Budynki w Konarach zastaliśmy w lepszym stanie, niż się obawiałam. Po zbadaniu ksiąg stało się jednak jasne, że przez lata majątek przynosił dochody ledwo wystarczające na podstawowe utrzymanie. Większość przywiezionych pieniędzy będziemy musieli wydać na naprawę przeciekających dachów i połamanych okiennic, na wymianę zardzewiałych zawiasów we wrotach do magazynu zboża oraz wysprzątanie obory, zajmowanej przez... Continue Reading →
“Ciche wody” – Prolog
Bari, Królestwo Neapolu Marzec 1560 roku Koszmary zaczęły mnie dręczyć dopiero na starość, kiedy sen dla jednych bywa nieuchwytny, dla innych zaś ugina się pod brzemieniem obrazów z przeszłości, których woleliby nie pamiętać. Kamienna piwnica, wilgotna i cuchnąca, błysk ostrza, zimne oczy zabójcy, błagania ofiary przedzierające się przez brudną szmatę wepchniętą w jej usta… Wyciągam rękę po knebel,... Continue Reading →
There Has Been a Murder at the Palace Tonight – excerpt from Midnight Fire
After what felt like hours but could not have been more than ten or fifteen minutes, we arrived at the duke’s private apartments, where he had received me three days earlier. Neither courtiers nor servants filled the antechamber this time; there were only two stone-faced guards standing sentinel on either side of the inner door.... Continue Reading →
Excerpt from The Merchant’s Tale
Chapter 1 St. Nicholas Monastery, Nyonoksa, Russia August 24, 1553 by P.K. Adams and C.P. Lesley So close to the Arctic, dawn flushed the skies with pink despite the early hour. A blessed silence descended as the monks finished yet another round of prayers, chanted in Slavonic to the accompaniment of bells, and returned to... Continue Reading →
The Arrival of Barbara Radziwiłł
Excerpt from Midnight Fire, Jagiellon Mystery #2 Increasingly bored, I was about to turn to Maria, when the volume of conversations suddenly abated and heads turned toward one corner of the hall. A sense of anticipation filled the air, as if the gathering awaited the beginning of a performance by a troupe of players, lowering... Continue Reading →
These Two Reasons Are NOT Why Agents Reject Manuscripts
I have been reading back issues of Writer's Digest and found an astonishing article in the March/April 2019 issue. "Page Master" by Laura Zats talks about reasons manuscripts are rejected by agents. This potentially interesting article was unfortunately greatly disappointing. Let me explain. I was hoping for a fresh and insightful look into the confusing... Continue Reading →
Is There Room for Eastern European Historical Fiction?
If you are like me, you may be rolling your eyes at the fact that so much historical fiction focuses on Western Europe, especially England and France. There is not a month that another Tudor novel does not come out, and Marie Antoinette has been done to death (forgive the pun). I love my seven... Continue Reading →
Highlights from HNS North America 2019
My second historical fiction conference, HNS North America, came and went, and it was quite a ride. It was held at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just across the Potomac from Washington, DC from June 20-22, 2019. With over 70 sessions, the panels ranged from discussions of craft to the... Continue Reading →
Advertising as an Indie Author – Part 1
Part of being an indie author - in effect your own publisher - is doing your own marketing in order to get your book(s) into readers' hands. If you're like me, you're not too crazy about that part, and it's OK. The good news is there is a multitude of ways in which you can... Continue Reading →
Demystifying Amazon Publishing – First Things First
You've written a book. You were so inspired, you love the result, your friends and family think it's great. Now you want to put it in front of readers as soon as possible. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as you will see below) before you open the browser and set up your Amazon KDP author account, there... Continue Reading →