Tag: Blog Tour

Guest Post: “Elizabeth I as a Femme Sole” by Janet Wertman

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

Today, I am pleased to welcome Janet Wertman to my blog as part of the blog tour for her latest novel, Nothing Proved. I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Janet Wertman for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.

In Nothing Proved, I had the opportunity to explore the origin stories of many of Elizabeth Tudor’s attitudes and beliefs. I was especially interested in showing the experiences that made her suspicious of marriage, and there were (of course!) many, some of which she observed and some of which she actually experienced. The specter of a mate for whom she had no attraction (or for whom attraction had passed), the imputation of guilt from a husband’s treason, the shame of infidelity and indifference, these were all giants. But there was another important factor: the inevitable loss of autonomy and personal agency.  

 

It might have been different had she never experienced control herself, but in 1549, she was given the rare opportunity to run her household as a femme sole, an unmarried woman answerable to no one but the monarch. She was able to experience a level of leadership that women could achieve only as widows pursuing their deceased husbands’ business. Unlike widows, Elizabeth had to face the added challenge of building her fief from scratch. And found she excelled. 

 

This gave Elizabeth a bit of a “test run” of her reign. She learned how to arrange business and finances, how to hire and manage the people around her. She learned about different trades, she spoke to a wide variety of people with a full range of stations and religious beliefs. She had the chance to be sole arbiter, and it is hard to give up such power. 

 

This obviously will come up in the second book in the series, What Love E’er Meant, which will focus on her marital choices. And while that will be a standalone story, I jumped at the chance to show in real time the experiences that would influence her later actions. 

Blurb: 

Danger lined her path, but destiny led her to glory…  

 Elizabeth Tudor learned resilience young. Declared illegitimate after the execution of her mother Anne Boleyn, she bore her precarious position with unshakable grace. But upon the death of her father, King Henry VIII, the vulnerable fourteen-year-old must learn to navigate a world of shifting loyalties, power plays, and betrayal.  

 After narrowly escaping entanglement in Thomas Seymour’s treason, Elizabeth rebuilds her reputation as the perfect Protestant princess – which puts her in mortal danger when her half-sister Mary becomes Queen and imposes Catholicism on a reluctant land. Elizabeth escapes execution, clawing her way from a Tower cell to exoneration. But even a semblance of favor comes with attempts to exclude her from the throne or steal her rights to it through a forced marriage.   

Elizabeth must outwit her enemies time and again to prove herself worthy of power. The making of one of history’s most iconic monarchs is a gripping tale of survival, fortune, and triumph. 

Buy Links: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bM8Vrk  

Additional Buy Links: 

Barnes & Noble: 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nothing-proved-janet-wertman/1146831389 

Kobo: 

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/nothing-proved 

Apple: 

https://books.apple.com/us/book/nothing-proved/id6740549129 

Author Bio: 

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. 

Janet also runs a blog (www.janetwertman.com) where she posts interesting takes on the Tudors and what it’s like to write about them. 

Author Links: 

Website:

https://janetwertman.com 

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/janetwertmanauthor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-ambrosi-wertman-b5531aa/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/janetwertman/

Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/janetwertman.bsky.social

 

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/janetwertman

 

Book Bub:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/janet-wertman

 

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Janet-Wertman/author/B01CUSMWFA

 

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2028387.Janet_Ambrosi_Wertman

 

 

 

 

Guest Post: “Snippet from ‘The Duty of Daughters’ by Wendy J. Dunn

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Wendy J. Dunn to my blog today to share a snippet from her novel “The Duty of Daughters” as part of the blog tour for her omnibus “Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology.” I would like to thank Wendy J. Dunn and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.

Snippet:

“Josefa, you mistake my meaning.” Beatriz stared at the coverlet of Josefa’s bed. “All of us must walk our own roads, but ’tis wrong to prevent women from walking so many roads just because we’re women. Even Plato said, ‘Nothing can be more absurd than the practice of men and women not following the same pursuits with all their strengths and with one mind, for thus, the state instead of being whole is reduced to half.’ I so agree. Our world cuts off its nose to spite its own face by insisting the only purpose for women is to bear children and perpetuate the human race, as also said Plato. Surely ’tis far too hard a view to forever blame women for Eve’s sin.”

Blurb: 

In the Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology, readers are transported to the rich historical tapestry of 15th and 16th-century Europe, where the lives of remarkable women unfold against the backdrop of political upheaval and personal struggles.  

In the first book, beginning in 1490, Castile, Doña Beatriz Galindo, a passionate and respected scholar, serves as an advisor to Queen Isabel of Castile. Beatriz yearns for a life beyond the constraints imposed on women, desiring to control her own destiny. As she witnesses the Holy War led by Queen Isabel and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, Beatriz dedicates herself to guiding Queen Isabel’s youngest child, Catalina of Aragon, on her own path. Beatriz’s role as a tutor and advisor becomes instrumental in shaping Catalina’s future as she prepares to become England’s queen.  

Fast forward to the winter of 1539 in the second book, where María de Salinas, a dear friend and cousin of Catalina (now known as Katherine of Aragon), pens a heartfelt letter to her daughter, the Duchess of Suffolk. Unable to make the journey from her London home due to illness, María shares her life story, intricately woven with her experiences alongside Catalina. Their friendship has endured through exile and tumultuous times. María seeks to shed light for her daughter on the choices she has made in a story exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, hatred, and forgiveness. Through María’s narrative, the eternal question Will love ultimately triumph? 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bax5n6  

Author Bio: 

Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so, she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder.  

Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally. 

Author Links: 

Website: www.wendyjdunn.com  

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

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

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@wendyjdunnauthor  

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/wendy-j-dunn  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004FRTZFA  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/197156.Wendy_J_Dunn

Guest Post: “What was Life Like in ‘Northwick Priory’” by Carolyn Hughes

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Carolyn Hughes to my blog to share a guest post about her latest novel, Sister Rosa’s Rebellion. I would like to thank Carolyn Hughes and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. 

The principal location for Sister Rosa’s Rebellion, the latest novel in my Meonbridge Chronicles series, set in medieval Hampshire, is a priory of nuns, although important plot threads in the novel are also, of course, still set in the community of fictional Meonbridge itself.  

However, the central focus of the storyline is the young woman who left Meonbridge at the end of the First Meonbridge Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, to become a nun in Northwick Priory. That young woman was Johanna de Bohun, the daughter of the lord and lady of Meonbridge, Sir Richard and Lady Margaret. The shameful motivation behind Johanna’s decision to sequester herself in the priory as Sister Rosa is the primary thread in the story of Sister Rosa’s Rebellion. For when, after fifteen years of contentment, Rosa’s life in the priory is turned upside down, the reason she became a nun is threatened to be revealed. 

 

In this post, I thought I’d share something of the background I’ve drawn upon to paint the picture of life for Sister Rosa and her sister nuns, discussing how I came up with my vision of Northwick Priory, and something of the daily pattern of life inside it. 

 

Northwick Priory is fictional, but, in my mind, it’s sited more or less where the real monastery of Southwick once stood, about nine miles from “Meonbridge” and six miles north of Portsmouth. In medieval times, Southwick Priory was reasonably well-endowed, with many manors, and was also a place of pilgrimage, until it was closed during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the monasteries. But “Northwick” is relatively poor. Not struggling, as long as the prioress and treasuress can keep on top of their finances, but sufficiently close to the edge that a profligate prioress could easily bring the place to ruin… 

 

Not knowing already how a medieval priory might be laid out, I searched for examples online and found Cleeve Abbey, a ruin in Somerset, destroyed in the Dissolution, that is managed by English Heritage. Cleeve was a monastery, not a nunnery, but, in principle, the layout for both would, or could, be similar. Luckily for me, there’s a plan of the abbey on its web page, which I’ve used very loosely as the model for Northwick. 

 

As at Cleeve, Northwick has two floors, with the more private chambers upstairs and the “day” rooms downstairs. The dorter (the dormitory) is upstairs, with a flight of night stairs leading directly down to the chapel, making it easier for the nuns to access the chapnighttime night time offices. All the sisters, including the prioress, were supposed to sleep in the dorter, although, in Sister Rosa’s Rebellion, the fact that the prioress doesn’t is a matter for great concern! 

 

I imagine the dorter essentially as a long chamber furnished with rows of beds. Privacy wasn’t usual in any medieval environment, even in the grand homes of the gentry. Nonetheless, I’ve introduced a design aspect to Northwick’s dorter that was almost certainly not common in nunneries or monasteries: the inclusion of “cells” within the dorter chamber. I’ve read that, occasionally, the dorter might be partitioned into cells or cubicles, and it suited my purpose for the story of Sister Rosa’s Rebellion to allow this arrangement in Northwick. However, I’ve imagined Northwick’s cubicles as being separated by the flimsiest of partitions, so all the snuffling and snoring noises of the night-time dormitory would still intrude, even if each nun did enjoy a modicum of privacy. It was apparently really rare for a priory to have cells, in the sense of separate chambers, for monks or nuns to sleep in. 

 ,

At Northwick, I have other chambers upstairs, including the prioress’s own – where, in Sister Rosa’s Rebellion, she sleeps and eats, and also entertains both her favourites and visitors, quite contrary to the Rules of the Benedictine order. 

 

The ground floor of Northwick Priory is laid out more or less as at Cleeve. In the centre is the cloister, the great internal courtyard around which the nuns would take their exercise each day, with the chapel to the north of it and the frater (the refectory or dining hall, where all sisters were expected to eat) to the south. Off the sides of the cloister were various chambers, including the Chapter house, where the nuns met daily to hear readings from the order’s Rule, discuss any day-to-day decisions. 

 

Close to the frater would of course be the kitchens, either within the priory buildings, or perhaps in a separate building, for safety.  

 

Sited close to the chapel’s entrance was the sacristy, the room where the priest prepared for services, and where items used in services were,e kept and was therefore also the “office” of the sacrist. 

 

Outside the priory buildings, I’ve given Northwick a gatehouse much like the one at Cleeve, with upper floors. The infirmary was often sited away from the main buildings, presumably to keep infection confined. And there would be other domestic buildings, such as a bakehouse, a brewhouse, and a laundry, and of course, storehouses for various purposes. 

 

I hope you now have a feel for the layout of Northwick Priory, but what of life inside it? 

 

A nun’s day was very structured, arranged around the holy offices, the chapel services (also called the divine offices or the liturgy of the hours) that they were required to attend. The services, which consisted primarily of psalms, hymns, readings, and prayers, were held at fixed times. These canonical hours were not only the specified times for prayer, but also marked the times of day.  

 

Depending upon the time of year, they were broadly as follows:  

 

  • Matins: Midnight or sometime during the night  
  • Lauds: Dawn or 3 a.m. 
  • Prime: The first hour, about 6 a.m. 
  • Terce: The third hour, about 9 a.m. 
  • Sext: The sixth hour, about noon 
  • Nones: The ninth hour, about 3 p.m. 
  • Vespers: The “lighting of the lamps”, about 6 p.m. 
  • Compline: The last hour, just before retiring, around 9 p.m. 

 

After Prime, the nuns would usually hold their chapter meeting (mentioned above). Otherwise, between the services, they took their meals (breakfast, dinner, and supper), carried out their work, and in theory spent some time in reading and private study. 

 

I imagine meals were generally modest affairs for most (although, in Sister Rosa’s Rebellion, the prioress decides she can no longer stomach “modest” meals and demands more exotic food for herself). That’s not to say the ordinary nuns’ food was necessarily meagre or unappetizing. They had the resources of the home farm to call upon, and if it was well-managed, there was no reason why they shouldn’t have a varied and nourishing diet. In principle, according to the Benedictine Rule to which Northwick’s nuns adhere, meals were taken in silence or near silence, save for the nun who was reading from the Bible. However, it again suited my “authorly” purposes to relax the rule a little, so “quiet” is required in Northwick’s dorter rather than silence. 

 

As I said, in theory, time was set aside for reading scripture and private study. However, I understand that, by the fourteenth century, reading was no longer widespread – I’m not clear why – and even work occupied less time than it once had, as servants tended to do it.  

 

In a small nunnery like Northwick, most of the nuns would probably have a defined role. Although some of the nuns’ work might be menial, say, working in the kitchen, laundry, or garden, I believe it was more commonplace for servants to carry out these tasks, whilst the nuns themselves undertook administrative tasks. If you’d like to know more about the work of medieval nuns, look out for a post of mine called The working lives of medieval nuns, shared by other hosts on this blog tour. 

Blurb: 

How can you rescue what you hold most dear, when to do so you must break your vows?

1363. When Mother Angelica, the old prioress at Northwick Priory, dies, many of the nuns presume Sister Rosa, formerly Johanna de Bohun, of Meonbridge, will take her place. But Sister Evangelina, Angelica’s niece, believes the position is hers by right, and one way or another, she will ensure it is.

Rosa stands aside to avoid unseemly conflict, but is devastated when she sees how the new prioress is changing Northwick: from a place of humility and peace to one of indulgence and amusement, if only for the prioress and her favoured few. Rosa is terrified her beloved priory will be brought to ruin under Evangelina’s profligate and rapacious rule, but her vows of obedience make it impossible to rebel.

Meanwhile, in Meonbridge, John atte Wode, the bailiff, is also distraught by the happenings at Northwick. After years of advising the former prioress and Rosa on the management of their estates, Evangelina dismissed him, banning him from visiting Northwick again.

Yet, only months ago, he met Anabella, a young widow who fled to Northwick to escape her in-laws’ demands and threats, but is a reluctant novice nun. The attraction between John and Anabella was immediate, and he hoped to encourage her to give up the priory and become his wife. But how can he possibly do that now?

Can John rescue his beloved Anabella from a future he is certain she no longer wants? And can Rosa overcome her scruples, rebel against Evangelina’s hateful regime, and return Northwick to the haven it once was? 

Buy Links: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bWaYM0  

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Author Bio: 

CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, word-smithing for many different clients, including banks, an international hotel group, and medical instruments manufacturers. 

Although she wrote creatively on and off for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest that writing historical fiction took centre stage. But why historical fiction? Serendipity! 

Seeking inspiration for what to write for her Creative Writing Masters, she discovered the handwritten draft, begun in her twenties, of a novel, set in 14th-century rural England… Intrigued by the period and setting, she realised that, by writing a novel set in the period, she could learn more about the medieval past and interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do. A few days later, the first Meonbridge Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, was underway. 

Seven published books later (with more to come), Carolyn does now think of herself as a Historical Novelist. And she wouldn’t have it any other way… 

Author Links: 

Website: https://carolynhughesauthor.com  

Twitter: www.x.com/writingcalliope  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarolynHughesAuthor  

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

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carolyn-hughes  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Carolyn-Hughes/author/B01MG5TWH1  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16048212.Carolyn_Hughes 

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘Oscar’s Tale’ by Chris Bishop”

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Chris Bishop to my blog today to share a spotlight for his novel, “Oscar’s Tale.” I want to thank Chris Bishop and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Blurb: 

Oscar’s Tale is that of a Saxon boy who sets out to find and rescue his father who has been taken by Viking slavers.  

The story begins in 877, just prior to the Viking attack on Chippenham in which King Alfred was routed. Against this backdrop, Oscar is obliged to set out on his all but impossible quest and quickly becomes embroiled in all that’s going on in Wessex at this turbulent time, culminating in him playing a small but important part in the battle at Edington. 

But this is not just a story about blood thirsty battles and fearsome warriors, it’s about a boy struggling to live up to his father’s reputation as a warrior and trying to find his place in a dangerous and uncertain world. For that, he is forced to confront many dangers and earn the respect of others who are far above his station. Along the way he also finds love – albeit at a cost far higher than most would have been willing to pay. 

 

‘For is it not the wish of every man that his son will achieve more in life than he did?’ 

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bwQQ99  

Author Bio:  

Chris was born in London in 1951. After a successful career as a Chartered Surveyor, he retired to concentrate on writing, combining this with his lifelong interest in Anglo Saxon history. 

His first novel, Blood and Destiny, was published in 2017 and his second, The Warrior with the Pierced Heart, in 2018 followed by The Final Reckoning in 2019 and Bloodlines in 2020.  Together they form a series entitled The Shadow of the Raven, the fifth and final part of which – The Prodigal Son – was published in 2023. 

 

Chris has published numerous blogs about various aspects of Anglo Saxon history and is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association. 

 

Author Links: 

 

Website:

www.chrisbishopauthor.com  

Twitter:

https://x.com/CBishop_author  

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/207271.Chris_Bishop  

Book Review: “The Tudor Queens’ Midwife” by Brigitte Barnard

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Throughout history, the true defining feature of a good queen was whether or not she could give birth to a male heir and a spare to keep the dynasty going. No dynasty relied heavily on the pregnancy of a queen and a male heir than the Tudor dynasty of England. While we tend to focus on the women who wear the crown and give birth to the potential heir, another stands beside her during the entire process; the royal midwife. Not much attention has been given to the royal midwife until now. Brigitte Barnard explores the life of a royal midwife and her daughter who work to help Queen Katherine of Aragon in her novel, “The Tudor Queens’ Midwife.”

I want to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Brigitte Barnard for sending me a copy of this book. When I read the description of this book for a blog tour that I was invited to join, it was an appealing concept. I like reading novels where the royal family takes a back seat, so seeing a novel about a royal midwife was different and I wanted to read it. 

In the glittering court of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, Sarah Menendez the midwife and her daughter Faith must deal with the dangers of childbirth. Through dealing with miscarriages and stillbirths, Sarah and Faith help the queen in any way they can. But this mother and daughter have a secret. While serving Katherine of Aragon, the Spanish Catholic queen, they are not Catholic or Protestant. They are Jews who were exiled from their native Spain after the Inquisition that was put in place due to Katherine’s mother.

Throughout this novel, we witness Sarah and Faith helping Katherine of Aragon up to the Great Matter and other noble women and working women alike. Some of the women found the joys of motherhood while others paid the ultimate sacrifice to bring new life into the world. We also get to see the bond between Sarah and Faith and how fortune’s wheel continues to turn even for normal men and women. I also enjoyed the fact that we got to experience what life might be like for a Jewish family living in England when religion was a hot topic and the Jews had been banned from England for centuries.

 I enjoyed this novel. It was a fresh take on the Tudor era in England that explores what it might have been like to be a Jewish midwife when Katherine of Aragon was queen. As a debut, I think Barnard does a good job of creating believable characters and great scenarios. I am looking forward to her next novel and I hope she continues telling the story of these midwives. If you want a novel that is full of secrecy, religious conflict, and a loving family, I would suggest you read, “The Tudor Queens’ Midwife” by Brigitte Barnard.

Blurb: 

In the glamorous, glittering, and dangerous court of King Henry VIII and his queen Katherine of Aragon, the desperate desire for a healthy male heir overshadows all. Plagued by a series of miscarriages the queen is left grappling with the weight of her singular duty to provide a son for the Crown. Amidst this turmoil, the queen turns to Sarah Menendez, the most highly skilled midwife in England. Sarah, exiled from her homeland and concealing her true identity must serve the queen and battle her deepest fears. As Sarah strives to save the queen from the perils of childbirth, the specter of her past threatens to unravel the carefully crafted identity Sarah has created for herself and her young daughter. 

  In a world where power, politics, and religion collide, Sarah finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue and deadly danger. The fate of the queen’s unborn child, the survival of the midwife and her daughter, and the stability of the kingdom hang in the balance. Sarah Menendez must employ all of her skills, cunning, and courage to protect those she holds dear as well as the life of the queen and her unborn child. 

The Tudor Queens’ Midwife is a gripping tale of secrecy, sacrifice, and religious turmoil amongst the most opulent courts the world has ever seen.  

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jzxyk  

Author Bio: 

Brigitte Barnard is an amateur historian of Renaissance English history and an author of the trilogy The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, of which the first book in the series is available. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about Tudor midwifery for Pen and Sword Publishing House.  

Brigitte is a former homebirth midwife, and she lives at home with her husband and four children. She also raises Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  

Author Links: 

Website: http://thetudormidwife.com/  

Twitter: https://x.com/TheTudorMidwife  

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

Guest Post: “The Spanish Armada” by Justin Newland

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Justin Newland to my blog today to share some background information about his novel,  The Midnight of Eights. I want to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Justin Newland for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.

This guest post relates to the historical background of my novel, The Midnight of Eights. The genesis of any single historical event is always multiple, a combine compound of different influences, some obvious, some subtle, So, in this short space, the best I can do is paint some broad brush strokes.  

The novel culminates in the repulse of the Spanish Armada, but what led to King Philip of Spain’s fatal decision to build and dispatch a fleet of 130 warships to invade England in 1588 AD?  

Let’s start in 1556. That was when Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, abdicated and passed his territories to his son, Philip, who inherited the Netherlands. The Dutch were mostly Protestant but were now under the control of a Catholic monarch. Philip sent the Duke of Alba to suppress any revolt and impose Catholic rule.  

In England in 1570, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth suppressed the Catholic-inspired Northern rebellion and for her troubles was excommunicated by Pope Pius V. In a Papal Bull entitled Regnans in Excelsis, he declared her to be a heretic and “the pretended Queen of England and the servant of crime.” Significantly for English Catholics, the Pope released all of her subjects from any allegiance to her and excommunicated any that obeyed her. 

In December 1585, Elizabeth and the Privy Council finally responded to the Dutch call for help, and the Queen sent English troops and vessels to support their resistance.  

The Papal Bull persuaded many English Catholics to plot against Elizabeth. One was Sir Francis Throckmorton, a Catholic noble. He planned to depose Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary, the Queen’s cousin, was Catholic, and a distant heir to the English throne. Francis Walsingham, the Queen’s spymaster, with the help of Nelan Michaels, the hero of the novel The Midnight of Eights, uncovered his plot and had Throckmorton executed at Tyburn in London in July 1584. The Tyburn Tree, a nickname for the gallows at Tyburn, was a prominent site for public executions in London and was given the chilling epithet, ‘the tree that was never green.’ 

Anthony Babington was the next English Catholic noble to attempt to depose Elizabeth and replace her with Mary. But when her letters to Babington were intercepted by Walsingham’s spies, proving her involvement to depose Elizabeth, Mary, Queen of Scots, was tried and executed in 1587. For King Philip, Mary’s death was the tipping point. He decided to despatch the Armada and bring England and its heretic Queen to heel once and for all.  

During the fleet preparations in Cadiz, Philip ordered his admirals to search for women on board the ships and remove them, so that God’s will prevailed.  

In April 1588, the Pope blessed the Armada emblem, the Madonna, and all the Spanish mariners watched in holy awe as it fluttered high on the masts of the galleons, galleasses, and supply ships.  

The Armada was not just a fleet of ships. As far as the Spanish were concerned, it was primarily a holy instrument to remove evil from the world.  

Justin Newland  

18th March 2025 

Photo #1: Pope Pius V, courtesy of Wikipedia  

Photo #2: The Tyburn Tree, courtesy of Wikipedia  

Blurb:

1580-Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers – the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire – and reunite with his beloved Eleanor.  

After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he’s recruited into the service of the Queen’s spymaster, where his astral abilities help him to predict and thwart future plots against the realm. 

But in 1588, the Spanish Armada threatens England’s shores. 

So how could the fledgling navy of a small, misty isle on the edge of mainland Europe repulse the greatest fleet in the world? 

Was the Queen right when she claimed it was divine intervention, saying, ‘He blew with His winds, and they were scattered!’? 

Or was it an entirely different intervention – the extraordinary conjunction of coincidences that Nelan’s astral powers brought to bear on that fateful Midnight of Eights? 

Buy Links: 

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheMidnightofEights  

Author Website (where buyer can enter a dedication): https://www.justinnewland.com/the-midnight-of-eights~193  

Wordery (for free UK delivery): https://wordery.com/the-midnight-of-eights-justin-newland-9781835740330   

Barnes and Noble (US): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-midnight-of-eights-justin-newland/1146325263?ean=2940185990643  

Waterstones (UK): https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-midnight-of-eights/justin-newland/9781835740330  

Kobo (International): https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-midnight-of-eights  

Saxo (DK): https://www.saxo.com/dk/the-midnight-of-eights_bog_9781835740330  

Kindle Unlimited:  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midnight-Eights-Justin-Newland-ebook/dp/B0D9Y7YRDG   

Author Bio: 

Justin Newland’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.  

Undeterred by the award of a Maths Doctorate, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.  

His second book, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.  

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.  

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, 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 (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023), is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.  

The latest is The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), the second in The Island of Angels series, which charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.  

His work in progress is The Spirit of the Times which explores the events of the 14th Century featuring an unlikely cast of the Silk Road, Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, and a nursery rhyme that begins ‘Ring a-ring a-roses’.  

Author, speaker, and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. 

Author Links: 

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

Twitter: https://x.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://www.bookbub.com/authors/justin-newland  

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

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

Guest Post: “Research of the Locations Featured in Sword Brethren” by Jon Byrne

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Jon Byrne to my blog today to share information about his research for the locations in his novel Sword Brethren.  I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Jon Byrne for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Detailed research is important for all writers – but for those writing historical fiction, it is vital. While much can be gained by researching information on the internet or reading books on the subject, one of the best things for me is the chance to visit the locations depicted in the book. Sometimes it is only by going to a place that you can really get a feel for how it might have been. Having said that, all of the places depicted in Sword Brethren have changed so much over the last 800 years that it is still difficult to imagine how a location would have looked so long ago, especially as there is so little remaining from this period. 

The story begins in Cranham, a fictional village in East Anglia in England, located somewhere between Bury St Edmunds and Thetford. I traveled the area a few years ago, visiting the local castles like Framlingham and Orford, as well as the village of Lavenham – one of the best-preserved medieval villages in England. This helped to get an idea of what the area might have been like in the High Middle Ages, but even here most of the buildings date from the late medieval and Tudor periods.  

One of the places that I found particularly helpful was Eye Castle – originally a motte and bailey fortress built during the reign of King William I. This is even earlier than the timeframe of the book, which made it far more relevant, but the castle is ruined, and a house was built on the motte in 1844, which has since decayed and collapsed. Nevertheless, the fictional village and castle of Cranham would not have been dissimilar. 

Lübeck, in northern Germany, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the location for approximately a third of the book. I spent a very satisfying weekend walking the cobbled streets and visiting the historical sites it has to offer – made considerably easier for me because at the time I lived in Berlin, which is only 280 km (approx. 170 miles) away.  

  

Caption: The Holsten Gate in Lübeck (built between 1464 to 1478). On the right can be seen some of the buildings of the Salzspeicher – a row of historic salt warehouses. On the left, the spires of St Mary’s Church (Marienkirche) pokes above the trees. 

Founded in the mid-12th century, Lübeck became known as the Queen of the Hanseatic League (originally a powerful trading network of merchant communities in Northern Germany) and was the main point of departure for the Northern Crusades. Unfortunately, most of the late medieval buildings that the city is famous for – the Holsten Gate (Ger. Holstentor), St Mary’s Church (Ger. Marienkirche), St Peter’s Church (Ger. Petrikirche), the Salzspeicher (salt warehouses) and the famous brick-built gable houses – were not constructed at the time of this book. Only the cathedral that still stands (Ger. Dom zu Lübeck) existed in the early 13th century, and it was under construction, although it has been modified many times since and was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War. Much of the half-island that today makes up the old town was undeveloped and prone to flooding in the period of the book. The Holstenbrücke (Holsten Bridge) was first mentioned in 1216 but it is conceivable that a bridge existed beforehand. This would have been constructed from wood. 

One of the highlights of researching Sword Brethren was a week-long trip I spent in Latvia with my family. We were based in Riga, which is a fascinating city that I would recommend anyone visit. Again, most of the architecture is later than the events in my book. In the early 13th century, Riga was made almost entirely of wood (including the churches), and despite being the largest city in the eastern Baltic at this time, it was little more than a village when compared to cities in Western and Central Europe. 

One of the first buildings made of stone in Riga was the original St George’s Castle, the first headquarters of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, an order of warrior-monks, similar to the Knights Templar, who were formed to protect the fledgling German colony. It is the oldest surviving stone building in Riga. The only part still surviving is the chapel, now used by the Latvian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. 

(Wikimedia Commons):  

Caption: St George’s Chapel – the oldest stone building in Riga and the original headquarters of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword.  

Outside of Riga, the only buildings that still remain from the period of the book are the stone castles built by the Brothers of the Sword and the Livonian Order of the Teutonic Knights that followed them. Most of these are either ruins or in various states of repair. Many of these castles were built on the banks of the River Daugava (Ger. Düna) by the German settlers and crusaders, using the river to improve their defenses. Sadly, today many are submerged beneath the waters of the Daugava that engulfed them when the Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant was built. 

Nevertheless, two castles that remain in good condition lie northeast of Riga, only 23 miles or so from each other. The first is at Sigulda (Ger. Segewold), which was first constructed in 1207 and later rebuilt into a convent-type fortress. From its elevated position on a steep slope above the Gauja River, you can see another castle at Turaida across the water, built on the remains of an old pagan hillfort. It is a beautiful location, with the thick forest around it, and it gives a good flavor of how it might have felt to live here in the early 13th century. 

 

 Turaida castle (Ger. Treiden) (taken by author):  

Caption: The view from Sigulda castle. 

The second castle, one of the best preserved in all of Latvia, is at Cēsis (Ger. Wenden). This is a huge castle, much of it still complete, with several relatively intact towers and walls. This is the castle that later became the main seat of the Brothers of the Sword and the Teutonic Order afterward. It is an impressive fortress that features more in the next book of the series, Soldier of Christ. 

 (taken by author):  

Caption: Cēsis castle – probably the best-preserved castle in Latvia from the early 13th century 

However, it is only possible to learn a certain amount from visiting sites in the book personally. The bulk of research – for me at least, is reading some of the excellent books and research papers concerning the Northern Crusades. 

The principal first-hand source is The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, which was written by a priest, Henricus des Lettis, probably around 1229. The chronicle deals with events in the eastern Baltic between 1180 to 1226. Hardly surprisingly, it is written from the German point of view and describes the role of the Latin Church in colonizing and spreading Christianity to the local pagan tribes.  

His chronicle is a highly detailed account, rich in human history, and he provides eye-witness testimony of the events at this time, depicting not only the military campaigns but interesting facts about the local people themselves. This is particularly valuable as there is practically no other first-hand evidence of the events of the early Christian settlement in what is now Latvia and Estonia. 

Blurb:

1242- After being wounded in the Battle on the Ice, Richard Fitz Simon becomes a prisoner of Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod. Alexander, intrigued by his captive’s story, instructs his scholar to assist Richard in writing about his life. 

Richard’s chronicle begins in 1203 when his training to be a knight is disrupted by treachery. He is forced to flee England for Lübeck, where he begins work for a greedy salt merchant. After an illicit love affair, his new life is thrown into turmoil, and he joins the Livonian Brothers of the Sword as they embark on imposing the will of God on the pagans of the eastern Baltic. Here, he must reconcile with his new life of prayer, danger, and duty – despite his own religious doubts, with as many enemies within the fortified commandery as the wilderness outside. However, when their small outpost in Riga is threatened by a large pagan army, Richard is compelled to make a crucial decision and fight like never before. 

Buy Links:  

Universal Ebook Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boVKlV  

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sword-brethren-jon-byrne/1146519606?ean=2940184429601 

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/sword-brethren/jon-byrne/9781835740798 

Author Bio: 

Jon Byrne, originally from London, now lives with his German family by a lake in Bavaria with stunning views of the Alps. As well as writing, he works as a translator for a local IT company and occasionally as a lumberjack.  

He has always been fascinated by history and has studied the Medieval world for over twenty years, building up a comprehensive library of books. In his research, he has traveled to all of the locations mentioned in the book (East Anglia, Bremen, Lübeck, Latvia, etc).  

Sword Brethren (formerly Brothers of the Sword) made it to the shortlist of the Yeovil Literary Prize 2022 and the longlist of the prestigious Grindstone International Novel Prize 2022. It is the first book in The Northern Crusader Chronicles. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.jonbyrnewriter.com/ 

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jon-Byrne/author/B0DJC6PL8D 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52458339.Jon_Byrne  

 

 

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘The Rune Stone’ by Julia Ibbotson”

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

I am pleased to welcome Julia Ibbotson to my blog to share the blurb for her novel, “The Rune Stone.” I want to thank Julia Ibbotson and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Blurb: 

A haunting time-slip mystery of runes and romance 

When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected. 

She, once again, feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present. Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life? 

Again, lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both without changing the course of history. 

For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. 

Praise for Julia Ibbotson:

(for A Shape on the Air) “In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” –Historical Novel Society 

(for the series) “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – book tour reviewer 

(for The Rune Stone) “beautifully written”, “absorbing and captivating”, “fully immersive”, “wonderfully written characters”, “a skilled storyteller” – Amazon reviewers

“Dr Ibbotson has created living, breathing characters that will remain in the reader’s mind long after the book is read … The characters are brought to life beautifully with perfect economy of description … fabulous!” – Melissa Morgan. 
 

“A rich and evocative time-slip novel that beautifully and satisfyingly concludes this superb trilogy. The story is woven seamlessly and skillfully between the past and the present, and the reader is drawn deeply into both worlds.  Her portrayal of the 6th century and its way of life are authoritative, vivid and memorable.” – Kate Sullivan. 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link:  https://myBook.to/TRS 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Author Bio: 

Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched, and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.  

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specializing in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in sociolinguistics.  

After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.  

She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels, The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is a new series of Anglo-Saxon mystery romances, beginning with Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.  

Julia’s novels will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating,’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’. 

Author Links: 

Amazon Author page:  Author.to/JuliaIbbotsonauthor 

Author website & blog: www.juliaibbotsonauthor.com 

Facebook (author):  https://www.facebook.com/JuliaIbbotsonauthor 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JuliaIbbotson 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia.ibbotson 

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/juliai1/ 

Goodreads author page:  https://www.goodreads.com/juliaibbotson 

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

Guest Post: “Book Blast for ‘The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance’ by Arianwen Nunn”

On By hmalagisiIn guest post1 Comment

Today, I am pleased to welcome Arianwen Nunn to my blog to share the blurb for her book “The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance.” I want to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Arianwen Nunn for allowing me to participate in this book tour. 

Blurb: 

It is 1109, and the Welsh warrior and firebrand Owain ap Cadwgan abducts Princess Nest from the castle she shares with her children and her husband, Gerald of Windsor. King Henry of England, furious that Nest, also his lover and mother of his son, begins a manhunt to find Owain and return Nest to her husband. In Gwynydd, King Gruffydd ap Cynan and his wife risk everything to hide them and get them to safety in Ireland despite the efforts of Gronwy ap Owain, Angharad’s vicious brother, who would like to see Gruffydd and Owain dead. 

King Henry uses Bishop Richard to start kinship warfare in Wales, then declares war against the Welsh, determining to exterminate them all. Can Gruffydd and his family survive the greatest army ever led against Wales? 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bWkZq7  

Author Bio: 

Arianwen Nunn was born in Wales but now lives in Australia and writes historical fiction based on the Welsh kingdoms in the Middle Ages.  

Arianwen has written a series of three books, ‘The Welsh Traitor’s Daughter’, ‘The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance’, and ‘Bards Sing of Love and War’, which follow the lives of King Gruffydd ap Cynan, his wife Angharad, and their family.  

She has also written two children’s books, ‘The Welsh Warrior’s Wonder’ and ‘Where Dragons Still Roar’. 

 

Author Links: 

Website: www.arianwennunn.com 

Twitter: https://x.com/Arianwen_Nunn  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091729185630  

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arianwen-Nunn/author/B0C69H8RFN  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/35601482.Arianwen_Nunn  

Guest Post: “New Release Book Blast for ‘Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon’ by Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick”

On By hmalagisiIn guest post2 Comments

I am pleased to welcome Helen and Kathy Hollick to my blog today to share a blurb for their book Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon. I want to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Helen and Kathy Hollick for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Blurb: 

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, skepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realized as nonsense.

It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear, or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.

In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother, and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.

Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history… and a few of its ghosts.

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

cover design: Avalon Graphics
cover artwork: Chris Collingwood 

Buy Link:  

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters 

This title will be available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Author Bios: 

ABOUT HELEN HOLLICK 

Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skillfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur.  

In addition to her historical fiction, Helen has written several short stories, further exploring themes of historical adventure or the supernatural with her signature style. Whether dealing with the echoes of the past or the weight of lost souls, her stories are as compelling as they are convincing. Through her work, she invites readers into a world where the past never truly lets us go. 

Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cozy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant. 

Helen, her husband Ron, and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses, and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book… 

ABOUT KATHY HOLLICK 

Diagnosed as severely dyslexic when she was ten, Helen pulled Kathy out of school at fifteen to concentrate on everything equine. 

When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy’s passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her Welsh pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specializing in a positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental, or physical issues. 

Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her horses, several from home-bred foals. 

She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the COVID lockdown. 

Authors’ Links: 

Helen: 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenHollick 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick 

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

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

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

Blog: supporting authors & their books https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/ 

Monthly ‘newsletter’: Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse.  

https://thoughtsfromadevonshirefarmhouse.blogspot.com/ 

Kathy:  

Website: https://www.white-owl.co.uk/ 

Facebook: North Devon – Taw River Equine Events https://www.facebook.com/groups/1491518561152309