romaunce Books, under the pen name Kate Zarrelli.
Katherine’s short fiction has been published in journals worldwide. She has in addition published academically in the field of 19th century ephemeral illustrated fiction, and in management theory. She has been awarded competitive residencies by the Irish Writers Centre, the Danish Centre for Writers and Translators and (to come) the Latvian Writers House.
Katherine also works as a manuscript assessor and as a reader and judge for an international short story competition. She has in the past been a management consultant, translator, museum curator, library assistant, lecturer in History of Art, sewing machinist and geriatric care assistant. In her spare time she volunteers with a second-hand book charity of which she is a founder member. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Historical Novel Society, the Irish Writers Centre, the Irish Writers Union, Irish PEN / PEN na hÉireann and the Romantic Novelists Association, and reviews for the Historical Novel Review. She has a first degree in History of Art from UEA, an M.Litt. in Eng. Lit. from Durham and a Masters in Creative Writing from Canterbury Christ Church. She is represented by Annette Green Authors’ Agency.
Author Links:
Website: https://katherinemezzacappa.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherinemezzacappafiction
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mezzacappa-09407815/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katmezzacappa/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katmezzacappa.bsky.social
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/katherinemezzacappa
GUEST POST: KATHERINE MEZZACAPPA
Thank you for inviting me onto your blog today, Linnea.
You have asked me about the historical background to The Ballad of Mary Kearney. In a way it owes a lot to my own historical background, even if I wasn’t around in the 18th century! I was born in Carrickfergus in Co Antrim, a coastal town dominated by a massive Norman castle, built by an Anglo-Norman knight, John de Courcy, in 1177. William of Orange landed in Carrickfergus in 1690. Louis MacNeice’s poem of 1937 with the town’s name as its title references the fault lines in the north of Ireland that I remember from childhood, when he writes: ‘The Scotch Quarter was a line of residential houses/ But the Irish Quarter was a slum for the blind and halt.’ There is too the folk song, beginning ‘I wish I was in Carrickfergus.’
It was also the place where a Presbyterian farmer, William Orr, was hanged in 1797, having been found guilty of administering the oath of the United Irishmen to a soldier, after what was widely seen as a show-trial. I first learned of the United Irishmen and the Rebellion of 1798 in a Belfast primary school in 1973. It was the United bit that startled me because it really didn’t fit with the divisive narrative of the Troubles. Here’s one of the shorter versions of the oath: ‘I, [name], do voluntarily declare that I will persevere and endeavour to form a Brotherhood of affection amongst Irishmen of every religious persuasion [my italics]. I do further declare that I will persevere and endeavour for a Parliamentary Reform, and for an equal representation of all the people in Ireland.’ People then meant men, for female emancipation was still a long way in the future, but what was so remarkable for me, aged 11, is that here was an organisation whose stated aim was equal rights regardless of creed, something that was so contrary to what was happening in Belfast then. Furthermore, its leadership was mainly Protestant.
Another element of the historical inspiration for my novel was the Anglo-Irish ‘Big House.’ Ascendancy landowners, granted their estates in the land grabs of the seventeenth-century under Cromwell and then William III, built vast homes for themselves, often in the Palladian style they had observed when on the Grand Tour in Italy. The rents of tenant farmers, whose forbears had once owned the land they farmed, would keep a titled family in considerable magnificence – the family might not even be in residence much of the time (Maria Edgeworth’s novel Castle Rackrent, 1800, has this as a theme). These Ascendancy families were effectively cut off from interaction with the local population (excepting the servants) by a demesne wall enclosing often elegant parkland. Land reform, rising costs, the difficulty of getting domestic staff post WWI, and finally independence led to the decline of these landed estates. Around 275 of these houses were burned by the IRA, selected often according to how bad the family had been as a landlord.
I was familiar with the remnants of this landed class from a young age. My father worked for the Public Record Office in Belfast and he would regularly take me with him when he went to meet the owners of these houses to organise the transfer of their archives to Belfast. So, I would be left with a book in some magnificent but sometimes shabby room in a vast, almost uninhabited mansion, while Dad worked. I went back to one of these houses in the mid-1980s, as an adult. I remember a vast oak staircase you could have ridden a horse up, a glass-less, rusting Victorian greenhouse with trees growing through it, and the elderly owner and her middle-aged daughter living in two rooms with a bar fire. The daughter showed me the ballroom, with its wall of rare chinoiserie wallpaper. She said she thought it was looking a bit scruffy so she’d been cutting out photographs of birds from the Sunday magazines and glueing them onto it (I was a museum curator at the time and just about had a fit).
The Ballad of Mary Kearney is set in the heyday of these grand houses. What would happen, if the heir to one of them cast eyes on a maidservant sent in from one of the farms beyond his demesne wall? What would happen to a love which not only breached class barriers, but was also expressly forbidden by law in Ireland at that time, because the two were of different religions? And if the aims of the United Irishmen appealed to this principled young man, what would be the consequences to him and the wife he had chosen against all the odds?
Image Castle Ward: Castle Ward, Co Down. I was taken to this house as a small child, when the owner was still in residence. Castle Ward is now in the care of the National Trust.
Image: Irishdeltaforce. Wikimedia Commons
Image Castletown House: Castletown House, Co Kildare. At one time, the needs of one family were taken care of by eighty-six servants. Castletown is now in the care of the Office of Public Works, Ireland Image: Lori Strang, Wikimedia Commons
Image Castleboro House: The ruins of Castleboro House, Co Wexford, burned by the IRA in 1923. Source: Mike Searle CC BY-SA 2.0 – Geograph Project
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
April 14, 2025
Book Spotlight Oscar’s Tale Chris Bishop #HistoricalFiction #AngloSaxon #Vikings #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @CBishop_author @cathiedunn
I‘m delighted to host the book spotlight for Oscar’s Tale by Chris Bishop in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held today on April 15th, 2025. Oscar’s Tale is a Historical Fiction published by Historical Fiction Company on February 25th, 2025 (166 pages)
Below are highlights of Oscar’s Tale and Chris Bishop’s author bio.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-oscars-tale-by-chris-bishop.html
HIGHLIGHTS: OSCAR’S TALE
Oscar’s Tale
By Chris Bishop
Blurb:
Oscar’s Tale is that of a Saxon boy who sets out to find and rescue his father who has been taken by Viking slavers.
The story begins in 877, just prior to the Viking attack on Chippenham in which King Alfred was routed. Against this backdrop, Oscar is obliged to set out on his all but impossible quest and quickly becomes embroiled in all that’s going on in Wessex at this turbulent time, culminating in him playing a small but important part in the battle at Edington.
But this is not just a story about blood thirsty battles and fearsome warriors, it’s about a boy struggling to live up to his father’s reputation as a warrior and trying to find his place in a dangerous and uncertain world. For that, he is forced to confront many dangers and earn the respect of others who are far above his station. Along the way he also finds love – albeit at a cost far higher than most would have been willing to pay.
‘For is it not the wish of every man that his son will achieve more in life than he did?’
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bwQQ99
AUTHOR BIO: CHRIS BISHOP
Chris Bishop was born in London in 1951. After a successful career as a Chartered Surveyor, he retired to concentrate on writing, combining this with his lifelong interest in Anglo Saxon history.
His first novel, Blood and Destiny, was published in 2017 and his second, The Warrior with the Pierced Heart, in 2018 followed by The Final Reckoning in 2019 and Bloodlines in 2020. Together they form a series entitled The Shadow of the Raven, the fifth and final part of which – The Prodigal Son – was published in 2023.
Chris has published numerous blogs about various aspects of Anglo Saxon history and is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association.
Author Links:
Website: www.chrisbishopauthor.com
Twitter: https://x.com/CBishop_author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/207271.Chris_Bishop
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
April 9, 2025
Fantasy Giveaway #Fantasy #booklovers #bookreaders
FANTASY GIVEAWAYAs an author and fellow reading enthusiast, I wanted to share an incredible opportunity with you. I recently joined an amazing group giveaway, featuring some of the best Fantasy authors out there, and I think you’ll love it!Explore more and join the fun here: https://cravebooks.com/giveaway/fantasyNot only have I contributed one of my own novels to this exciting event, but numerous other talented authors have also joined in, providing you with the chance to dive into a treasure trove of captivating stories.But that’s not all! By participating in this giveaway, you’ll be entered to win an array of free books and other fantastic prizes. One lucky winner will even receive a brand-new Kindle Fire Tablet 7 to enjoy their new reads on!Don’t miss out on this unique chance to expand your library and discover fresh, engaging stories. Sign up now: https://cravebooks.com/giveaway/fantasy
April 7, 2025
Brigitte Barnard The Tudor Queens’ Midwife #TheTudorMidwife #HistoricalFiction #TudorFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @thetudormidwife @cathiedunn
I‘m delighted to welcome Brigitte Barnard as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between March 31st – April 11th, 2025. Brigitte Barnard is the author of the Historical Fiction / Tudor Fiction, The Tudor Queens’ Midwife (The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, Book 1), independently published by the author on January 3rd, 2025 (299 pages).
Below are highlights of The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, Brigitte Barnard’s author bio, and a heartbreaking excerpt from her book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-the-tudor-queens-midwife-by-brigitte-barnard.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE TUDOR QUEENS’ MIDWIFE
The Tudor Queens’ Midwife
(The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, Book 1)
By Brigitte Barnard
Blurb:
In the glamorous, glittering and dangerous court of king Henry VIII and his queen Katherine of Aragon, the desperate desire for a healthy male heir overshadows all. Plagued by a series of miscarriages the queen is left grappling with the weight of her singular duty to provide a son for the Crown. Amidst this turmoil the queen turns to Sarah Menendez, the most highly skilled midwife in England. Sarah, exiled from her homeland and concealing her true identity must serve the queen and battle her deepest fears. As Sarah strives to save the queen from the perils of childbirth, the specter of her own past threatens to unravel the carefully crafted identity Sarah has created for herself and her young daughter.
In a world where power, politics and religion collide, Sarah finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue and deadly danger. The fate of the queen’s unborn child, the survival of the midwife and her daughter, and the stability of the kingdom hang in the balance. Sarah Menendez must employ all of her skills, cunning and courage to protect those she holds dear as well as the life of the queen and her unborn child.
The Tudor Queens’ Midwife is a gripping tale of secrecy, sacrifice and religious turmoil amongst the most opulent court the world has ever seen.
Trigger Points: Stillbirth
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jzxyk
AUTHOR’S BIO: BRIGITTE BARNARD
Brigitte Barnard is an amateur historian of Renaissance English history and an author of the trilogy The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, of which the first book in the series is available. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about Tudor midwifery for Pen and Sword publishing house.
Brigitte is a former homebirth midwife, and she lives at home with her husband and four children. She also raises Cavalier King Charles spaniels.
Author Links:
Website: http://thetudormidwife.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheTudorMidwife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetudormidwife
EXCERPT: THE TUDOR QUEENS’ MIDWIFE
The queen is struggling, and it’s still only twelve hours into her labour—she can be at this for much longer if I’m any judge.
Katherine then addresses her friend, “Maria, will you please give me my rosary so that I might pray?”
Maria de Salinas reaches into a little velvet bag on a rosewood table beside the bed. She places in the queen’s hands her ivory and diamond rosary, and the queen begins saying her rosary over and over again. The contractions seem to have subsided—yet another bad sign.
I motion to my daughter, and she gets uprises from the bed and comes to stand next to me.
I walk her over to the corner of the room, saying quietly in her ear, “I’m starting to feel concerned… this labour… I don’t know, there’s something wrong. I can’t put my finger on it, but I also can’t shake this feeling that something’s not right. I’m going to brew her an herbal draught that I hope will strengthen her womb. What should I put in it?”
My daughter is my apprentice. I am teaching her everything I know so she will one day follow in my footsteps and become the most competent midwife I can train her to be.
“I think we should try making her a tea with red raspberry leaves and perhaps some angelica root and, I don’t know, maybe some willow bark?”
“Excellent. Please go into my bag and pull out those herbs. I also want you to put aside some pennyroyal in case we need to use it, but I hope we won’t.”
As my daughter is gathering the herbs together, I walk over to the group of ladies and ask one of them if she could please go and fetch me a goblet of mulled wine sweetened with honey for the queen. A young woman jumps up, happy to be assisting the midwives and bustles out of the room to find a steward to go to the kitchens for her.
When everything is prepared to my satisfaction, I place the goblet of warm spiced wine and steeped herbs into the queen’s hands.
“Drink this, Your Majesty. It has honey and specially prepared herbs that will fortify your labour.”
Queen Katherine puts aside her rosary and, raising the goblet to her lips, takes a sip.
“Come now, Your Majesty, drink that all down,” I say encouragingly.
The queen motions to my daughter, “Come here, child.” Dutifully, my daughter comes to stand in front of Katherine. “Did I hear your mother call you Faith?”
My daughter glances over at me. I nod my head imperceptibly.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” she says.
“Such a beautiful name,” says the queen. “And you are a good Christian girl? You study your catechism every day?”
My daughter’s eyes are downcast, firmly fixed on the floor beneath her, but she answers readily. “Oh, yes! Mother gives me lessons every day.”
“That is good,” says Katherine. “Your mother is very lucky to have such an avid pupil.”
The queen’s Spanish companion is watching this scene, studying my daughter closely through narrowed black eyes.
A jolt of fear grips my heart when I see Maria de Salinas scrutinizing my daughter. I recognize the look and a cold terror grips my very bowels. She knows who we are, I think. I say out loud, “Faith, where have you misplaced the tincture of pennyroyal? Please come here and find it for me!”
My puzzled daughter looks over at me, and I give her a frown. She bobs a little curtsy to the queen and comes over to where I’m standing, pretending to search in my bag for the missing herb.
“Mama, what??”
“Shh!” I interrupt my daughter before the words are out of her mouth. Reprimanded, my daughter hangs her head but doesn’t utter another word.
I look over at the queen, and the Spaniard’s dark gaze is still fixed on us.
“We should also try to rest a bit while the queen’s labour has a bit of a respite. I have a feeling we’re going to be here for quite some time, so let’s try and take advantage and rest a spell,” I say quietly to my daughter.
We retire to the small pallet in a corner of the queen’s room and pull the thin silk coverlet up over ourselves. The queen’s retinue follows our example, huddling down together on a large, low bed on the other side of the queen’s bedchamber.
It’s not more than two or three hours later when the queen’s pains start up again. Groggily, I make my way over to the queen’s bed and ask her if I may examine her again. Katherine winces as I slide my two fingers inside her and feel the mouth of the womb, which is now much thinner and more open. When I withdraw my fingers, I am satisfied to see some bloody mucus. This is a good sign that her labour is well and truly underway.
We are all exhausted at this point, when the queen’s demeanour changes. She climbs back into the bed, moving around, trying desperately to find a comfortable position. I watch her, but I don’t direct her. In my experience, it’s always best to leave the labouring woman alone and let her find her own way.
The queen moves onto all fours and begins to rock back and forth, moaning rhythmically. I move behind her, and my daughter comes to stand next to me. The moving stops, and the queen shrieks.
“¡No puedo hacer esto, María! ¡hazlo parar!”
Maria knits her brows together, but her voice is calm as she replies “Puedes hacer esto, eres fuerte y pronto sostendrás a tu hijo!”
The rocking becomes more frantic, and the queen loses control as the urge to bear down takes over.
“Now, Your Majesty, take a deep breath, and when you feel the next pain, I want you to bear down like you do when you are moving your bowels.”
I push the queen’s night rail up over her hips. She makes a low moaning sound deep in her throat and strains as she bears down with her pain.
“That was good, Your Majesty, take deep breaths in and out.”
The queen rests between pains, her head falling low, her whole body visibly relaxing. This pattern repeats itself until the queen screams, and a little head is visible between the queen’s legs.
“Excellent, Your Majesty! I can see the baby’s head! Now, on your next pain, I want you to hold your breath and push as hard as you can.”
Katherine gives a mighty push on the next contraction, and a little baby slithers out. The baby is so tiny. My daughter and I exchange looks. I quickly cut the cord and give the baby to my daughter, and she whisks the baby off. I deliver the afterbirth and put the placenta into a linen towel to be examined later.
One of the queen’s little ladies-in-waiting announces to the guard outside the bedchamber that the baby has been born. The king will be on his way to the queen’s bedchamber shortly. Katherine’s women are helping her into a fresh gown before she climbs into her velvet-draped tester bed. I get up and join my daughter, who is holding the queen’s baby daughter.
The queen’s baby is blue, not breathing, and her limbs are floppy. I rub her briskly with linen towels, but there is no response. I try breathing into her tiny mouth—nothing. The baby is dead, and there is nothing I can do to change that fact. Horrified, my daughter’s eyes hold my gaze as the tears well up. I set my mouth together firmly and briskly shake my head at her once. That’s all she needs to pull herself together. Maria, Katherine’s friend, helps the queen settle back onto her pillows, where she’s resting comfortably.
“Let me see my baby! I want to hold my baby! Why don’t I hear him crying?”
“Rest now, querida,” says Maria, “everything is fine. The midwives are bringing him to you.”
I carry the grim little bundle over to the queen.
“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. Your baby girl is already in heaven.”
The distraught queen lets out a shriek I will remember until my last breath on this earth. No one with a heart could hear such a wail of pure, gut-wrenching agony and not understand the pain that the queen is consumed by. Her first baby, her husband’s heir, dead before she could even draw a breath. The queen’s ladies-in-waiting stand around the bed, some with tears running down their cheeks, others looking shocked and numb.
Maria takes the queen in her arms, and the two rock gently back and forth together as their mingled tears stains the bedclothes. My daughter and I walk over to the other side of the room with the baby’s corpse still in my arms. We wrap the little infant in linen towels and place her gently on the sideboard.
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
April 6, 2025
Helen Hollick Kathy Holly Ghost Encounters #GhostEncounters #Ghosts #NorthDevon #FriendlyGhosts #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @HelenHollick @cathiedunn
I‘m pleased to welcome Helen Hollick with Kathy Holly back as featured authors in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between April 7th – 9th, 2025. They are the authors of the non-fiction book (with a bonus of two short stories), Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon, published by Taw River Press on 27th February 2025 (201 pages).
Below are highlights of Ghost Encounters, author bios for Helen Hollick and Kathy Hollick, and an excerpt from their book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-ghost-encounters-by-helen-hollick-and-kathy-hollick.html
HIGHLIGHTS OF GHOST ENCOUNTERS:
THE LINGERING SPIRITS OF NORTH DEVON
Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon
By Helen Hollick
With Kathy Hollick
Blurb:
Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.
You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.
It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.
In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.
Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history… and a few of its ghosts.
(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)
cover design: Avalon Graphics
cover artwork: Chris Collingwood
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
This title will be available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
AUTHOR BIOSABOUT HELEN HOLLICK
Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur.
In addition to her historical fiction, Helen has written several short stories, further exploring themes of historical adventure or the supernatural with her signature style. Whether dealing with the echoes of the past or the weight of lost souls, her stories are as compelling as they are convincing. Through her work, she invites readers into a world where the past never truly lets us go.
Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.
Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book…
ABOUT KATHY HOLLICK
Diagnosed as severely dyslexic when she was ten, Helen pulled Kathy out of school at fifteen to concentrate on everything equine.
When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy’s passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own Welsh pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues.
Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals.
She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown.
Authors’ Links:
Helen Hollick
Website Twitter Facebook Bluesky
Blog: supporting authors & their books
Monthly ‘newsletter’: Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse
Kathy Hollick
Facebook: North Devon – Taw River Equine Events
EXCERPT OF GHOST ENCOUNTERS:
THE LINGERING SPIRITS OF NORTH DEVON
Here in North Devon, spirits from the past might be encountered where they would be expected – on battle sites, in old pubs and inns, walking the corridors of old houses or lingering on the dockside where tall ships once dropped anchor. But they can also be found beside busy roads, strolling along quiet country lanes, and even keeping an eye on a busy modern car park. And lingering spirits are not limited to people, for animals remain among us as well. It is, I think, comforting to know that our loved ones – human and pets – are, in some way, still with us.
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not is a matter for individual consideration, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Those who came before us and who chose to remain among us, whether strangers or relatives and ancestors, are to be welcomed, not feared.
Many of the encounters related in this narrative are personal in origin, not second-hand anecdotes or over-dramatised (and mostly unbelievable) tales to deliberately scare and frighten. Some of the private locations mentioned are inaccessible to public scrutiny, but there are enough public places, such as old pubs, villages and beaches, for ghost enthusiasts to explore, and maybe experience a friendly encounter or two.
Accompanied by photographs of some of the locations and animals featured in the text, Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history. And a few of its ghosts.
Find out more – and meet a few ghosts – in Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
April 2, 2025
Book Review Strait Lace Rosemary Hayward #StraitLace #HistoricalFiction #WomenInHistory #Suffragettes #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Rosemary Hayward as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between March 13th – April 3rd, 2025. Rosemary Hayward is the author of the Historical Fiction, Strait Lace, published by Loxley Hall Books on March 8th, 2025 (400 pages).
Below are highlights of Strait Lace, Rosemary Hayward’s author bio, and my review of her book that covers the momentous suffragist movement in early twentieth century England.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-tour-strait-lace-by-rosemary-hayward.html
HIGHLIGHTS: STRAIT LACE
Strait Lace
by Rosemary Hayward
Blurb:
It is 1905. Edwardian England. Harriet Loxley, the daughter of a vicar and niece to a prominent Nottingham lace manufacturer, spends her days playing cricket with her brother, scouring the countryside for botanical specimens, and never missing an opportunity to argue the case for political power for women. Given the chance to visit the House of Commons, Harriet witnesses the failure of a historic bill for women’s voting rights. She also meets the formidable Pankhurst women.
When Harriet gets the chance to study biology at Bedford College, London, she finds her opportunity to be at the heart of the fight. From marching in the street, to speaking to hostile crowds, to hurling stones through windows, just how far will Harriet go?
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mKkLMP
AUTHOR BIO: ROSEMARY HAYWARD
Rosemary Hayward is the author of Margaret Leaving, a historical mystery uncovering little known events that occurred in the immediate aftermath to World War II. She is also the creator of Your Next Book, a deeply nerdy monthly newsletter describing a book picked from her bookshelf, or Kindle.
She is British by birth but now lives part of the year in California and part in southern Spain.
Author Links:
Website Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Threads
Pinterest Book Bub Amazon Author Page Goodreads
BOOK REVIEW: STRAIT LACE
Harriet Loxley, a daughter of a cleric and a niece of a prominent lace manufacturer, receives an invitation from a member of parliament, whom her brother works for, to attend the upcoming debate on the women’s suffrage bill in the House of Commons. Little did she know how the momentous experience and meeting other suffragists would change her life.
The historical fiction novel Strait Lace by Rosemary Hayward takes you back in time to 1905 England when women could not vote or work once married, expected to bear and raise children. With financial aid set up by her uncle in a trust, Harriet has the opportunity to study biology at Bedford College, London. However, she would have to give up her studies and not pursue a career if she ever married her supportive partner. Harriet is drawn into the suffragist movement with the promise that women could vote and correct social inequities. Learning oratory skills from her cleric father, she speaks publicly to hostile crowds. She takes the next steps to gain attention to her cause by protesting, being arrested and jailed, and going on a hunger strike.The ramifications of these acts negatively impact her family and she must reconsider how far she will go to gain the right for women to vote.
Strait Lace is an eye-opening story of a courageous woman who sacrifices almost everything to win the right for women to vote. Harriet is an engaging character who must make difficult decisions that could result in life-altering consequences. One choice she must wrestle with is whether to marry the man she loves. She could lose her position at Bedford College and be unable to pursue a career. Other social issues highlighted in the book include: 1) only property owners could vote, 2) health issues such as unfaithful husbands sexually transmitting infections to their wives, and 3) protesters suffering at the hands of police and being abused in prisons. One of the most heart-wrenching scenes is when a tube is forced down Harriet’s throat to force-feed her during her hunger strike.
Author Rosemary Hayward vividly describes the Edwardian time period and societal expectations. The story works best when the plot and sub-plots focus on women’s suffrage or other social inequities. Subplots of family competition, jealousy, and vengeance sometimes detracted from the overall theme and culminated in a disheartening ending.
For readers who want to learn more the women’s suffrage movement in early 1900’s England, Strait Lace is a compelling story about one woman’s sacrifice so that others could win the right to vote and fulfill their dreams.
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
March 31, 2025
Book Review Sword Brethren Jon Byrne #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalAdventure #medieval #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Jon Byrne as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between March 11th – April 1st, 2025. Jon Byrne is the author of the Historical Fiction (Action/Adventure), Sword Brethren (The Northern Crusader Chronicles), published by The Book Guild on 28th November 2024 (416 pages).
Below are highlights of Sword Brethen, Jon Byrne’s author bio, and my 5-star review of his gripping, coming-of-age adventure set in 13th century Crusades in the Eastern Baltic.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-tour-sword-brethren-by-jon-byrne.html
HIGHLIGHTS: SWORD BRETHREN
Sword Brethren
(The Northern Crusader Chronicles, Book 1)
by Jon Byrne
Blurb:
1242 After being wounded in the Battle on the Ice, Richard Fitz Simon becomes a prisoner of Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod. Alexander, intrigued by his captive’s story, instructs his scholar to assist Richard in writing about his life.
Richard’s chronicle begins in 1203, when his training to be a knight is disrupted by treachery. He is forced to flee England for Lübeck, where he begins work for a greedy salt merchant. After an illicit love affair, his new life is thrown into turmoil, and he joins the Livonian Brothers of the Sword as they embark on imposing the will of God on the pagans of the eastern Baltic. Here, he must reconcile with his new life of prayer, danger and duty – despite his own religious doubts, with as many enemies within the fortified commandery as the wilderness outside. However, when their small outpost in Riga is threatened by a large pagan army, Richard is compelled to make a crucial decision and fight like never before.
Triggers: There are several mild profanities, a non-graphic rape scene and several descriptions of battle and death.
Buy Links:
Universal Ebook Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boVKlV
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sword-brethren-jon-byrne/1146519606?ean=2940184429601
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sword-brethren/jon-byrne/9781835740798
AUTHOR BIO: JON BYRNE
Jon Byrne, originally from London, now lives with his German family by a lake in Bavaria with stunning views of the Alps. As well as writing, he works as a translator for a local IT company and occasionally as a lumberjack.
He has always been fascinated by history and has studied the Medieval world for over twenty years, building up a comprehensive library of books. In his research, he has travelled to all of the locations mentioned in the book (East Anglia, Bremen, Lübeck, Latvia, etc).
Sword Brethren (formerly Brothers of the Sword) made it to the shortlist of the Yeovil Literary Prize 2022 and the longlist of the prestigious Grindstone International Novel Prize 2022. It is the first book in The Northern Crusader Chronicles.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.jonbyrnewriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonByrneAuthor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jon-Byrne/author/B0DJC6PL8D
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52458339.Jon_Byrne
BOOK REVIEW: SWORD BRETHREN
Sword Brethren by Jon Byrne is a gripping, coming-of-age medieval tale told from the perspective of a middle-aged Crusader that begins the story when he is a fourteen-year-old boy living in his father’s castle in England. Training to be a knight, Richard is charged with secretly depositing the deeds and titles of his father’s properties at a distant monastery for safekeeping. Upon his return, Richard discovers his uncle has murdered his father and taken the castle and surrounding lands as his own. To escape death, Richard flees with his father’s German steward, first to London and then to Lübeck. He must learn German and adapt to the rigors of working for a treacherous merchant to survive. His life is again threatened when the ramifications of his illicit affair with the merchant’s daughter comes to light. He must make a difficult decision to join the Livonian Brothers of the Sword just as they embark on a crusade to convert the pagans of the eastern Baltic to Christianity.
Sword Brethren is a page-turning adventure of an impetuous and brash young man who has lost everything but has the wit and courage to survive. Author Jon Byne has masterfully crafted an engaging epic tale told in the first person viewpoint of a middle-age knight with insight on how his youthful decisions impacted his life. It is a rare that a historical adventure has both action-packed scenes yet captures the essence of its characters. The prologue immediately drew me into the story and kept me turning the pages to discover why a noble born in England would fight in a Catholic-sanctioned military order, primarily composed of men from northern Germany. Under what circumstance would Richard, a warrior monk, sire a son?
After a brief background in the beginning chapters, the plot propels into fast-paced action full of tension at every turn. There are cinematic scenes in which Richard barely escapes with his life only to be pulled into another dire situation. The action keeps the readers’ hearts in their throats. Richard often react impulsively with deadly purpose in his youth, but his heart is in the right place. It is a captivating story of a young man determined to survive and to find meaning in his life after great loss. In his quest to avenge his father and to regain his heritage, he also finds love and deep friendships.
Sword Brethren is a promising start to The Northern Crusader Chronicles for which I’ll keep my eye on future books by John Byrne. I highly recommend this compelling medieval action/adventure for its heartfelt epic tale of a young English noble catapulted as a Teutonic Knight into the lesser-known Crusades in the Baltic regions
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
March 27, 2025
Howard Jay Smith Viva Violetta & Verdi #HistoricalFiction #BiographicalHistoricalFiction #Verdi #ClassicalMusic #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBook Club @cathiedunn
I‘m pleased to welcome Howard Jay Smith as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between March 24th – 28th, 2025. Howard Jay Smith is the author of the Historical Fiction, Viva Violetta & Verdi, released by Historium Press on January 28th, 2025 (256 pages).
Below are highlights of Viva Violetta & Verdi, Howard Jay Smith’s author bio, and an excerpt from his book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-viva-violetta-and-verdi-by-howard-jay-smith.html
HIGHLIGHTS: VIVA VIOLETTA & VERDI
Viva Violetta & Verdi
by Howard Jay Smith
Blurb:
A Love Affair Inspiring the World’s Most Unforgettable Operas:
Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi’s most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius.
Set against the backdrop of Italy’s Risorgimento, this sweeping novel intertwines their turbulent relationship with the nation’s fierce struggle for independence. Through the heartbreak of three brutal wars, Verdi and Strepponi’s passion, betrayal, and artistic ambition come alive, mirroring the era’s fiery spirit.
Rich with themes of love, power, food, wine, and unrelenting passion, Viva Violetta & Verdi is an unforgettable exploration of art, resilience, and the enduring bond that transformed both an artist and a nation.
Praise for Violetta & Verdi:
“A stunning, significant book…that is rich, lush and drenched in knowledge. It is nothing less than a gift.” – Sheila Weller
“Smith’s historic drama embraces universal themes of class and religious persecution, and weaves gorgeous language with an intimate knowledge of Italian food, music, and political hypocrisy that contemporary readers will find irresistible.” – Jessica Keener
“Viva Violetta & Verdi is a well-researched love letter to Verdi; fans are sure to love.” – Leslie Zemeckis
“Perfection. You are right there, inhaling and breathing in the words, the smell, and each piece of music. Bravo. It is both a love song and a love letter to the irrefutable power of Verdi’s muse, Violetta.” – Amy Ferris
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bxyr2d
AUTHOR BIO: HOWARD JAY SMITH
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Howard Jay Smith is an award-winning writer from Santa Barbara, California.
Viva Violetta & Verdi is his third novel in his series on great composers, including Beethoven in Love: OPUS 139 and Meeting Mozart: From the Secret Diaries of Lorenzo DaPonte.
His other books include Opening the Doors to Hollywoord (Random House) and John Gardner: An Interview (New London Press). He was recently awarded a Profant Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Excellence in Writing.
Smith is a former two-time Bread Loaf Scholar and three-time Washington, D.C. Commission for the Arts Fellow, who taught for many years in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program and has lectured nationally. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, American Heritage Magazine, the Beethoven Journal, Horizon Magazine, Fig Tree Press, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America, the Ojai Quarterly, and numerous trade publications. While an executive at the ABC Television, Embassy TV, and Academy Home Entertainment he worked on numerous film, television, radio and commercial projects.
He serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Symphony and is a member of the American Beethoven Society.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.historiumpress.com/howard-jay-smith
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009914652603
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Howard-Jay-Smith/author/B072FL7Y6P
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14208462.Howard_Jay_Smith
EXCERPT: VIVA VIOLETTA & VERDI
Sacchetti al Tartufo
Tre reassured me that everything would be perfect. “We will have enough food and drink to last us until dawn. It will be a night worthy of the Maestro Verdi himself.”
It was after all a menu that Verdi had not only suggested, it was one he had insisted upon when we last dined together only days before he had passed away. In addition to endless salumi platters heaped high with miles of sliced meats and exotic cheeses, Tre had specialty ordered barrels of wine from across the breadth and depth of our still new nation that Verdi loved: Nero D’Avola from Sicily, Brunello from Montalcino, Sangiovese from Tuscany, Barolo and Barbera from the Piemonte, Taurasi from Naples, Prosecco from the Veneto, and Cagnulari from Sardinia. But the centerpiece of the evening, the specialty dish Verdi had specifically asked for was one he had enjoyed at Ca’ Dario for nearly seventy years, our Sacchetti al Tartufo, a satchel shaped dumpling filled with ricotta cheese and black truffles that was served in a delicate parmigiano white sauce. In Verdi’s own words, not only was it the most delicious dish that ever graced his palate, it was the one he most associated with the Risorgimento. To be Italian is to be passionate about food, opera and l’amore stesso – love itself. Verdi, the quintessential Italian, had his first taste of our Sacchetti al Tartufo on the night the revolution to birth a free and democratic Republic of Italy began. And his honor, for tonight only, we added a garnish of fresh basil and finely chopped bits sweet red peppers to the Sacchetti’s white sauce to echo the tricolors of our national flag.
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
March 20, 2025
Book Spotlight The Rune Stone Julia Ibbotson #TimeTravel #AngloSaxon #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @JuliaIbbotson @cathiedunn
I‘m delighted to host the book spotlight for The Rune Stone (Dr DuLac series Book #3) by Julia Ibbotson in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between March 17th – 21st, 2025. The Rune Stone is a Historical Romance (timeslip mystery) published by Archbury Books on December 8th, 2021 (294 pages (ebook) / 376 pages (paperback)
Below are highlights of The Rune Stone and Julia Ibbotson’s author bio.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-tour-the-rune-stone-by-julia-ibbotson.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE RUNE STONE
The Rune Stone
(Dr DuLac series Book #3)
by Julia Ibbotson
Blurb:
A haunting time-slip mystery of runes and romance
When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected.
She, once again, feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present. Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life?
Again, lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both, without changing the course of history.
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
Praise for Julia Ibbotson:
For A Shape on the Air: “In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” –Historical Novel Society
For the series: “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – book tour reviewer
For The Rune Stone: “Beautifully written”, “absorbing and captivating”, “fully immersive”, “wonderfully written characters”, “a skilled story teller” – Amazon reviewers
“Dr Ibbotson has created living, breathing characters that will remain in the reader’s mind long after the book is read … The characters are brought to life beautifully with perfect economy of description … fabulous!” – Melissa Morgan
“A rich and evocative time-slip novel that beautifully and satisfyingly concludes this superb trilogy. The story is woven seamlessly and skilfully between the past and the present and the reader is drawn deeply into both worlds. Her portrayal of the 6th century and its way of life are authoritative, vivid and memorable.” – Kate Sullivan
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://myBook.to/TRS
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
AUTHOR BIO: JULIA IBBOTSON
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics.
After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is a new series of Anglo-Saxon mystery romances, beginning with Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Julia’s novels will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
Author Links:
Amazon Author page Author website & blog Facebook (author) Twitter
Instagram Pinterest Goodreads author page Bluesky
Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
March 14, 2025
March Colorado Barnes & Noble Book Fairs Colorado Blvd Mar 15th Superior CO Mar 16th @BN @BNColoradoBlvd @BNSuperiorCO @COGreatAuthors @JudithBriles #Colorado #books #gifts #weekend #bookreaders
Barnes & Noble Colorado Book Fairs
Children’s, Action, Fantasy, Romance
and How-to Books Await You!
Perfect for Gifts
B&N Colorado Blvd (Mar 15th) & B&N Superior CO (Mar 16th)
Join me and other award-winning and best-selling local authors at the Colorado Barnes & Noble Book Fairs in support of the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame. On Saturday, March 15th, we’ll be at the B&N Colorado Blvd (960 S Colorado Blvd, Glendale, CO 80246) to sign books from 10 am to 5 pm. On Sunday, we will be at the recently opened B&N Superior CO (550 Marshall Rd Unit 2A, Superior, CO 80027) from 10 am to 5 pm.
B&N Colorado Blvd on Saturday, March 15th
B&N Superior CO on Sunday, March 16th
The signing events will feature local authors of all genres including children’s books, YA fantasy, epic fantasy, suspense, historical fiction, romance, self-help and more. For any purchase that you make at each respective bookstore, Barnes & Noble will contribute to the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame.
For more information about the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame, the Aspiring Authors Scholarships, and the Induction of Authors Connected to Colorado, visit www.ColoradoAuthorsHallofFame.org
Join us at the nearest B&N bookstore to you!
