Crowvus Book Blog

   Today, we're continuing our author interviews for the Historical Writers Forum's new anthology,  To Wear a Heart So White . I'm delighted to be sharing an interview with Tessa Floreano on the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story,  Shadows of the Adriatic . Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing believable characters, and encouraging readers to see beyond the surface... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I am a dual Italian-Canadian citizen residing in the Pacific Northwest, which makes me a pseudo-American, at least that is what The Husband calls me. I enjoy traveling, gardening, reading, and all things Italian. By candlelight and moonlight, I write history about Italians—real and imagined—with a laptop, typewriter, and fountain pens at the ready. My historical era sweet spot ranges from the Gilded Age to the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. My stories are always about Italians because they are the people about whom

  Today, we're continuing our author interviews for the Historical Writers Forum's new anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . I'm thrilled to be welcoming Brenda W. Clough onto the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story,  A Dish Served Cold . Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing pre-existing characters, and gems uncovered during research... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I am best known for science fiction and fantasy – my first novel came out in 1984 from DAW Books. All my stuff overlaps with historical, however – historical SF, historical fantasy, and sometimes just straight historical! A great example of this was in Clarkesworld Magazine last year, where “Clio’s Scroll” came out. It’s first contact with aliens, time travel, and Dante Alighieri in 13th century Tuscany. In relation to A Dish Served Cold, where did your inspiration come from? I’ve written twelve novels about Miss Marian Halcombe, first seen in Wilkie Collin

Today, I'm delighted to be able to share an interview with author Ronan Beckman, whose story Carte de Viste  is included in the Historical Writers Forum 's new anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . Take a look at the video below to hear about Ronan's inspiration for this story, the art of writing flashback sequences, and bringing his ancestors' stories to life... 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  - D. Apple To Wear a Heart So White  is available  here  on  #Kindle

For today's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be welcoming Eleanor Swift-Hook onto the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story, A Pact Fulfilled , which is included in To Wear A Heart So White , the new Historical Writers Forum anthology. Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing real people, and the importance of research... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? According to my mother I’ve been writing stories ever since I first learned how to form words with a pencil. In those days I even illustrated them as well, but sadly my artistic talent did not keep pace with my literary enthusiasm. Although I have written other things, I started writing historical fiction relatively recently, driven by my passion for the early modern period, especially the tumultuous times in the 17th century. My Lord’s Legacy series of books is set in the First English Civil War, one of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and my latest series explores the grim

 Today is the first day in a series of interviews for the stories of the Historical Writers Forum  anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . Our first interview is with Rachel Aanstad who is the author of the story, Agatha's Eyes . So let's meet Rachel and hear more about her story... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I’ve been fascinated by history since I was a little girl. My playtimes always involved pretending I was something like a priestess in Ancient Egypt or a Lady in Waiting at Queen Elizabeth I court. I was always interested in the lives of people who weren’t monarchs or wildly famous.  Over the years I have been lucky to be able to explore a variety of careers. I worked as a radio DJ, a bookkeeper, an architect, an illustrator, a set designer, a Shakespeare director, a gardener, a teacher, a writer, and a medicinal herbalist. I have lived all over the US and traveled in Asia. All of these experiences have helped me be a better writer.

 During November, the Scottish reading and writing community come together for Book Week Scotland . This week-long, themed event is designed to break barriers and promote a love of books and reading for all. This year's theme is Hope , and I encourage all of you - whether you are in Scotland or not - to keep up with and enjoy the events which are happening (quite a few are online). This year, Book Week Scotland is 18th-24th November. So, in the spirit of community and hope, here is a little poem I wrote about a mother rocking her child to sleep. It embodies the fears and hopes of the historical communities of Orkney, where I grew up, and Caithness, where I live now. In a time before mobile phones or satellite weather forecasting, hope  was the only connection those on land had with their loved ones on the sea. The Fishwife’s Lullaby Hush… Father’s boat will soon be mooring. You shall see him in the morning When tide returns him home. Sleep… Time for thoughts and dreams of glory. Ti