I was invited to talk about medieval Occitan female lords at a delightful tea party this week with 12 women who all live near me in southwest France. The sun dappled the table shaded by vines and wisteria, the teacups chinked delicately, the apple and rosemary cake melted on the tongue, wild flowers burgeoned and…
Tag: historical fiction
Treading the Ground: Researching for a Medieval Novel
I’ve just returned from a research trip to Narbonne, Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and Conques. There’s nothing like treading the ground to inspire writing. I thought a photo-journal of the trip might be of interest for some of you. NARBONNE I am giving a couple of talks on medieval Occitan female lords over the next few months….
Celebrating medieval women
It’s Women’s History Month. My novels celebrate real medieval women who receive slight (and misogynistic) mentions in medieval chronicles. I have tried to imagine my way into their lives and experiences from a few sentences in the historical record. The Viking Hostage is based on the true story of a French noblewoman kidnapped by Vikings…
Beyond the Writer’s Block
I used to think writer’s block was a nonsense, until my publisher went into liquidation and the COVID 19 pandemic disrupted my usual sense of momentum and planning for a couple of years. I went through a looo-oong period of writer’s block. I had written and published five historical novels and a lot of other…
Library Love
Hurroo! Hurrah! Very excited that my mum has just bought me a stay at Gladstone’s Library for my Christmas present. Just over the England/Wales border, Gladstone’s is the UK’s only residential library. I will be attending an event on deaf history. A character in my new novel is deaf – so I will value discussing…
Occitan Female Lord – publication day!
Today is the publication day for Almodis: The Peaceweaver, my novel based on Almodis de La Marche, the 11th century countess of Toulouse and Barcelona. Almodis was a scandal, excommunicated, and one of the most powerful of a number of female lords in southern France and Catalonia in the early Middle Ages. She and her…
Celebrating Independent Bookshops
Today is the start of Independent Bookshop Week in the UK and Ireland. Browsing for books in a shop is a whole different experience to searching online. Browsing can reveal unexpected and wildly treasured finds. One of the things I love about Independent Bookshops is that they are run by people who are as crazed…
Quicksand
The spectacular Romanesque abbey on Mont-Saint-Michel island off the coast of Normandy is marking its 1,000-year birthday this year, with President Emmanuel Macron among those visiting for the celebrations. Nine hundred years ago, Henry de Normandy (a major character in my Conquest trilogy of novels) played a significant role in Mont-Saint-Michel’s history. Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey was…
Idiosyncratic Bookshops and Lovely Libraries
My bookshelf (above) has been published today on Shepherd.com, which is creating new and unique ways for readers to find amazing books. In this bookshelf post I write about the serendipity and synergy in what can be found through browsing (as opposed to purposeful searching). Idiosyncratic bookshops and lovely libraries bring unexpected twists to my…
Interview with Elizabeth Chadwick
Elizabeth Chadwick’s new historical novel, The King’s Jewel, launches today. The publication of any new book by Elizabeth Chadwick is eagerly awaited by her many avid readers. I was especially keen to interview her about this novel since it centres on medieval Wales and Nesta ferch Rhys and Gerald of Windsor. This interview is the first…
Tracey Warr Writing 