Crowvus Book Blog

 First of all, thank you to everyone who got in touch about the Science Fiction in Historical Fiction blog a few weeks ago. It is great to have such feedback and super to hear that these two genres are rubbing along so well! At the moment, I'm doing very little writing. It's not intentional, it's just other things have been taking me in other directions. I'm truly honoured to have been asked to be a critical reader on a book set in 1490s Florence. I can't even begin to describe how much it means to have been asked! I finished it earlier this week and you can expect a post on it when it hits the bookshelves! I've also been spending time in the Realm of Family Tree. This landscape is justly given its capital letters and, historical writers, I cannot tell you how important this is to your research. It is worth having access to genealogy sites just for the information, whether the people there are your ancestors or not. It's the looking beyond the names which su...

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog about drawing inspiration from your local area. Two years on and here I am with a blog post about my latest published story, Proof of the Old Faith , which is one of the short stories in the Masterworks  antholgy (which you can get here !). The story is based around the creation of the Maeshowe Dragon, a work of viking grafitti in Orkney, and it is one of the reliably documented outings of Harald Maddadsson [assuming the dragon dates from the second set of runes]. In Proof of the Old Faith , Harald in portrayed as a fearsome figure who the main character believes is the embodiment of the dragon Níðhöggr. In truth, Harald was certainly as frightening as a dragon, with the same fiery temper, and an equal tendency towards destruction. The Maeshowe Dragon Harald had a mixed lineage, both Norse and Gaelic, and it was his mother's involvement with politics in Orkney which led him to claim a right to the jarldom. He had the longest tenure as Jarl of O...

The Bocksten Man (Photo Courtesy of Halland Museum of Cultural History)  Over the last couple of weeks, I feel like I've got to know The Bocksten Man rather well, which is funny because I don't even know his name. But then, no one does. We all love a mystery. There is an age-old appeal to them, as people try to crack ancient codes, or unearth hidden tombs. But his mystery is far sadder. His is a mystery of death. When he was unearthed in 1934, people were amazed by how complete his possessions were. He has become an invaluable source for textile historians, with some of the most intact garments from his time (mid-1300s) in Europe. Definitely a useful find to pull out of the bog! But what really fascinates me - and many others - is who he was. This was an individual of note. Not necessarily a noble, but certainly someone who moved amongst them. His clothes were neat and well-made, and his gugel length (not a euphemism – a gugel was a cowl with a long tail) was of a design to sug...

 For me, there is no one in history more fascinating than the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Poised between the historical and the mythological, his legend is one which has inspired multiple works of art and studies of science. None have given a conclusive answer to who he was or what happened to the children he stole. The only certainty is that Hamelin town did indeed suffer a lost generation at the end of the 13th Century. This sort of figure is a dream come true for a historical writer, especially one who likes to teeter on the edge of mythology. I couldn't let a chance like this pass me by. In fact, the events at Hamelin are also destined to be interwoven in another book I'm in the process of writing - whether that ever gets finished or not remains to be seen! So what are the facts? Well, two things of note happened in what is now northern Germany in the year 1284: a fire in the city of Hamburg which destroyed all but one house in the area, and the mysterious disappearance of 130 c...

We at Stempster are madly knitting as part of CHAS's fundraiser  (they do fantastic work, so please consider making a little donation). Thankfully, Judith has taken pity on me and, since she's also a historical fiction writer, she's written this blog about one of her real-life characters...  Most of the historical figures we’ve had so far in this series have been people who are discovered through committed research, rather than the sort of people who leap out of the history books and who are the subject of various school topics throughout the years. This time, because this blog is by me – Judith – my take on historical writing is quite different. So, instead of sharing facts about some largely unknown people from history, I’m going to write about someone I can guarantee you’ve heard of: Alexander III of Macedonia, better known to history as Alexander the Great. (Source: https://malevus.com/what-did-alexander-the-great-look-like/) That said, for possibly one of the most famo...

 While the technological advancements of the past century have been so rapid we've all been left with a bit of whiplash, the late eighteenth century was also a time of significant change in western Europe. For many in that generation who lived across events such as the French Revolution, they saw their understanding of the world upturned, and had to quickly learn to adapt to this new world. Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound was one such individual. At first glance, Elliot appears to have been one of those members of the upper class for whom everything naturally fell into place. Born to a baronet, educated to the highest standard, given post after post by those in power. But, delving a little bit deeper, there was more to him than first meets the eye... Friendships he formed in his youth were to be shattered in later life, and he became the champion of failed attempts. The French Revolution saw him torn between early friendships and patriotic duties, and his attempts at command were ...

 As I'm sure you know by now, one of the things I love the most about writing historical fiction is the thin line which exists between the fact of historiography and the truths of history. Throw into that my interest in Theology, and there is little surprise that a person like Amphibalus sneaks into one of my WIPs. But who was he? And, perhaps more curiously, did he really exist? Amphibalus is credited with the conversion of Saint Alban, who is broadly accepted as being the first British martyr. According to the legend, Saint Alban took Amphibalus' cloak and went to execution in his stead because - and this is the bit which makes it perfect for applying to a novel - no one had a clue who Amphibalus even was. He was known simply as "The Cloaked Man". While the martyrdom of Saint Alban suggests that "cloaked" meant he wore a cloak, that isn't all it meant. After all, quite a few people probably wore a cloak in those days, it didn't really limit the hun...

 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...

 There are very, very people I could write and write about, but Savonarola is one of them. In fact, last year, I wrote a c.160,000 word observation about my own journey into his life and preachings. This appealed to the theologian in me as well as the historian! Shockingly, despite spending years studying RE and Theology across various levels of education, Savonarola was not a character I had come across until very recently. I've suppose this is because his work did not directly influence my areas of study, but I remain quite surprised that he never cropped up in my education. And here's why: although geographically he never left Italy - and northern Italy at that - his preaching and the awareness he raised concerning the direction of the church was to send shockwaves across the Christian world. He is the most fascinating character to write in fiction, too. Driven entirely - and often perilously - to do what he believed was right, he was not open to disagreement. But one of the...

This week, I'm delving a long way back in history to introduce you to March's historical figure... A week ago I launched a collection of short stories called Have We Ever Been Alone?  (You can find it here ) Each one of these stories includes a meeting between mankind and another sentient form. The opening story is based on the bizarre death of Sigurd Eysteinsson, and he's the subject of today's blog post. There is some dispute over whether Sigurd was the first or second Earl of Orkney, but the impact he left upon the islands was certainly immense. He was the man accredited with bringing Christianity to Orkney, although this was almost certainly only Sigurd paying lip-service in order to protect his earldom. When Olaf Trygvesson confronted him, his choice was a clear one: convert or have your whole lands and people destroyed. Despite the fact Sigurd accepted these rather brutal terms, Olaf took his son hostage to ensure the earl's continued support. Sigurd's son...

For Christmas a couple of years ago, my sister set me this challenge . The story which rose from it is Part Five of my Family Saga, which is only a first draft at the moment with the working title: Spies and Rebels . Unlike most of my books in this series which reference real people, Spies and Rebels  actually include real people from history. One of these was Sir Henry Thompson, whose lovely letter to his daughter was included in the challenge box. Henry Thompson is best known as a surgeon (no surprises then that I chose to have him as a significant character!), but his was also responsible for a number of advances in other social fields. As a surgeon, he was second-to-none in his field of care and - when Leopold, the first king of Belgium - was suffering from kidney stones, he was immediately sent for. This is where Spies and Rebels picks him up, as the victim of a pickpocket, but whose assailant is caught by none other than one of the titled spies. With the endearing letter as a...

 I'm running behind schedule today! But here is the #HistFicThursdays blog... This year, I will be sharing a post every month which looks at a real person who appears in one of my books or who was an inspiration for it. January's person is John Mackay . Here's who he was: John Mackay was an Ensign in the small militia which was based in the Northern Highlands during the 1745 Jacobite Rising. This was a little bit akin to being a freelance worker today. Because he was in the militia rather than the army, there is very little documentation to be found of him. The Book of Mackay  has his deeds at Littleferry listed, and then he promptly disappears! Events at Littleferry were swift and decisive, with Ensign Mackay winning the day against the Jacobite forces. Many of the men in the Jacobite ranks were Mackenzies, including their leader, the Earl of Cromartie. Many men were forced back into the sea at Littleferry and left to drown. Cromartie was later pardoned, but the other lea...