Author of Historical Fiction and Mysteries
I love reading historical fiction set in places that are not the usual go-tos of this genre, like revolutionary France or Tudor England (interesting though they are!!). There are vast areas of Europe, especially its eastern parts, not to mention places like Africa or South America, that rarely make an appearance. In that sense, Scotland... Continue Reading →
Guest post by Laura Matthias Bendoly Did women of the late medieval and early modern era (1500-1650) take part in paid professions? Could they earn an income? Were they permitted to study or to transmit their learning to others? The short answer is ‘no.’ And yet, there were occasions in 16th and 17th century Europe... Continue Reading →
Lucrezia Borgia continues to be the subject of biographies, a hit TV series (sadly cancelled before its time), and historical novels, including the recent Vatican Princess that probes the depths of depravity that the infamous papal dynasty of the early 16th century sank into, engulfing everyone within its orbit. As an illegitimate but beloved daughter... Continue Reading →
Fools and Mortals is a significant departure from Bernard Cornwell's usual theme of medieval warfare and political intrigue. So much so that I would never have guessed he was the one who wrote it. Maybe that's why I was not riveted by it as much as I was by 1356 or his Saxon Stories. This... Continue Reading →
Chapter 1 Abbey of St. Disibod, September 1143 I folded the letter and rose from my desk, intending to go find Volmar in the scriptorium to share the long-awaited news. It was a reply from Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, to whom I had sent a chapter of my new book some months earlier in hopes... Continue Reading →
I finally read Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders's Man Booker Prize winner for 2017, and it was quite an experience. The book made a splash for its unusual theme and innovative style - it is written in a quasi-dramatic form and composed in part of quotes from history books and primary sources, including diaries of White House... Continue Reading →
Guest blog by Rose Seiler Scott Even with my eyes closed, I would have known I was in my Oma’s house. The aroma of woodsmoke and sauerkraut permeated everything from the air to the brightly coloured afghans draped over the couches. When it was time to leave, it was rarely without a small gift--- multi-coloured... Continue Reading →
Guest blog by Julianne Douglas In 1555, printer Jean de Tournes of Lyon published a small volume of poetry titled EVVRES (WORKS). This innocuous label belied the book’s audacity, for the collection—a proto-feminist dedicatory epistle, a lengthy dialogue between Love and Folly, three elegies, and twenty-four sonnets—was the first of its kind in France: a... Continue Reading →
This week marked the release of my debut novel The Greenest Branch, based on the true story of Germany's first female physician. I won't lie - it has been been a long and challenging road. I started in earnest in the summer of 2011, after spending several months researching the life of Hildegard of Bingen,... Continue Reading →
Since I published The Greenest Branch, I have been asked by so many aspiring authors how I managed to write a novel from start to finish. They also want to do that - they say - but they don't have the time, or they don't feel competent, or they are afraid that it will fail,... Continue Reading →
