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Showing posts from September, 2024

#HistFicThursdays - Teaching Gothic Horror to the Next Generation

Of course, when I volunteered to write a blog for #HistFicThursdays, it was bound to be Gothic-based. All the pupils at school know now that, if they get me for English, they will be studying some Gothic Horror at some point! I have just taught my first full year of National 5, and the text I selected for the pupils’ Critical Essay (worth 20% of the overall grade) was A Warning to the Curious by the great M. R. James. There are so many fascinating things which can be said about the text: Paxton as a tragic hero; the setting of the First World War and how that is woven in throughout the text; the themes of revenge and respect for beliefs; the many examples of foreshadowing throughout… But teaching a group of teenagers to love (or, more realistically, to understand) M. R. James is not without its challenges. He writes in that wonderfully lyrical style which is key to the Gothic genre and, even for his time, he was using language which was perhaps slightly old-fashioned. Therefore, some ...
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#HistFicThursdays - Apollo's Raven - Linnea Tanner - Book Blast

 If you've been following this blog for a little while, you might remember me sharing a fabulous guest post about this book in 2022 (which you can read here ). It's always great to welcome Linnea Tanner onto the Crowvus Book Blog, and I'm delighted to be taking part in her Coffee Pot Book Club book blast blog tour. So, let's meet the book... A Celtic warrior princess is torn between her forbidden love for the enemy and duty to her people. AWARD-WINNING APOLLO’S RAVEN sweeps you into an epic Celtic tale of forbidden love, mythological adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. In 24 AD British kings hand-picked by Rome to rule are fighting each other for power. King Amren’s former queen, a powerful Druid, has cast a curse that Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise and destroy him. The king’s daughter, Catrin, learns to her dismay that she is the Raven and her banished half-brother is Blood Wolf. Trained as a warrior, Catrin must find a way to break t...
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#HistFicThursdays - Things To Inspire - Stories and Storytelling

Can you tell a story? It's not the same as writing a book. It's not even the same as creating a great plot. Storytelling is a totally separate skill. It is the ability to take words and bring them to life, not only for yourself, but for others. Every word must count, but it should be mesmerising rather than minimalistic. For the past few months, I've been sharing artefacts which I have collected over years, including the box file of inspirational items, and the special objects and notebook, both of which I was given as presents. Now, I'm challenging you to do the same. Here are five objects you could include in a story... One: A bamboo and paper parasol Two: An enamelled snuff box Three: An ornamental belt buckle Four: Two gem-encrusted tigers Five: A wicker birdcage You can use one or all of these items as prompts. You don't have to write these tales down, but make sure that the story grips it's audience in the ancient art of storytelling. Even more brownie poi...
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#HistFicThursdays - Free Short Story - Of All the Pleasant Sights They See

☝ The story behind the Pied Piper 👆 I know I've shared my take on the traditional legend of the Pied Piper (above!) before, so here's a little story about the legacy of that legend. This is one of the early adventures of Frederik, a young pilgrim on his way to Rome, and all he encounters in the town of Hameln, some years after the legendary events... Of All The Pleasant Sights They See (first published in Hooded:Hidden) February was a cold month. Not only cold, but dark too. But the further he travelled, the longer the days became. Back at home, this change was slower. Frederik had tried only to travel in daylight. At first, he had believed his destination could be reached in a handful of weeks. After all, Father Willehad received news within the month it had been written. But his letters were delivered by emissaries on horseback. On foot it took much longer. Weeks had been an optimistic aim. And then he had become lost. Frederik had arrived in The Empire close to Advent, mak...
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#HistFicThursdays - Legends - Writing on the Edge of Reality

 One of the questions I'm asked the most about my books and stories is: where does you your inspiration from come? Well, it comes from all sorts of places, but one thing which has inspired all  my writing are legends. That fine balance between truths and facts are where legends come into their own... and so do novelists! One of my favourite legends is the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and I find the study which has gone into trying to understand this quite fascinating. I have incorporated this legend into a number of my stories, sometimes as itself, sometimes in the guise of something else - a little bit like fairy tale retellings. But the Pied Piper is certainly not alone. In short stories, I've wandered into the realms of Norse or Roman legends. In books, with my WIP I've delved into Christian legends, and the Caledon series is seeped in Scottish legends and mythology, every detail woven into a historical truth (even if it is not quite fact!). And The Year We Lived...
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