Debra Brown - Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors

Copyright 2013 by Debra Brown

Copyright of articles held by the respective authors.

Cover and interior design by Masha Shubin

Cover Photos (bigstockphoto.com): Alnwick Castle Gary Humfrey; Damask Seamless Floral Pattern Iuliia Goncharova; Portrait of the Elegant Woman Kiselev Andrey Valerevich; Ripped Paper Silvae

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher and/or author.

Publisher: Madison Street Publishing

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Table of Contents

Introduction

by Debra Brown

C astles, mansions, banquets and balls. Dungeons, armies and kings. Does British history sound boring to you? Suppose there was a way to encounter history without the frustration of cramming for a test, a way to learn about the past that filled you with interest instead of indifference?

Have you ever heard the phrase stranger than fiction? Do strange-but-true stories fascinate you? The goal of this book is to provide a wide range of absorbing historical information about the lands and peoples of the Isles of Britain.

The greatest tourist attraction of Northern England is Hadrians Wall, now a length of ruins from Roman times. We can stand looking at it, trying to comprehend the time that has passed since workmen put those stones together nearly two thousand years ago. We can imagine the travelers that passed near them over the centuries, the children that climbed over themall of them grown up, grown old, grown silent.

Almost all of those people have been forgotten. Yet each of them had a life, achievements, and a story. Some of those stories have been retrieved from sources long hidden away and shared in this book.

Through the millennia, eras came and went. Each had its rulers, its heroes, and its unfortunate poor. Its left-behind structures standor fall. Its art, music, and dances have passed down to us, and with those, sometimes we imitate the lives of those before us.

The authors of this book are, for the most part, historical fiction writers. To craft good historical fiction, we have studied the times about which we write and the events that came before. We would like to share some of the fascinating things we have learned.

The true tales found in this book originated with the English Historical Fiction Authors Blog ( http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/ ) which was founded on September 23, 2011. Every day, one of our member authors posts a historical article on a subject he or she has studied. Reading the daily post is a way to keep ablaze your ancient English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish fancies. You may want to bring along a cup of your favorite tea.

The articles in this book have been collected from the first year of the blogs existence, and are presented here in a new format for easier enjoyment.

This book will also introduce you to our authors and their work. There is a section following this introduction with a short biography of each of the authors and links to their websites, blogs, and books. There is also a list of novels arranged by era so that you can find historical fiction from whatever time most strikes your fancy. Some authors are blog members, posting on a regular basis, and others are guests who post occasionally.

We hope you will be captivated by each and every historical tale we offer in this book and that you will join us on the blog for our daily post. Perhaps you will find a new favorite author who can whisk you away to times past or a new stack of books to fill up your rainy days with tales of yesteryear.

Contributing Authors

Andersen, Maggi

An Australian author with a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing, Maggi Andersen lives with her lawyer husband in a pretty, historical town in the Southern Highlands with their spoiled Persian cat, plus the assorted wildlife they love to feed: the chickens wandering in from next door, the ducks swimming in their pool, and the parrots and possums lining up for bananas and seed. Maggi writes historical romance, contemporary romantic suspense, and young adult novels.

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Arnopp, Judith

Judith Arnopps historical novels are written from a female perspective. The Song of Heledd is set in 7th century Powys, Peaceweaver and The Forest Dwellers in the years encompassing the Norman Conquest, and Dear Henry and The Winchester Goose in the Tudor period. She is currently working on The Kiss of the Concubine, a novel of Anne Boleyn.

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Ashe, Katherine

Katherine Ashe is the author of Montfort , a four volume novelized biography of Simon de Montfort, who founded Englands Parliament in 1258 and died on the battlefield of Evesham in 1265. He was believed to be the Angel of the Apocalypse. The speaking of his name was made a hanging crime.

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Ashworth, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Ashworth is a UK author who writes historical fiction and local interest books about Lancashire. A published writer since her early teens, she has also written articles and short stories for a wide range of publications. Her first published novel was The de Lacy Inheritance . This was followed by An Honourable Estate. 2013 will see publication of By Loyalty Bound from Pen and Sword Fiction. It tells the story of the mistress of King Richard III.

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Bagwell, Gillian

Gillian Bagwells richly detailed historical novels bring to vivid life England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Venus in Winter chronicles the life of the formidable Bess of Hardwick at the court of Henry VIII. The Darling Strumpet charts Nell Gwynns meteoric rise from the grimy slums to triumph as a beloved comic actress in the arms of the king. The September Queen (U.K. title The Kings Mistress ) gives the first fictional accounting of Jane Lane, who risked all to help the young Charles II, saving his life and the future of the English monarchy. Gillian uses her years of experience in theatre as an actress, director, and producer to help authors give effective public readings, through workshops and private coaching.

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Barden, Jenny

Jenny Barden has had a love of history ever since an encounter in infancy with a suit of armour at Tamworth Castle. Training as an artist, followed by a career as a city solicitor, did little to help displace her early dream of becoming a knight. Impelled by a fascination with the Age of Discovery, she has travelled widely throughout the Americas, and much of the inspiration for her novels has come from retracing the steps of early adventurers in the New World. Jenny has four children and now lives in Dorset with her long suffering husband and an ever increasing assortment of pets.

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Batten, Prue

A former researcher/journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the Australian version of the BBC) Prue Batten majored in history at university. She finds it a gentle irony to be moving back to the era she found most fascinating then, the Middle Ages. Prue spends as much time as she can by the water and with her dogs, has a huge affinity with gardens and embroidery, and takes pleasure and contentment in The Small Things.

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Beard, J. A.

J.A. Beard is a history-loving restless soul married to an equally restless soul and has two very restless children. Hes tried his hand at several careers, including intelligence analysis, programming, and research science. Though he likes to declare himself the Pie Master,