The Writing Desk

Dressed to Impress: Queen Elizabeth I and the Art of Fashioning Power by Sylvia Barbara Soberton

2026-09-16T05:23:53.586+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

For Elizabeth I, fashion was never simply about looking beautiful—it was a language of power.

From dazzling jewels and pearls to elaborate gowns, ruffs, and sumptuous fabrics, every detail of the Queen’s appearance helped shape the image she presented to her subjects, courtiers, and foreign ambassadors. Dressed to Impress explores how Elizabeth used clothing, jewellery, and portraiture to communicate authority, wealth, femininity, chastity, and majesty.

Discover the woman behind the spectacular costumes—and the remarkable ways in which England’s Virgin Queen transformed fashion into one of the most powerful tools of her reign.

Elizabeth I did not simply wear fashion. She fashioned power.

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About the Author

Sylvia Barbara Soberton is a writer and researcher specialising in the history of the Tudors. She is best known for The Forgotten Tudor Women book series, which concentrates on shifting the perspective from famous figures like Henry VIII’s six wives to the lesser-known, but no less influential, women of the Tudor court. Sylvia has written ten books to date, and her newest titles include The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg & Valois Courts, Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn and Medical Downfall of the Tudors: Sex, Reproduction & Succession. Her ground-breaking paper on Anne Boleyn and the accusation of witchcraft was published in the Royal Studies Journal in 2023. You can find Sylvia on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter @SylviaBSo and Bluesky @sylviabso.bsky.social

Inigo Jones and the Celestial Costume of Queen Henrietta Maria

2026-09-15T14:29:45.285+00:00

There is something otherworldly about this delicate drawing of Queen Henrietta Maria. At first glance, it appears to be a fanciful court dress: a richly decorated gown, enormous sleeves, a jewelled headdress and a sweeping feather. Yet the design was intended for something far more theatrical.

Inigo Jones

The queen's costume was created by architect and stage designer Inigo Jones for her appearance as 'Divine Beauty' in Tempe Restored, the spectacular court masque performed at the Banqueting House, Whitehall, on 14 February 1632.

Jones’s surviving costume design, now in the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth, reveals just how carefully the queen’s appearance was conceived. This was not simply fashionable court dress. Every element had to work under theatrical lighting and contribute to the allegorical world of the masque.

The costume was described by a contemporary observer as being made of “watchet satin” – a pale blue – embroidered with silver stars that appeared to rise from the surface of the fabric. On her head was a crown of stars mixed with small falls of white feathers.

The drawing shows how Inigo Jones transformed those ideas into a costume that would catch the light. The bodice is covered with star-like ornaments, while the enormously rounded sleeves give Henrietta Maria a deliberately impressive silhouette.

The full skirt spreads outward from the waist, creating an almost celestial radiance around the Queen. At the throat, a high, pleated collar frames her face, while the elaborate headdress rises above her head like a constellation. (See Historic Royal Palaces video below.)

For Inigo Jones, costume was inseparable from stagecraft. He understood that the audience at Whitehall would not experience the masque as they might an ordinary play. Music, movement, painted scenery, machinery, lighting, costume and architecture were intended to become one extraordinary spectacle. His designs were particularly concerned with the way materials reflected and caught light, turning embroidered stars and jewels into points of brilliance.

The symbolism was unmistakable. Beauty, embodied by the queen, becomes a force capable of restoring order to the enchanted world of Tempe. The masque therefore made Henrietta Maria herself part of its argument: her physical beauty was presented as a reflection of an inner, moral and almost divine beauty.

It is also worth remembering that Tempe Restored was deeply personal to Henrietta Maria. The masque was dedicated to her, and she was closely involved in its creation and performance. It had originally been planned for an earlier date but was postponed because she was suffering from an eye ailment.

Today, Inigo Jones’s fragile pencil design gives us an extraordinary glimpse behind the spectacle. The surviving drawing is quiet and almost unfinished in appearance. Yet from these few lines emerged one of the most dazzling images of Stuart court culture: a young queen transformed, through silk, silver, feathers, stars and theatrical illusion, into Divine Beauty.

Tony Riches

Silks, Crowns & Fairies: Dressing a 17th Century Queen

Historic Royal Palaces

Blog Tour: London Tales (Short Stories) by Tim Walker

2026-09-14T05:02:08.696+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

London Tales is a collection of sixteen tales that offer dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s timeline, a city with two thousand years of history. They are glimpses of imagined lives at key moments, starting with a prologue in verse from the point of view of a native Briton tribeswoman absorbing the shock of Roman invasion.

Then there’s a tale set in Roman Londinium in 60 CE, from the perspective of terrified legionaries and townsfolk facing the vengeful Iceni queen, Boudica, whose army burnt the fledgling city to the ground.

From Roman Londinium there’s a jump to Saxon Lundenwic in the late eighth century, then onward to the medieval city in 1381 at the time of the Peasant’s Revolt. Then a jump to the second significant conflagration, the Great Fire of London, in 1666.

From there the reader is transported to 1814 and the last ice fair on the frozen River Thames in the year before the battle of Waterloo, then onto an unnerving tale of copycat killings based on the 1888 Jack the Ripper murders. This is followed by a fraught romance set during the Blitz in 1941; then the swinging Sixties and wide-flared seventies are remembered in the life story of fictional policeman, Brian Smith.

There’s a series of contemporary stories that reference recent history and current affairs, including the London terrorist bombings of 2005; a literary pub crawl and a daring prison break, building to the imagined death throes of London in a dystopian vision.

These stories are inspired by the author’s love of history, personal experiences and reflections on his time living and working in London in the 1980’s and 90’s. Adaptability, resilience, conformity and resolve are recurring themes in these stories.

For ten years the author was one of thousands of commuters who’d pour in daily from outlying suburbs to feed the insatiable economic appetite of the city. London’s a busy and at times unfriendly place, driven by the productivity of its inhabitants and set against an incredible landscape of history, art, architectural and cultural development. It both inspires and tires in equal measure.

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About the Author

Tim Walker is an independent author living near Windsor in the UK. Born in Hong Kong in the Sixties, Tim grew up in Liverpool where he began his working life as a trainee reporter on a local newspaper. He went on to attain an honours degree in Communication Studies at the University of Glamorgan in South Wales before moving to London where he worked in the newspaper publishing industry for ten years. In addition to short stories, he researched and wrote a five-book history-meets-legend fiction series, A Light in the Dark Ages. This series connects the end of Roman Britain to the story of a possible historical King Arthur based on scant research material. Find out more at Tim's website and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Bluesky: @timwalker1666.bsky.social

Special Guest Post by Elena Maria Vidal, Author of Generalissima: A Novel of Henrietta Maria: The Henrietta of France Trilogy, Book Two

2026-09-13T05:36:42.699+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

As the Three Kingdoms totter on the brink of anarchy, Henriette-Marie, queen of Charles I, strives to bring up their lively, growing family. In addition to her own health problems, she worries about the welfare of her mother the Dowager Queen of France, who sought refuge in London only to find herself under attack. As Henriette faces choices which may separate herself from her beloved husband and children, she seeks help from the Pope and the Irish Catholics.

Henrietta Maria and Her Mother, Marie de’ Medici

First of all, I would like to thank Tony Riches for opening his popular blog to other historical writers so that we may share our research. I am the author of a biography of Marie-Antoinette as well as six historical novels. The latest two novels are about Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I and they are entitled My Queen, My Love and Generalissima. They are part of an unfinished trilogy; the third instalment Avalon will be out sometime in 2027 or 28.

In my readings about Henrietta of France, I have found that her mother Marie de’ Medici played an enormous role not only in her upbringing but in her ongoing political decisions, as well as shaping her faith, her love of the arts, of music, theater, and architecture.

Queen Marie has ended up playing a much larger role in my novels than I originally would ever have imagined, due to the sheer force of her personality as much as to her real adventures, which included leading rebellions against her son, climbing out of windows to escape the royal guards, and hiding with her entourage of dwarves in a German brewery. All of this followed a glittering career of being Queen Mother Regent of France. Most of the Queen’s life is captured in the spectacular series of twenty-four huge paintings by Rubens, now at the Louvre.

Marie de' Medici, Queen of France, painted by the Flemish Baroque artist

Peter Paul Rubens around 1622.

Marie’s life had always been eventful, however. Born in 1575 in Florence, the youngest daughter of Francesco de' Medici, who was to inherit the Duchy of Tuscany, she was reared in the magnificent Pitti Palace. Marie’s mother, a Habsburg Archduchess, fell down the palace steps when expecting her eighth child and died in agony. Some thought she had been murdered.

Marie’s father married his mistress. Marie was well-educated and healthy but lonely. The stepmother found a companion for Marie: a homely dwarf named Dianora, who claimed to possess psychic powers. In spite of the Florentine court’s penchant for fortune-telling and astrology, Marie remained firmly Catholic her entire life. When in her twenties, word came that the King of France was looking for a wealthy wife.

Henri IV or Henri of Navarre (1553-1610) has been celebrated by the French people as the monarch who was the epitome of justice, kindness, and virility. The fact of his many mistresses and bastards never hindered his popularity, so great were his achievements on behalf of the French people in ending the Wars of Religion. His childless first marriage with his cousin Marguerite de Valois was annulled so that he could have legitimate offspring.

He married the much younger Marie de' Medici in 1600. Queen Marie, loving her husband, suffered from his unfaithfulness. She brought with her Dianora, renamed Leonora. Leonora married another Italian, a thug named Concini who later bullied his way into becoming a marshal of France. After the couple had several children, in 1610 Henri had Marie crowned and anointed at Notre Dame de Paris. The day after her coronation, Henri was stabbed to death in his coach in the streets of Paris. Marie became the Regent for their young son, Louis XIII.

As Regent, Queen Marie chose to avoid war by making peace with the other Catholic powers of Spain and the Empire. She believed that Catholic monarchies should unite to keep Protestantism at bay. Too often Queen Marie is dismissed as being "stupid" in histories of the time. But Henri IV would never have designated Marie to be Regent in case of his death if he had thought her hopelessly ignorant and helpless. Queen Marie had great devotion to the Virgin Mary, seeing her role as being like that of the Mother of God, the conduit of power between the king and his people.

As regent for her son Louis XIII she was determined to keep France out of wars, especially wars with other Catholic countries. Her older daughters, Elisabeth, Queen of Spain and Christine, Duchess of Savoy, had been brought up with Marian devotion and saw their roles in their adopted countries as being active rather than passive. As for Louis XIII, he attained his majority in 1614, although Marie kept running the country. Louis overthrew his mother in 1617, and had Leonora and Concini executed. After a brief exile, Marie managed to make her way back to Paris, where she presided in majesty at the new Medici Palace, later known as the Luxembourg. And she had one more daughter left to marry off.

The youngest child, Henriette-Marie de France, born on 25 November, 1609, was perhaps Marie’s favorite as she greatly resembled Henri IV, in coloring and wiry agility, as well as in merriment and a sense of adventure. Marie arranged for her youngest daughter Henriette to marry in England because she believed there was a chance of bringing Charles I into Catholicism. Henrietta Maria, at age fifteen, tackled the insurmountable task of converting the British Isles back to Catholicism.

Marie made Henriette promise never to become a Protestant and if she did, she would be cursed by Marie. Henriette never flagged in the practice of her Catholic faith no matter the cost. While Charles I never converted to Catholicism, his relationship with his devout wife was deeply spiritual, which enhanced the intense physical passion between them. They were happiest together and with their children. Their tragedy is that they were eventually separated by the Civil Wars as their family was scattered. Their two youngest children were captives of the enemy forces. And Charles I was eventually arrested and beheaded in 1649.

In Marie’s later years, another falling-out with her oldest son Louis XIII, and especially with his minister Cardinal de Richelieu, led to her exile in England, where she lived in St. James Palace. Marie was warmly welcomed by Charles I and Henriette, although they were in the throes of a constitutional crisis. Marie saw the coming disasters and, realizing her Catholic presence was causing political complications for Charles and Henriette, went to Germany to seek refuge with her friend the painter Rubens.

The Thirty Years War was raging; Rubens had died but the ailing Queen was able to stay in a brewery in Cologne owned by the Rubens family. She died in the brewery in Cologne on 3 July, 1642 in a state of destitution, abandoned by her son Louis XIII, who would not allow her to die in France, although he later had her buried at Saint Denis. Mercifully, the Queen received the ministrations of the Carmelites of Cologne, to whom she bequeathed a cherished statue of the Blessed Virgin, one of her last possessions.

Elena Maria Vidal

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About the Author

Elena Maria Vidal was born in Florence, Oregon in 1962 but grew up in Frederick County, Maryland. She received her BA in Psychology from Hood College and her MA in Modern European History from SUNY Albany. She has been a member of the Secular Order of Mount Carmel since 1986. Elena enjoys cooking, gardening, opera and working with the elderly. She lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with her family. She is currently engaged in writing a historical fiction trilogy about Queen Henrietta Maria. Elena’s Tea at Trianon blog deals with social, religious and political issues as well as history. My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria is her fifth novel and sixth book. Find out more from her blog, Tea at Trianon and find her on Twitter @emvidal

New Audiobook: Queen Anna, Book One in the Stuart Queens Trilogy, Narrated by Ruth Urquhart

2026-09-12T05:38:05.601+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

A crown won in the eye of a storm. A queen who refuses to be broken... Princess Anna of Denmark sails for Scotland to marry King James VI, but storms ravage her fleet, igniting a deadly obsession with witchcraft in her new home. Arriving in a strange and paranoid court, Anna finds her new husband’s bed is a treacherous place.

After fourteen years researching and writing the twelve books which tell the story of the Tudors, it seemed natural to explore the succession in more detail and understand the rise of the Stuarts.

I discovered Anna’s story while writing about Bess and Walter Raleigh, and like most people, knew little about her life. I’ve enjoyed the year of research behind this book, uncovering primary sources – and even learning a little Danish.

With notable exceptions, Anna is largely overlooked by historians, and I found myself wondering about the image of her as shallow, with little influence. I don’t recall her being mentioned in my history lessons at school, but Anna was the daughter of a king, wife of a king and mother of a king.

I became intrigued by the idea of a fourteen-year-old Danish princess being forced by her parents into a strategic, arranged marriage with King James of Scotland. Anna had to leave her friends, her family, and everything she knew, for a strange country across a dangerous sea where she could barely speak the language.

There is also the question of her relationship with King James, and how they had so many children. As well as her daughter Elizabeth, the ‘Winter Queen’ of Bohemia, Anna was the mother of Henry, possibly the greatest king we never had, and the ill-fated King Charles I.

My research took me from the Danish Court to Holyrood House in Scotland and on to the palaces of Westminster and Anna's beloved Denmark House. Her vibrant personality can be seen in her surviving letters, some of which I had translated from old French, (and include in the book in italics).

I enjoyed following Anna to England after the death of Queen Elizabeth Ist, and making a new life died as queen consort of three kingdoms. She ordered the old queen’s priceless gowns to be used as costumes in her legendary masques, and slept in the same bedchamber as Queen Jane Seymour, her favourite bed.

I found a resilient woman and a devoted mother to her children. Anna was a creative patron of the arts, and did her best to be a loyal queen consort to King James.

Tony Riches

About the Narrator

Ruth Urquhart is an award winning, Scottish female voice over artist and character voice actor. Professionally trained as an actor with over 10 years experience as a voiceover artist, she is the voice of multiple characters in global animations, cartoons and video games. Ruth has provided voiceovers for TV commercials, global brands and corporate films as well as e-learning and online courses, medical narration, video explainers, and radio adverts. She has dubbed worldwide cinema released movies and animations as well as providing narration for documentaries and over 200 audiobooks. Ruth says, ‘My sister-in-law Anne is Danish and I have always been picking her brain over the years regarding various jobs that have required a Danish accent!’ Find oiut more at ruthurquhart.com/ and find Ruth on Instagram @tartanchameleon

Special Guest Post by Dr. Eric Jourgensen, Author of The Deadline Plate (The Chronicle Keepers)

2026-09-11T14:55:22.907+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Deadline Plate is a student journalism time-travel mystery about four young reporters who discover an old printing plate in their school’s anniversary time capsule. When the plate pulls them into 1887 New York, they must work with Nellie Bly as her groundbreaking asylum investigation is threatened by a mysterious force trying to erase the record. To get home, they have to protect sources, preserve evidence, and learn that telling the truth means more than getting the story first.

Why My Time Travelers Carry Notebooks

When I decided to send four student journalists into 1887 New York, I gave them the obvious modern tools: phones, cameras, audio recorders, and the instinct to document everything. Then I made those tools unreliable.

That choice became one of the engines of The Deadline Plate, the first book in The Chronicle Keepers series.

The novel begins with four students discovering a printing plate buried in their school's time capsule. The plate carries a story about their own disappearance and sends them to New York during Nellie Bly'searly reporting career.

Someone called the Redactor is changing the historical record. The students cannot simply look up what happened, record a confession, or trust that a digital file will survive. They have to interview witnesses, compare accounts, preserve documents, and decide what they can prove.

In other words, they have to do journalism.

I teach high school journalism, newspaper, broadcast journalism, and yearbook. My students live in a world where nearly every moment can be photographed, recorded, copied, reposted, and misunderstood before the bell rings. Their problem is rarely a lack of information. It is figuring out which information deserves trust.

That made time travel an interesting writing problem. If my characters could carry perfect access to the present into the past, the mystery would collapse. A smartphone can become a shortcut disguised as a prop. Search the name. Photograph the document. Record the witness. Check the date. Done.

But journalism is not supposed to be a shortcut.

So the past pushes back. Batteries fail. Recordings cannot be trusted. Context disappears. The students discover that having a copy of something is not the same as understanding it. A document can be authentic and still incomplete. A witness can tell the truth and still be wrong. A newspaper can print accurate facts and create a false impression through what it leaves out.

That last problem matters to me. My nonfiction work uses a framework called the WATER Check: Wait, Ask, Trace, Examine, Respond. It teaches students to slow down before accepting or sharing something. The framework grew from a classroom deception in which every fact I presented was technically true, but the overall conclusion was designed to mislead.

The same idea sits underneath The Deadline Plate. The villain does not always need to invent a lie. Sometimes changing the record means removing a name, shifting a date, preserving one account, or making another impossible to find.

That is why the notebooks matter.

A notebook is limited. It cannot capture everything. The person holding it must choose what to write down, which quotation is exact, what needs verification, and which detail might matter later. Those choices create responsibility. The notebook also leaves evidence of uncertainty: crossed-out words, arrows, questions in the margin, and a blank where the reporter did not hear clearly enough to pretend.

For young reporters, that can be an important lesson. Technology makes documentation easier, but it does not make judgment automatic.

Nellie Bly was the right historical journalist for the first book because she understood both evidence and access. Her reporting mattered because she entered places powerful institutions preferred to keep closed. She observed, remembered, questioned, and wrote for readers who had not seen what she had seen.

Her work also creates difficult questions for a modern writer. How do you introduce a real person without turning her into a marble statue? How do you respect what she accomplished while still allowing fictional characters to occupy the same room?

My answer was to make her active, intelligent, impatient, and human. The students do not arrive to teach Nellie Bly how journalism works. They are the ones trying to keep up.

The research moved between biographies, archival newspapers, timelines, maps, and the practical details of a nineteenth-century pressroom. I kept returning to the physical nature of news. Type had

weight. Ink stained hands. A printing plate could preserve a page, but it could also be altered, hidden, or destroyed. That physicality gave the fantasy rules something solid to push against.

It also changed how I thought about the students' modern newsroom. Their digital stories feel temporary until one incomplete version travels farther than the correction. Suddenly, the old problem and the

new problem look remarkably similar. Once a record begins moving, the reporter cannot control every place it goes.

The students carry notebooks because they need tools that still work when the spectacular tools fail. More importantly, they carry notebooks because the series is about the choices made before publication.

What did you see?

Who told you?

What can you verify?

What is missing?

Who pays the price if you get it wrong?

Those questions matter in 1887. They matter in a high school newsroom.They matter anywhere history is still being written.

Eric Jourgensen

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About the Author

Eric Jourgensen, Ed.D., is a journalism educator, author, and adviser to student newspaper, broadcast, and yearbook programs in South Florida. He is the creator of the WATER Check media-literacy framework and the author of The Deadline Plate, Book One of The Chronicle Keepers. The young adult series follows student journalists who travel through history to protect stories at risk of being changed or erased.Learn more at https:ericjourgensen.com and find Eric on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky @drdarthgrader.bsky.social

Book Review Finis Britanniae: A Military History of Late Roman Britain and the Saxon Conquest, by Murray Dahm

2026-09-11T04:52:53.925+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Murray Dahm’s Finis Britanniae is an engaging exploration of one of the most dramatic turning points in British history: the collapse of Roman rule and the emergence of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

What sets this book apart is its military focus, moving beyond the familiar story of the Romans leaving and the Saxons arriving, examining warfare, fortifications, armies and the changing political landscape that shaped Britain’s transformation.

I particularly liked the occasional asides, which show the period as brutal as anything in ‘Game of Thrones’:

Hengist prepared an entertainment, to which he invited the king, the nobles and military officers. He ordered three hundred Saxons to conceal each a knife under his feet, and to mix with the Britons, and when they are sufficiently inebriated, he would cry out, ‘Nimeder Sexa!’ the let each draw his knife and kill his man, by which were slain three hundred nobles of Vortigern. (Save the king, held for ransom.)

Accessible and thought-provoking, Finis Britanniae is recommended to anyone interested in Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval warfare. It brings a fascinating but often misunderstood period to life.

Tony Riches

(I would like t thank Amberley Publishing for providing a review copy.)

Special Guest Interview with Gabriel Garcia, Author of Decimus: The Wolf Of Rome: (Tales from The Gathering)

2026-09-10T14:17:48.317+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

216 BC, the formidable Carthaginian general Hannibal unleashed a terrifying wave of aggression against Rome following the catastrophic Battle of Cannae, a defeat that sent shockwaves through the Roman Republic. As the dust settled from the chaos of war, the arrival of Mago and Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brothers commanding forces in Hispania, threatened to cement Rome's fate. Amidst the turmoil, Hannibal delivered a chilling ultimatum to the people of Rome: surrender

or face utter annihilation.

I'm pleased to welcome author Gabriel Garcia to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book.

Decimus: The Wolf of Rome is an alternative historical fantasy set within The Gathering Universe and is the second book in the Tales from The Gathering spinoff series. The story follows Decimus Aquilla, a survivor of the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, who must rescue his son, Justinian, from the Carthaginian king Hannibal, now the ruler of Rome, all the while forming a rebellion to fight back against the Carthaginians and retake their home.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I am a night owl when it comes to my writing. I typically write between 9 and 11 pm, focusing on 20-30 minutes of writing per day.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Craft the story that speaks to you. Put it down on paper. Not every tale is destined for the spotlight; some are meant to be cherished privately. Share the narrative that matters to you with the world, and from there, dive into research, build connections, and promote your work whenever you can.

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?

So far, in-person events have been great. I've attended two major gatherings this year, and I have another one lined up next week on the 19th called Alpha & Omega Con. Additionally, I’m looking forward to two events in November: one at my local library and another at an indie book fair.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research.

While delving into the historical context of Decimus during the Second Punic Wars, I realized just how crucial this conflict was on a grand scale. If the Romans had truly lost and Carthage somehow emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean, the course of Western history would have changed dramatically. Much of Europe could have remained pagan, with Carthage, Sicily, and southern Italy potentially becoming the heart of the Renaissance. Major religions like Christianity and Islam might have followed very different paths in their expansion and trade, leading to a drastically altered development of future continents, such as the Americas.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

The most challenging scene I wrote was early in the book, when Decimus faces the loss of his wife, Flavia. It was difficult to capture, as it sets the emotional tone for the rest of the story. The moment was raw and authentic, creating an uncomfortable feeling that oddly felt poetic in its delivery.

What are you planning to write next?

I'm currently working on my first novel titled "The Taino Gladiator." This story follows a young high school senior and amateur boxer from 1990s New York who finds himself magically transported back to ancient Rome, just before the Gladiator rebellion led by Spartacus kicks off.

Gabriel Garcia

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About the Author

Gabriel Garcia is a vibrant storyteller and passionate historian who weaves tales across the realms of fantasy, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and science fiction. Growing up in the sun-soaked expanses of Southern California, Gabriel’s vivid imagination was ignited by his deep-seated love for history and the art of storytelling. Influenced by the literary prowess of masters like Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, and Brian Jacques, he channels his creative spirit into crafting narratives that captivate and inspire. His literary adventure began with the release of his debut novel, The Gathering. This book was a labor of love, meticulously developed during his pursuit of a Master’s degree in History. That journey not only honed his writing skills but also deepened his appreciation for the intricate historical backdrops that enrich his stories. Building on this foundation, Gabriel has gone on to publish several more compelling books, each one exploring different facets of the human experience. Gabriel’s creativity doesn’t stop with writing novels. He also hosts the engaging podcast "Tales From The Wandering Scribe," available on YouTube. Here, he connects with fellow writers and creatives, diving into meaningful conversations about their unique journeys and inspiring stories. His podcast is more than just a platform for writers; it’s an exploration of fascinating historical topics alongside historians and passionate hobbyists. Gabriel invites listeners to embark on a thrilling journey through history’s many layers, creating a dynamic space for anyone curious about the past. Join him on this remarkable adventure, and discover the exciting paths that lie ahead in the wondrous worlds of literature and history! Find out more at https://wonderingscribe.com/ and find Gabriel on Bluesky, and Instagram

Blog Tour Spotlight: The Irish Ties That Bind, by Michael J. Hopkins

2026-09-08T04:50:54.722+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

From the green hills of southern Ireland to the heartland of America, four families are united by faith, perseverance, and an enduring legacy that spans generations.

As famine and hardship drive Irish immigrants across the Atlantic in the mid-nineteenth century, the Power and Coughlin families plant new roots in the American Midwest. Their daughters answer a higher calling, joining the fledgling Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Through the remarkable leadership of Sister Emily and Sister Samuel, these women help shape a religious community that will educate thousands and leave an indelible mark on the nation.

Their story intertwines with those of the Cullen and Hynes families, whose lives are transformed by the sisters’ influence. Seeking refuge from the unrest of postwar Chicago, they settle in Dixon, Illinois, where friendship, faith, and family bind them to another rising family—the Reagans. As Ronald Reagan grows from a small-town boy into a radio broadcaster, actor, and emerging public figure, the lives of ordinary and extraordinary Americans intersect in unexpected ways.

Set against the backdrop of immigration, the Great Depression, two world wars, and the dawn of the Cold War, The Irish Ties That Bind is a sweeping historical saga of courage, devotion, and the families whose quiet strength shaped generations. It is a powerful testament to the bonds of family, faith, and heritage that endure long after history's tides have turned.

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About the Authir

A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, Michael J. Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Beloit College, subsequently obtaining a degree in history from Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. He furthered his academic pursuits by completing a Master of Arts in the Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Mr. Hopkins concluded a distinguished forty-year tenure in secondary education, having served as a social studies instructor at Darlington High School for thirty-nine years. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he dedicated many years to coaching basketball, baseball, and football at the same high school. His contributions to athletics were formally recognized in 2021 with his induction into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Following his retirement from education, he has transitioned into a career as an author. In 2025, he published his autobiographical memoir, Embracing A Competitive Life: Trials, Triumphs, and 150 Life Lessons in Six Decades of Competition, which chronicles his experiences as both an athlete and a coach. Find out more at https://www.historiumpress.com/hp-authors/michael-hopkins and find Michael on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesk @mjhop.bsky.social

Book Launch Spotlight: What Love E'er Meant (Regina Book 2) by Janet Wertman

2026-09-07T08:00:38.769+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon U S

A new queen must prove she deserves the throne God gave her, while the path everyone insists will secure it might cost her everything

Against all odds, Elizabeth Tudor has become Queen of England. Determined to fulfill what she sees as a divine responsibility, she sets out to heal a country ravaged by religious discord, war, and debt – and vindicate the legacy of Anne Boleyn, the mother who did not deserve her fate.

But Elizabeth’s crown is not fully secure: to the Catholic world, her cousin Mary Stuart is the rightful Queen of England and there are rumblings to put her there. Shoring up defenses requires that Elizabeth challenge France’s control of Scotland and Spain’s dominance on the seas, as well as calm internal strife. Above the din of menace, one question dominates all others: who will she marry?

William Cecil, her trusted Secretary of State, urges her to secure an alliance through a strategic match. Robert Dudley, the love of her life, pressures her to choose him. And Mary herself presents a cautionary tale. In the end, Elizabeth chooses not as a woman but as a queen, and learns the sobering truth of sovereignty: to rule is to stand alone.

What Love E’er Meant, the searing second volume in the

Regina Trilogy, captures a young queen’s struggle to balance love and power, duty and desire…and the profound cost of

choosing crown over heart.

# # #

About the Author

By day, Janet Wertman is a freelance grantwriter for impactful nonprofits. By night, she writes critically acclaimed, character-driven historical fiction – indulging a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she was eight years old and her parents let her stay up late to watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R. Her Seymour Saga trilogy (Jane the Quene, The Path to Somerset, The Boy King) took her deep into one of the era’s central families – and now her follow-up Regina series explores Elizabeth’s journey from bastard to icon. Find out more from www.janetwertman.com and follow Janet on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky @janetwertman.bsky.social

Special Guest Post by Jacquie Rogers, Author of the Quintus Valerius Roman Mysteries

2026-09-06T17:06:47.945+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

224 AD: Imperial Investigator Quintus Valerius is summoned from Rome to Britannia by his old companion-in-arms, Governor Gaius Trebonius. Trebonius wants Quintus to investigate fraud at the silver mines he is overseeing. But on his journey to Somerset in the south-west of the isle, Quintus hears rumours of a Druid uprising. And when he encounters his scorned ex-lover, he suspects she may have something to do with it. When Quintus finally reaches the mines, he finds himself under attack. He realises a dark conspiracy could be behind the fraud. And the stakes are raised when a potential witness is murdered.

Thank you, Tony, for inviting me back to your blog. I was last here in 2023, when I wrote about the history behind my third Roman mystery, The Loyal Centurion. Since then I’ve moved to Sapere Books, who have signed me up with enough relaunches and new books to keep me busy for a long time! Suffice it to say that my Quintus Valerius mysteries are coming out this autumn and winter, with brilliant new covers and add-ons like maps, cast lists (helpful with all those Latin names), place names, glossaries and reader notes. The Governor’s Man is on pre-order now, followed by The Carnelian Phoenix on 20 November. The Loyal Centurion follows in the New Year.

Since last appearing here, I’ve written a new mystery for Quintus and his fellow sleuths set in Aquae Sulis, the Roman spa resort and religious centre of Bath. The Bath Curse came out of my enduring fascination with the famous lead curse tablets found in the Sacred Spring at Bath. They were dedicated to the British-Roman goddess Sulis Minerva, renowned for her healing, wisdom and help in a just war.

Gilt-bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva,

a monumental artifact from Roman Britain

Anyone wanting justice, or simply with a major grudge, could come here to make a sacrifice to the goddess, and have their particular beef inscribed by a clerk onto a thin lead sheet. The justice sought would take the form of retribution dealt out by the all-powerful Sulis Minerva. The curse tablets were folded or rolled up, and thrown into the steaming sacred spring.

Roman curse tablet (defixio) discovered at the King's Bath

in Bath, England (Aquae Sulis).

Poor Docilianus – I doubt he ever got his warm wool coat back, despite his fervent prayers. But Aquae Sulis wasn’t just about healing and worship. By the Severan period (AD 220s, when my books are set), it was a popular spa resort not unlike the Bath of Jane Austen’s day. People came to Bath from all over the western Roman Empire, to holiday, relax, gossip, drink the waters, meet a potential partner, even gamble. If you’ve visited Bath yourself, you’ll know how splendid the Great Bath is. It’s unique in Britain both for its grand size and the natural flow of waters, heated by geothermal forces to a steady 46 degrees C, and pumping out over a million litres a day.

We don’t know much about the visitors who travelled here to take the highly-mineralised waters, but I imagine that the steady influx of wealthy visitors to this tiny city might tempt the unscrupulous – and the downright criminal – to prey on them. A sort of Las Vegas-cum-Monte Carlo, perhaps?

As well as The Bath Curse (to be published in 2027), I’ve begun a new companion series. Same time period as the Quintus Valerius books (early third century), still in Roman Britannia, but the Otto Cornelius series has action centred around the wonderful city of Viroconium Cornoviorum. Nowadays Wroxeter Roman city lies under fields around seven miles south-east of Shrewsbury, where English Heritage care for this fourth-largest of Britain’s Roman cities. It was built as the capital for the Cornovii tribe, whose lands stretched from Staffs to the Mersey, and well into modern Wales. That makes it the most north-westerly of Rome’s cities – and what a city it was!

We are very fortunate that Viroconium survived in some form or another long after the end of the Roman period. It is thought that a possible plague drove the remaining inhabitants away to a better defended site – hence mediaeval Shrewsbury. The old city remained untouched, under a cover of soil and grass. Eventually Victorian antiquaries took an interest in the astonishing remains of what we now know to be a large gym hall, or baths basilica. Since then, modern techniques of geophysics and aerial photography have revealed in detail the layout of a wealthy, bustling city of some 15 000 people, spread over 73 hectares.

Even this remote city would have had a mix of people from many parts of the Roman empire. I’ve taken advantage of this, to create as my main character a German-Romano-British officer, Prefect Otto Cornelius, pushed into early retirement from the XXth legion in Chester. Needless to say, these also being mystery novels, he soon stumbles across murder and theft. The Silver Mirror and The Amber Goddess are both written, while The Salt Road is under way. All to be published in 2027/2028.

Artist’s impression of the baths complex at Wroxeter

Last year I finally travelled to Pompeii and Herculaneum. I know, it’s shameful being a Roman historical novelist who’s never been to the best-preserved Roman towns of the lot.

I came, I saw, I was vanquished. It was a very emotional week for me. When I’d finished crying, I wrote my own story of the people found by archaeologists on the beach at Herculaneum, waiting in vain for rescue by Pliny’s navy.

And now that’s been published too. I’ve situated the story as a prequel to the Quintus Valerius series, an introductory novelette featuring a noble ancestor of Quintus. Tribune Flavius Valerius was definitely in the wrong place, at the wrong time. My homage to those left on the beach at Herculaneum is titled after a quote from the only eye-witness account of the Vesuvian eruption of AD 79: A Night Blacker and Darker. It’s available now, in paperback and for Kindle.

Thank you, Tony. I hope you’ll invite me back to your wonderful blog next year, when I’ll have more Roman history to share.

Jacquie Rogers

# # #

About the Author

Jacquie Rogers was a child £10 Pom, moving back to the UK nicely in time for the three-day week. She had careers in advertising and university teaching before turning to writing. Since then, she’s written four novels for her Quintus Valerius Roman mysteries, and another two so far in her forthcoming companion series, the Otto Cornelius Roman mysteries, set in and around Wroxeter Roman city. Her short stories have been published in several countries. In 2020 and 2021 she was Runner Up in the Lincoln Book Festival flash fiction competitions. Jacquie lives in Malvern, where she walks the hills with her husband and their dog, Peggy. Jacquie loves travelling Europe by motorbike, and discussing politics, travel and books. She spends a lot of time in cafés and pubs. Find out more at Jacquie’s Substack, Writing Roman Britain, where you can sign up for free to her monthly newsletters. For social media, book links and author events, go to https://linktr.ee/jacquierogers

Special Guest Post by Anna Belfrage, Author of The Prodigal Son (The Graham Saga Book 3)

2026-09-05T05:27:28.191+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Safely returned from an involuntary stay in Virginia, Matthew Graham finds the Scottish Lowlands torn asunder by religious strife. His Restored Majesty, Charles II, requires all his subjects to swear fealty to him and the Church of England, riding roughshod over any opposition.

A masked pimpernel – of Alexander Peden, devout preacher and religious rebel

One of the joys of writing historical fiction is making the acquaintance of the somewhat lesser known people who once played important roles in the events of the past. One such person is Alexander Peden, the charismatic Scottish Kirk minister who set large parts of Ayrshire ablaze with his determined refusal to abandon his faith. He plays a pivotal role in my book The Prodigal Son and inspires my male hero Matthew Graham to risk life and limb in his steadfast support of the Covenanter cause.

This does not endear Alexander Peden to Matthew’s time traveller wife, Alex, who spends far too much time with her heart in her mouth while Matthew is off playing the hero. Should he be caught, they’d likely hang him—or sell the entire Graham family into bondage in the new world. Alex does not understand how anyone can risk so much for religion. Matthew cannot comprehend how she cannot see that some things are worth dying for. Let’s just say the Graham family is at an impasse . . .

While Matthew is a purely fictional character, anyone familiar with the history of the Covenanters and their persecution in the late 17th century will, at some point or another, have stumbled over Mr Peden.

To me, Sandy Peden – oops, Alexander Peden (Sandy to friends only, and I’m not quite sure I qualify) – came alive the day I stood in the National Museum of Scotland and peered at his mask.

17th-century disguise mask and wig worn by Alexander Peden,

a Scottish religious rebel, on display at the

National Museum of Scotland

I realise that the purpose of the mask was to disguise him, thereby leading me to assume he didn’t at all look like it. Still, when studying the mask I had my first clear image of Sandy – a slight man who burned with restless energy, whose eyes glowed with passion when he spoke about God. A brave man, a stubborn man – and a man convinced that his faith and his beliefs were the right ones.

“Of course they are,” he says, sounding aggravated.

“You think?” I snort. “All that stuff about predestination, about the relative unimportance of women…”

“Pah! Just shows how little you know! Now, I am willing to take on the task of educating you – however much of a Sisyphus task that might be.”

I ignore the little man. I’m not uneducated, thank you very much.

“Aye you are,” he says. “You have studied such varied subjects but how much of your academic efforts have you expended on God? On the Holy Writ?” He sinks those luminous grey eyes of his into mine. “No, I thought as much,” he says before fading away.

Alexander Peden was born in 1626 and educated at Glasgow University. In 1662 he was ejected from his parish New Luce—the restored king, Charles II, and his advisors were determined to supplant the Scottish Kirk with the Church of England. Peden spent the rest of his life as a religious rebel, holding secret services out on the moors of Ayrshire to fortify his ever-growing flock of die-hard Presbyterians.

The powers that were searched high and low for him, but Sandy knew how to blend into the landscape—ably helped by my Matthew—and to further confuse his pursuers he wore the mask mentioned above. It is said that on several occasions he evaded capture by praying to God for deliverance – which God duly supplied through the opportune appearance of a thick fog or clouds to cover the moon.

“God looks to his own,” Sandy puts in, scratching at his balding head. He smells, his dark coat is frayed around the cuffs and has a long tear down the back. He looks tired and dirty, and he keeps on coughing. He frowns at my inspection. “It’s not a life of comfort to be constantly on the run.”

“So why not give up?”

“Give up?” Sandy raises fair, bushy brows. “I’m outlawed. They’d hang me off the first gallows they could find.”

No matter divine intervention, Sandy’s luck eventually ran out. In 1673 he was captured and spent the coming five years on the Bass Rock. After this, he was to be deported to America and together with 60 others he was set aboard a ship to London where they were to be transferred to another, larger vessel. However, the captain of this vessel was so incensed when Sandy informed him why they were being deported that he released them, leaving them on the London docks.

“A good man,” Sandy laughs. “He would no more carry me off against my will than he would kill his mother.” He scratches at his chest. “Lice,” he mutters. “Courtesy of His Majesty’s tender care, I reckon.”

“Or of living rough.”

“That too.” He purses his lips. “Sometimes…”

“Sometimes what?”

Sandy shakes his head. “Nowt,” he says, smiling ruefully.

“Go on; sometimes…”

“… I long for a bed – a warm home, a family…” He stares off in the distance. “God has ordained and I must obey.”

After the encounter with the godly captain, Sandy and his companions walked all the way home. For the remaining years of his life, Sandy divided his time between Scotland and Ireland, always on the run, always holding to his faith and preaching the word of God as he knew it.

Alexander Peden died in 1685 – in a bed, as he’d prophesised.

“Of course,” Sandy says. “God allowed me one last night of comfortable sleep.”

“That was nice of him.” Seems the least he could do, given Sandy’s unstinting service.

Sandy wags his finger at me. “You sound like Alexandra Graham. That woman is in serious need of guidance, but that husband of hers is too besotted with her to do as he should.”

“He is?” I smile, thinking that if Matthew is besotted with Alex, she definitely returns the favour.

“You know he is.” Sandy smiles. “A marvellous woman, for all that she is wild and half-heathen.”

“Matthew isn’t too bad either,” I say.

Sandy chuckles and gets to his feet. “Well you would say so, wouldn’t you? After all, you’ve made him up.” With that he is gone.

Upon hearing Alexander Peden was dead a company of soldiers chose to disinter his body, intending to hang his corpse from the gallows in Cumnock. Loud objections from the people led to Sandy being reburied at the foot of the gallows. In due course, an impressive monument was erected over his final resting place. Not that Sandy ever wanted a monument – all he wanted was the freedom to worship God according to his beliefs.

If the above has inspired you to want to learn more about Alexander Peden and the religious persecution that plagued the Scottish Lowlands in the aftermath of the Restoration, why not read The Prodigal Son ?

In Ayrshire, people close ranks around their evicted Presbyterian ministers. But disobedience comes at a high price, and Alex becomes increasingly nervous as to what her Matthew is risking by his support of the clandestine ministers – foremost amongst them the charismatic Sandy Peden.

Privately, Alex considers Sandy an enervating fanatic and all this religious fervour is incomprehensible to her. So when Matthew repeatedly sets his faith and ministers before his own safety, he puts their marriage under severe strain.

Things are brought to a head when Matthew places all their lives in the balance to save his dear preacher from the dragoons. How much is Matthew willing to risk? How much will he ultimately lose?

Anna Belfrage

# # #

About the Author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. Her Castilian Heart is the third in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In the second instalment, The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain. This latest release finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain! Anna has also authored The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode! All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards. Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com and find her on Facebook, Twitter @abelfrageauthor and Bluesky @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Fern Flower, by Kathleen Shoop

2026-09-04T05:04:35.871+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Russia 1908-1917: Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child.

Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turns its gaze to river bends and forest floors in search of the legendary Fern Flower—a mythical bloom said to grant fortune, power, and the deepest desires of the heart. Only one person had ever found it.

Until Mila.

Years later, in the fading grandeur of Petrograd, Mila and her friends slip into the fabled Stray Dog Café, once the sanctuary of Russia’s most daring artists and dreamers. Inspired by its ghosts, murals, and memories, Mila's group resurrects the work she'd first imagined as a child. The Fern Flower is a breathtaking ballet drawn from folklore, magic, and the secrets of Mila’s past.

But in the fiercely competitive ranks of the Imperial Ballet School, talent is never enough. Though Mila wrote the ballet and her gifted musician friend composed its score, rivals question whether Mila is worthy of claiming the coveted lead role.

As World War I intensifies and revolution ignites, the Russia Mila knows begins to collapse. Family secrets surface, loyalties are tested, and the people she loves begin to disappear. When her parents flee and her young brother’s life hangs in the balance, Mila is faced with an impossible choice: remain with the found family who helped her chase her dreams or risk everything to save the person who needs her most.

With Russian folklore, imperial grandeur, and the fierce beauty of ballet, The Fern Flower is a sweeping tale of ambition, friendship, sacrifice, and the magic that survives even when the world is falling apart.

# # #

About the Author

Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, PhD’s novels have won awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom and has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide. She co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and co-coordinated the 2023 Pennwriters Conference. She frequently teaches and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers. Find out more at Kathleen's website: http://kshoop.com and find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter / X @kathieshoop and Bluesky @kathleenshoop.bsky.social

Book Launch Spotlight: Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History, by Lucy Worsley

2026-09-03T05:56:51.114+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Lucy Worsley has lived and breathed royal history for more than twenty years. As Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, she worked in some of Britain's most famous royal sites, from Hampton Court to the Tower of London, and even lived in one of them herself. Now she takes us behind closed doors to reveal some of the monarchy's best-kept secrets.

In Queens and Kings, Lucy brings to life the rulers who have shaped Britain over the last thousand years, from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II. What emerges is a royal world far stranger, funnier and more surprising than we might think: of intimate love letters, phantom pregnancies, unruly pet monkeys and fatal betrayals. Venturing through haunted staircases and into private bedchambers, she finds the details that make history feel gloriously human.

With her trademark warmth and incisive scholarship, Lucy explores the full splendour, scandal and sorrow of royal life. The result is a wildly engaging history of the monarchy from one of our most beloved historians.

'Warm, insightful, and full of heart, Worsley has distilled a lifetime of experience into this crowning achievement of a book.' HALLIE RUBENHOLD

# # #

About the Author

Dr Lucy Worsley was Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the charity which looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, and other historic places. Her first paid employment after studying history at Oxford was at a minor stately home called Milton Manor, near Abingdon, where she fed the llamas. After that she became an Inspector of Ancient Monuments at English Heritage, doing historical research at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire: this led to her first book, 'Cavalier', about a dissolute Royalist duke. Her work as a curator at Kensington Palace led to 'Courtiers', which was followed by 'If Walls Could Talk', 'A Very British Murder', and her first historical novel for young readers, 'Eliza Rose', which is set at the Tudor court.for young readers, 'Eliza Rose', which is set at the Tudor court. For more information visit Lucy's website www.lucyworsley.com and find her on Twitter @Lucy_Worsley and Bluesky @lucyworsley.bsky.social

Book Launch Spotlight: The Goddess Queen: The sweeping historical novel by Alice Roberts

2026-09-01T04:25:50.317+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

QUEEN OF EGYPT. WARRIOR OF ROME. THE FATE OF AN EMPIRE.

The Roman Republic is crumbling, torn apart by rivalries. Egypt is a wellspring of wealth, but its rulers have squandered their advantage and ended up hopelessly indebted to the protection racket that called itself Rome.

Now a woman, as Pharaoh, has a chance to reclaim what Egypt has lost. And a disgraced Roman commander has his chance to reclaim his sword and wield it to build an empire unlike anything the world had seen.

Their stories collide in a maelstrom of ancient history, high politics and power. This is the story of Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen who confronted and contested the power of Rome. And Antonius, the soldier who might be her salvation or her downfall.

# # #

About the Author

Professor Alice Roberts is an academic, author and broadcaster. Best known for her programmes and write books about human anatomy, physiology, evolution, archaeology and history, she is a medical doctor, and went on to become a university lecturer. and Professor of Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham. Find out more at Alice's webssite https://www.alice-roberts.co.uk and you van also find her on Facebook and Twitter @theAliceRoberts

Book Launch Guest Post by Rosemary Griggs, Author of Queen Elizabeth I's Governess: The Real Kat Ashley

2026-08-30T05:25:24.841+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The name ‘Kat Ashley’, Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Governess’, is well-known to fans of Tudor history. Katherine Champernowne, later John Astley’s wife, joined Elizabeth’s household before the future queen turned three. Later she became Elizabeth’s ‘governess’, trusted with the upbringing of the King’s younger daughter. Formidably well-educated for a woman of her time, reports suggest Katherine did an excellent job. When Elizabeth came to the throne, one of her first actions was to name Katherine as Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber, a highly influential position within the court of a female monarch.

Although they served at the court of Henry VIII, the Champernowne family are not well known to those who study Tudor history. However, anyone interested in the early life of Elizabeth I will have come across Katherine Champernowne, later the wife of John Astley. She is widely known as Elizabeth’s childhood governess, Kat Ashley. I prefer to call her Kate, partly because the evidence that Elizabeth actually used the short form ‘Kat’ is not overwhelming, but also to reinforce that I have found a woman who differs from the Kat of popular culture.

Kate appears briefly in many learned biographies of Henry VIII’s younger daughter. It’s often been supposed she came from a minor gentry family. Writers and filmmakers often portray her in fiction and on screen as a rather foolish, gossipy nanny figure, a minor supporting character in the fascinating drama of Elizabeth’s fraught early years. My research tells a different story.

Far from being from a rural gentry background, Kate was close to people at the heart of the Tudor Court. By the early 16th century, the Champernownes of Devon had expanded their lands well beyond the west country, into Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Over many generations, through dynastic marriages, they forged alliances with powerful families, including Poyntz, Carew, and, most notably, Courtenay.

Like many women of her time, the historical record remains stubbornly silent about Kate’s early life. She first comes to notice when appointed to the household of three-year-old Elizabeth in 1536. Exploring her family connections and the people she was close to places that appointment in context.

Kate was the eldest daughter of Sir Philip Champernowne, a close relative of Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter, first cousin and companion of the young Henry VIII. The Marquess’s father was Sir Philip’s first cousin. Sir Philip served as squire of the body to the king for a time, mixing with other well-known courtiers, before he retired to the west country, where he often deputised for the Marquess. Kate may have gained her formidable education among her powerful Courtenay relatives.

Through her maternal grandmother, Kate also had connections to the Poyntz family, who held prominent positions in Catherine of Aragon’s household. Kate’s great aunt married Sir Anthony Poyntz. She is likely the Elizabeth Poyntz who had care of Henry VIII’s short-lived son, Henry Duke of Cornwall. Also on the maternal side, Kate’s uncle, Sir Gawen Carew married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk’s sister.

Brandon was a close friend of the king and married Mary Tudor, the king’s sister, after the death of her first husband, the King of France. Sir Gawen became a prominent courtier, soldier and diplomat. Sir George Carew, ill-fated captain of the Mary Rose, and his brother Sir Peter, were Kate’s cousins.

Kate’s sister, Joan, was one of Catherine Parr’s ladies and shared her interest in the reformed religion. Joan married Sir Anthony Denny, a man so close to King Henry VIII that he was the only one brave enough to tell the dying king that his end was near. Kate’s brother, John, also had a place at court. According to Sir Richard Carew of Anthony, writing in the early years of the seventeenth century, John was popular with King Henry ‘for his pleasant conceits’. So Kate moved in circles close to the royal court. She also knew many Cambridge-educated intellectuals.

Not long after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Kate was one of a group of serving gentlewomen appointed to serve Anne’s three-year-old daughter. Their role was to keep company with the little girl, to entertain her, and at all times to model the behaviour and manners expected of a noblewoman in the sixteenth century. Soon after this appointment, Kate made her first known appearance in the historical record with an extraordinarily bold letter to Thomas Cromwell. That letter, dated 5 October 1536, made me stop and think about the way historians and writers have traditionally portrayed Kate’s character.

To paraphrase the letter — there’s a full transcript in my book — Kate thanks Cromwell for recommending her to the king for her new post. She then asks him if he could speak to the king about payment for her services. Unfortunately, we only have half of this fascinating correspondence. Many of Thomas Cromwell’s papers were destroyed at the time of his downfall, and his response has not survived. In 1536, Cromwell was the most powerful man in the land, after the king. He was not a man who acted without a purpose.

Political considerations influenced his every decision, including Kate’s appointment. I found it very hard to reconcile the author of that letter to the great man with the foolish character traditionally given to Kate. Would a girl, however well educated, from a minor gentry family, really have dared to write to him in those terms? And would Cromwell have even considered appointing someone so lacking in judgement?

n 1536, Lady Margaret Bryan was Elizabeth’s Lady Mistress, having overall oversight of the child’s upbringing and early years education. Lady Troy, working with Lady Bryan, was Elizabeth’s governess, and likely introduced the child to her letters using a hornbook. At that time, no one expected Elizabeth would become queen. Rather, as the king’s daughter, even though declared illegitimate, she was a valuable commodity in the marriage market. In her early years, she must gain all the attributes that would make her attractive as a bride.

Sometime after Lady Bryan took charge of the nursery of Edward VI in 1537, and Lady Troy became Lady Mistress to Elizabeth, Kate was promoted to Elizabeth’s governess. More than ten years later, in a letter to Protector Edward Seymour, dated 31 January 1549, Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who was questioning Elizabeth about her involvement with Thomas Seymour, confirmed that it was King Henry VIII himself who promoted Kate to be Elizabeth’s Lady Mistress. That means she became Lady Mistress before King Henry died in 1547. It also tells us that Kate not only had the support and trust of Cromwell but also of Elizabeth’s father.

Many assumptions and myths have grown up about Kate Astley, repeated so often that people consider them facts. She’s been called jolly and kind, with unconventional teaching methods, and given credit for single-handedly introducing the little girl to a long list of subjects. These statements are not confirmed in primary sources. As a royal governess, her remit was much broader than that of a Jane Eyre-style Victorian governess. Kate also had to be a mentor, adviser, and protector. She did not deliver all the academic lessons herself but had oversight of input from a range of tutors, music masters, dance teachers, riding instructors and a chaplain, who covered a wide-ranging curriculum.

From nineteenth-century scholars to more recent historians, the focus has been on the events of 1548-49 when Elizabeth was under the roof of her stepmother, the Dowager Queen, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Kate’s deposition, taken in the Tower of London in January 1549, gives all the salacious details of Seymour’s behaviour towards the fourteen-year-old girl, which appear to modern eyes beyond inappropriate. As a result, Kate has been declared negligent, a gossip, and even considered to have herself been infatuated with the dashing Admiral.

These assessments do not seem to fit with the view of Elizabeth’s tutors, William Grindal and Roger Ascham, who both praised Kate for her care of the young princess. In my book, I explore an alternative scenario, placing Kate’s testimony in a different light as part of a strategy designed to protect the young princess. Interpretations of that difficult period have largely defined what people think about Kate Astley, while her later years have often been overlooked. Closer study reveals Kate as a political actor, staunchly loyal to Elizabeth.

In 1554, after the Wyatt rebellion against Queen Mary’s Spanish marriage, Kate suffered a long period of house arrest. She was suspected because her cousin, Sir Peter Carew, was a prime mover in the failed plot. Mary eventually allowed Kate to rejoin her mistress briefly, but clearly considered Kate a dangerous influence on Elizabeth and a threat. Only a few months later she held Kate in the Fleet Prison on suspicion of involvement in another plot and then banished her from Elizabeth’s service.

After Elizabeth came to the throne, she made Kate her Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber, a pivotal role with unique, intimate access to the queen. Kate was Elizabeth’s eyes and ears, listening out for damaging gossip and keeping Elizabeth in touch with how her policies were being received at court and beyond. Anyone who wanted to approach Elizabeth talked to Kate. She gave advice on what sort of gifts might be welcome at New Year. An Italian news sheet described her as ‘Patroness of all England’ in 1562. A year after Kate’s death, Hugh Fitzwilliam wrote to the queen saying, ‘Now that Mrs Ashley is gone he has no friend to make his moan to.’

Kate acted as a highly political female courtier at the court of a female monarch. Her death in 1565 left the queen devastated. The two women shared a close bond of mutual love and respect for nearly 30 years. Kate Astley arguably had more influence on the young Elizabeth I than anyone else. She deserves our further consideration.

I hope that Queen Elizabeth’s Governess: The Real Kat Ashley will encourage further debate about a remarkable woman.

Rosemary Griggs

# # #

About the Author

Author and speaker Rosemary Griggs has been researching Devon's sixteenth-century history for years. She has discovered a cast of fascinating characters and an intriguing network of families whose influence stretched far beyond the West Country. She loves telling the stories of the forgotten women of history — the women beyond the royal court; wives, sisters, daughters and mothers who played their part during those tumultuous Tudor years: the Daughters of Devon. Her novel A Woman of Noble Wit tells the story of Katherine Champernowne, Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother, and features many of the county’s well-loved places. The Dartington Bride, published March 2024, is the extraordinary tale of Lady Gabrielle Roberda Montgomery who travelled from France to Elizabethan England to marry into the prominent and well-connected Champernowne family. Rosemary creates and wears sixteenth-century clothing, a passion which complements her love for bringing the past to life through a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment. Her appearances and talks for museums and community groups all over the West Country draw on her extensive research into sixteenth-century Devon, Tudor life and Tudor dress, particularly Elizabethan. Out of costume, Rosemary leads heritage tours of the gardens at Dartington Hall, a fourteenth-century manor house and now a a historic visitor destination, events venue and thriving community of businesses, colleges and more. You can find out more on Rosemary’s website: https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/ and follow her on Bluesky and Twitter @RAGriggsauthor

Anna of Denmark and Inigo Jones

2026-08-29T05:59:27.397+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

While researching my new book, ‘Queen Anna’, about the life of Anna of Denmark, I realised the significance of her unlikely relationship with Inigo Jones, the son of clothworker from Smithfield, London. Together, they led an artistic renaissance that transformed the ‘masque’ into an important diplomatic spectacle, laid the foundations of British classical architecture, and influenced the public perception of the Stuart dynasty.

Anna arrived in England after the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603 as queen consort of King James VI and I, she brought with her a bold, artistic sensibility that redefined the Jacobean court. Anna employed Inigo Jones as her stage designer, and found he was a visionary artist and aspiring architect who would become her ultimate creative partner.

Sketch for a portrait of the architect Inigo Jones,

created by Anthony van Dyck around 1632.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Stagecraft and Spectacular Masques

Queen Anna was passionate about the court masque, extravagant theatrical spectacles combining poetry, music, dancing, and elaborate set design. Collaborating with playwright Ben Jonson, who probably recommended Inigo Jones as a set designer, Queen Anna transformed these performances into dazzling displays of royal majesty.

For landmark productions like The Masque of Blackness (1605) and The Masque of Queens (1609), Anna commissioned the works and took centre stage as a performer, ordering the late queen’s priceless gowns to be adapted as costumes. Inigo Jones brought her theatrical visions to life using innovative stagecraft he’d discovered while working in Italy.

He designed exotic, glittering costumes and introduced innovative, movable scenery, perspective stage sets, and hidden machinery that amazed the court. Through these masques, Anna asserted her independence and cultural authority, and Inigo Jones established himself as the master of illusion in England.

Masque costume "A Star" by Inigo Jones

(Wikimedia Commons)

Redefining Royal Spaces: Denmark House

As their creative alliance deepened, Queen Anna entrusted self-trained architect Inigo Jones with grander architectural commissions. In the 1610s, Anna made Somerset House on the Strand her primary London residence and renamed it Denmark House to honour her Danish heritage.

She appointed Inigo Jones, by then appointed the Surveyor of the King’s Works, to modernise and remodel the aging Tudor mansion. Jones introduced classical renaissance ideas, remodelling the courtly apartments, designing a grand new cabinet room, and creating a sophisticated, continental venue where Anna hosted foreign ambassadors, literary figures, and intellectuals.

The Masterpiece: The Queen’s House at Greenwich

Anna’s most enduring legacy with Inigo Jones came in 1616, when she commissioned him to design a private pavilion at Greenwich. The site presented an unusual challenge, as the main road between Deptford and Woolwich cut directly through the royal grounds.

Inigo Jones devised an elegant, symmetrical 'H'-shaped villa that bridged over the bustling road, connecting the royal gardens to the palace grounds. Inspired by the Italian Palladian style Jones had studied abroad, the Queen's House featured white stonework and harmonious proportions.

The Queen’s House at Greenwich

(Wikimedia Commons)

Their Legacy

Queen Anna never saw her Greenwich palace completed. She fell ill and passed away in March 1619, leaving the building half-finished. Construction stalled for over a decade until work resumed under Queen Henrietta Maria, who saw Jones's grand design realised in the 1630s.

The partnership between Anna of Denmark and Inigo Jones transformed English art and architecture. Anna provided the dynamic patronage, European ambition, and financial backing, while Inigo Jones supplied the artistic and architectural genius. Together, they pushed Jacobean court culture into a brilliant new era and began a renaissance which endures to this day.

Tony Riches

Author Interview with Ellen Rachlin, Author of Enheduanna's Song From The Sands

2026-08-25T04:45:29.364+00:00

Available from

Amazon UK and Amazon US

Discover the untold story of Enheduanna, the world’s first named author, as she navigates power, betrayal, and divine destiny in ancient Mesopotamia. A mesmerizing fusion of history, myth, and female leadership that challenges how we see the past—and ourselves.

I'm pleased to welcome author Ellen Rachlin to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your book.

It’s about a little-known ancient world that lasted for about 2,000 years, a high priestess who happens to be the world’s first named author, a life-or-death struggle that shaped the course of literature, and revenge.

Enheduanna is one of the most notable historical figures of ancient Mesopotamia. She wielded a great deal of power, but paid a steep price for assuming such authority. She was the daughter of Sargon the Great, a prominent high priestess, and the world’s first named author. There is attestation in one of the hymns attributed to her that she was forced into exile by a rebel king, but later reinstated. That’s all we know. My story imagines her rise to power, her fall, and her restoration.

The remarkable works attributed to her make her extraordinary, whether or not she was their actual author. We don’t know which is true, but both possibilities help explain why she stands out as one of the most memorable figures of this long chapter in ancient history. That uncertainty gave me the freedom to create a rich narrative around an extraordinary woman’s life.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I enter a state of slight panic that I can’t channel my characters deeply enough. That’s when I’m most alert. Then I calm down and write, ideally every day.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Study with teachers who know what they are doing. Learn craft first. Without structure, it’s much more difficult to communicate your story. Without knowing the basic elements, it’s impossible to know how the rules can be changed, if one chooses to do so. Then keep studying and reading. I’m still learning.

After that, focus on the story you wish to tell and on creating it. There’s a more commercial approach in which a writer studies the market and embraces where readership is concentrated. If one can write quickly, I suppose that’s a viable process, but tastes change, and it takes a long time to bring a book to readers.

If you write what you are passionate about, you’re more likely to make your characters come alive.

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?

There are so many outlets. I don’t think anyone knows what works best. Writers I know try everything, and there are lots of people willing to help. But at the heart of raising awareness is the author’s willingness to stand behind their work and champion it. Authors are the best spokespeople for their work.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research

Ancient Mesopotamian myths echoed mortal life experiences. Their gods were neither solely good nor solely evil, but complex beings possessing elements of both. They were subject to errors in judgment, human-like weaknesses, accountability for their actions, and judgment by other gods. This is quite different from modern notions of divinity.

Because of these qualities, the myths offered natural parallels to the Enheduanna of my imagination. She is a woman of remarkable agency for her time. She is also targeted by rebels and even by her own brothers. She is victimized, but refuses to be a victim. At first, this makes her ruthless, just as the gods can be in the myths. Yet, as in the myths, power has its price.

The myths themselves became my inspiration, along with Enheduanna’s mysterious and largely unknown life.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

Every scene has challenges; the most difficult one in Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands was the first chapter. I couldn’t tell her story without telling her father’s story. Enheduanna didn’t make enemies; she inherited generational ones. Sargon’s story needed to be told without interruption, so I began there rather than with Enheduanna. Slowing down and choosing to open with Sargon as a young cupbearer (one responsible for food and drink for a king) was a difficult choice.

What are you planning to write next?

At the moment, I’m writing a literary novel set in modern times, but I plan to return to ancient Mesopotamia, as there are so many figures from that era who fascinate me. By then, I hope that more readers will be curious about ancient Mesopotamia.

Ellen Rachlin

# # #

About the Author

Ellen Rachlin’s poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, Comstock Review, Granta, Court Green, Literary Imagination, and various anthologies. She has published two collections of her poems, Until Crazy Catches Me (Antrim House, 2008) and Permeable Divide (Antrim House, 2017), winner of the 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award. She is also the author of two chapbooks, Waiting for Here (Finishing Line Press, 2004), a finalist in the New Women's Voices series, and Captive to Residue (Flarestack Publishing, 2009). She received her MFA from Antioch University. She serves as Treasurer of The Poetry Society of America and is a partner at Blue Leaf Ventures. Other writing genres include numerous textbook and journal articles on the subject of finance and investing with various publishers including Wiley. Find out more at Ellen's Website: https://www.ellenrachlin.com/ and find her on Facebook and Instagram

The Tudor’s Road to Bosworth Part 7: The Battle of Bosworth

2026-08-22T05:29:19.728+00:00

In this series I have followed the progress of Henry and Jasper Tudor from Pembroke Castle to their long exile in Brittany and return with an army to Wales. Their long march, covering as much as twenty-six miles a day, ended when they encountered King Richard’s army camped at Ambion Hill, close to Sutton Cheyney.

The Battle of Bosworth is poorly documented, with no first-hand accounts surviving. Anything we read about the battle therefore has to be looked at closely to see who wrote it and when.

I visited the at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre for the special anniversary weekend events, which now attract visitors to the area from all over the world. As well as a re-creation of the march to Bosworth, there was a full scale re-enactment of the battle, complete with the hundreds of archers and the artillery of the Wars of The Roses Society.

It was also fascinating to visit the ‘living history’ encampment and see the soldiers preparing for battle. I spoke to several of them and they take great pride in achieving historical accuracy – even to the extent of sleeping in their flimsy canvas tents overnight, despite the strong winds.

There was a poignant moment as we all held a one-minute silence in memory of the men who died at Bosworth Field. I’d be interested to know what Henry Tudor would have to say if he knew the battle was still being re-enacted so many centuries after his amazing victory.

Tony Riches

See Also:

The Tudors' Road to Bosworth Part 1: The Tudors Escape to Brittany

The Tudors' Road to Bosworth Part 2: Exiled at Château de l’Hermine, Brittany

The Tudors' Road to Bosworth Part 3: Exiled at Château de Suscinio, Brittany

The Tudors' Road to Bosworth Part 4: Henry Tudor at Forteresse de Largoët, Brittany

The Tudors’ Road to Bosworth Part 5: Jasper Tudor at Château Josselin, Brittany

The Tudors’ Road to Bosworth Part 6: The Tudors Land at Mill Bay in Pembrokeshire

About the Author:

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and find him on Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter/X @tonyriches.

Author Anna Belfrage Reviews Queen Anna, Book One of the Stuart Queens Trilogy

2026-08-20T05:36:54.265+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Over the last few years, I’ve read my way through Mr Riches books—from the first I picked up about Eleanor Cobham, supposed witch, to this, his most recent release, Queen Anna. It is his first book set in Stuart times, and Anna—or Anne as she is known in English history—is the first Stuart queen, a Danish princess married to James VI of Scotland and I of England. As a Scandinavian, I am rather pleased Mr Riches allows her to keep her real name throughout the book—and I loved the occasional Danish words and sentences.

James is older than Anna. She is a young teenager when they wed in 1589, he is over twenty, well-educated and somewhat paranoid. That’s what happens when you grow up surrounded by regents who have a tendency to die, whether it be murdered, fatally wounded defending James’ crown, or executed. He has also developed a fondness for male favourites, surrounding himself with young, male courtiers.

Mr Riches describes Anna’s first few years in Scotland as difficult. A new language, new customs, a husband she rarely sees and who clearly has no intention of involving her in matters of the state—the latter not entirely surprising, as Anna has seen her mother navigating a similar situation, having been excluded from the regency for her young son when Anna’s father died. However, Anna’s parents had a close relationship, and while Sofia of Mecklenburg had no official say in things, she probably exerted a strong unofficial influences—as queens should. Anna does not.

When Anna realises she is to be excluded from the raising of her children, the relationship with James takes a turn for the worse. At some point, the only thing uniting Anna and James is the final prize: the throne of England.

As always, Mr Riches delivers a well-researched book and presents a female protagonist restricted not only by her gender but also by her role. When her husband lavishes attention on one male favourite after the other, she can do nothing but bear it—or manipulate things so that the favourite he chooses is one in Anna’s debt. In England, they live more or less entirely separate lives. Not even when their eldest son, Henry Frederick, dies, are they united for more than a moment. He reverts to his life, she to hers. It is quite sad, all in all.

Mr Riches gives us a woman who is very much an island unto herself in the bustling court of James I. Yes, she is intensely involved in masques and other entertainments, but other than her loyal female companions, her intimate circle is very small. It includes her surviving daughter and son, but it never includes the man she wed. Not even when she lies on her deathbed does James come to her side. But he did write a pretty poem for her afterwards. Somehow, I think Anna would have preferred a hand to hold on to.

Anna Belfrage

# # #

About the Author

Now available for pre-order: Lady of the Castle: A Medieval Epic of Love, Loyalty, and Betrayal (The Nicola de la Haye Series Book 2) by Rachel Elwiss Joyce

2026-08-19T05:03:01.733+00:00

Available for pre-order from

Amazon UK and Amazon US

For a woman, holding power in a man's world is dangerous;

holding faith in an intolerant one is deadly.

England, 1185. Nicola de la Haye, constable of Lincoln Castle, commands her fortress with hard-won authority. Determined to protect her family from a kingdom fracturing around her, she discovers the hardest battle is the one inside her own walls.

When the king's chancellor marches an army to her gates and her husband stands accused of treason, Nicola must hold her castle against a siege—and hold her family together against something far harder to fight. As her marriage buckles under the weight of loss, jealousy, and the ghosts of their pasts, Nicola must choose between the walls she has built around herself and the man she has never fully let in.

Miles away, Nicola's Jewish childhood friend Bella has built her world on different foundations: a husband she adores, a strong, vibrant community, and a faith and traditions kept alive despite centuries of persecution. When crusading fervour sweeps the nation, Bella's family is stripped of its fortune and forced to flee to York—only to find themselves trapped in a castle tower by a mob demanding baptism or death.

As King Richard the Lionheart departs for the Holy Land, leaving England to turn on itself, both women face the same impossible question: what do you love enough to sacrifice everything for?

# # #

About the Author

After a rewarding career in the sciences, Rachel returned to her first love—history and the art of storytelling. Fascinated by the women history neglected, or tried to forget, she creates meticulously researched, emotionally resonant fiction that brings her characters’ stories vividly to life. Her fascination with the past began early. At six years old, she was already inventing tales about medieval women in castles, inspired by her treasured Ladybird books and other picture-rich stories that transported her to another time. By the time she discovered Katherine by Anya Seton as a teenager, she knew the joy and escape that only great historical fiction can bring. Rachel’s two grown-up children still tease her (fondly) about childhoods spent being “dragged” around castles, archaeological sites, and historical re-enactments. For Rachel, history and imagination have always gone hand in hand.There was, however, a long gap between the stories of her childhood and her decision to write her own novel. The spark came when she discovered the remarkable true story of Nicola de la Haye—the first female sheriff of England, who defended Lincoln Castle against a French invasion and became known as “the woman who saved England.” Rachel knew she had found her heroine, and a story she was destined to tell. Rachel lives in the UK, where she continues to explore the lives of women who shaped history but were left out of its pages. Lady of Lincoln is her debut novel, the first book in her Nicola de la Haye Series, with sequels to follow. Find out more at www.rachelelwissjoyce.com and find Rachel on Facebook and

X/ Twitter: @RachelElwJoyce

Special Guest Interview with Nancy Bilyeau, Author of The Heiress of Northanger Abbey

2026-08-17T07:01:24.372+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Gloucestershire, 1820: Twenty-two years after the close of Northanger Abbey, Catherine Tilney seems to be living a happily ever after. But her busy life as a clergyman’s wife is shattered by a letter that resurrects her darkest fears. Her daughter Phoebe has fallen under the influence of the unscrupulous Thorpe family—the very figures who once nearly destroyed Catherine’s happiness.

The Heiress of Northanger Abbey, publishing in ebook, paperback, and hardcover on September 1st, Is Nancy Bilyeau’s ninth historical novel. She took the time to answer some questions on her vision for the novel and why Gothic fiction is so important to this story.

Is The Heiress of Northanger Abbey a prequel, a sequel, or a retelling of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey?

My novel is a sequel to Northanger Abbey. The story takes place from May and August in 1820. The main character is Catherine Tilney—she was Catherine Morland in the original novel, and at the end of the novel she married Henry Tilney—and the novel is written in the first person.

What kind of novel is The Heiress of Northanger Abbey—does it have a plot revolving around a young woman in the marriage market like what Jane Austen focused on? Or is it a murder mystery in which one of the characters is a sleuth?

My novel is not a murder mystery, but the plot is a suspenseful one. And the suspense does come from that Jane Austen preoccupation of marriage motives when it comes to heiresses. Whether it’s Georgiana Darcy in Pride and Prejudice or Miss Grey in Sense and Sensibility, women are targeted by fortune hunters. In Northanger Abbey, a crucial plot point is General Tilney’s mistaken belief that Catherine Morland is an heiress—and what happens when he realizes she is not.

In my novel, Catherine understands these mercenary hidden motives can cause pain in a young woman’s life, and so when she believes her own daughter, Phoeber, is being targeted, she leaps into action to protect her. Henry, Eleanor, and Frederick Tilney return and so do Isabella and John Thorpe. I also created some new characters, principally Phoebe but also the children of Isabella Thorpe and her mysterious neighbor, Lord Pomeroy, in Dartmoor.

Why did you pick the year 1820 for The Heiress of Northanger Abbey?

Most people believe that the “action” of the original novel took place in 1798. I wanted my story to go forward twenty-two years to a juncture in Catherine’s life when she is about to turn forty and Phoebe is seventeen, the same age Catherine was during Northanger Abbey.

Jane Austen famously wrote during the Regency. Is your book still in the Regency period?

If you want to be technical about it, 1820 was the last year of the Regency, because that was the year George III died and his son became king in his own right instead of ruling the country as a regent. But some people think that the “Regency period,” its culture, fashion, literature, and architecture, lasted until Victoria became queen in 1837.

I found that 1820 was a fascinating year in European history. Countries were recovering from the Napoleonic wars, and the political temperature was quite conservative. It was like a form of reaction going on against the French revolution. In France, Louis XVI’s brother had become king, and Napoleon’s allies were being persecuted.

Germany and Italy were swinging to the right. In England, the Tory Party had a landslide election. Also, George IV has off to a very bad start. There were hunger and poverty, and yet all he cared about was seeing that his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, didn’t become queen. In my novel, the scandal of the royal marriage is a backdrop running through the plot.

Where does your novel take place? Is Northanger Abbey a real place?

Jane Austen invented Northanger Abbey, the family seat of the Tilney family in Gloucestershire. But , just as with Pemberly in Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park, there were real country estates that Jane may have based the places on. She wrote about the physical building of Northanger Abbey in detail, and it was exciting—if a little intimidating—to take that fictional but well rendered place for my novel.

2007 British television film adaptation with Felicity Jones and JJ Feild

I took the story to Bath for several important chapters, just as what happens in Northanger Abbey. And the second half of my novel is set in Dartmoor at the fictional home of the husband of Isabella Thorpe. That was one of the most enjoyable things for me—writing the Dartmoor chapters. I tried to make full use of the moors, the mist, the tors, the isolation, and some of the most fascinating local legends.

What about the Gothic satire part of Northanger Abbey?

Well, that’s why I took the story to Dartmoor! I leaned into the Gothic vibe. Jane Austen was no fan of Gothic fiction, and she created a heroine in Catherine Morland who loved that popular genre and longed to find herself in a Gothic novel like Ann Radcliffe’s Mysteries of Udolpho. Repeatedly Jane Austen made fun of Catherine’s imaginings. And yet…and yet…there are aspects of the plot, like Catherine being put out of Northanger Abbey to fend for herself, that have a Gothic drama flavor to them.

In The Heiress of Northanger Abbey, I have a lot of fun with Gothic atmosphere and the Gothic fiction that was popular in 1820, from Anne Radcliffe’s bestsellers to Matthew Lewis’s The Monk to Dr John Polidori’s The Vampyre.

Is this your first Jane Austen adjacent novel and have you written other sequels or retellings of other writers’ novels?

This is my only foray into the Jane Austen adjacent world, a fascinating place! In my other novels, novellas, and short stories, I create my own characters and worlds. This began as an interesting challenge. Kris Waldherr of Muse Publications asked me if I wanted to be one of the group of authors participating in Once Upon a Gothic. For this special limited collection, each author took a Gothic classic and wrote a retelling from a different point of view or a sequel. For example, Paulette Kennedy wrote The Last Bride, a Dracula adjacent story.

I thought about it for a long time and decided to write about Northanger Abbey. I’ve been a huge admirer of Jane Austen my whole adult life and her Gothic playfulness in that novel is very interesting. It’s also one of her funniest books. And some scholars say there are strong autobiographical elements in the novel’s treatment of Bath and depiction of Catherine Morland’s family background.

The Heiress of Northanger Abbey was published with the others on Kickstarter in 2025, emphasizing the tactile possibilities of the physical books, producing in tête-bêche format. I received the rights back after the Kickstarter funded and commissioned a new cover. I decided to add a whole new chapter and revise some other parts, and I wrote an “Author’s Note.” I’ve made the novel available for the first time on Amazon, Bookshop.org, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble, and it can be ordered in ebook, paperback, and hardback.

So far the response pre-publication has been so exciting! Real Simple magazine put it on a list of books “perfect for fall” and BlueInk gave it a star and said, “Bilyeau, an American journalist and editor who has made a career of novels of historically accurate fiction, brings emotional depth and character development to this absorbing narrative.”

Will you continue in the 19th century with your next historical novel?

I may return to it because I enjoyed this process so much, but the novel I am writing right now is Champagne at Midnight, set in 1926 New York City. I wrote the historical mysteries Dreamland and The Orchid Hour as tributes to early 20th century NYC and I continue that direction with the new one, which should be published in 2027.

Nancy Bilyeau

# # #

About the Author

Nancy Bilyeau is the author of the Joanna Stafford trilogy: The Crown, The Chalice, and The Tapestry. The series was published in the UK, North America, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Denmark. Orion Publishing is re-issuing The Crown and The Chalice in the UK with new covers for the paperback. In North America, the Joanna Stafford trilogy is available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audio formats here. Nancy lives with her family in the Hudson Valley in New York. Find out more at Nancy's website, NancyBilyeau.com and find her on Facebook, Twitter @Tudorscribe and Bluesky @nancycb.bsky.social

Special Guest Post By E.L. Ravenheart, Author of The Shadow keeper: Gothic Haunting Tales from Somerset

2026-08-16T07:12:24.320+00:00

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

In the deep woods of the Great Lakes, skeletal spirits hunt the arrogant. Shapeshifters guard what remains of the wild. Hunger transforms the soul with a single choice. Across the Atlantic, on mist-shrouded moorland where leylines pulse through peat, a barefoot girl walks for two centuries, keeping a covenant her family refused. At standing stones, trickster ravens teach threshold lessons. In dark pools, witnesses become bridges between worlds.

The Inspiration and Research behind the Shadow Keeper

When I moved to North Somerset, I moved into the Old Quarry Master’s house that sits directly across from the old town quarry in Weston-Super-Mare, I remembered standing in the kitchen on that first night, listening to the house settling around me, and thinking that I had never lived somewhere with quite so much silence – and quite so much history pressing in from every direction. I did not know it yet, but that house, and the grounds beneath it, would become the beating heart of The Shadow Keeper.

Inspiration

My mother passed away not long before I began writing this novel, and in the months afterwards, I found myself remembering the stories she used to tell me when I was young. She always seemed to know I was spiritually inclined, and she shared her stories accordingly. My favourties were always the ones about the Bear Walkers – figures she described in a way similar to a grim reaper, shapeshifting presences that moved between worlds. I held onto those stories long after I stopped believing I have ever used them.

Then I had a dream. It was about spirits and generational curses, about the way trauma and legacy can pass silently from one generation to the next, waiting to be acknowledged. When I woke, I knew I wanted to write about the inheritance – and I knew the Bear Walkers needed to be a part of it. But I did not want to simply retell my mothers stories. I wanted to reimagine them, so I decided to give the Bear Walkers a new purpose in The Shadow Keeper. As figures tied to animals and the natural world, rising to honour her stories while making something entirely my own – something inspired by my heritage, rather than a claim to speak for it.

Research and Somerset Discoveries

Once the idea took root, I need to understand the land itself. I spent months visiting museums, haunted tours and libraries, speaking to residents who were generous enough to share their own memories and family lore. That is how I learned that the underground cavern just outside my kitchen was once said to connect to the tunnels leading into the quarry itself- a detail that unsettled and trilled me in equal measures, and once I could not resist weaving into a collection book.

I walked through Weston Woods at dusk more than once, and there’s a particular smell there- iron and damp earth- that I now associate entirely with the mood of this book. I travelled out to Brean Island and Salt bay where the cliffs drop away so steeply that the whole landscape feels like it is holding its breath. I stood on Cheddar Gorge and look toward Glastonbury Tor in the distance, and later returned to watch the sunrise from that same vantage point, the Tor rising through the mist like something out of memory rather than geography.

I visited St. Johns the Baptist church from Frome, wandered through Norton St Philips, and stood at Burrow Mump, thinking about the layers of history resting quietly beneath the grass. I became fascinated with the yew trees found in so many churchyards, with ley lines, with the Moors and marshes that seem to hold their own kind of memory. I went on haunted-history tours, dug through museum archives, and slowly, the land began to feel less like a backdrop and more like a character in its own right.

Turning Research into Fiction

The greatest challenge wan not gathering the history- it was a learning how to let it breathe within the story rather than simply reciting it. St Catherine House in Bath became the model for the fictional house at the centre of the story The Circle of Witham Grange inside the book The Shadow Keeper, I could picture its rooms shifting into something darker, older, and more and more haunted.

My fictional villages, too, are shaped by real historical periods and unrest, including the later turmoil that followed the execution of King Charles I, a period whose ripple effects are still across Somerset’s landscape and stories. I want to be honest that I am still checking some of the finer historical details before this goes any further, but the emotional truth of the unrest- the sense of a land marked by upheaval- is very much present in the book.

Perhaps the hardest part of writing this novel was bringing together folklore drawn from my own heritage with the folklore and history of England, respectfully and without flattening either. I never wanted to suggest that the Bear Walkers I have written represent all Anishinaabe or Chippewa storytelling- only that they are inspired by the stories passed down to me, reshaped through my own imagination and grief.

An invitation

The Shadow Keeper began as a way to honour my mother, and became something larger: a story about land, memory, and what refuses to stay buried. I hope readers find themselves walking through Somerset’s woods and marshes right along the characters, feeling the same mixture of unease and wonder I felt while researching every page.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

E.L. Ravenheart

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About the Author

E.L. Ravenheart is a gothic fiction author with roots in the Indigenous Chippewa Nation (USA). Since relocating to the United Kingdom in 2012, Ravenheart has been writing from Weston-Super-Mare, where Somerset haunted landscapes and layered histories intertwine with Indigenous storytelling traditions. Her work blends psychological depth, atmospheric tension, and the supernatural, drawing on cultural inheritance rich in symbolism and reverence for the unseen. The Shadow Keeper is among her interconnected works exploring liminal spaces where memory, myths, and the past press insistently against the present. Find out more at https://elravenheart.co.uk/ and find the author on Instagram and Bluesky elravenheart.bsky.social

Book Review: The Orphan from Verona, by Siobhan Daiko

2026-08-14T06:26:41.685+00:00

Available from

Amazon UK and Amazon US

Verona, 1944. When an air raid strikes Elisa's home, she is left with nothing but the clothes on her back, the teddy bear clutched in her arms and her beloved older brother. Traumatised into silence, six-year-old Elisa can no longer speak and relies on Robi to guide her through this war-torn world.

Siobhan Daiko’s The Orphan from Verona balances human drama with an atmospheric sense of a city steeped in history. Set against the lingering shadows of the past, the novel offers an immersive exploration of identity and family secrets.

At the heart of the novel is a cast of compelling, related characters, and their journey through grief and personal awakening. Their relationships are portrayed with sensitivity, capturing the tension between desire and duty.

I particularly liked the details of life in occupied Verona, the counterpoint of past and present storylines and interwoven character arcs. The gradual revelation of secrets keeps readers guessing, as the plot unfolds at an engaging pace, weaving together intimate, character-driven moments with elements of mystery.

The Orphan from Verona is a well-paced, memorable novel with a sophisticated narrative that explores the complexities of human resilience. Highly recommended.

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a Siberian cat. Siobhan was born of English parents in Hong Kong, attended boarding school in Australia, and then moved to the UK — where she taught modern foreign languages in a Welsh high school. She now spends her time writing page-turners and living the dolce vita sweet life near Venice. Her novels are compelling, poignant, and deeply moving, with strong characters and evocative settings, but always with romance at their heart. You can find more about her books on her website www.siobhandaiko.org and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @siobhandaiko

Book Review: Queen Elizabeth I's Governess: The Real Kat Ashley by Rosemary Griggs

2026-08-13T05:15:44.110+00:00

Available for pre-order from

Amazon UK and Amazon US

Some of the most intriguing people in Tudor history are those who stood outside the spotlight. Katherine 'Kat' or Kate Ashley is one of these. Best known as the governess and confidante of Queen Elizabeth I, she played a pivotal role in the future queen's life, yet is overshadowed by more famous figures around her.

In Queen Elizabeth I's Governess: The Real Kat Ashley, Rosemary Griggs sets out to change that with a thoroughly researched and engaging biography.

I particularly liked the extracts from letters and contemporary accounts, as researching someone like Kat Ashley is a real challenge. Much of her life has to be inferred from the correspondence of others. It takes persistence and an historian's instinct to piece together fragments into a convincing narrative.

The structure of the book reflects those challenges. The first part sets the scene, exploring on the Tudor world and the Ashley family, providing some context for a woman whose early life remains largely undocumented. Part two picks up the pace as Kate enters Princess Elizabeth's household.

Rosemary Griggs paints a convincing and nuanced portrait of a woman who was more than a governess. Kate Ashley was a teacher, mentor, protector and trusted companion, remaining loyal through some of the most dangerous years of Elizabeth's life. The chapters covering the Thomas Seymour affair are well handled, presenting the available evidence with balance.

The last part of the book shifts gear again as Elizabeth becomes queen. Kate Ashley appears less frequently in the surviving records, but Rosemary Griggs demonstrates how her influence remained significant.

This biography serves as a reminder of how people behind the scenes often shaped events in ways that are easily overlooked. Rosemary Griggs deserves credit for the painstaking research that underpins this book, as well as for producing a narrative that remains accessible throughout.

Queen Elizabeth I's Governess: The Real Kat Ashley is recommended for anyone interested in Tudor history. More importantly, it allows Kate Ashley the recognition she deserves, transforming her from a familiar name in the footnotes into a remarkable woman whose influence on England's greatest queen must not be underestimated.

Tony Riches

I would like to thank the publishers, Pen and Sword History, for providing a review copy of this book.

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About the Author