K.M. Butler’s new book, The Welsh Dragon, is a compelling tale of loyalty, betrayal, and danger, rich in historical detail. The dramatic novel opens as fourteen-year-old Henry Tudor and his uncle Jasper Tudor flee England, first to Wales, and then to France after the Lancastrian defeat in 1471. Blown off-course by storms, the small party …
Released in mid-September, Jules Larimore’s novel The Muse of Freedom is her first published novel, although she has been writing nonfiction for over 15 years. Because of her background with its links to the Huguenots and the Bondurant family, Larimore began to explore her story over 20 years ago and this novel is only the …
The Muse of Freedom—a novel of 17th Century France Read More »
I just finished prolific historical novelist, Mercedes Rochelle’s excellent English historical novel, The Usurper King, using the excuse of preparing a guest post for her blog while preparing for my launch. The Usurper King I plunged into the middle of Mercedes Rochelle’s Plantagenet Legacy series. The Usurper King is the third book in it. This …
A Sequel with a Difference A. J. Bishop’s Darcy’s Education of Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a tour de force in its genre. The author gives us an entertaining, thought-provoking, and beautifully written novel in this popular Regency with-a-twist genre. Her ability to capture the characters we love and develop them in unforeseen, yet believable, directions …
Darcy’s Education of Miss Elizabeth Bennet— A Review Read More »
Support David Dunn’s Wild Life Fund! I recently received an appeal to support a book of poetry, SPACE PLACE TIME. Knowing the author as I do, the honesty of his appeal for a contribution to his art and fund struck a chord with me. What is the David Dunn Wild Life Fund? He explains its …
Few settings cast a spell like the French court. The French Renaissance court, even for those who know little about it, exercises a charm that is hard to resist. Writing about how I created it as a setting is the subject of my blog post Getting to Setting in The Importance of Pawns M.K. Tod’s …
Many people ask me how I became interested in the French renaissance. It’s a long story. The year I was five, I lived with my grandparents to go to grade one. It was the most formative of my life. Escaping from the position as a middle child of three, I became a pampered only child. …
How I Became Interested In The French Renaissance Read More »
This post was originally published on The Writing Desk. The sixteenth century French court dazzles on the surface. But beneath its glitter, danger lurks for those caught up in its flux. Based on actual historical events and characters, this riveting story will keep you turning the pages until the end. It is also a timeless …
Tony Riches of The Writing Desk interviews me about The Importance of Pawns Read More »
This post was originally published on Ruins & Reading. The story behind The Importance of Pawns or how I developed my debut novel is long and tortuous. Yet you could not have asked about a topic closer to my heart. Historical fiction has been my favourite genre since I learned to read at five. At …
The Story Behind The Importance of Pawns or How I Developed My Debut Novel Read More »
On tour today, the topic is the history in The Importance of Pawns. Before I wrote fiction I studied history, so you could say history is in my blood. And here’s a secret. My mother was a history teacher (among other steps in her career)—including author! I learned what I know about powerful women breaking …
The Blog Tour Continues Today! Welcome to Day #4 of The Importance of Pawns (Chronicles of the House of Valois) hosted by the Coffee Pot blog tour. I am thrilled that the Blog Tour continues today at Tony Riches’s The Writing Desk. I admire his writing and Mary Tudor features in my book. Two of …
The Book Tour Continues Today!The Importance of Pawns Read More »
Paris in Ruins is a war story by M.K. Tod. It will keep you reading until the very last page. Raised for a life of parties and servants, Camille and Mariele have much in common, but it takes the horrors of war to bring them together to fight for the city they love. War has …
