Blog
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Talking about the book: The Holy Lance
Title: The Holy Lance Author: Andrew Latham A tidbit about the authorScholar-turned-historical-fiction-writer. Andrew Latham was born in the UK, raised in Canada, and currently lives and teaches in Minnesota. He has a dog named Max who obviously has good taste in books. The storyThe year is 1191. A daring counterattack against the Saracens’ last-ditch effort to relieve the…
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Research gems: not everyone liked Richard the Lionheart
We know Richard the Lionheart had any number of detractors and outright enemies. In this case, I’m not talking about King Philip of France, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, John, Count of Mortain (Richard’s brother, the future King John of Magna Carta fame), or other contemporaries of Richard. As I work through through final checks of…
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The manor house in 12th century England
A few months ago I posted about the non-fiction I was reading, including works on housing in the 12th century. The locations in For King and Country vary from the small village of Greyton with its manor house to Castle l’Aigle, Sir Stephan’s boyhood home, from the town of Nottingham and its impressive castle, to…
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Andrew Latham – The Holy Lance
Andrew Latham shared an advance copy of The Holy Lance with me, and all I have to say is “When will book 2 of his English Templars series be released?” The Holy Lance, first in this trilogy, is a gripping historical adventure set during the Third Crusade. Latham’s protagonist is brutal killer and pious monk,…
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12th century research gems
“…there is none of the above stock [i.e., livestock] there now except for the 2 plough-teams. John, the clerk, who was at that time Thomas fitz Bernard’s steward, transferred 40 hoggets [i.e., 2-year-old male sheep] to the vill of Whitfield at the feast of Saint Martin (11 November) and unjustly took as many good ewes…
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York Castle in the 12th century
Somewhere in the midst of plotting Book II of Battle Scars, For King and Country, I had a brilliant idea: Stephan l’Aigle must deliver a message to the Sheriff of York. If you’ve been to York, you’ll recognize Clifford’s Tower. It is one of the few visible remains of York Castle. A menacing keep on a motte…
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Talking about the book: The Fifth Knight by E.M. Powell
Title: The Fifth KnightAuthor: E.M. Powell A tidbit about the authorE.M. is from Ireland, but currently lives in northwest England. Her debut novel, The Fifth Knight, was an Amazon #1 bestseller. She has family ties to Michael Collins, founder of the Irish Free State. Her agent calls her books “car chases with chainmail.” Check out…