“Freedom of speech” is an idea that is frequently bantered about in the media, especially when one group or another feels it is being censored, or merely criticized by another. Of course, throughout history, every person has been “free” to express himself or herself, but the powers that be were… Read More »Freedom of Speech by Annmarie Banks
Before Downton Abbey premiered on television, I had an interest in the era between the world wars and the Golden Age just prior. I knew I wanted to somehow dramatize the social impacts of the Great War. I began writing fiction in the mid 1990s. Downton Abbey has since kindled… Read More »Before Downton Abbey by John B. Campbell
After the Treaty of Aberconwy in 1277 AD, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was reduced to lordship over a small area of land in Gwynedd, mostly west of the Conwy River. Over the course of the 1282 war, he took back much of what he’d lost. He was killed, however, on 11 December… Read More »The Defeat of Wales (1282) by Sarah Woodbury
Did you know that it wasn’t until recent history, the 20th century, that it became unlawful for husbands to beat their wives? Domestic violence has been a harsh reality for women for thousands of years. In my latest novel, The Novice, the underlying theme is domestic violence. I wanted to… Read More »Spare the Rod – Spoil the Wife The Outrageous History of Wife Beating by Mirella Sichirollo Patzer
Events in Latin America have always hit the headlines in the US but its history isn’t particularly well known. Even when a figure grips the national consciousness for an extended period, they are subsequently forgotten. Lee Christmas was a star of the Sunday supplements from the start of the 20th… Read More »The Banana Wars by David Gaughran