Blog
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Men of the Cross – reviewed by Hoover Book Reviews
A wonderful review for Men of the Cross! When I started this book I expected a story about the Third Crusade; one that would bring to the fore the majesty and the folly of the venture. Those elements were certainly on display as the author leads the reader on an exciting, entertaining and surprisingly evocative…
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Visiting with author Anna Belfrage and other news
Anna Belfrage invited me to visit with her last week (on her blog, that is). We talked “Of sodomists, sex, and sin in the Middle Ages – not as clearcut as you think.” We take a look at the Church’s definitions of sexual sins and talk a bit about how we have handled gay characters in…
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Come September – a Celebration at Greyton Manor, Lincolnshire, 1193
An update on For King and Country, Book II of Battle Scars I have spent the last few weeks working on the opening chapters of For King and Country. Rearranging one event at the opening required a lot more fine-tuning of subsequent chapters than I had imagined. But I am making progress, closing in on the…
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Research Gems: The Murder-Fine
I am continually surprised by the fascinating bits of information I uncover while doing research for my medieval fiction. For Book III of Battle Scars I have been reading (or re-reading) biographies of Richard I and John, and stumbled across this gem in England Without Richard, 1189-1199 by John T. Appleby: the “murder-fine.” This form of…
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My writing retreat
I have always dreamed of going to a writing retreat. Give me a place with a view – nestled somewhere in the mountains or on the Cornish coast. (I’ll take a little room in one of those old fishermens’ cottages in St. Ives.) Even a small attic room looking out into a garden would be lovely. Well,…