Lincoln – The Great Emancipator
A short historical essay on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the USA.
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Johanna Jarlsdotter (Vassi) – my Becky Sharp
How I came to give the name Johanna to a subsidairy point-of-view character in Elin’s Story and the problems in finding an appropriate and historically correct name.
It was a dark and stormy night
In which I legitimately get to start a blog entry with “It was a dark and stormy night” and ramble on about the view from my Brussels window.
Literary photos
Literary photos, including John Betjeman at St Pancras and Sherlock Holmes on the tiles at Baker Street, from my recent visit to England.
Bothwell in Brussels
How to get James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, into the story? Turns out he was in Brussels in 1565. Also includes a translation of “Vadstenabullret”.
Her hidden face – cover-art on historical fiction
Commentary spun off from last week: why so much cover-art for historical novels with female protagonists features a woman who hides her face or whose face is hidden.
Writing Historical Fiction – a review
A review of the book Writing Historical Fiction: A Writers’ and Artists’ Companion by Celia Brayfield and Duncan Sprott published by Bloomsbury.
Talking aloud to myself
Talking aloud: A 13-year-old memory of a method of qualitative research interrupts and account of my writing process – both involve talking aloud to myself.
The Habits of Successful Authors
In which I apologise for missing 2 weeks At the Quill and describe a failed info-graphic about the habits of successful authors that I choose not to publish.
In the laundry
In which, doing the laundry, I catch sight of my younger self, struggle with Monty Pythonesque machinery and read poetry.