Crowvus Book Blog

  For several years, Lincoln was my county town and, for centuries before that, it was the county town for many of my ancestors. So, today, for the #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be hosting  Rachel Elwiss Joyce  with a guest post about her book  Lady of Lincoln ,   as part of her  Coffee Pot Book Club  tour! Read on to find out more about the woman who inspired this book and where her place in history is secured forever. But first, let's meet the book... Blurb A true story. A forgotten heroine. In a time when women were told to stay silent, could she become the saviour her people need? 12th-century England. Nicola de la Haye wants to do her duty. But though she’s taught a female cannot lead alone, the young noblewoman bristles at the marriage her father has arranged to secure her inheritance. And when an unexpected death leaves her unguided, the impetuous girl shuns the king’s blessing and weds a handsome-but-landless knight. Harshly fined by...

Looking back always makes me feel a bit nostalgic and there are points in this year that I could relive time and time again. Highlights for me were being there at the launch of Virginia's historical fiction novel Day's Dying Glory in April and then the Perthshire holiday straight after. That was a super relaxing time that will remain in my most treasured memories for years. Here are some pictures of the holiday: Virginia at her book launch for "Day's Dying Glory" Just down the road from where we stayed in Perthshire You may have recognised the ruined house as the one we used in the Ghost Story Competition video . That was another highlight of 2017 - our first competition encouraged about 100 entries and all the stories I read from the longlist were absolutely superb. It was a tricky business creating the shortlist but we got there in the end. I have also reviewed some very good books, and read some super books that I will post throughout...

Written by Michael Wray Illustrations by Anne Marshall Edited by Chris Firth ☆☆☆ I was born in Orkney, but I grew up in Lincolnshire. I went to primary school there and only moved back to Scotland after I had started at John Leggott College. As a result, I feel a certain connection with the place. Growing up in a village on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, I was very aware of the ghost stories around where I lived. My mum grew up in Epworth, so I was well accustomed to the tale of  Old Jeffery  that is featured in this book. Our house, itself, was very old and I'm pretty sure it was haunted. It talked - creepy floorboards when no-one was there, doors closing when I couldn't feel a draught - that sort of thing. Close to our house there used to be a wood where apparently someone hanged themselves. We were also down the road from Thornton Abbey with its headless ghost who sometimes runs across the road. (The story, as I heard it, was that someone was fishi...