Today, I'm delighted to welcome Paul Rushworth-Brown to the #HistFicThursdays blog as part his Coffee Pot Book Club 's book tour. Today, meet Paul's new book The Lost Voices , and discover your next great read! Read on to enjoy an excerpt from this gripping book! First of all, let's meet the book... Some lives pass through history without leaving a trace. The Lost Voices is a work of historical fiction that brings to light those whose stories were never formally recorded—not because they lacked significance, but because their lives unfolded beyond the reach of power, authorship, and recognition. This is the story of ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances—individuals navigating a rigid social order shaped by obligation, fear, and quiet resistance. Here, survival depends as much on silence as on action, and choices are made not in moments of glory, but in private, under pressure, and with consequences rarely acknowledged. The novel explores how perso...
Firstly, happy new year! Secondly... New Year means New Goals! One of my goals this year is to publish a blog post every Monday, centred around writing for middle grade. 2025 is the year I publish my book Doorway to the Sunset , a middle grade fantasy adventure, and Book 2 in the Feather Down trilogy. What is Middle Grade? Middle Grade is an American term, coming from their education system, where Middle School is generally for ages 8 - 12. Middle Grade books, therefore, are aimed at that age group. It’s not a genre, but an age bracket, so saying ‘Middle Grade Historical Fiction’ just means that the story is in the genre Historical Fiction, but is aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 12. (There is some discrepancy over what ages are covered by middle grade, some people saying 9 to 13 is more ideal.) However, the age range is only a suggestion, used mostly by marketers to understand their audience. I, like many other adults, also love to read middle grade. Personally, I find them...