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Showing posts from December, 2024

#MGMonday... Middle Grade Genres: An Introduction

Middle Grade Genres: An Introduction Image by eightonesix on Freepik I used to think that middle grade was a genre in itself, partly due to the number of awards and competitions that have all the genres known to man for adult books, and only one category for middle grade. Middle Grade, however, is simply a suggested age range, much like the suggested ages on board games. The genre list is the same for children as it is for adults, although adapted to make it suitable. One genre that you won’t find in middle grade is Romance. For obvious reasons! That doesn’t mean, however, that romance is banned in middle grade, and I’ll be covering this more in February, for Valentine’s Day. It just means that it will be a very minor subplot. Every month throughout 2025,  I’ll be looking at different genres for middle grade. No, I’ve not covered everything because the possibilities are endless! This genre series will run on the second Monday of each month... The Schedule 10/2/25    ...

A Merry Christmas Cocktail

Well, it is Christmas Eve, the stars are brightly shining and the food is nearly prepared and waiting for tomorrow's feast. So, as a Christmas present for all our readers, we would like to share a delicious Crowvus cocktail with you all. This is called a Caledon . It is based on the book of the same name by Virginia Crow. You can find the book here .  The components of the cocktail are very Scottish, just like the book itself! You will need: 1. Drambuie  2. Irn Bru 3. Apple and Raspberry J2O  Here's a quick step-by-step guide to making your very own Caledon: 1. Pour a shot of Drambuie into a standard-size tumbler. 2. Add some Irn Bru. The glass want to be just over half-full at this point. (Or just less than half-empty, if you're a pessimist!) 3. Fill the rest of the glass with Apple & Raspberry J2O.  4. Now, give it a good stir to mix up all the delicious ingredients and then settle down with a good book (Caledon, obviously!) and enjoy! Please note: this Crowvus...

#HistFicThursdays - Merry Christmas, Readers!

 Another year is drawing to a close, so it is time to sign off for the festive period. I hope you have enjoyed the posts and stories, and I'm looking forward to returning in the new year with more Historical Fiction madness! In the meantime, I hope you all have a magical Christmas and a fun-filled New Year. Remember, the world is better with stories, so here are a few Historical Fiction stories from the Crowvus authors! Free Reads: A Silent Romance Amongst Words If We Promised Them Aught, Let Us Keep Our Promise Invention, Nature's Child My Mother's Eyes to See, My Father's Hand to Guide Of All the Pleasant Sights They See The Calling of Aonghas Caledon The Clockmaker The Fishwife's Lullaby The Mermaid of the Aegean The Skjoldmø and The Seer The Triumph of Maxentius The Weave of the Norns #KindleUnlimited: Alternate Endings Masterworks To Wear a Heart So White See you in 2025!

#HistFicThursdays - On a Sword's Edge - J R Tomlin - Guest Post

For this week's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be welcoming  J R Tomlin  to the blog with a guest post about her latest book On a Sword's Edge ,   as part of her  Coffee Pot Book Club  tour. In her guest post, she discusses a topic very close to home for Crowvus HQ(!): the impact of the Norse on Scotland. But first, let's meet the book... Blurb Scotland. 1263. The scent of rain mingles with the smoke of campfires as word spreads: the Norse are coming… As tempers rise between King Alexander and the Norse King Haakon, at the center of it all is sixteen-year-old William Douglas, a squire in service to Sir John Stewart, Lord High Steward of Scotland. When Haakon's fearsome fleet is espied approaching Scotland's shores, carrying the greatest invasion force the Norse have ever mustered, the dread of battle settles over the land. Summoned to Ayr Castle, William joins the Scottish forces in a desperate defense. Now tasked with serving his newly knighted brothe...

#HistFicThursdays - The Angel of Grasmere: From Dunkirk to Grasmere - Book Review

Today's #HistFicThursdays blog comes from Judith, who is reviewing Tom Palmer 's fabulous book, Angel of Grasmere . Read on, to see what she thought... Picture from Tom's website, here: https://tompalmer.co.uk/angel-of-grasmere/ The Angel of Grasmere: From Dunkirk to Grasmere is a middle-grade novel by Tom Palmer. I came to read this book in a surprising sort of way. Having just taken up a post as an English teacher at the local High School, I was informed that each class has a session in the library every three weeks. The kind but terrifyingly organised librarian told me that my third-years had missed their last library session, so she had kindly slotted on into my first week with them. This was an absolute godsend as, last thing on a Thursday, it was lovely for me and the rest of the class to just sit with a book. It being November, there was a Book Week Scotland display up in the library, full of books which involved the theme of Hope. One of them, The Angel of Grasm...