My latest France’s Splendid Centuries post focuses on Emma of Limoges who was kidnapped by Vikings. https://www.facebook.com/FrancesSplendidCenturies/posts/pfbid022ARv2yicRUwt3SJQMQRqTyPR6GAywLjVKMxoqLaQLQokjBcoU2DmLwBTtuBPbHg9l
Category: Books
The Elizabethans
I talked with historical fiction author Tony Riches about his latest book, Bess – Tudor Gentlewoman. Forced to choose between loyalty and love, duty and desire, this is the story of Bess Raleigh, one of the last true Elizabethans. What attracted you to writing about this period of history, Tony, and why Bess? After the…
A Medieval Heroine in Cardiff
My trilogy of novels on Nest ferch Rhys has just arrived in stock at Book Space bookshop in Cardiff. Book Space opened last year. The owner, Lily Baron, lived in the Shakespeare and Company Bookshop in Paris for a while (see my post https://shepherd.com/best-books/in-idiosyncratic-bookshops-and-lovely-libraries), worked in a bookshop in Bristol, and built the Book Space…
New Book Review – Women in History
A new review of Love’s Knife just published on Amazon emphasises the focus on women in history in my novel: ‘Warr skillfully immerses readers in the vibrant yet unforgiving world of a female troubadour, shedding light on a chapter of history where women’s stories are often overlooked. Through rich detail and keen historical awareness, she…
Just Meandering January
The latest issue of my quarterly newsletter is just out. https://justmeandering.substack.com
Father Christmas in Space
Read my History Writers Advent post on Christmas bells to find out about Father Christmas in space and the history of Christmas bells. Happy Christmas to you! https://tonyriches.blogspot.com/2024/12/christmas-bells-special-guest-post-by.html
Curling up with a book at Christmas
It’s December! Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Tra la la la la, la la la la. Curling up with a book in the winter holidays, perhaps in front of a logfire and the glinting Christmas tree, and/or in your Christmas jumper and socks, or with a glass of port – whatever appeals to…
Writing: From 0 to 90,000 words
I am launching my new novel at Parisot Library in France this Saturday, 16 November 10.30am (in case you are in the vicinity). I will be talking about my various strategies for getting from 0 to 90,000 words, which, in the case of this novel involved salt lakes in the Camargue, chapels in the Pyrenees,…
Competition for Book Reviewers
Many of us don’t get around to posting reviews of the books we’ve enjoyed. It takes a bit of time to craft a well-worded review, but we writers are very grateful for the ones we do receive and even those with critiques can be very helpful for us. As a book reviewer myself (mostly for Historical…
Parisot Literary Festival 2024
When I moved to a village in southwest France some sixteen years ago, I thought I would find myself in splendid isolation, with no distractions from writing, but I quickly acquired a writers’ group, then a reading group, and discovered that I was living in proximity to a big literary festival in a small French…
