It’s a great pleasure to welcome Nicola Slade to the blog today, especially as she has also written a “The House At…” novel! The House at Ladywell was published a couple of days ago and combines historical and romantic fiction. Nicola is a prolific author whose previous books have mostly been historical mysteries. Let’s findContinue reading “History People: Nicola Slade, History and Mysteries”
Tag Archives: historical fiction
History People: Margaret Skea, writing about what you don’t know
I’m delighted to welcome historical novelist, Margaret Skea, to the blog today. She tells us how she started writing historical fiction – and suggests that it can be a good idea to challenge the rules and write about what you don’t know. You’ll also find a riveting extract from her latest novel, Katharina: Deliverance, aboutContinue reading “History People: Margaret Skea, writing about what you don’t know”
True Inspiration for Fiction #3: Plague!
The plague first made an appearance in 1347-48, when a catastrophic and unstoppable pandemic swept through Western Europe. In four years, the population of 14th-century Europe plunged by an estimated 33-50% and its civilisation changed forever. The figures are debated, but as many as 150 million people may have died worldwide. The disease spread acrossContinue reading “True Inspiration for Fiction #3: Plague!”
Book Cover Design: the Story of French Collection
When people buy a book, their choice depends on many factors: recommendation, a favourite author, a catchy title, a genre they like and so on. The cover also has a big influence on book buying. For that reason, instead of exercising my minimal (no, zero) design skills on my forthcoming collection of short storiesContinue reading “Book Cover Design: the Story of French Collection”
See Richard III in a New Light with Jennifer C. Wilson
I’m delighted to welcome back my friend and fellow Crooked Cat author, Jennifer C. Wilson, who has some exciting news to share with you. Richard III fans will be in their element! And I can tell you it’s a great read. But I won’t steal Jen’s thunder.
Short Stories Inspired By #France
To celebrate my 20 years in France, I’ve decided to publish a collection of a dozen of my short stories. They are all linked by being set in France, many of them in the southwest region, where I live. This part of France has rich and varied landscapes and a strong tradition of separatism andContinue reading “Short Stories Inspired By #France”
Scent of Corsica: the Maquis
Can you name some famous Corsicans? There’s the obvious one, Napoleon Bonaparte. Slightly less obvious ones are the singer Tino Rossi, and Pasquale di Paoli, who headed the short-lived independent Corsican republic in the 18th century. But did you know that François Coty, who founded the famous Coty perfume empire, was also Corsican?
History People #10: Katharine Johnson, Inspired by Italy
Today, I’m delighted to welcome Katharine Johnson to the History People slot. Lucky Katharine has lived in Italy, which has provided inspiration for her writing and she’s supplied some mouth-watering shots of Italian views and villages below. But I’ll let her tell you about that.
History People #9: Jennifer C. Wilson, Haunted by Royalty!
I’m very excited to welcome my friend and Crooked Cat author Jennifer Wilson as my latest History Person. In advance of the launch of her second novel next week, Jen tells us how she came to be haunted by royal phantoms!
My Main Character Has Her Say…
When you’ve spent months, or even years, with your characters they somehow take on a surprising reality and a life of their own. I felt a bit empty when I typed ‘The End’ to The House at Zaronza since I had become very fond of my main character, Maria Orsini.
Vanessa Couchman 