Crowvus Book Blog

Arthur Rackham's timeless illustration (from Wikipedia )  There was a big push a few years ago to rewrite fairy tales. Snow White and the Huntsman got a less than warm reception, but Maleficent was more kindly received. Not wanting to be left out, I also had a go at rewriting a fairy tale, although I think I was a little bit late to the party. Memories of the Grand Tour was based on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel , and features my only female narrator. I don’t know particularly why I chose a woman’s voice for this one. Generally, I find men in Gothic Horror to be easier to write about, simply because they had more possibilities and options during the time in which I set most of my writing. A Victorian woman sitting alone in a pub, for example, would say a great deal about her character before the story even starts, whereas male characters in the same situation wouldn’t even invoke a raised eyebrow. Strangely, by contrast, both Gothic Horror novels which I am cur...

© Christine Taylor  I wrote Death At Priest’s Acre for a callout by Quill and Crow , who were looking for stories to fill a “Bleak Midwinter” anthology. It wasn’t the right fit for them and, to be honest, the beginning and end needed a revisit which has been provided for this anthology. Beginnings and ends are very important in Gothic Horror: they are what tell you that whatever terrible happening has been taking place has successfully scarred the characters involved. If the events of the story aren’t enough to leave an indelible mark on the character, they aren’t going to be enough to leave a mark on the reader. Priest’s Acre was a completely new place to me, which popped into my head one day and I just loved the idea of writing the story of the vicar there. However, as I wrote it, I discovered that the priests who the place was named after were not, in fact, Christian priests at all, but from a time predating Christianity. Then, I knew that druidic magic would play a role in the...

 When I was little, we had a few scary books in the house, but none were scarier than Spine Tinglers and In A Dark, Dark Room . These absolutely terrified me, with their creepy rhymes and frankly disturbing illustrations. To be fair Spine Tinglers even included a warning that it might upset some children – and I was that child. As a result, the books were put away in an old wooden chest, which Holly had painted. It didn’t work. My fear transmuted to the chest itself and, since it was kept in my room for some time, that was very far from ideal! In fact, fear of the chest lasted far longer than fear of the books themselves. Now, we keep the spare bedding in it. Not very threatening – but very full! As I approached secondary school age, my fear of the macabre in fiction began to slowly subside. I loved my children’s version of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde ; I wrote a story about a “Warné” – a hideous werewolfesque beast which went around terrorising people; when I was fourteen I took a ...

 Today, I'm actually sending you somewhere else for #HistFicThursdays! I'm over on Sharon Bennett Connolly's fabulous blog History... The Interesting Bits!  where I'm discussing The Bocksten Man, and the appeal nameless people in history have for Historical Fiction writers. Head over and have a read: Nameless Not Faceless . Psst! This is the book I'm talking about: To Wear a Heart So White  is available   here   on   #KindleUnlimited 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...

  Today, I'm thrilled to be able to share an interview with author D. Apple, whose story,  A Dangerous Road , is included in the  Historical Writers Forum 's new anthology,  To Wear a Heart So White . Take a look at the video below to hear about the inspiration behind her story, her love of research, and the attraction of writing real people... So let's meet the book... 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 ava...

   Today, we're continuing our author interviews for the Historical Writers Forum's new anthology,  To Wear a Heart So White . I'm delighted to be sharing an interview with Tessa Floreano on the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story,  Shadows of the Adriatic . Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing believable characters, and encouraging readers to see beyond the surface... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I am a dual Italian-Canadian citizen residing in the Pacific Northwest, which makes me a pseudo-American, at least that is what The Husband calls me. I enjoy traveling, gardening, reading, and all things Italian. By candlelight and moonlight, I write history about Italians—real and imagined—with a laptop, typewriter, and fountain pens at the ready. My historical era sweet spot ranges from the Gilded Age to the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. My stories are always about Italians because they are the people...

  Today, we're continuing our author interviews for the Historical Writers Forum's new anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . I'm thrilled to be welcoming Brenda W. Clough onto the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story,  A Dish Served Cold . Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing pre-existing characters, and gems uncovered during research... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I am best known for science fiction and fantasy – my first novel came out in 1984 from DAW Books. All my stuff overlaps with historical, however – historical SF, historical fantasy, and sometimes just straight historical! A great example of this was in Clarkesworld Magazine last year, where “Clio’s Scroll” came out. It’s first contact with aliens, time travel, and Dante Alighieri in 13th century Tuscany. In relation to A Dish Served Cold, where did your inspiration come from? I’ve written twelve novels about Miss Marian Halcombe, first seen in Wilkie Coll...

Today, I'm delighted to be able to share an interview with author Ronan Beckman, whose story Carte de Viste  is included in the Historical Writers Forum 's new anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . Take a look at the video below to hear about Ronan's inspiration for this story, the art of writing flashback sequences, and bringing his ancestors' stories to life... So let's meet the book... 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 avai...

For today's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be welcoming Eleanor Swift-Hook onto the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story, A Pact Fulfilled , which is included in To Wear A Heart So White , the new Historical Writers Forum anthology. Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing real people, and the importance of research... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? According to my mother I’ve been writing stories ever since I first learned how to form words with a pencil. In those days I even illustrated them as well, but sadly my artistic talent did not keep pace with my literary enthusiasm. Although I have written other things, I started writing historical fiction relatively recently, driven by my passion for the early modern period, especially the tumultuous times in the 17th century. My Lord’s Legacy series of books is set in the First English Civil War, one of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and my latest series explores the grim...

 Today is the first day in a series of interviews for the stories of the Historical Writers Forum  anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . Our first interview is with Rachel Aanstad who is the author of the story, Agatha's Eyes . So let's meet Rachel and hear more about her story... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I’ve been fascinated by history since I was a little girl. My playtimes always involved pretending I was something like a priestess in Ancient Egypt or a Lady in Waiting at Queen Elizabeth I court. I was always interested in the lives of people who weren’t monarchs or wildly famous.  Over the years I have been lucky to be able to explore a variety of careers. I worked as a radio DJ, a bookkeeper, an architect, an illustrator, a set designer, a Shakespeare director, a gardener, a teacher, a writer, and a medicinal herbalist. I have lived all over the US and traveled in Asia. All of these experiences have helped me be a better w...

 Today is very exciting! I'm pointing a spotlight on a great book, Alternate Endings . This book is enjoying a tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club at the moment, and I'm delighted to be hosting my fellow Historical Writers Forum  authors on the Crowvus Book Blog. After the spotlight, you can have a read through my (very) short post about Vercingetorix, who features in my story. But first, 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, t...