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Writing and Teaching: A Happy Mix

When my pupils find out that I'm a writer, there is a general air of fascination for a while. They Google my books and ask if they can buy them on Amazon (they can, but - by and large - they don't) and want to know why I need to teach if I'm a published author.  The answer is simple, of course: when I'm doing well, I break even as an author, I never make actual money.  But recently I've realised that being an English teacher is something I would continue even if I had a sudden jackpot win on the lottery. I love my job. Take today for example: I got to teach Seamus Heaney's Digging to a group of S1s, held a mock trial for Dr Frankenstein with my S3s, read a chapter of The Graveyard Book with my S2s, and - perhaps best of all - began the analysis of M.R. James' A Warning to the Curious with my S4 class. Who wouldn't want that job? I think writers make great English teachers - and editors make even better ones! We are used to spotting little details here an...

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 Connolly - Long 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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