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To Wear a Heart So White - Inspiration behind "The Ignoble Defence"

 There is an unwritten rule in archaeology that, if there is an exciting find which you have no idea what it is, you speculate that it had a ritual purpose. As a non-archaeologist I don't know how true this is, but both my siblings who are archaeologist have told me this is the case. I think this is always at the back of my mind when I look through my research as a historian. So, when I was flicking through unsolved mysterious deaths and came across the circumstances surrounding the Bocksten Man, I had in my head the idea that the unsolved details were due to ritualistic behaviour. And, to be honest, he did meet a rather unusually brutal death. Allow me to introduce him... The Bocksten Man was unearthed in 1936, still with the oak stave which had been used to impale him into the bottom of the lake. He was fully clothed, supposedly wearing wool from head to toe which denoted a certain amount of wealth. Unlike most of the bog bodies from the area, the Bocksten Man had not been killed
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NEW RELEASE - Introducing "To Wear a Heart So White"

 It is an absolute delight to announce the launch of To Wear a Heart So White: An Anthology of Historical Short Stories About Crime and Punishment . Seven stories, spanning almost eight hundred years, take readers on a journey into the crimes of yesteryear and the punishments they evoked. These stories come from the writers of the Historical Writers' Forum , and include a broad range of subgenres and styles, including a story for everyone. So let's meet the book... A cost for every action, and a price for every deed. The Historical Writers’ Forum proudly presents seven stories of Crime and Punishment, from across the ages. From an anchoress to a war hero; from Italy to Missouri; this anthology has a story for everyone. Included stories are: The Ignoble Defence - Virginia Crow Agatha’s Eyes - Rachel Aanstad A Pact Fulfilled - Eleanor Swift-Hook Carte de Viste - Ronan Beckman A Dish Served Cold - Brenda W. Clough Shadows of the Adriatic - Tessa Floreano A Dangerous Road -
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#HistFicThursdays - Things to Inspire - Mirror

 I know I've posted a couple of times already about this object, but today I'm adding an extra slant to it, exploring the myths and stories of mirrors and the supernatural. If you would like to read about how I came by the mirror in the first place, have a look at this blog . I've wondered multiple times if this object was a great big hoax - certainly, there seems to be nothing about John and Ann anywhere - but it almost doesn't matter. The wood, the nails and the glass itself are all of a decent age, and there is no impossibility in the eyes of a writer. Recently, I was struck by how much light the stained and marked surface produces. One night, on a near-full moon, it was enough to throw a long stretch of light about twenty times its own size across the room. It must have seemed equally frightening and enthralling for people in the past, that this flat, cold surface could redirect not only light but heat. But mirrors were not readily available for many people until ve
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#HistFicThursdays - My Mother’s Eyes to See, My Father’s Hand to Guide - Free Short Story

 Here's a little historical horror story, right in time for Hallowe'en. This is based on the macabre belief in the power of a Hand of Glory  and, while the story is fictitious, the events leading there were all true. My Mother’s Eyes to See, My Father’s Hand to Guide 1596 106 Egiptians (gypsies) were condemned to death in York. Only 9 were executed, the others able to prove their English birth. The magistrate forced the children of the condemned to watch. Cornella’s eyes welled with tears as she struggled against the hand on her shoulder. Far from being alone, scores of people stood before her, but every one of them was a stranger. She was standing on a high wall, the last in a line of youngsters. These children she did know. They were her fellow gypsy children. A second hand rested on her other shoulder, pinning her firmly in place. The people below her were gathered as though at a fair. They talked excitedly, eagerly awaiting the spectacle. Cornella felt the grip o
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#HistFicThursdays - Conquist - Dirk Strasser - Book Excerpt

 Today for #HistFicThursdays, I am to once again be teaming up with  The Coffee Pot Book Club , this time to share an excerpt from  Dirk Strasser 's fantastic new book  Conquist ! First of all, let's meet the book... Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign. What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a world that will challenge his deepest beliefs. And what he can’t possibly know is that this world will trap him in a war between two eternal enemies, leading him to question everything he has devoted his life to - his command, his In
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#HistFicThursdays - Ghosts: A Brief Timeline

Macbeth Seeing the Ghost of Banquo by Théodore Chassériau  Following on from last week, I'm sticking with the topic of the supernatural and looking at the history of ghosts. I've lived in a few haunted houses over the years (you can find some of These Experiences here ), and I've found that there are few things which capture a peaked emotion or imagination quick like tales of the paranormal. So, for today's #HistFicThursdays blog, here's a story or two of real ghosts in history... Who knows, perhaps I'll be reading some of your books inspired by them in the not-too-distant future. According to historians, the oldest portrayal of a ghost is from a Babylonian tablet . As someone who loves studying stones (check out my book about the carved stones of Stempster here ), I love the vague promise of this image. According to those in the know, Babylonian ghosts existed because they suffered from a deficiency - in this case: company. Ghosts are exorcised by following the
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