Crowvus Book Blog

... Our focus book this week is Beneath a Darkening Sky by Judith Crow This collection of gothic horror short stories is a thrilling and terrifying compilation, designed to send shivers down your spine while getting you turning the pages. We love this book because it contains ten brilliant stories that will stick with you long after you've read the final page. But you needn't take our word for it! Here what other readers are saying on Goodreads: "I was so excited to read each one and had a tingly feeling before and after each one. I loved the whole book and was sad when I was on the last story." "I like how quick these stories are, snippets but full stories in their own right. Well written, engaging and thought provoking. Loved it!" "I loved these books flow of the stories and the writing gripped me from the off. I really enjoy fairytale retelling and these were very clever with ghostly folklore and supernatural events woven into them." "I rea...

 Well, this is the last #HistFicThursday blog before I launch Beneath A Darkening Sky at an event in Thurso on Monday 13th . Shame it couldn't be a Friday 13th, but we can't have everything! One thing is for certain: October is the spookiest month. And not just because we have Halloween. Halloween could be a day later and October would still be the spookiest month... Look at how the light retreats at this time of the year: up here, the seasons' turning drains away the daylight at a rate of 2.5hours over the course of this month! Up here, anyway. Our ancestors knew, a long time before they tracked time using clocks, that this month we now call October was a time to look back at what has been and ahead to how we will survive the winter. Is it any wonder then that, with generations of people looking back, October became a month for souls and spectres? People we have loved and lost come back to visit our hearts, imaginations - and, perhaps, our homes - as we recall autumns of ...

 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 ...

 Hello and welcome to this series of blogs for #HistFicThurs! In 2024, I made the decision that I was going to pull together a few different short stories which I have written and then put them together into a book. My hope is that this book will be released in October this year. October is not only Spooky Month, it is also my favourite month, and I can’t wait to share these stories with you to celebrate. In the meantime, I’ve decided that each month I will introduce you to one of the stories which is in the book. They are all historical fiction, as I believe Gothic Horror is best between 1800 and 1920. Perhaps, very occasionally, my work might stray slightly away from this timeframe, but there is something about the rapid development of technology and communication during this period which makes it perfect for Gothic Horror. I always like characters receiving telegrams, or experiencing electric lights for the first time. Furthermore, the Victorian makes for an excellent character....

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...

This short story is a part of my Caledon world - a much earlier incarnation of the spirit of Scotland. Here, the adventure heads back to the 9th Century Highlands, and the continuing skirmishes between the Norse and the Picts, as well as one of the most outrageous deaths in history... The Skjoldmø and The Seer “Not only is he a coward…” I listened to Father’s drunken words which filled the hall with laughter. No one would remember them in the morning. A spray of mead left his mouth as he added: “He is an ugly man.” “Sigrid.” Turning at the sound of my name, I frowned to find no one there. “Sigrid, I’m outside.” A smile split my face as I recognised that voice. I left the hall and walked to Bridei who waited there. His painted arm reached out to me and I took his hand, our fingers interlocking. “There’s a great celebration in there.” I nodded. “Father has challenged Máel Brigte to a forty-man battle, but he’s taking twice as many men.” “It won’t work.” Bridei pulled his hand back, hid...

I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that I took the title for this short story from a poem! If you are unfamiliar with the poem, I've included it at the bottom of this post rather than here since it gives away a significant part of the plot. So here is a little piece of historical sci-fi because, as fans of Doctor Who know, sci-fi is not limited to the future! Girolamo Fabrizio (from Wikipedia) Invention, Nature's Child Candlelight flickered in the small office, the pale stone walls alive with dancing shadows. They were monstrous, not in size but in shape. Deformed oddities and dissected organs in jars which refracted the flame’s glow. “Sir?” Harvey asked. There was no sign of his teacher. “Doctor Fabrizio?” “You’re returning to your language already?” came an amused voice from behind an amphora. It spoke in Italian, but Harvey had heard almost no other language in three years, making it easy to understand. Adjusting his own speech accordingly, he replied. “I am to leav...

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...

      Review My experience of short stories is more in writing them than in reading them, although some I have read and enjoyed have stayed with me for a long time. In almost every instance, I have read a book of short stories by a specific author (Neil Gaiman's excellent offerings on this spring to mind) and, in that case, it is more akin to reading a novel. By contrast, this is a book which brings together eight different authors, who provide their own unique perspectives and areas of expertise. The first thing I noticed about them as a list is that they are mostly female, with only one male author included. This is reflected in many of the stories, which take a very female perspective.  The concept of alternate history is one I can definitely buy into. As an author, I very nearly indulged in it myself when I was writing a historical novel and the actual history was just too sad. We all engage in alternate history on a nearly-daily basis too, thinking about the pat...

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...