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September - The Blogging Month

 Welcome, Readers! During the next few weeks, you can expect to find a blog post popping up every Monday to Friday. This is because September is full of brilliant bookish adventures, be that as a reader or as a writer, and we are so excited to be sharing them with you. We're dedicating September to new stories, old classics, timeless adventures, and promising tales. Here are the things you can look forward to: 16th September - the launch of All the Time in the World  by Elizabeth McKay. This is the story of Jake and Abi, a brother and sister who stumble into a realm where time is not measured in the usual way, but where there are those who seek to control it for their own ends. 30th September - our tenth Crowvus Ghost Story Competition . Have you got a spooky story to share? Can you write a haunting tale in 4,000 words or less? This year is a big one so, in addition to publication, we're including a small monetary prize for all the shortlisted stories. For all the Ts&Cs, h...
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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 that long ago, only in the 14th Century.

All in, the facts point to an impromptu execution, with a substantial argument that the Bocksten Man was involved in witchcraft or some form of criminal activity. But if he had been innocent, what would have led to him ending his life pinned face-down in the boggy lake? Why was he hidden with such great care that he should never resurface? It was time someone wrote the possibility of him as the victim (which he certainly was, one way or another). The Ignoble Defence was the result of my take on this possible scenario.

It is a story of a fear-induced crime and a knee-jerk punishment.

If you'd like to know more about the Bocksten Man, check out Hallands Kulturhistoriska Museum's page about him here.

The Ignoble Defence is included in the Historical Writers Forum's anthology To Wear a Heart So White...

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 #KindleUnlimited

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