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#HistFicThursdays - Gothic Horror - The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes

One of the problems – or, perhaps, the best things – about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who don’t deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. James’s writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, but curiosity in itself isn’t a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...

Introducing... Alternate Endings: A Short Story Anthology of Historical What Ifs


 Yes, I know it isn't Thursday. But this is something which cannot wait!

It is my absolute pleasure to share this New Release with you! Eight members of the Historical Writers Forum were challenged to answer that niggling question all history-lovers ponder over:

What If?

All made very different choices, culminating in an eclectic mix of Alternate Endings. So, let's meet the book...

We all know the past is the past, but what if you could change history?

We asked eight historical authors to set aside the facts and rewrite the history they love. The results couldn’t be more tantalizing.

  • What if Julius Caesar never conquered Gaul?
  • What if Arthur Tudor lived and his little brother never became King Henry VIII?
  • What if Abigail Adams persuaded the Continental Congress in 1776 to give women the right to vote and to own property?

Dive in to our collection of eight short stories as we explore the alternate endings of events set in ancient Rome, Britain, the United States, and France.

An anthology of the Historical Writers Forum.

Now, let's meet the authors
and their stories!

(Listed in the order they appear in the book)

 Virginia Crow - Vercingetorix's Virgin
46BC - What if Julius Caesar never conquered Gaul..?
Inspiration - Interview


Cathie Dunn - A Race Against Time
1135 - What if Robert of Gloucester had not supported Empress Matilda..? 
Inspiration - Guest Post


Sharon Bennett ConnollyLong Live the King...
1216 - What if King John didn't die in October 1216..?
Inspiration - Guest Post


Karen Heenan - Princess of Spain 
1519 - What if Arthur Tudor lived and his little brother never became King Henry VIII..?
Inspiration - Guest Post


Samantha Wilcoxson - Tudors With a Twist
1553 - What if Mary I married Reginald Pole..?
Inspiration - Guest Post


Michael Ross - Remember the Ladies 
1776 - What if Abigail Adams persuaded the Continental Congress in 1776 to give women the right to vote and to own property..?
Inspiration - Guest Post


Salina Baker - Act Worthy of Yourselves
1775 - What if Joseph Warren survived Bunker Hill..?
Inspiration - Guest Post


Elizabeth K. Corbett Marie-Thérèse Remembers 
1810 - What if France's royal family escaped the Revolutionaries?


So, what are you waiting for? Click on this link:
and find out what could have happened
if these Alternate Endings had come to pass.

To keep up to date with the Alternate Endings Blog Hop,
follow the Facebook page here:

Tempted into the realm of alternative history?
Comment below with what your What If? story would be.


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