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“Interview my Character” Blog Hop: Marie-Thérèse Vernhes – archive
Originally posted June 29, 2019 Have a seat, Marie-Thérèse, and thank you for agreeing to this interview. I know you have a busy schedule, and I am humbled that you have taken the time to talk. For the rest of you joining us, I am talking today to Marie-Thérèse Vernhes, a famous opera singer from early 20th century France. There is a new book out now about her life called Overture (L’Alouette trilogy Book 1). Can you tell us a little bit about your author and why she chose to write your story? Thank you for inviting me today, Stephanie. I do indeed have a busy schedule, and in fact, you have…
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Book Inspiration: Raglan Castle
Originally posted April 17, 2019 A velvety wash of twilight purple cloaked the skies from one horizon to the other as our train of horses and palanquins traversed the sloping causeway into Croilton Castle, the ancestral home of the barons of Cilgaron. Royal pennants snapped in the rising winds carrying the tang of the oncoming rains, the musky yet fresh scent of moist air enveloping us as we reached the great gate. I thanked the gods that we arrived to the safety of this bastion just ahead of the downpour. – The King’s Furies, chapter 37 There is no secret that my books feel more historical than fantasy despite the fantasy label.…
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Loving the Enemy: The Seeds of Revolution
Guest post by Dominic Fielder – originally published March 7, 2019 Jekyll and Hyde has been on the GCSE syllabus now for a few years. As much as I enjoy teaching about it, I find myself painfully aware of the brilliance of Robert Louis Stevenson’s prose and his rich vocabulary. Just occasionally I will try and slip ‘slatternly’ and ‘catholicity’ into everyday conversation but you must choose your moments! As the story reaches the final chapter, we at last read Jekyll’s account and begin to feel some sympathy for the man, a luxury never extended to Edward Hyde. Which made me think about the diet of war films and westerns…
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The Year the Swans Came
Originally posted March 5, 2019 Growing up amongst the ruins of war, four siblings use bridges and cobblestone walkways as a backdrop for their games. Pieter Bader, the eldest, wants to follow in the footsteps of his family, designers of mirrors for royalty since the 17th century, while Maidy, the youngest, dreams of becoming a writer. Her best friend Ruth, who lives next door, dreams of marrying Pieter, only for him to vanish from their lives late one night. Is his disappearance linked to the arrival of the swans, feared as cursed and birds of ill-fortune? What will happen when they return six years later, on the morning of Maidy’s sixteenth…
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Book Review: Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest
Originally posted January 11, 2019 The momentous events of 1066, the story of invasion, battle and conquest, are well known. But what of the women? Harold II of England had been with Edith Swanneck for twenty years but in 1066, in order to strengthen his hold on the throne, he married Ealdgyth, sister of two earls. William of Normandy’s Duchess, Matilda of Flanders, had supposedly only agreed to marry the Duke after he’d pulled her pigtails and thrown her in the mud. Harald Hardrada had two wives – apparently at the same time. So, who were these women? What was their real story? And what happened to them after 1066?…
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How Writers Are Like Pablo Picasso
Originally posted December 21, 2018 It’s not an unusual thing to want to become an immediate master at whatever we set our hand to. I think it’s just human nature. We shy away from the work and discipline necessary to develop the skills needed to become really great at something. When I was in college, I took up ballet. Yep, first time. I was 18, and no, I wasn’t any good. But the class gave me a half a credit, and there was no homework, so why not? When I was 28, I picked up a violin for the first time. No teacher, no lessons. Just me, a book, and…
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A Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of The Mallory Saga, by Paul Bennett
My interest in history began in the early 1960’s and can be partially attributed to movies such as, Spartacus, The 300 Spartans, Ben Hur, and the like. A purloined, rolled up, weekly food store newspaper advertisement made an excellent gladius; the handle held together with only the finest rubber bands; my best friend and I exchanged blows as Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis battling it out for Olivier’s pleasure. In quieter moments, at the Monteith Branch of the Detroit Public Library system, I read about Heinrich Schliemann and his discoveries at Mycenae, and at Troy. I was hooked on history from then on. All through my educational phases, up through 3…
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ARCHIVE: My First Blog Post from 2015
My first blog post! How odd it feels to blog — to write my thoughts, opinions and share from my vast store of wisdom for the world at large to read. But you wrote a book, you say. Why is blogging different? Well, it just is (*she says with a shaking, scolding finger point*). For some reason writing a 100,000+ word novel is far less daunting to me than writing a blog. I have a lot of theories as to why, but I won’t go into that in this post. Since I’m a blogger now, I hold absolute, cosmic-like power here in this space and can get into that subject…
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ARCHIVE: Plans Change – The King’s Furies
“It is a woman’s privilege to change her mind.” – Thomas Draxe, 1616 I have a confession to make. I have a hard time making up my mind sometimes. There are just so many possibilities that the way ahead can feel like a giant room containing lots and lots of doors. Any of those doors could open into the next best thing. But the big question is which door to open? As I was writing The Scribe’s Daughter, my next book was already taking shape in my head. Kassia’s sister Irisa had a very important story to tell. It was a no-brainer to write her story next. Each of the…
