Powdered wigs. Hoop skirts. Pet rocks. Selfies. Fads have been with us since antiquity, and discovering the foibles of previous generations can be an amusing break from more serious historical research. But when I first sat down to write my newest historical mystery, The Moon Taker, I had no idea… Read More »The Eyes Have It by Libi Astaire
Authors of historical fiction get their inspiration from many sources. Sometimes it comes from a fascination with certain famous individuals (you will find plenty of books about various kings and queens and famous artists in our catalog) or specific events (wars in particular seem fertile ground for inspiration.) Sometimes the… Read More »My inspiration for Deadly Proof by M. Louisa locke
Several UK readers have wondered about the use of the word ‘gotten’ in my medieval mysteries. Since the word is not in common usage in England right now, it seems odd to them to read it at all, and a glaring ‘Americanism’ in a book set in the medieval period.… Read More »On the Use of the Word ‘Gotten’ by Sarah Woodbury
The Trojan War threatens Troy’s allies and the Greek supply raids spread. A young healing priestess, designated as future queen, must defend her city against both divine anger and invading Greeks. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god. Will that be enough when the half-immortal Achilles attacks?… Read More »Giving Briseis her Voice by Judith Starkston
The Elizabethans loved news — the stranger, the better. London presses cranked out pamphlets carried by chapmen to every village, to be read out loud beside the hearth in the local public house. Everyone loved reports of marvelous fish washed up in Cornwall or the bizarre tribes encountered in the New World.… Read More »Poets and spies: intelligence work in the sixteenth century by Anna Castle