Ambrosius: Last of the Romans In a time of myths and legends, Roman tribune Ambrosius Aurelianus returns to Britannia on a secret mission. With the Roman influence on the island quickly fading, the people have fallen back on their tribal roots. Along with his adoptive brother, Uther Pendragon, Ambrosius sets out to lead the Britons…
Category: Research
‘The Ruins’ by Daniel Bristow-Bailey
The Ruins Fifteen-year-old Edward leaves his family to stay at the labyrinthine palace of Lord Norbert where he is to be tutored in the ways of Saxon nobility, before being baptised into the Christian faith. But the young man has much to learn and soon realises his new environment is positively seething with political intrigue,…
Author Interview – John Ukah
John Ukah is a Nigerian author whose career has taken him into the world of banking and finance. However, his first novel, ‘Murder at Midnight’, is a far cry from his everyday life. Q. Coming from a background in banking, how did you get interested in writing crime novels? A. The books I grew up…
‘The Du Lac Chronicles’ by Mary Anne Yarde
The Du Lac Chronicles: Book 1 Alden du Lac, former king of Cerniw, finds his kingdom in tatters and only betrayal and ruin to look forward to. Saved from a grisly death by Annis, wayward daughter of Alden’s rebel Saxon foe, it seems his only hope lies with his brother Budic, King of Brittany. But…
‘The Virgin of the Wind Rose’ by Glen Craney
The Virgin of the Wind Rose While probing the murder of her missionary boyfriend in Ethiopia, rookie State Department lawyer Jaqueline Quartermane discovers a strange word square in an underground church. Teaming up with the elusive Elymas she follows the ancient clues to Rome, Nova Scotia and Sumatra. Running alongside the main story is a…
Billy Burke – Georgian Villain No. 1
In a previous post (Historical Writing – Fact or Fiction?) I talked about using research as a tool to help create realistic descriptions of everyday life. Generally, what I’m interested in is detail that adds authenticity to the story, rather than using characters who actually existed (although some of my books feature brief appearances by…
Killer Clothing…
One of the things I like about writing historical fiction is doing research. Well, I’ll clarify that a bit – the thing I really like is looking at pictures. Trouble is, finding images that will fire the old imagination ain’t that easy, so sometimes it comes down to good old fashioned reading. I mentioned in…
London Bridge is (sometimes) Falling Down…
One of the difficulties of writing historical fiction is the lack of pictorial and other evidence – photos, newsreels, podcasts etc, which means the images we can get our hands on are so much more meaningful. And then of course, there are the wonderfully talented people who turn their talents to building realistic models (such…
Historical Writing – Fact or Fiction?
Writing about times long past can be great fun, but how accurate do authors need to be with historical fiction? While most readers expect authors to just ‘make stuff up’, a bit of good old fashioned research can make a world of difference. I’ve always believed that writers should use their imaginations – after all,…
Amelia Dyer – the Killer Character
Looking for a plot for Book 2 in my mid-range children’s series ‘The Christie McKinnon Adventures’, I happened on a bunch of Victorian villains. One that stood out from the others was Amelia Dyer – baby killer. At first glance, maybe she wasn’t ideal material for a children’s adventure, but I reckoned she’d be good…
Colin Garrow 