This week, we finally managed to install our new (not new ) item of furniture - a mid-18th Century grandfather clock. It's not bright and shiny like more modern ones, but a dark oak with a warm patina which the beeswax polish is drawing out. In order to set it up, we had to do a certain amount of research - how to hang the pendulum, where the weight went on the endless chain - and it got me thinking... where and when did certain divisions of time come from? The time periods which I have written either had household clocks or didn't, I have not written novels from the time of their invention. Clocks have been around for a long time, and the obsession with measuring time in an ordered fashion dates back to at least the ancient Sumerians. It was they who established a circular reading of time and, I imagine, the sixty seconds/minutes came about as much because it was an easy way to divide a circle as anything else. But it wasn't until much later that the precision of seconds ...
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...