Book Review: “A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England” by Malcolm Hislop

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A Guide to Medieval Castles of EnglandCastles, the monuments of medieval times, are buildings that hold many tales. Tales of sieges and sorrow, triumphs and tribulations. Through the centuries, their stones and foundations held many secrets. Some of the stories are famous, but most are hidden in the shadows of time and are hidden in ruins. Although castles exist in numerous countries and are centuries old, the castles of medieval England tell a story of a country facing turmoil and changing European and world history forever. Malcolm Hislop, a historian and researcher who specializes in architecture and archaeology, has written a single book exploring every medieval castle and its original architecture entitled, “A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I am somewhat of an architecture novice. I did take a class about the history of art and architecture when I was in college. When I saw the title of this book, I was hoping that he would dive into the terminology and the history of how each castle changed over time. Hislop does his best to deliver just that for his readers.

Hislop begins by explaining the premise behind this book and what the time range will be for a castle to be considered medieval, which is if it was built between 1050 and 1500, which means this book covers over 400 castles. It is quite a mammoth task to cover that many castles and so much archeology, but Hislop does include a sort of glossary to help his readers traverse the complex world of medieval architecture. I do wish that Hislop included terms like motte and bailey in his glossary to help distinguish the different types of castles for novices.

The bulk of this book is focused on the gazetteer, which is simply a list of castles from A to W. Each entry explains where the castle is located, whether it is open to the public or not, a brief history of the occupants and builders of the castle, and finally detailed descriptions of the castle. While I do appreciate the effort that it took to write this book if you are not in England or a writer of historical fiction or nonfiction, this particular guide may seem a bit dry as a read. I feel like if I took a trip to England, I might take this book along with me as a starting point for which castles I should visit, but I think it might not be the best book for casual readers. It’s a resource and not necessarily a riveting read and that may be because Hislop’s approach is more academic than casual history.

Overall, it is an academically sound book but it is not a casual read. This is a book for those who are architecture aficionados, castle nerds, medieval academics, and those who want to explore the ruins of England’s past. If this sounds like you, I recommend you read, “A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England” by Malcolm Hislop.

Book Review: “The Twilight Queen” by Teri Westerson

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The Twilight QueenGreenwich Palace is a Tudor palace full of glamour, intrigue, and murder. A musician has been found murdered in the chambers of the current wife of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn. Only one person can solve this crime while protecting the royal family. No, he is not a knight or a lawyer, but a fool. No, an actual fool or jester of the court of Henry VIII, Will Somers. A man who is loyal to his king Henry VIII, but can he save his second wife from the murderer lurking in the shadows? Jeri Westerson’s Will Somers follows the clues to uncover the truth to protect those who are the most important to him in book two of A King’s Fool Mystery series, “The Twilight Queen.”

I would like to thank Severn House and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have not read any of Jeri Westerson’s previous novels, including the first book of the A King’s Fool Mystery series, so I was going into this one completely blind. What caught my eye about this book was the concept that Will Somers, a character who is not featured much in Tudor novels, acts as an armchair detective trying to protect Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

This mystery takes place in April 1536, when Anne Boleyn is nervous that her husband has lost interest in her and has chosen his next bride. To make matters worse, she comes back from a night of revelry to find a dead body in her chambers. What can a queen do but call on a man who recently solved a murder mystery, Will Somers, her husband’s fool.

Will Somers is a complex character. He tries to balance keeping his monarch entertained while speaking his mind about those closest to the king, especially Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn. Will is married to Marion Greene, the illegitimate daughter of the Yeoman of the Records, Lord Robert Heyward, whom he loves, but Somers has his affairs with men at court, like his lover in this book, Nicholas Pachett.

While I did enjoy the characters of Will, Marion, and Nicholas, I felt that the whole love triangle situation distracted me from the actual mystery. I feel like you can do a love story and a mystery together in the same novel, but in this instance, it felt a bit too much. There were a lot of good ideas, but it felt a bit rushed in a 250-page novel. Some elements made it feel a bit too modern than Tudor for my taste. Overall, I think some elements could be better, but I did feel attached to the main characters of Will, Marion, and Nicholas.

I think as my first dive into Westerson’s Tudor world, it was a bit rushed with compelling characters, but I do want to go back and read the first book in this series as well as see what kind of mystery Westerson will come up with next for Somers to solve. I think if you want an unconventional Tudor mystery that has an unlikely sleuth as the protagonist, you should check out “The Twilight Queen” and A King’s Fool mystery series by Jeri Westerson.

Book Review: “Foundation: The History of England From Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors” by Peter Ackroyd

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FoundationEngland is a nation that is rich in history and conflicts galore. Through the centuries, England has seen so much change. Many of us know the stories of the medieval and the Tudor kings and queens of England, covered in numerous books, but Peter Ackroyd has taken this concept a step forward. Ackroyd embarked on an epic quest to chronicle the history of England from its prehistoric origins to the modern age. In “Foundation: The History of England From Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors,” Peter Ackroyd begins his epic journey into the past to explore the origins of English history.

This book is one that I have seen every time I go to a bookstore and look at the history nonfiction section. I have heard great things about Ackroyd and this series, however, I have yet to read any of his books. It was always an intriguing book to me, but it was one that I never read until now.

Ackroyd has decided to begin his book with one of the most ancient sites in all of England, Stonehenge, explaining that before the first stone was set in Stonehenge, the origins of England were centuries old. We travel through the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and into Roman Britain before we dive into the time of the Anglo-Saxons and the Viking invasions. There is a lot of history to cover in less than a hundred pages, but Ackroyd can get his point across about how much change England went through during that time and that it continued to grow throughout the following centuries.

We see the impact that the Norman Conquest and William the Conqueror’s reign. The fall of the Normans with the death of King Stephen led to the rise of the Plantagenets and the reign of King Henry II. It was the Plantagenets that Ackroyd focuses the bulk of this book on as the dynasty lasted over 300 years and witnessed much change. From the Crusades, the Hundred Years War, and the Wars of the Roses, to the Black Death, rebellions, and religious changes, the Plantagenets saw England through major highs and lows. It was not just the monarchs that Ackroyd highlights in this book, he also examines how normal life changed with each dynasty and through the centuries, which adds a bit of depth to his examination of the past. Ackroyd concludes with the fall of Richard III and the rise of Henry VII and the Tudor dynasty. I wish Ackroyd would have waited until his next book to discuss the reign of Henry VII, but it is a minor qualm in the long run.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable and informative read. This is not only a tale of warring kings but a story of the people of England and what makes England so unique. A story whose origins are centuries old, but are rich and vivid in details. I look forward to seeing how Ackroyd will chronicle the Tudors and the rest of England’s history. If you want a book that explores as much of the beginnings of England’s story through multiple dynasties and dramatic changes, I would suggest you read, “Foundation: The History of England From Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors” by Peter Ackroyd.

Book Review: “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne” by Ashley Mantle

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UncrownedA life of luxury from birth, destined to be crowned King or Queen of England. This is what we often think life must have been like for royal heirs who reached the ultimate destination of a crown and a throne. However, the stories of those who failed to reach the throne are mired in tragedy and heartache. The question of royal succession in England is a complex issue, especially when the heir to the throne dies unexpectedly, leaving doubts on whether a dynasty will survive through blood or dissolve in conflict. How did the deaths of these potential rulers radically transform the fabric of English history as a whole and what can their lives tell us about what kind of rulers they might have been? Ashley Mantle hopes to answer all of these questions and more in his latest book, “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. The description of this book caught my attention. I wanted to see what heirs Mantle would feature in this book and if he would stay with well-known tales or venture into the realm of the relatively unknown heirs.

To begin his book, Mantle explains that he will be going through over a thousand years of royal succession history for England, which is a lot of history to include in one book. He also explains the difference between heir apparent and heir presumptive, which is key to understanding the complex nature of royal succession. While many of the stories included in this book focus on the male heirs, Mantle does include heiress to the throne like Empress Matilda, the Grey sisters (Lady Jane, Catherine, and Mary), Mary Queen of Scots, and Sophia Electress of Hanover, just to name a few.

Mantle’s deep dive into royal succession begins with Robert II Duke of Normandy, also known as Robert “Curthose”, the son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders; it concludes with Frederick Duke of York and Albany, the son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Each chapter focuses on one of the heirs, in chronological order, with miniature family trees at the beginning to help readers understand how close they were to the throne. This book is full of stories of betrayal, deaths, disappearances, family feuds, and heartache. Some of these heirs were relatively new stories for me, especially the ones more current than the Tudors, which was exciting to discover.

I must say that this task of combining over a thousand years of royal history into a comprehensive book is no easy task, but Mantle does a spectacular job. It was an informative and engaging read that would be perfect for any fan of royal history. If you want a fascinating book about those who were so close to the throne but never ruled, I highly suggest you read, “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne” by Ashley Mantle.

Guest Post: “What is an Angel?” by Justin Newland

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The Mark of the Salamander Tour Banner 1I am pleased to welcome Justin Newland to my blog today to discuss his latest book, “The Mark of the Salamander.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Justin Newland for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 

My latest historical fiction novel, The Mark of the Salamander, has just been published. It’s the first title in a two-book series, The Island of Angels, which tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.

While The Island of Angels is an intriguing title, this blog explores the question: ‘What is an angel?’ This is the definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary: 

‘A spiritual being serving as a divine messenger and intermediary and often as a special protector of an individual or nation.’

This suggests that any nation has a spiritual protector or guardian. If so, where would these angels live? In the ground, or in places like the lakes, forests, and mountain ranges? Many monasteries, temples, and holy places are located on mountaintops and in remote places like deserts in the expectation that the angelic beings would rise out of the ground and grace their occupants with their presence. 

The definition also mentions the spiritual beings – the angels – as divine messengers. The angels of a nation are then custodial of the divine intention for that land and its people. The angels’ function then becomes to guide the people towards the fulfillment of that intention. 

Then how would the people of a nation know if what they were doing was aligned or natural to that divine intention? 

Well, if they were, the angels would supercharge what they were doing. For example, they would prompt them to greater exploits, exceptional discoveries, and the creation of finer art. They would urge the people to do things and perceive things, that were above and beyond what the people previously thought possible. Angels add charisma and most importantly, they yield a vision of the future. They add grace and offer healing to old wounds and new possibilities. Their presence would feel like a person had a hose pipe of water gushing into their back.  

Francis-Drake-oil-panel-engraving-Jodocus-HondiusIn 1578, Francis Drake set out from Plymouth with five ships to sail around the world. Until that point in history, England was a small, misty isle on the edge of continental Europe. Through Drake’s efforts, in that single voyage, he hauled England out of the dark ages and into a future in which England would become the hub of a new world of trade & communication. He single-handedly changed England’s self-view. 

How was this momentous event achieved? Was it with the added assistance of the Angels of the Island? Where would you look for evidence of angels in the history of a nation? Well, perhaps you’d start with the symbols of the land that have persisted through the ages, their myths and legends, and their constitutional elements, like the color and formation of its flag. In Elizabethan England, the flag was still a red cross on a white background (Scotland had yet to contribute the blue saltire to the Union Jack). 

Then there’s the heraldry of the nation. England’s royal coat of arms features its MedievalTudor Coat of Arms Semper Eadem Always the Same chivalric Order of the Garter. Established by King Edward III in 1348, the motto of the Most Noble Order is, ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense,’ which means, ‘Evil be to he who thinks evil (of me).’

This is a huge clue to the nature and character of the land of England and its angels. It’s a powerful statement of defiance. The motto says that anything that comes into the land, that is not fitting, or of a lower order than the angels of the land, will get sent back to where it came from. In other words, repulse. In modern terms – return to sender. 

The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland - Front CoverBlurb:

1575.

Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder. 

Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.

Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes, and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire. 

THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. 

Buy Links:

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/38Yxzr 

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mark-of-the-salamander-justin-newland/1144122989?ean=2940186006305 

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-mark-of-the-salamander/justin-newland/9781915853271 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-mark-of-the-salamander 

WH Smith: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-mark-of-the-salamander-the-island-of-angels/justin-newland/paperback/9781915853271.html 

Saxo DK: https://www.saxo.com/dk/the-mark-of-the-salamander_bog_9781915853271 

UK Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-mark-of-the-salamander-justin-newland/7448127?ean=9781915853271 

Wordery: https://wordery.com/mark-of-the-salamander-justin-newland-9781915853271?cTrk=MjAxNjg3MzE1fDY1NDE4MzM0N2QzYzA6MTo1OjY1NDE4MzE0ZGFjNTA4LjEwMTkzMjgzOjYxZWVjMzJj

Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Mark-of-the-Salamander-by-Justin-Newland/9781915853271 

Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/book/the-mark-of-the-salamander/justin-newland/9781915853271 

Justin Newland 1Author Bio:

JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thrillers and magical realism. His stories explore the themes of war and religion and speculate on the human’s spiritual place in the universe.

Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. 

The historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall. 

The Coronation (Matador, 2019) was another historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. 

The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age. 

His work in progress is the second in the series, The Midnight of Eights, charting the uncanny coincidences that led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada. 

Author, speaker, and broadcaster, Justin appears on LitFest panels, talks to historical associations and libraries, and enjoys giving radio interviews and making podcasts. 

Born three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.justinnewland.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinNewland53 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-newland-b393aa28/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjustinnewland/  

Book Bub: https://partners.bookbub.com/authors/4862998/edit 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Justin-Newland/author/B06WRQVLT8 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jnewland

Book Review: “Women of Power: Formidable Queens of the Medieval World” by Teresa Cole

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Women of PowerWhen we think about medieval women, we often think about very pious figures who relied on men, had numerous children, and would often fade into obscurity when they died. While this would be the ultimate fate for many women, it was not so for those close to thrones worldwide. In times of war and political upheaval, the daughters, the wives, and the queens picked up the pieces and patched their respective kingdoms back together. In her latest book, “Women of Power: Formidable Queens of the Medieval World,” Teresa Cole has chosen a select group of women to highlight her point about the strength of women who held power in the Middle Ages.

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. When I heard about this book, I had an inkling about which women would be included in this conversation, but I wanted to see who else Cole included in her book and if she decided to stay in England or venture off to other countries.

The group of powerful women that Cole has chosen to highlight in this book are Emma of Normandy, Matilda of Tuscany, Empress of Matilda, Matilda of Boulogne, Melisende of Jerusalem and her sisters of the Outremer, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In terms of history, it is a span of close to three hundred years, covering everything from the Viking invasions of England, the Anarchy, the Holy Roman Empire vs the Papacy, the Crusades, and the reign of Henry II. It is a lot to cover in one book, but what Cole does well is that she has chosen women whose stories are interconnected to create a glimpse of the political environment in Europe and the Middle East during this time.

Before reading this book, I knew quite a bit about Emma of Normandy, Empress Matilda, Matilda of Boulogne, and Eleanor of Aquitaine, so those sections felt like a review for me. The stories of Matilda of Tuscany and Melisende of Jerusalem with her sisters of the Outremer were filled with new information for me and while I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Melisende of Jerusalem and the Outremer, I had such a struggle reading about Matilda of Tuscany.

There were so many popes, anti-popes, and Holy Roman Emperors during that period in which Matilda ruled Tuscany, I wish Cole had included some sort of chart to make it easier to follow. I also wish that Cole spent a little bit more time focusing on the women instead of their male counterparts in the chapters to truly highlight their strengths because there were points where I felt like the women were being lost in their chapters.

Overall, I think Cole does a decent job highlighting the women and the periods in this book. It does show a glimpse into the hardships women had to endure to hold onto power in the medieval world. If you want to explore the Middle Ages with some new historical figures who left their marks on the past, I recommend you read, “Women of Power: Formidable Queens of the Medieval World” by Teresa Cole.

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘How to Dress Like a Tudor’ by Judith Arnopp

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How To Dress Like A Tudor Tour BannerI am pleased to welcome Judith Arnopp to my blog today to share a blurb for her latest book, “How to Dress Like a Tudor.” I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books, The Coffee Pot Book Club, and Judith Arnopp for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 

How To Dress Like A Tudor coverBlurb:

Have you ever hankered to dress like a Tudor lord or lady, or perhaps you prefer the status of goodwife, or costermonger, or even a bawd? 

For beginner historical reenactors, the path to authenticity can be bewildering and sometimes intimidating. Judith Arnopp uses her own experience, both as a historian and a medieval/Tudor lady, to make your own journey a little easier.

The author traces the transition of fashion from the relatively subtle styles popular at the court of Henry VII, through the carefully constructed royal grandeur of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I to the pinnacle of majesty and splendid iconography of Elizabeth I. 

In contrast to the magnificence of court come the ordinary folk who, subject to sumptuary laws and regulations, wore garments of a simpler cut and cloth – a strata of society that formed the back bone of Tudor England.

This brief history of 16th-century fashion examines clothing for both rich and poor, adult and child, and offers tips and tricks on how to begin to sew your first historically inspired garment, this book is aimed at helping the beginner learn How to Dress like a Tudor.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: mybook.to/howtodress

Judith Arnopp at Pembroke CastleAuthor Bio:

Judith writes historical fiction set during the late medieval and Tudor periods. Her usual focus is on the women who lived close to the monarch, women like Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth of York, and Mary Tudor but more recently has been writing from the perspective of Henry VIII himself. Her books are on Kindle, Audible, and Paperback.

You can find her fiction books here: http://author.to/juditharnoppbooks

She also writes non-fiction and her work is featured in many anthologies and online magazines. Her latest non-fiction, How to Dress like a Tudor published by Pen & Sword Books is available now. 

Judith is a founder member of a reenactment group The Fyne Company of Cambria, and began making Tudor costumes for herself, her husband, John, and other members of the group. It was this that inspired How to Dress Like a Tudor and she hopes to write more non-fiction Tudor history in the future.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.judithmarnopp.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudithArnopp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetudorworldofjuditharnopp

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-arnopp-ba999025

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tudor_juditharnopp/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jarnopp.bsky.social 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/judith-arnopp

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Judith-Arnopp/e/B003CGLWLA/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088659.Judith_Arnopp

Book Review: “The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court” by Gareth Russell

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The PalaceWhen we think of old homes, we often think of the phrase, “If walls could talk,” because the true treasure of any home is not the floorboards or the walls, but rather the stories of those who lived inside its walls. Take, for example, Hampton Court Palace in England. A home for over 500 years that has seen many architectural and artistic changes in its hallowed halls, but it is the stories of those who stayed for brief periods that truly make this palace spectacular. Stories full of salacious scandals, religious implications, and revelations that would shake England to its core through revolutions. Hampton Court Palace has been the center of English court drama for centuries and finally, these tantalizing tales are being told in a truly remarkable book, “The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court” by Gareth Russell.

I would like to thank Gareth Russell and Atria Books/Simon and Schuster, for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed Russell’s previous biographies about The Queen Mother and Catherine Howard, so when I heard that he was writing a new book about Hampton Court Palace, I knew I wanted to read it.

Russell structures this book similarly to how he structured, “Do Let’s Have Another Drink” in that each chapter is a different tale from this palace’s half a century of history, which is a ton of historical fun to explore. He starts with a story of a ball attended by Elizabeth Windsor, soon to be Queen Elizabeth II, a few days before her coronation in 1953. Full of glitz and glamor, we soon transition to the origins of the land that Hampton Court Palace resides on and how the palace came to be after its humble beginnings as an estate for the Knights Hospitaller. It was not until the Wars of the Roses that the manor gained prominence under a favorite of Henry VII, Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney.

By understanding how this phenomenal manor became a palatial palace, we can appreciate the stories that are the bulk of this book. Russell takes his readers through 500 years of English royal history, starting with the tumultuous Tudors, moving to the saucy Stuarts, the haughty Hanovers, the gossiping Georgians, and finishing with the worldly Windsors. Each chapter focuses on one character from each dynasty and one room of the palace.

While I was relatively well aware of the Tudor tales of Cardinal Wolsey, Catherine Howard’s run down the Haunted Gallery, and Mary I’s phantom pregnancies, it was the other dynasties that drew me into an engrossing book. The Stuarts especially shocked me with the colorful cast of characters who ranged from King James I with the King James Bible, Charles II and his many mistresses, and Oliver Cromwell. Russell shows the tragic moments, which included the death of several queens of England, the chaotic period known as the English Civil Wars, the creation of “The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior,” and the story of The Grand Duchess Xenia, the last living sister of Tsar Nicholas II. There are also stories full of art, scientific research, love, humor, and even chocolate and court life.

Russell’s narrative style of writing combined with his meticulous research has created another smash hit. I could not put this book down and I was very sad when I finished reading it, I did not want it to end. I don’t want to spoil much about this book, but it is my new favorite book by Gareth Russell. If you want a book full of fascinating history that you can binge-read, I highly suggest you read, “The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court” by Gareth Russell.

Guest Post: “The Dos and Don’ts of Tudor Men’s Dress – What to Wear in Sixteenth-Century England” by Toni Mount

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I am pleased to welcome Toni Mount to share her advice about Tudor men’s fashion to promote her latest book, How to Survive in Tudor England. I would like to thank Toni Mount and Pen and Sword Books for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 

In writing my new book How to Survive in Tudor England I realised how tricky it was to be fashionable during the sixteenth century: hard work and expensive for men and women. So here’s a taster of what was required for a man to get noticed at court.

Henry VII favors long robes of fine cloth to show his wealth but his son, young Henry VIII, famed for his athletic, shapely legs, wears fitted hose and short robes so he can show off his best features. Now that the robe is so short, the flap that covers the join between the two separate legs of the hose [stockings] for modesty’s sake is now visible and Henry turns this into an asset by attaching a great codpiece to show off his virility. Since the courtiers take their fashion cues from the king, codpieces become a vital accessory. Henry is a well-muscled sporty young man but even so, his natural physique is accentuated by padding the shoulders of his doublet to extreme proportions. 

Henry VIIIHenry VIII wearing a padded doublet 

In this image, you can see the slashes in the sleeves of his doublet so that little puffs of his fine shirt can be pulled through. The doublet has a skirt or peplum, of varying length according to fashion, underneath which are hidden ties (‘points’) or hooks, to attach the breeches. 

The basics of men’s clothing is wearing layers. Next to your skin, you have a white linen shirt. This may be embroidered around the collar band. Katherine of Aragon introducebris ‘black-work’ embroidery from Spain and this becomes very fashionable, looking good on white linen. Later, the collar band is simply what your ruff is pinned onto, unless it has become a separate item by the time of your visit.

Breeches and hose come in a bewildering variety, going in and out of fashion almost weekly – another reason why a courtier’s wardrobe can empty his purse in no time, just trying to keep up. Here is a selection: round or French hose are short, full breeches ending anywhere between the upper thigh to just above the knee and excessively padded at the hips to accentuate your buttocks. These can make dancing or even walking elegantly quite difficult. Canions are tight-fitting tubes attached to the short version of the round hose to extend them to the knee. Below the knee, you wear stockings or ‘netherstocks’ held up with garters.

Whatever the style, the hose must be ‘paned’ – that is cut into narrow panels, joined at the waist and hem, with a colored lining showing between the panes. With so much padding and paning, you can understand why the codpiece is in decline, giving way to a modest buttoned or lace-up opening that doesn’t spoil the symmetry of your panes. Both your doublet and hose may also be decorated by ‘pinking’: slits cut in the fabric, in a pattern, with the coloured lining pulled through, as in Henry VIII’s time. One contemporary commentator of Elizabethan men’s fashion thought things had become quite ridiculous:  ‘Except it were a dog in a doublet you shall not see any so disguised as are my countrymen of England’, he wrote and Elizabethan clothes indeed disguise the wearer’s true physique more than the fashions of any other period. 

Sir Walter RaleighThe fashionable Sir Walter Raleigh

As you’ll see in the portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh [above], men also need to wear a bit of bling. Sir Walter has a single pearl earring, the sign of a truly fashionable man-about-town. Finger rings are a must.

Facial hair is also in vogue ever since Henry VIII grew a beard but at the Elizabethan court, the natural look isn’t enough. Once again, Sir Walter is a fine example to copy with his beard neatly trimmed to a point and his moustache curled. Set your ensemble with a short cape, fur-lined, and edged with a braid. This isn’t a practical cloak to keep you warm and dry but rather an accessory to be draped nonchalantly over one shoulder for that devil-may-care look that’s the height of fashion.

Footwear

No one of any significance goes without shoes. The pointy-toed, medieval styles go out of fashion almost as the first Tudor king sits on the throne. Rounded toes are the thing. But Henry VIII, maybe because he has broad feet, went further, creating a fashion for square toes. With more leather used to make the uppers, it’s also possible to have slashes to show off a contrasting inner lining, as with sleeves. However, these early Tudor styles are thin-soled and flat like their medieval predecessors but around 1500, somebody invents the ‘welt’ – a narrow strip of leather that goes around the shoe, in between the upper and the sole, making the shoe far more sturdy and able to withstand fancier shaping and decoration. 

King Henry is tall and impressive anyway but others who want to emulate him could do with a few extra inches in height and by the time of Elizabeth heeled shoes have been invented. At first, the heel is just a wedge of cork or wood fixed between the leather sole and the upper but soon these become proper heels and part of the sole. With so much innovation in the world of shoemaking, in 1579 the queen grants their coat-of-arms to the Guild of Cordwainers in London.

Women’s dainty dress shoes, called ‘pinsons’, now with heels and a more dainty tapered toe, can be of silk, velvet, or brocade often with bejeweled rosettes. Mid-century, most are slip-ons but lacing and buckles become increasingly fashionable. A pair of Tudor or Elizabethan shoes are made the same for both feet so there is no correct right or left shoe so they can be swapped over for more even wear. 

For outdoor wear, you can either put overshoes on to protect your indoor footwear, or you can have leather boots for walking and riding. Loose or tight-fitting, ‘gamaches’ are thigh-length high boots, and ‘buskins’ come to the calf.  

colour chartActs of Apparel 

In Henry VIII’s reign, realizing some of the up-and-coming wealthier gentry and merchants were wearing more sumptuous clothes than noblemen and courtiers, new laws are passed, termed Acts of Apparel, in 1509-10, 1514, 1515, and 1533. Europe has similar ideas but whereas their regulations tend to be drawn up by and apply only to individual towns, England’s laws come from Parliament and apply throughout the country, in theory, anyway.  

According to the 1509-10 Act against Wearing of Costly Apparel, only the king, the queen, the king’s mother (the act must have been first drawn up before Margaret Beaufort died in June 1509), along with the king’s brothers and sisters can wear cloth of purple silk or gold, while dukes and marquises can only use cloth of gold as linings of their coats and doublets. An earl and those of higher rank may wear sable fur, but those below may not. Certain imported furs can be worn by royal grooms and pages, university graduates, yeomen, and landowners whose estates bring in an income of at least £11 per annum. Barons and knights of the Order of the Garter (the highest-ranking knights) are permitted to wear woolen textiles manufactured abroad but, for those of lesser status, it’s a crime to wear imported cloth. The same applies to wearing clothes dyed with the most expensive crimson and blue dyes. 

CrimsonToo much crimson dye?

Anyone who isn’t a lord’s son, a government servant, or a gentleman with an income from the land of at least £100 per annum is forbidden to wear velvet, satin, or damask, although, if their land is worth £20 or more, satin, damask or camlet may be used to line or trim their clothing but not for the main, visible body of the garment. 

The problem is, as it has been for centuries, more and more successful merchants are becoming richer than the aristocracy. Intermarriage makes matters even more complex. The nobility want to share in mercantile wealth and merchants yearn for titles and high status. The solution is for a lord’s penniless second and untitled son to wed the daughter of a rich merchant but where do their offspring stand on the social ladder? The children aren’t the sons and daughters of a lord and yet they can now afford to live in greater opulence than their paternal relatives who still have titles. No wonder the laws are flouted. 

An additional oddity concerns the way wealth is judged. Annual income from land is always regarded as having greater status than the same monetary income gained from trade. The sumptuary laws passed in the reign of King Edward III, in 1363, equated a landowner worth £200 a year to a merchant worth £1,000. These relative values are still maintained throughout the Tudor period. And there is another problem that becomes more acute in Henry VIII’s reign: that of people – and courtiers were some of the worst offenders – vying with their peers to be the most fashionable and expensively dressed and running up huge debts in the process. This situation leads to An Acte for Reformacyon of Excesse in Apparayle being passed in 1533:

…for the necessaire repressing avoiding and expelling of the inordinate excesse dailye more and more used in the sumptuous and costly araye and apparel accustomablye worne in this Realme, whereof hath ensued and dailie do chaunce suche sundrie high and notable inconveniences as to be the greate manifest an notorious detriment of the common Weale, the subvercion of good and politike order in knowledge and distinction of people according to their estates p[re]emyences dignities and degrees, and to the utter impoverysshement and undoyng of many inexpert and light persones inclined to pride moder of all vices…

Despite the declaration that these laws are intended to avoid the ‘notorious detriment of the common weal’, i.e. everyone, the legislation is aimed, as usual, at morally ‘light persons inclined to pride (mother of all vices)’. The laws also reiterate earlier attempts to mark out prostitutes from respectable women but in 1533 the earlier, medieval customs of what was considered respectable attire are enshrined in law for the first time, in particular, that a married woman must cover her hair – a ‘loose’ woman, i.e. one wearing her hair loose and uncovered is of easy virtue and up to no good. 

An excess of wool production led to an Act of Parliament in 1571, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to boost the sales of English woolen cloth. It becomes law that on Sundays and every official holiday all males over six years of age, except for the nobility and persons of degree, are to wear woolen caps on pain of a fine of three farthings (¾ of a penny) per day. Whether it works or not in practice, the act is repealed in 1597. In June 1574, Elizabeth issues the following statute from Greenwich Palace: 

The excess of apparel and the superfluity of unnecessary foreign wares thereto belonging… is grown to such an extremity that the decay of the whole realm is like to follow (by bringing into the realm such superfluities of silks, cloth of gold, silver, and other vain devices of so great cost as of necessity the moneys of the realm is yearly conveyed out of the same to answer the said excess) but also the undoing of a great number of young gentlemen seeking by show of apparel to be esteemed as gentlemen not only consume themselves, their goods, and lands which their parents left unto them, but also run into such debts as they cannot live out of danger of laws without attempting unlawful acts… [edited]

Despite the fact that the queen and everyone else understand the cost of trying to keep up with the latest fashions, no amount of law-making can prevent the young gallants from spending far beyond their means.

Another 1597 proclamation on the subject goes into minute detail. Only earls can wear cloth of gold or purple silk. No one under the degree of knight is allowed silk ‘netherstocks’ (long stockings) or velvet outer garments. A knight’s eldest son may wear velvet doublets and hose but his younger brothers can’t. A baron’s eldest son’s wife may wear gold or silver lace which is forbidden to women below her in the pecking order. Who is allowed to wear what is supposed to be strictly controlled as the queen’s subjects must know their place and dress accordingly so that no one can be misled. At least, that’s the theory but you can see that the laws are confusing and is it any wonder that people ignore them? Will you obey the law or wear fashionable clothes, no matter the cost?  

The frequency of acts and the huge number of laws passed proves that the authorities are losing the fight to keep the social distinctions, maintain morals and ethics, preserve the English economy against foreign imports, and restrain the excesses of fashion. However, a good many of the various sumptuary laws, dating back to as early as the fourteenth century, were still on the English statute books as recently as the 1800s, and, who knows, some may as yet remain, hidden in the dusty archives in the twenty-first century.

So this is an introduction of what to wear – or not – for the stylish courtier in the sixteenth century. If you wish to read about many interesting characters, places, food, and pastimes of the sixteenth century, my new book How to Survive in Tudor England will be published on 30th October 2023.  

Pen & Sword Book Cover / Jacket artwork

Blurb

Imagine you were transported back in time to Tudor England and had to start a new life there, without smartphones, internet, or social media. When transport means walking or, if you’re lucky, horseback, how will you know where you are or where to go? Where will you live and where will you work? What will you eat and what shall you wear? And who can you turn to if you fall ill or are mugged in the street, or God forbid if you upset the king? In a period when execution by beheading was the fate of thousands how can you keep your head in Tudor England? 

All these questions and many more are answered in this new guidebook for time-travelers: How to Survive in Tudor England. A handy self-help guide with tips and suggestions to make your visit to the 16th century much more fun, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the new experiences they may encounter and the problems that might occur. 

Enjoy interviews with the celebrities of the day, and learn some new words to set the mood for your time-traveling adventure. Have an exciting visit but be sure to keep this book to hand.

Toni Mount cropToni Mount Biography

Toni Mount researches, teaches, and writes about history. She is the author of several popular historical non-fiction books and writes regularly for various history magazines. As well as her weekly classes, Toni has created online courses for http://www.MedievalCourses.com and is the author of the popular Sebastian Foxley series of medieval murder mysteries. She’s a member of the Richard III Society’s Research Committee, a costumed interpreter, and speaks often to groups and societies on a range of historical subjects. Toni has a Master’s Degree in Medieval Medicine, Diplomas in Literature, Creative Writing, European Humanities, and a PGCE. She lives in Kent, England with her husband.

Guest Post: Spotlight for “Historical Stories of Exile”

On By hmalagisiIn guest post3 Comments

IG banner Exile partyI am pleased to welcome the authors of the latest anthology, “Historical Stories of Exile” to my blog today on a spotlight tour. I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and the authors of this anthology for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 

EXILE-Cover-flatBlurb:

Exile: a risky defiance, a perilous journey, a family’s tragic choice – or an individual’s final gamble to live. Exile: voluntary or enforced, a falling-out between friends, a lost first love, a prejudiced betrayal – or the only way to survive persecution?

In this historical fiction anthology, thirteen authors (they are not superstitious!) have written exclusive short stories on the theme of exile. Some are based on true history, others are speculative fiction. All mine the depths of human emotions: fear, hope, love, and the fortitude to survive.

Join an inspiring Anglo-Saxon queen of Wales, a courageous Norwegian falconer, and a family fleeing back in time to escape the prospect of a ruthless future. Oppose the law with the legendary Doones of Exmoor, or defy the odds with two brave WWII exiles. Meet a Roman apprehensively planning exile to preserve the ‘old ways’, and a real Swedish prince forcibly expelled in heart-wrenching circumstances. Thrill to a story based on the legend of Robin Hood, sail with a queen of Cyprus determined to regain her rightful throne; escape religious persecution, discover the heart-rending truth behind the settlement of Massachusetts, and experience the early years that would, eventually, lead to the founding of Normandy. Experience the stirring of first love, and as an exclusive treat special guest author, Elizabeth Chadwick reveals a tale about the 12th-century heiress, Isabelle de Clare, and the Greatest Knight of all time – William Marshal.

With an introduction by multi-award-winning author Deborah Swift, enjoy these tales of exile across the ages. Some are hopeful, some sad, some romantic, some tragic, but all explore the indomitable spirit of resolute, unforgettable characters.

Buy Links: 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Universal Link: https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile 

ALISON MORTON writes award-winning thrillers featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her ten-book Roma Nova series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution, and heartache but use a sharp lines in dialogue. Several of her novels have hit  #1 in Amazon US, UK, Canada and Australia. The latest, Julia Prima, plunges us back to AD 370 when the founders of Roma Nova met.

She blends her fascination for Ancient Rome with six years of military service and a life of reading crime, historical, and thriller fiction. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.

Alison now lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit. Oh, and she’s writing the next Roma Nova story.

Website: https://www.alison-morton.com

AMY MARONEY studied English Literature at Boston University and worked for many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. She lives in Oregon, U.S.A. with her family. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of The Miramonde Series, a bestselling historical mystery trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Amy’s award-winning historical adventure/romance series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, is set in medieval Rhodes and Cyprus.

An enthusiastic advocate for independent publishing, Amy is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and the Historical Novel Society.

Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/

ANNA BELFRAGE Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time traveler. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance, and writing. Anna always writes about love and has authored the acclaimed time-traveling 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. Anna is presently hard at work with her other medieval series, The Castilian Saga, which is set against the conquest of Wales. The third installment, Her Castilian Heart, was published in 2022, and the fourth and final one will be out in 2024. She has recently released Times of Turmoil, a sequel to her time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time.

Website, http://www.annabelfrage.com 

ANNIE WHITEHEAD is an author, historian, and elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in Anglo-Saxon England. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies and written for various magazines, has twice been a prize winner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New Writer Magazine’s Prose and Poetry Competition. She was a finalist in the 2015 Tom Howard Prize for Nonfiction and was shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize/Trisha Ashley Award 2021. 

She was the winner of the inaugural Historical Writers’ Association/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and is now a judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical Novel Society) Short Story Competition.

Her nonfiction books are Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (Amberley Books) and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword). She has contributed to a new history of English Monarchs, Kings, and Queens: 1200 Years of English and British Monarchs (Hodder & Stoughton) and has signed a contract to write her third nonfiction book, to be published by Amberley Books in 2024.

Website: https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/

CATHIE DUNN writes historical fiction, mystery, and romance. The focus of her novels is on strong women through time. She has garnered awards and praise from reviewers and readers for her authentic description of the past. A keen Medievalist, she enjoys visiting castles and ruins, and reading about battles and political shenanigans of the times.

Cathie is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She also now runs The Coffee Pot Book Club, promoting historical fiction authors and their books.

Website: https://www.cathiedunn.com 

CHARLENE NEWCOMB writes historical fiction and science fiction. Her award-winning Battle Scars trilogy is set in the 12th century during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. Her writing roots are in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (aka Legends) where she published 10 short stories in the Star Wars Adventure Journal. Sci-fi space opera fans should check out Echoes of the Storm, her original novel published in 2020. She returned to medieval times with her novel Rogue in 2023. 

Website: https://charlenenewcomb.com

CRYSSA BAZOS is an award-winning historical fiction author and a 17th-century enthusiast. Her debut novel, Traitor’s Knot is the Medalist winner of the 2017 New Apple Award for Historical Fiction and a finalist for the 2018 EPIC eBook Awards for Historical Romance. Her second novel,  Severed Knot is a B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree and a finalist for the 2019 Chaucer Award. Rebel’s Knot, the third installment of the standalone series, Quest for the Three Kingdoms, is a B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree and 2021 Discovering Diamonds Book of the Year.

Website:  https://cryssabazos.com

DEBORAH SWIFT is a delver into archives, drinks too much tea, and loves antiques and old buildings. Her sturdy, stone-built house used to be the village primary school, and from her window, she has a view of a few 17th-century cottages, and behind those, green fields dotted with grazing sheep.

Historical fiction was a natural choice for Deborah as a writer because she always enjoyed the research aspect of design – poking about in archives and museums, not to mention the attraction of boned bodices and the excuse to visit old and interesting buildings.

She used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV, so enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction. She likes to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events. In her books, Deborah likes to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events. Her first novel was The Lady’s Slipper which was shortlisted for the Impress Prize, and her book  The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, won the BookViral Millennium Award. She has written eighteen novels to date including two series set in WWII – her latest, The Shadow Network is due for release in early 2024.

Deborah lives in North Lancashire on the edge of the Lake District and divides her time between teaching and writing.

Website: https://deborahswift.com/

ELIZABETH CHADWICK New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Chadwick lives in a cottage in the Vale of Belvoir in Nottinghamshire with her husband and their four terriers, Pip, Jack, Billy, and Little Ted. Her first novel, The Wild Hunt, won a Betty Trask Award and To Defy a King won the RNA’s 2011 Historical Novel Prize. She was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Award in 1998 for The Champion, in 2001 for Lords of the White Castle, in 2002 for The Winter Mantle, and in 2003 for The Falcons of Montabard. Her sixteenth novel, The Scarlet Lion, was nominated by Richard Lee, founder of the Historical Novel Society, as one of the top ten historical novels of the last decade. She often lectures at conferences and historical venues, has been consulted for television documentaries, and is a member of the Royal Historical Society.

Website: https://elizabethchadwick.com/

ELIZABETH ST.JOHN’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England’s kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.

Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.

Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.

Elizabeth’s books include her trilogy, The Lydiard Chronicles, set in 17th Century England during the Civil War, and her medieval novel, The Godmother’s Secret, which explores the mystery of the missing Princes in the Tower of London.

Website: http://www.elizabethjstjohn.com/

HELEN HOLLICK and her husband and adult daughter moved from north-east London in January 2013 after finding an eighteenth-century North Devon farmhouse through being a ‘victim’ on BBC TV’s popular Escape to The Country show. The thirteen-acre property was the first one she was shown – and it was love at first sight. She enjoys her new rural life, and has a variety of animals on the farm, including Exmoor ponies, dogs, cats, hens, ducks, and geese, and her daughter’s string of show jumpers.

First accepted for publication by William Heinemann in 1993 – a week after her fortieth birthday – Helen then became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am the Chosen King), novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she also writes a pirate-based nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages, where you can read more about Jesamiah Acorne, son of Charles St Croix – and the Doones.

Despite being impaired by the visual disorder of Glaucoma, she is also branching out into the quick read novella, ‘Cosy Mystery’ genre with the Jan Christopher Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working for thirteen years as a library assistant.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of a Smuggler. She also runs a news and events blog and a Facebook page for her village supports her daughter’s passion for horses and showjumping – and occasionally gets time to write… 

Website: https://helenhollick.net

J.G. HARLOND Secret agents, skulduggery, and crime that crosses continents.

British author of historical crime fiction, J.G. (Jane) Harlond writes award-winning, page-turning novels set in the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. Each story weaves fictional characters into real events. She describes her WWII Bob Robbins Home Front Mysteries as a ‘cozy crime with a sinister twist’. Prior to becoming a full-time author, Jane taught English and World Literature in international colleges. She also wrote school textbooks for many years using her married name. 

Jane is married to a retired Spanish naval officer and they have a large, grown-up family living in various parts of Europe and the USA. After traveling widely (she has lived in or visited most of the places that feature in her novels) they are now settled near Málaga in Spain.

J.G. Harlond is a member of the British Crime Writers Association and the Dorothy Dunnett Society.

Website: http://author.to/JGHarlond

LORETTA LIVINGSTONE had no intention of writing anything but short stories or poetry, and especially not historical fiction. She stated it quite clearly on social media, only to suddenly find herself writing … historical fiction. Her debut novel, Out Of Time, set in the mythical Sparnstow Abbey, was shortlisted for the Historical Novel Society Indie Award in 2016, which stunned and elated her in equal measures.

It was supposed to be a one-off. It wasn’t. She went on to write two more stand-alone novels in the series; A Promise to Keep and Blossom on the Thorn. She had plans for more but has had ME for many years, and ill health has temporarily reined in her gallop. However, she intends to write again soon… 

Her other books include short story collections and poetry and can be found on Amazon.

Loretta is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217686418294125

MARIAN L. THORPE Taught to read at the age of three, words have been central to Marian’s life for as long as she can remember. A novelist, poet, and essayist, Marian has several degrees, none of which are related to writing. After two careers as a research scientist and an educator, she retired from salaried work and returned to writing things that weren’t research papers or reports.

Marian’s first published work was poetry, in small journals; her first novel was released in 2015. Her award-winning Empire’s Legacy series is historical fiction of another world, based to some extent on northern Europe after the decline of Rome.

In addition to her novels, Marian has read poetry, short stories, and nonfiction work at writers’ festivals and other juried venues.

Her other two passions in life are birding and landscape history, both of which are reflected in her books. Birding has taken her and her husband to all seven continents, but these days she’s mostly content to move between Canada and the UK.

Website: https://marianlthorpe.com/