Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with… Venator Roman Equestrian Series by A.M. Swink August 19th - 23rd, 2024 Publication Date: July 16th, 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Pages: 464 Genre: Historical Fiction Britannia, AD 59. Decimus is a long-serving senior centurion who dreams of retirement in Rome. Luciana is a Cornovii princess devoted to the freedom and survival of her tribe. Connected only by a passion for horsemanship, the pair could not be more ill-matched. After a deadly conflict thrusts these enemies together, each is determined to fight their desires and triumph over the other. Who will ultimately control the other’s heart? But Decimus and Luciana are not the only ones on the hunt for supremacy; a desperate struggle over the province is beginning to simmer to a boil. There are whispers of mysterious Druids fomenting unrest among the western British tribes, whose inter-tribal divisions threaten to subsume them. The future of the Roman legions in the province is suddenly thrown into doubt as casualties begin to mount. Decimus and Luciana find themselves entangled within a web of characters, Briton and Roman, playing with Britannia’s destiny to serve their own ends. The hunt for power is on, where only one side can emerge triumphant. But just who among these hunters will end up hunted? Fans of Anya Seton's The Mistletoe and Sword, Stephen A. McKay's The Druid, and Simon Scarrow's Eagles of the Empire series will be utterly swept away by this emotional charged page-turner about two people captured by mutual passions and embroiled in the destiny of Rome and Britain, as well as their own. Buy Link: Universal Buy Link A. M. Swink A native of Dayton, Ohio, A.M. Swink grew up obsessed with two things: books and horses. After a childhood of reading, writing, showing, and riding, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky to complete a degree in equine science and management and a degree in English literary studies. She now works in Lexington as a college professor of reading and writing. In her spare time, she has travelled extensively around the UK and Ireland, exploring ancient sites and artefacts, as well as tracing her own ancestry. She is proud to be descended from County Cork’s Callaghan clan. When not writing, she can be found collecting and showing model horses or enjoying her favourite British comedy programmes. Author Links: Website • Facebook • Instagram • Threads Bluesky • TikTok • BookBub Amazon Author Page • Goodreads Tour Schedule August 19th Oh look, another book! When Angels Fly Let Your Words Shine The Historical Fiction Company August 20th CelticLady's Reviews Let Us Talk of Many Things Jennifer C. Wilson's Official Blog The Coffee Pot Book Club August 21st Mary's Bookcase The Whispering Bookworm Wendy J. Dunn's Official Blog Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion August 22nd Brook's Journal Catherine Meyrick's Official Blog MJ Porter's Official Blog Ruins & Reading August 23rd Archaeolibrarian Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne Historical Fiction Blog Linnea Tanner's Official Blog

Historical Fiction Book of the Year Awards 2022 Categories and winners: Ancient World Historical Fiction Gold Medal Before Beltane By Nancy Jardine Silver Medal The Cimbri Appear By Jeff Hein Early Medieval Historical Fiction Gold Medal Son of Anger (Ormstunga Saga Book 1) By Donovan Cook Silver Medal Beheld: Godiva’s Story By Christopher M. Cevasco Bronze Medal The Wistful and the Good (Cuthbert’s People, Book 1) By G. M. Baker Honourable Mention The Last King By MJ Porter Medieval Historical Fiction Gold Medal Her Castilian Heart By Anna Belfrage Silver Medal The Douglas Bastard (A sequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy) By J R Tomlin Bronze Medal De Bohun's Destiny (The Meonbridge Chronicles Book 3) By Carolyn Hughes Honourable Mention Imperial Passions - The Great Palace: A Byzantine Novel By Eileen Stephenson Honourable Mention The Song And The Sword By Isabelle Chevallot The Tudors, The Stuarts, and The Commonwealth of England Historical Fiction Gold Medal Lady in Waiting By Karen Heenan Silver Medal A Woman of Noble Wit By Rosemary Griggs Bronze Medal The King's Inquisitor By Tonya Brown European Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Viennese Dressmaker By Kathryn Gauci Silver Medal We Shall Not Shatter By Elaine Stock Bronze Medal The Shadows of Versailles By Cathie Dunn Honourable Mention Paris In Ruins By MK Tod Honourable Mention Longsword: Edward and the Assassin Dimitar Gyopsaliev Asian Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Admiral's Wife By MK Tod Silver Medal Lies That Bind By E.S. Alexander Bronze Medal The Lake Pagoda By Ann Bennett American Historical Fiction Gold Medal Northern Shadows (Northern Wolf Series Book 5) By Daniel Greene Silver Medal Muskets & Minuets By Lindsey S. Fera Bronze Medal The Mesilla By Mary Armstrong Honourable Mention Fortunate Son By Thomas Tibor Honourable Mention John Brown's Women Susan Higginbotham Early Modern Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Silkworm Keeper By Deborah Swift Silver Medal When Starlings Fly As One By Nancy Blanton Bronze Medal The Shadows of Versailles By Cathie Dunn Honourable Mention Ash Fall A Novel of the Knights of Malta (the Siege of Malta Book 3) By Marthese Fenech Modern Historical Fiction Gold Medal Angels and Bandits By Brodie Curtis Silver Medal The Art of Deception By Pam Lecky Bronze Medal The Girl from Bologna By Siobhan Daiko Honourable Mention Secrets of Rosenli Manor By Heidi Eljarbo Honourable Mention Where the Gulls Fall Silent By Lelita Baldock Women's Historical Fiction Gold Medal Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection) By Vicky Adin Silver Medal A Woman of Noble Wit By Rosemary Griggs Bronze Medal Under the Emerald Sky (The Irish Fortune Series) By Juliane Weber Honourable Mention The Viennese Dressmaker By Kathryn Gauci Dual Time-Line Gold Medal The Girl from Bologna By Siobhan Daiko Silver Medal The Admiral's Wife By MK Tod Bronze Medal The Virgin of the Wind Rose By Glen Craney Supernatural Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Year We Lived By Virginia Crow Silver Medal The Ghost Rider By Ellen Read Bronze When The Mermaid Sings By Helen Hollick Honourable Mention Over the Broad Earth By J.L. Feuerstack Young Adult Historical Fiction Gold Medal Muskets & Minuets By Lindsey S. Fera Silver Medal Clement: The Templar’s Treasure By Craig R. Hipkins Bronze Medal A Stranger from the Storm By William Burton McCormick Time Travel Gold Medal Shake Loose the Border By Andrea Matthews Silver Medal Finding Jane By Elizabeth Conte Historical Romance Gold Medal Sea of Shadows By Amy Maroney Silver Medal A Woman of Noble Wit By Rosemary Griggs Bronze Medal The Feathered Nest By Ellen Read Honourable Mention Muskets & Minuets By Lindsey S. Fera Historical Fantasy Gold Medal The Last Crystal By Frances Schoonmaker Silver Medal Over the Broad Earth By J.L. Feuerstack Bronze Medal Over the Breadth of the Earth By J.L. Feuerstack Honourable Mention Strung By Roske Congratulations to all the winners from The Coffee Pot Book Club team. A massive thank you to our judges, without whom this competition would not be possible. You are the best!

I am so excited to share my review of The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift. Thank you so much to The Coffee Pot Book Club for your invite to take part in this tour. The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift Naples 1633 Aqua Tofana – One drop to heal. Three drops to kill. Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother’s apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell Giulia the hidden keys to her success. When Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade. Giulia must run for her life, and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her Aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan. But when Giulia hears that her mother has been executed, and the cruel manner of her death, she swears she will wreak revenge on the Duke de Verdi. The trouble is, Naples is in the grip of Domenico, the Duke’s brother, who controls the city with the ‘Camorra’, the mafia. Worse, her Aunt Isabetta, under Domenico’s thrall, insists that she should be consort to him – the brother of the man she has vowed to kill. Based on the legendary life of Giulia Tofana, this is a story of hidden family secrets, and how even the darkest desires can be vanquished by courage and love. ‘Her characters so real they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf’ Historical Novel Society Have you ever finished a book and thought, wow, that was a rollercoaster of a ride? It felt like I had been strapped into the most dangerous of rides which hurtled me, out of control, around corners, threw me upside down and tossed me around. It was only when I closed the book that I felt like I could catch my breath again. But you know when a ride is good because you immediately queue so you can experience it for a second time. If a rollercoaster was a book it would look and feel like this one. This rollercoaster played with my emotions and enslaved my attention so completely that the hours flew by. Coming in at 409 pages, The Poison Keeper is not what I would consider a short-read, but that did not matter because the author has given her readers a story where there is absolutely no let-up. It is one event after another, after another. The story is so compelling that once started I found it really difficult to turn away from. This is the kind of book that I could have easily dedicated the entire day to reading because it deserved such devotion. Alas, family life meant this book took longer to read than I would have liked, but it was very easy to slip back between the pages and immerse myself in the world that Deborah Swift has created. The story follows the life of Giulia. At the beginning of this novel, Giulia is a frustrated young woman who wants to be given more responsibility in her mother's apothecary business. She also struggles with her feelings for Fabio, a saddler and leatherworker, who her mother would deem unsuitable but who Giulia cannot help but admire. When her mother is accused of poisoning Duke Antonio de Verdi, Giulia's life is forever changed. If she wants to live then she has to run, but Giulia is not one to keep running, she is determined to face her enemies and seek justice the only way she knows how. This book is deeply moving and there are some utterly deplorable scenes depicted in this novel which at times made for some very difficult reading (there is a scene with a baby that left me crying ugly tears) but at the same time, I thought it demonstrated the cruelty of this era, the greed of man, but also the desperation of a people who were bullied into compliance. Taling of bullies... The corruption and cruelty of Duke Antonio de Verdi in Sicily is eclipsed only by his brother, Signor Domenico de Verdi, in Naples. I can not decide which of the brothers I despised the most, for both were power-crazed psychopaths, who unfortunately were in charge of a large civilian population, which is never a good idea. Their greed and their arrogance made them both exceedingly unlikeable - they are antagonists that a reader can really loathe. Like the Inquisition, these two men tortured and murdered innocent people. It is no surprise that some thought the world would be better off without them. And yet, the protagonist of the story is also driven to murder, but she tries to make it right in her head by saying that she gives people the means to kill, but does not kill herself. Therefore is Giulia a heroine, a villain or a woman who is caught up in a series of unfortunate events? I could not decide. Did I pity her? Indeed I did. Could I understand why she did the things she did? Of course. Does that mean I agreed with everything she did? Not so much, actually not at all, but I had an empathetic understanding of why she did what she did. Therefore I felt Giulia was something of a paradox, she is on one hand inherently good and just so damn likeable, but on the other, she has the knowledge to kill with poisons and she uses that knowledge, not only to exact her revenge but to help other women as well. So, my thoughts, my feelings towards Giulia are slightly conflicted and I think that is what the author intended her readers to feel. Giulia has a realism about her, as did all of the characters, and I think it is that realism that made this book such a bloody marvel from beginning to end. If you are looking for a historical fiction book that will blow your mind then this is the book for you. It is one of those books that I would happily read over and over again. I received my copy from The Coffee Pot Book Club, but you can grab yours from Amazon (Universal Link) If you subscribe to #KindleUnlimited then you can read this book for free. Deborah Swift Deborah Swift lives in the north of England and is a USA Today bestselling author who has written fourteen historical novels to date. Her first novel, The Lady’s Slipper, set in 17th Century England, was shortlisted for the Impress Prize, and her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Millennium Award winner. Deborah enjoys writing about ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and most of her novels have been published in reading group editions. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and is a mentor with The History Quill. Social Media Links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

*Editorial Book Review* Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip by Gail Ward Olmsted In the fall of 1907, Katharine decides to drive from Newport, Rhode Island, to her home in Jackson, New Hampshire. Despite the concerns of her family and friends, that at the age of 77 she lacks the stamina for the nearly 300-mile journey, Katharine sets out alone. Over the next six days, she receives a marriage proposal, pulls an all-nighter, saves a life or two, crashes a high-society event, meets a kindred spirit, faces a former rival, makes a new friend, takes a stroll with a future movie mogul, advises a troubled newlywed, and reflects upon a life well lived; her own! Join her as she embarks upon her remarkable road trip. Katharine Prescott Wormeley (1830-1908) was born into affluence in England and emigrated to the U. S. at the age of eighteen. Fiercely independent and never married, Kate volunteered as a nurse on a medical ship during the Civil War, before founding a vocational school for underprivileged girls. A lifelong friend and trusted confidante of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, she was a philanthropist, a hospital administrator, and the author of The Other Side of War: 1862, as well as the noted translator of dozens of novels written by French authors, including Moliere and Balzac. She is included in History’s Women: The Unsung Heroines; History of American Women: Civil War Women; Who’s Who in America 1908-09; Notable American Women, A Biographical Dictionary: 1607-1950; and A Woman of the 19th Century: Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. A remarkable road trip, with a remarkable woman We meet Katharine Prescott Wormeley as she is setting off on a road trip from her current home in Newport, Rhode Island to her residence in the White Mountains town of Jackson, New Hampshire. With an almost 300-mile journey ahead of her, Katharine’s sister, friends and doctor have all expressed their concern as to whether she has the stamina to complete the trip alone, but she is not to be deterred, and she sets out, with plans to see friends along the way, and a determination not to let her 77 years stop her. Her plans for the journey are sensible, and except for one planned glamourous society party, entirely sensible. She’s arranged where to stay, how long she’ll be driving each day as a result and is looking forward to seeing old friends and sharing memories as she goes. But best-laid plans and all… Over those six days, Katharine manages to receive a marriage proposal, save lives, make new friends and acquaintances, reconnect with important people in her lives (and in one case, a person potentially awkwardly connected to an important person her life), and throughout it all, reflect on her own life through these encounters. As Katharine reminisces (memories brought up through conversations with the people she meets), we learn more about this extraordinary woman, who certainly has led a unique and adventurous life. Originally from Ipswich, Suffolk, Katharine volunteered during the American Civil War, serving as a nurse, and encountering two men we hear of in this novel: her great friend Stephen, and the famous Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape designer behind some of America’s most famous public parks. Having never married, Katharine has maintained her independence throughout her life, and she won’t give it up now, despite advice / concerns from people around her. Through her work as one of the most popular translators of literature of her time, she can do what she wants with her autumn years and decides to relocate to a place she adores. Katharine understands that she might not be travelling this road again, certainly not all the way back to Rhode Island, and there’s a melancholy to some of her reminiscences, especially when she’s encountering the young along her way. However, from a young child concerned for her father, to a young wife with worries about her marriage, and a bright woman with ideas for the future, Katharine imparts her wisdom and advice with kindness, leaving behind her a certainty of positivity. Thanks to the expert style of the author here, the balance of exposition from Katharine’s early life, and her current adventures on the road is expertly delivered. When we do dip into Katharine’s memories for a little while at a time, there is a relevance to her thoughts. We first get a detailed insight into her friendship with Frederick Law Olmsted when she meets his widow, Mary (I have previously read the author’s novel of Mary’s life, and to ‘meet’ her again in the pages of this novel was a delight). We hear snippets of her experience as a nurse when she is helping an injured man she encounters when her car overheats, which make perfect sense in context. And when she’s thinking about love, she reveals parts of her scandalous past in Paris. This novel has done what I love in historical fiction; taken a real person, but one which the general public might not be overly familiar with, and telling their tale in the context of the world around them. I personally find this not only entertaining, but educational (I love learning something about a period when I read a novel set ‘there’). For me, this isn’t a period I know particularly well, so to read about the events of the time, and through the eyes of somebody with a degree of prominence, is especially interesting. The language here too, feels appropriate to the setting. There are hints of English slang, due to Katharine’s background (both from here and those she meets along the way), and the difference between the age, background, and class of each of her companions, however temporary, feel genuine and true to their character. As I said before, there’s a melancholy to Katharine’s thoughts at times, and she repeatedly references the illness that her doctor has diagnosed, as well as the notion that she’s approaching the end of her days. However, throughout it all, she remains upbeat, and reflects on the good life she’s managed to live. She’s done good across so many of her roles, whether through nursing, charity, or literature, and continues to do so even as she travels. Therefore, for me at least, I was left with a positive, uplifting feeling having reached the end of the book. The setting, characters and attitudes are all captured so well by the author. There are snippets of history spread throughout, and Katharine herself stands out as such a kind yet potentially domineering character. She is not to be messed with, whether you’ve known her for decades or minutes, and that vivacious attitude comes through out incredibly strongly on the page. Recommended for both readers who are already fans of the period, or those who want to read about a strong, determined character, and learn a little bit more about a new time to them. Highly Recommended. Review by Jennifer C. Wilson The Coffee Pot Book Club Universal Buy Link Gail Ward Olmsted Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a fulltime basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel, Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before she began Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical work of fiction featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary. After penning a pair of contemporary novels featuring a disgraced attorney seeking a career comeback (Miranda Writes, Miranda Nights) she is back to writing historical fiction featuring an incredible woman with an amazing story. Watch for Katharine's Remarkable Road Trip on June 13th. For more information, please visit her on Facebook and at gwolmstedauthor.carrd.co. Connect with Gail: Website • Facebook • Twitter

Zig Zag Woman By Roberta Tracy Publication Date: April 16, 2024 . Publisher: Historium Press. Pages: 248 pp. Genre: Historical Mystery The last thing LAPD Detectives McManus and Tyson expect to find behind Pantages Theatre is a body rolled up in a blanket. The last thing Margaret Morehouse, one of the city's first policewoman with arrest powers, expects to do is join the investigation. When a deadly explosion at the L. A. Times derails their efforts, Margaret finds herself at a crossroads and strikes out on her own, a path leading to delusion and self-discovery on a vaudeville stage. Her husband's nephew Leland further complicates the situation by sharing a ransom note and confiding his failure to report his wife's disappearance at the Dominguez Air Meet. A brief stint as a magician's assistant takes Margaret to Chicago, where she almost signs on as a zig zag girl, the term used for ladies performing in the "cutting-a-woman-in-two" illusion. Instead, Margaret returns to the tumultuous world of early twentieth century Los Angeles. Reunited with McManus and Tyson, she confronts prejudices and societal norms in efforts to identify a body, clear Leland's name, and topple the stranglehold one powerful, amoral person has over many lives. Their efforts lead to dead ends and misconceptions before truth comes to light. Love is rekindled and danger uncovered in unlikely places. Margaret goes from Zig Zag Girl to Zig Zag Woman, no longer cut in two but headed on a clearer path. Excerpt The Morehouses' world turned upside down on a warm September day when Captain Hiram Clarke of the Los Angeles Police Department welcomed Margaret to the force with a book of rules and first aid kit. Had he included a crystal ball, she might have been able to predict the way murder and deception would riddle her life for the next twenty years. On her first official day of work, Margaret tried to take advantage of a long-standing police department privilege, free trolley rides to Central Police Station on First Street. The pot-bellied conductor, who always tipped his hat to policemen and waved them aboard, eyed her up and down with suspicion. "Anyone not wearing a badge must pay!" he declared. Assuming he had not had a chance to read the morning paper, she handed him the fare. If she'd left home a few minutes later, Margaret would have ridden to work alongside Alice Stebbins Wells, Los Angeles's first female policewoman with arrest powers, who never, ever paid to board a trolley. Amazon Roberta Tracy Early experience as a staff greeting card writer introduced Roberta Tracy to witty people who shared the writer’s dream. Marriage, motherhood, and career intervened, but she maintained that creative desire. A degree in nonprofit management led her to work situations where newsletters, grant proposals, and business correspondence took precedence. Still, she wrote poetry, some of which won prizes and publication, and children’s books set in worldwide locations. Recently, she co-authored Come Dream With Me, a part travelogue, part hippie nostalgia work of creative nonfiction, detailing the adventures of colleague Inese Civkulis. No matter what writing projects unfold in the future, she'll never find enough words to thank family and friends for their inspiration and encouragement. Social Media Links: Website Twitter Facebook Instagram Amazon Author Page Goodreads Tour Schedule

Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice. Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470. Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’. Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through. Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary. Book Title: Return to the Eyrie Series: Medieval Hungary Author: Katerina Dunne Publication Date: 30 April 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Page Length: 404 Genre: Historical Fiction (Medieval) / Historical Romance Join me in a cosy chat with author, Katerina Dunne. What inspired you to start writing? I started writing short stories for fun together with my brother in my teenage years. They were only for family and friends to read, but I enjoyed the creative process very much. Many years later, I still had the “itch” and wanted to write a novel but did not have the confidence to try it until 2016. The idea for the particular story was born out of my love for both Hungary and history. As I did my Masters in Medieval History with my thesis about civil conflict between 1438-1442 in the Kingdom of Hungary, I realised how little the English-speaking world knows about medieval Hungary. So, I combined my studies and my interest in Hungary by writing my first two novels (Lord of the Eyrie and the sequel Return to the Eyrie set in the 15th century) that would introduce English-speaking readers to this fascinating era. I plan to write more books set in medieval Hungary although they will be completely different stories and centuries. What was the hardest part about writing this book? The hardest part was definitely the editing. The amount of sweat and tears I shed trying to get the novel to its final draft! But I listened to the feedback from the editors and beta-readers because I knew that would make the novel better. It was pure hard work, determination and countless re-writes that got me through the process so that now I can feel proud of my achievement. Because millions of people have an idea for a book, yet only a small fraction of them achieves their dream of actually writing and publishing it. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why? The heroine, Margit, is the character closest to my heart. She is in a way a projection of my younger self. As a child, I was a tomboy and always played with toy swords and guns instead of dolls. Even in my adult life I took on “manly” hobbies, such as air rifle shooting, and trained in medieval combat. My favourite TV shows and movies always have warrior characters, either male or female. With the exception of the childhood trauma (which I never experienced, thankfully!) I saw myself in Margit. Since I left my own country to live abroad and rely on my own mental and emotional strength, I am a bit of a fighter like her. I immensely enjoyed writing Margit’s character, especially her fight scenes but also her determination and focus to pursue her destiny in a harsh and dangerous world. If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it? I find it hard to think of celebrities whom I would like to cast in the roles of the characters. If I had the chance, I would like to be involved in auditions to look for less-known actors that I might feel embody the heroes of the story in a better way. I know my characters well, and I would need to sense how the actors can connect emotionally with the characters before deciding who can act in the movie of my novel. Here are the pictures that I created with the help of Runway AI, which present the characters as I have imagined them. Margit, the heroine of Return to the Eyrie Endre, her husband Adnan, her best friend Márton, her cousin and villain of the story What do you hope your readers take away from this book? I hope the readers will enjoy the story and find the characters relatable and memorable. I also hope they will learn a bit about 15th-century Hungary by understanding how it was to live back in those times and facing the dangers of everyday life. In fact, I would love to hear back from readers as to what new things they discovered while reading the book. Buy this Book Amazon Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers. Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022). Social Media Links: Website (publisher) Facebook LinkedIn Amazon Author Page Goodreads Tour Schedule

Stephen and Matilda Cousins of Anarchy By Matthew Lewis The Anarchy was the first civil war in post-Conquest England, enduring throughout the reign of King Stephen between 1135 and 1154. It ultimately brought about the end of the Norman dynasty and the birth of the mighty Plantagenet kings. When Henry I died having lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, he had caused all of his barons to swear to recognize his daughter Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, as his heir and remarried her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. When she was slow to move to England on her father's death, Henry's favourite nephew Stephen of Blois rushed to have himself crowned, much as Henry himself had done on the death of his brother William Rufus. Supported by his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen made a promising start, but Matilda would not give up her birthright and tried to hold the English barons to their oaths. The result was more than a decade of civil war that saw England split apart. Empress Matilda is often remembered as aloof and high-handed, Stephen as ineffective and indecisive. By following both sides of the dispute and seeking to understand their actions and motivations, Matthew Lewis aims to reach a more rounded understanding of this crucial period of English history and asks to what extent there really was anarchy. Excerpt In August 1139, Empress Matilda had apparently decided on a radical adjustment in her efforts, though her husband seems to have kept at arms’ length from her new and risky activities. Matilda did not lack an adventurous spirit and demonstrated a willingness to take the fight right to the enemy’s door in an act of daring that would almost certainly have been loudly applauded in a man. It was not a distinction or restriction she was ever to fully acknowledge, at least not for many years. Baldwin de Redvers was sent to secure Wareham Castle in Dorset on the south coast to provide a secure landing spot in England for the empress. Baldwin failed and was forced back to Corfe Castle slightly further inland. His connections in the south-west were letting him down. Changing her focus, on 30 September 1139, Empress Matilda landed at Arundel Castle near Worthing, further east than Wareham. The castle belonged to William d’Aubigny, who had been created Earl of Sussex (though often referred to as Earl of Arundel) in 1138. William had married Queen Adeliza, the young widow of Henry I who was Empress Matilda’s stepmother. Adeliza was a year younger than her stepdaughter, and it is possible the two had a reasonably good relationship, though they are unlikely to have been close. William was a devoted supporter of King Stephen, so his reception of two of Henry’s children seems odd unless it was at his wife’s instigation. She may have believed she was simply receiving a visit from her stepchildren, or have thought her responsibility still lay in finding a reconciliation between the arguing factions that were emerging. That had been her role as a queen, and she might have believed she could help now, with her husband’s closeness to the king and her own relationship with Henry I’s children. The Gesta Stephani stated that Robert ‘landed at the castle of Arundel, as though he were merely to be a guest there, and was admitted with a strong body of troops.’ William of Malmesbury says Robert brought with him ‘no more than 140 knights’. It seems that Robert’s early reports did not bode well for them. His intelligence suggested that the overwhelming majority were not seeking to abandon their allegiance to Stephen and that only a small handful could be relied on to uphold the oath they had sworn to Empress Matilda. Almost as soon as they had arrived at Arundel Castle and the empress had been safely installed there, Robert left with a dozen knights to ride west towards his power base at Bristol. He was met along the way by Brian Fitz Count, who rode out of his castle at Wallingford to meet the earl. Brian is the man William of Malmesbury believed had been consulted alongside Robert about Matilda’s marriage to Geoffrey, and he may have been a softer target because of that. He could have been reminded that whatever release others believed they had secured from their oaths, Robert and Brian could not claim the same breach and so remained honour-bound to help the empress. Robert’s departure from Arundel was timely, perhaps deliberately so. Stephen, with his characteristic speed and vigour, arrived outside the walls with an army threatening to lay siege to the fortress. Robert may have expected, and planned for, precisely this. The ease with which the king was able to raise men and travel unhindered through the kingdom was in itself a setback for the empress’s cause that showed a realm united behind their leader rather than one ripe for rebellion. Had Robert been at Arundel, Stephen would have been justified in immediately launching into hostilities. His diffidatio meant that he was not one of Stephen’s subjects and was not entitled to any protection that came with that status. Having been deprived of all of his lands and offices, Robert’s arrival could have been viewed by Stephen as nothing less than a hostile invasion. In hindsight, that was what it undoubtedly was. The Gesta Stephani offers further weight to the notion that it was Robert’s arrival, not Empress Matilda’s, that was causing the greatest consternation. ‘England at once was shaken and quivered with intense fear, affected in different ways, because all who secretly or openly favoured the earl were keener than usual and more eager to trouble the king, while those who obeyed the king were brought low as though cowering beneath a dreadful thunderclap.’ The impression the chronicler gained was that Robert was the man inspiring those who considered opposing Stephen and worried those who would remain loyal to the king. Arriving at Arundel to find Queen Adeliza and Empress Matilda changed the complexion of the confrontation completely for Stephen. Pick up your copy of Stephen and Matilda Cousins of Anarchy Book Depository • Amazon Matthew Lewis Matthew Lewis was born and grew up in the West Midlands. Having obtained a law degree, he currently lives in Shropshire with his wife and children. History and writing have always been a passion of Matthew's, with particular interest in the Wars of the Roses period. His first novel, Loyalty, was born of the joining of those passions. Connect with Matthew: Website • Facebook • Twitter.

Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice. Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470. Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’. Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through. Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary. Book Title: Return to the Eyrie Series: Medieval Hungary Author: Katerina Dunne Publication Date: 30 April 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Page Length: 404 Genre: Historical Fiction (Medieval) / Historical Romance Join me in a cosy chat with author, Katerina Dunne. What inspired you to start writing? I started writing short stories for fun together with my brother in my teenage years. They were only for family and friends to read, but I enjoyed the creative process very much. Many years later, I still had the “itch” and wanted to write a novel but did not have the confidence to try it until 2016. The idea for the particular story was born out of my love for both Hungary and history. As I did my Masters in Medieval History with my thesis about civil conflict between 1438-1442 in the Kingdom of Hungary, I realised how little the English-speaking world knows about medieval Hungary. So, I combined my studies and my interest in Hungary by writing my first two novels (Lord of the Eyrie and the sequel Return to the Eyrie set in the 15th century) that would introduce English-speaking readers to this fascinating era. I plan to write more books set in medieval Hungary although they will be completely different stories and centuries. What was the hardest part about writing this book? The hardest part was definitely the editing. The amount of sweat and tears I shed trying to get the novel to its final draft! But I listened to the feedback from the editors and beta-readers because I knew that would make the novel better. It was pure hard work, determination and countless re-writes that got me through the process so that now I can feel proud of my achievement. Because millions of people have an idea for a book, yet only a small fraction of them achieves their dream of actually writing and publishing it. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why? The heroine, Margit, is the character closest to my heart. She is in a way a projection of my younger self. As a child, I was a tomboy and always played with toy swords and guns instead of dolls. Even in my adult life I took on “manly” hobbies, such as air rifle shooting, and trained in medieval combat. My favourite TV shows and movies always have warrior characters, either male or female. With the exception of the childhood trauma (which I never experienced, thankfully!) I saw myself in Margit. Since I left my own country to live abroad and rely on my own mental and emotional strength, I am a bit of a fighter like her. I immensely enjoyed writing Margit’s character, especially her fight scenes but also her determination and focus to pursue her destiny in a harsh and dangerous world. If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it? I find it hard to think of celebrities whom I would like to cast in the roles of the characters. If I had the chance, I would like to be involved in auditions to look for less-known actors that I might feel embody the heroes of the story in a better way. I know my characters well, and I would need to sense how the actors can connect emotionally with the characters before deciding who can act in the movie of my novel. Here are the pictures that I created with the help of Runway AI, which present the characters as I have imagined them. Margit, the heroine of Return to the Eyrie Endre, her husband Adnan, her best friend Márton, her cousin and villain of the story What do you hope your readers take away from this book? I hope the readers will enjoy the story and find the characters relatable and memorable. I also hope they will learn a bit about 15th-century Hungary by understanding how it was to live back in those times and facing the dangers of everyday life. In fact, I would love to hear back from readers as to what new things they discovered while reading the book. Buy this Book Amazon Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers. Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022). Social Media Links: Website (publisher) Facebook LinkedIn Amazon Author Page Goodreads Tour Schedule

Roman Equestrian I: Venator By A. M. Swink Publication Date: July 16th, 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Page: 464 Pages Genre: Historical Romance Britannia, AD 59. Decimus is a long-serving senior centurion who dreams of retirement in Rome. Luciana is a Cornovii princess devoted to the freedom and survival of her tribe. Connected only by a passion for horsemanship, the pair could not be more ill-matched. After a deadly conflict thrusts these enemies together, each is determined to fight their desires and triumph over the other. Who will ultimately control the other’s heart? But Decimus and Luciana are not the only ones on the hunt for supremacy; a desperate struggle over the province is beginning to simmer to a boil. There are whispers of mysterious Druids fomenting unrest among the western British tribes, whose inter-tribal divisions threaten to subsume them. The future of the Roman legions in the province is suddenly thrown into doubt as casualties begin to mount. Decimus and Luciana find themselves entangled within a web of characters, Briton and Roman, playing with Britannia’s destiny to serve their own ends. The hunt for power is on, where only one side can emerge triumphant. But just who among these hunters will end up hunted? Excerpt Cassia watched the water of the Sabrina rippling before her. She stood on the bank, fists clenched, concentrating on the spot where the river had swallowed her angry offering. ‘Are you happy now?! Are you happy?! I don’t want it anymore!’ Angry tears flowed down the rivulets they’d carved into her painted cheeks. ‘Not at your price!’ She panted, staring bleakly up into the silent trees looming on the opposite bank. She’d wandered downriver for quite a stretch, making sure she was far enough away from the vicus and its shallow wharves for nobody to see or hear her. The relative seclusion of the overgrown bank she’d chosen received and deadened her cries. Cassia clutched at the palla wrapped about her head and sank down into the stiff, broken reeds. She watched the water burble past her feet, offering no acknowledgement of her presence or, indeed, her gift. Her fingers numbly curled around the thick rushes and snatched them up from the earth. With an anguished shriek, she threw the reeds into the water as well and watched them swirl away with the current. ‘And don’t expect any sort of dedication, either! You can’t bring him back, so you’re lucky that’s all you get!’ A wood pigeon cooed from the shadows of the treeline. Cassia looked up, shoulders heaving, searching the cloudy sky. She didn’t know what British deities might have attached themselves to this river; she knew that the natives both here and in Germania felt the need to sacrifice items of high value to their bodies of water, so there must be something here. When it came to Roman gods, she wasn’t sure if they could even hear her at all in this heathen wasteland. If the Fates could hear her now, she was sure they’d be cackling. She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. Her palla slipped from around her shoulders and collapsed in the reeds behind her. Ultimately, it didn’t matter if any gods, British or Roman, heard her or not. Cato wasn’t coming back. He was gone. Forever. Her only brother, her only sibling, the only person who shared a bond forged from the very beginning of their respective lives with her. Her only family, gone. She drew her knees up against her chest and furiously wiped her tears against the cotton folds of her toga. A pang of remorse tore through her as she rested her quivering chin upon her knees and studied the muddy brown currents. It had been foolhardy of her to throw it in the river; it wasn’t going to change anything for Cato, and it might have successfully… No. It was too late. It belonged to the barbarian river gods now. Best not to think about it. She sniffed, considering her bleak fate. She was all alone in this world now. Her sole remaining bond was with Decimus, a man so insensitive to love he’d failed to see in the last twenty years how deeply she’d always cared for him. ‘You could at least give me that much,’ she mumbled to the river. ‘If you can’t give me back Cato, at least let me have Decimus. And I don’t mean physically, either.’ She scowled, folding further into herself. She had been his very first, the person who’d initiated him into the world of sexual fulfilment. It was just her luck that he’d learned to treat it as coldly and clinically as she herself had been forced to. ‘It never meant nothing to me,’ she whispered into her tunic. ‘Never with him. Not ever.’ And Cassia had bedded Decimus plenty since that first time. A grim smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she remembered following him to the Rhenus valley, setting herself up as Charis’s star attraction in the canaba of army followers. She’d witnessed her dear friend take his first steps into battle and celebrated gleefully upon his safe return. He’d come to her after being blooded from his first successful hunt, still brimming with manly pride. She’d oiled his sore chest after his promotion to the centurionate and its attendant rites, and again after he’d withstood the initiation into his mysterious cult of Mithras. She’d laughed with him over the ineptitude of his fellow legionaries and delighted in his wry impressions of the officers. She’d succoured him in loss. She’d dutifully brought and fed broth to him on his sickbed. He’d shared his confidences with her and they had mutually commiserated over the state of German food, sweltering German summers, and the horrific guttural tongue of the savage Germanic peoples. Then, she’d had to swiftly return to Rome to attend to family matters… …And when she’d reunited with Decimus two years later, it was in a place somehow even worse than Germania: Manduessedum. She drew in a shuddering sigh, casting her mind back over the years to when she’d first sighted the centurion in Britannia. He’d changed, oh, how he’d changed! Gone was the gentle light with which he’d always spoken to her; gone was his charm and sense of humour; gone was his companionable chatter. He was cold. He was brusque. He was disfigured with horrific scars he’d earned in the invasion. Even on the rare occasion when he’d felt the need to visit her bed, his loveless lovemaking had become crueller. And, worst of all, he remained emotionally closed to her. Her, his dearest friend! Cassia sniffed, mouth curled down into its customary pout. Britannia had stripped Decimus of any remaining vestiges of youth and happiness. And she hated the place for it. Perhaps this dreaded isle was cursed. It had certainly brought her nothing but misery. ‘Give him back,’ she intoned to whatever water spirits might be listening, ‘whoever you are, whatever you are called, preserve us and tolerate us both on your shores for just six seasons more, then I promise we will leave and never trouble you again. Let us leave and release your hold upon him. Give me back the Decimus you took.’ She lurched slowly onto her feet, brushing the reeds from her toga. Charis’s business would be heating up shortly and Cassia would catch it from the madam if she wasn’t ready to ply her services at the moment when every other younger, prettier prostitute was already occupied. She set her narrow shoulders and readjusted the drape of her toga over her tunic. Before leaving, she leant over the bank and peered into the water. Her reflection rearranged itself into her brother’s freckled face and she choked on her grief once more. ‘It’s the least you can do for me now!’ Pick up your copy HERE! A. M. Swink A native of Dayton, Ohio, A.M. Swink grew up obsessed with two things: books and horses. After a childhood of reading, writing, showing, and riding, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky to complete a degree in equine science and management and a degree in English literary studies. She now works in Lexington as a college professor of reading and writing. In her spare time, she has travelled extensively around the UK and Ireland, exploring ancient sites and artefacts, as well as tracing her own ancestry. She is proud to be descended from County Cork’s Callaghan clan. When not writing, she can be found collecting and showing model horses or enjoying her favourite British comedy programmes. Connect with A. M. Swink: Website Facebook Instagram Threads Bluesky BookBub Amazon Author Page Goodreads TikTok Tour Schedule

The Witch of the Breton Woods by Jennifer Ivy Walker Traumatized by horrors witnessed during the Nazi invasion of France, a young woman retreats to the dense Breton woods where she becomes a member of the clandestine French Resistance. When she finds a critically injured American paratrooper whose plane was shot down, she shelters the wounded soldier in her secluded cottage, determined to heal him despite the enormous risk. Ostracized by villagers who have labeled her a witch, she is betrayed by an informant who reports to the Butcher—the monstrous leader of the local paramilitary organization that collaborates with the Germans. As the enemy closes in, she must elude the Gestapo while helping the Resistance reunite the American with his regiment and join the Allied Forces in the Battle of Brittany. Can true love triumph against all odds under the oppressive Third Reich? Throughout the Nazi Occupation of France during World War II, life for villagers in Brittany was a battle for survival, marked by hardship, deprivation, resistance, and resilience. For many Breton villagers, the Occupation brought immediate and severe disruptions. The German military presence in Brittany began in 1940, with the arrival of soldiers, military police, and the establishment of defensive installations, including artillery emplacements, bunkers, and fortifications designed to repel naval assaults from strategic seaports along the vast Breton coastline. The local population was subjected to strict curfews, frequent inspections, and the pervasive presence of German troops, which altered the daily rhythm of life. Many families were evicted when their homes were commandeered by the German army. In the novel The Witch of the Breton Woods, Yvette’s family home--uniquely positioned on a peninsular clifftop in the oceanfront village of Cancale--was confiscated to establish a defensive German garrison and strategic lookout point of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. Map of Battle of Brittany. Wikimedia Commons Economic life in Brittany was profoundly affected during the Second World War. German authorities requisitioned French resources, with local farmers suddenly forced to produce crops to feed the voracious Wehrmacht army. With food and supplies appropriated by the Germans, the Breton people struggled against starvation. Villagers had to contend with ration coupons and shortages of essential goods, leading to long queues in local shops, perilous bartering, or paying exorbitant prices for illegal commodities purchased on the Black Market. The scarcity of items like bread, meat, sugar, dairy products, coffee, and fuel made even basic daily tasks challenging. Rationing during WWII. Wikimedia Commons For many Bretons, the Occupation also meant a loss of freedom and increased surveillance. The Nazis imposed strict controls over public and private life. Village gatherings, religious ceremonies, and even traditional Breton festivals were restricted or canceled, as the Third Reich sought to suppress any form of collective expression that might foster resistance. The presence of German troops in the villages, patrolling streets and enforcing curfews, created an atmosphere of tension and fear. Able-bodied Frenchmen were conscripted--sent off to work in forced labor camps-- producing munitions, weapons, and vehicles for the Germans. They constructed roads, bridges, airfields, and military installations, often working in mines and quarries, or on farms to produce crops to feed the Nazis. Many young men evaded this compulsory Service du Travail Obligatoire by escaping into local woodlands or mountainous terrain, where they formed clandestine bands of Resistance groups known as les maquis. STO propaganda poster. Wikimedia Commons The French Resistance engaged in acts of sabotage, intelligence gathering, and support for the Allied Forces. Despite the risks, many Breton villagers participated in covert activities, such as smuggling Jews to safety through an extensive escape networks, helping downed Allied pilots evade capture, and distributing anti-German leaflets. The Resistance was often supported by the rural landscape, which provided natural cover and allowed for the establishment of hidden safe houses and cells. Les maquisards. Wikimedia Commons However, the Occupation of France during World War II also saw the rise of collaboration and conflict within the community. The paramilitary organization known as la Milice actively hunted, tortured, and killed members of the French Resistance, prompting some villagers to collaborate with the German authorities and betray their own countrymen. Many of les collabos--the locals who collaborated with the Germans--were often rewarded with access to Black Market goods (such as meat, bread, coffee, and sugar) which were unavailable and highly tempting to destitute, desperate families with young children facing starvation. This created a hostile environment within Brittany, where suspicions and accusations pitted villagers against each other. In The Witch of the Breton Woods, the character Marie-Claire Dubois is a perfect example of this betrayal. Emblem of La Milice. Wikimedia Commons. Overall, life for villagers in Brittany during the Nazi Occupation of France was characterized by a tenacious struggle for survival amidst the constant fear of the omnipotent Third Reich, the conflict between resistance and collaboration, and the loss of young men forced into labor camps, leaving many young wives and mothers at the mercy of the often merciless enemy. Universal Buy Link Book Trailer Link: Jennifer Ivy Walker Jennifer Ivy Walker has an MA in French literature and is a former high school teacher and professor of French at a state college in Florida. Her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, incorporating her lifelong study, summers abroad, and many trips to France. The Witch of the Breton Woods is heart-pounding suspense set during WWII in Nazi-occupied France, where a young woman in the French Resistance shelters and heals a wounded American soldier, hiding him from the Gestapo and the monstrous Butcher who are relentlessly hunting him. Connect with Jennifer: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn Amazon Author Page • Pinterest • BookBub • Goodreads

Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice. Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470. Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’. Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through. Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary. Book Title: Return to the Eyrie Series: Medieval Hungary Author: Katerina Dunne Publication Date: 30 April 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Page Length: 404 Genre: Historical Fiction (Medieval) / Historical Romance Join me in a cosy chat with author, Katerina Dunne. What inspired you to start writing? I started writing short stories for fun together with my brother in my teenage years. They were only for family and friends to read, but I enjoyed the creative process very much. Many years later, I still had the “itch” and wanted to write a novel but did not have the confidence to try it until 2016. The idea for the particular story was born out of my love for both Hungary and history. As I did my Masters in Medieval History with my thesis about civil conflict between 1438-1442 in the Kingdom of Hungary, I realised how little the English-speaking world knows about medieval Hungary. So, I combined my studies and my interest in Hungary by writing my first two novels (Lord of the Eyrie and the sequel Return to the Eyrie set in the 15th century) that would introduce English-speaking readers to this fascinating era. I plan to write more books set in medieval Hungary although they will be completely different stories and centuries. What was the hardest part about writing this book? The hardest part was definitely the editing. The amount of sweat and tears I shed trying to get the novel to its final draft! But I listened to the feedback from the editors and beta-readers because I knew that would make the novel better. It was pure hard work, determination and countless re-writes that got me through the process so that now I can feel proud of my achievement. Because millions of people have an idea for a book, yet only a small fraction of them achieves their dream of actually writing and publishing it. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why? The heroine, Margit, is the character closest to my heart. She is in a way a projection of my younger self. As a child, I was a tomboy and always played with toy swords and guns instead of dolls. Even in my adult life I took on “manly” hobbies, such as air rifle shooting, and trained in medieval combat. My favourite TV shows and movies always have warrior characters, either male or female. With the exception of the childhood trauma (which I never experienced, thankfully!) I saw myself in Margit. Since I left my own country to live abroad and rely on my own mental and emotional strength, I am a bit of a fighter like her. I immensely enjoyed writing Margit’s character, especially her fight scenes but also her determination and focus to pursue her destiny in a harsh and dangerous world. If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it? I find it hard to think of celebrities whom I would like to cast in the roles of the characters. If I had the chance, I would like to be involved in auditions to look for less-known actors that I might feel embody the heroes of the story in a better way. I know my characters well, and I would need to sense how the actors can connect emotionally with the characters before deciding who can act in the movie of my novel. Here are the pictures that I created with the help of Runway AI, which present the characters as I have imagined them. Margit, the heroine of Return to the Eyrie Endre, her husband Adnan, her best friend Márton, her cousin and villain of the story What do you hope your readers take away from this book? I hope the readers will enjoy the story and find the characters relatable and memorable. I also hope they will learn a bit about 15th-century Hungary by understanding how it was to live back in those times and facing the dangers of everyday life. In fact, I would love to hear back from readers as to what new things they discovered while reading the book. Buy this Book Amazon Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers. Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022). Social Media Links: Website (publisher) Facebook LinkedIn Amazon Author Page Goodreads Tour Schedule

The Queen’s Avenger by Anna Legat 'A vividly told tale full of violence and intrigue with characters that burst off the page. Historical fiction rarely gets more detailed, gripping and impressively accurate than this.' ~ Peter Tonkin, author of Shadow of Treason 1592. The Reformation has engulfed the Holy Roman Empire. The power of Catholic church is not what it was. At St James’s Monastery in Ratisbon, its Scottish Abbot, Ninian Winzet, dies. Brother Gunther, a young Bavarian monk, discovers a hidden vault in Winzet’s scriptorium containing Winzet's deathbed confessions. The revelations are shocking. If made public, they could not only ruin the late Abbot’s reputation but also harm the monastery and the whole Benedictine Order. Winzet, a Scot by birth, tells a tragic story of Mary Stewart, a catholic queen in protestant Scotland, hounded to death by opponents both within and outside her kingdom. Having sworn to protect her and failing to deliver on his pledge, Winzet dedicates his life to exposing her enemies. But they are influential and practised at concealing their crimes. They are also unscrupulous and will stop at nothing. When Mary’s husband, King Henry, is assassinated, she is framed for his murder, imprisoned and forced to abdicate. She flees to England - only to be imprisoned by her cousin, the Queen Elizabeth. Winzet’s dogged investigation leads him to the real killers and their paymasters. But what recourse is there for justice? Thwarted in his efforts, the Abbot embarks on a mission of bloody revenge to exact his own version of justice on the men who destroyed his queen. Gunther is resolved to keep Winzet’s confessions secret, but he discovers that is not the only person who knows of their existence. “The memory of Mary’s nativity is vivid in my mind despite the elapse of time. It was a bitterly cold December day –– the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The loch lay frozen solid and the snow, knee-deep, capped the hills and valleys as far as the eye could see. On that day our lives became intertwined: she, a beautiful rose – I, a stake driven into the ground by her side to lean upon.” In her end, is her beginning. In this richly-detailed historical novel, we start the retelling of Mary Queen of Scots’ life in an unlikely time and setting: 1592, and St James’ Monastery, Ratisbon (now Regensburg, Bavaria). Why are we here? Because that was the final home of Ninian Winzet, sent by Mary Queen of Scots to train priests when the Monastery was transferred from Irish to Scottish monks. Ninian is a historical character, and it is his story we read, recounted by the man himself, of his time in the queen’s world. We meet Ninian only through his words, as Brother Gunther, a young monk for whom Ninian had acted as a mentor, discovers a hidden set of scrolls in Winzet’s cell, and realises he is holding the deathbed confession of the older man. So commences the dual timeline of sorts. In 1592, Brother Gunther finding time between his prayers to read voraciously through the scrolls, and through the course of Mary’s life, Winzet’s account of a tumultuous time in Scottish history. We hear his tale of life in Linlithgow, at the time of Mary’s birth, through her early years in France, her return to a Scotland starting to be torn apart by religious dispute, and of course, the activities which occurred at her court once she took on her personal reign. Having made a promise to Marie de Guise when Mary was a newborn, Winzet stays true to his vow, remaining at Mary’s side for as long as he is able, putting us at her side too, through the happiest and darkest events of her life. And through his subsequent vow, to defend and avenge his royal mistress, Winzet also makes occasional strays to the dark side, as we hear of justice reaped against those who wronged Queen Mary, taking from her friends, freedom, and ultimately, her life. Whilst in her Author’s Note, Anne Legat makes it clear which events have been fictionalised in this novel, the story is set firmly in reality. We follow the key events of the period through Winzet’s eyes, as he serves his queen. He is there during the group assassination of David Rizzio, Mary’s private secretary, and is one of the first on the scene at Kirk O’Field, and the murder of Henry, Lord Darnley, Mary’s second husband and the father of her heir, James. Later, he forces his way into where Mary is being held captive in Edinburgh, and travels to Lochleven Castle, the loch-bound castle where she is a prisoner and forced to agree to the terms of her enemies. Through his determination, Winzet gets to the heart of what has been happening around him, and, fuelled also by the anger of events at the start of the novel, where he is thrown out of his beloved home and church, he seeks justice for himself, his church, and his queen. Back in 1592, Brother Gunther is reading the shocking series of events in Winzet’s written confession but becomes aware that he might not be the only one taking advantage of the silent nights of the monastery. Whilst he is reading the former Abbot’s scrolls, somebody is watching him, and Gunther finds himself being dragged into further mystery and drama in the present day. I’ll admit, having been an admirer of Mary Queen of Scots since childhood, I often approach fictionalised accounts of her life with a degree of trepidation, worried whether what was already a dramatic life would have been over-dramatised to the point of nonsense. Not here. Many readers will know the events which are described, but the author still manages to bring tension to the tale, as well as getting under the skin of some of the key characters in Mary’s story. We see more exploration of Darnley’s personality, and his relationship with Queen Mary, from infatuation to infuriation, as well as meeting the likes of Moray, Morton, Bothwell, and Maitland – names which heavily affected Scottish history during the 1500s. The fear of a queen in captivity is shown, and her determination to escape and recover her freedom, even if she may never recover her throne. Linlithgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and a host of other cities are seen through Winzet’s eyes as he travels the country and continent on Mary’s behalf, but ultimately, it’s the smaller, quieter scenes in small rooms which really engaged me here, seeing names from the history books as living, breathing individuals. I would highly recommend this to any fans of Marian literature, and the period in general, who enjoy a detailed historical read in which they can absolutely lose themselves. Review by Jennifer C. Wilson The Coffee Pot Book Club Universal Buy Link The title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. Anna Legat Anna Legat is best known for her crime thrillers and murder mysteries. Murder isn't the only thing on her mind. She also dabbles in historical fiction, magic realism and dystopia. Apart from writing, Anna has been making a living as a lawyer, a teacher, a silver-service waitress and a librarian (not all at the same time). She has lived in far-flung places but has now settled in a small town near the historical city of Bath. Connect with Anna: Website • Twitter / X • Facebook • Instagram Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE On a remote Gaelic farmstead in medieval Ireland, word reaches Alberic of conquering Norman knights arriving from England. Oppressed by the social order that enslaved his Norman father, he yearns for the reckoning he believes the invaders will bring—but his world is about to burn. Captured by the Norman knight Hugo de Lacy and installed at Dublin Castle as a translator, Alberic’s confused loyalties are tested at every turn. When de Lacy marches inland, Alberic is set on a collision course with his former masters amidst rumours of a great Gaelic army rising in the west. Can Alberic navigate safely through revenge, lust, and betrayal to find his place amidst the birth of a kingdom in a land of war? Buy Links: Universal Link Publisher Website .•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨) ✮ ( ¸.•´✶ Excerpt Underworld I was still young when the fulcrum began its pitch. Fortune’s wheel clanking around in its inscrutable way. It was the year that the sky ships were seen in Ard Macha. A silver host, spectral and gold illuminated the heavens, emerging from the cloud with their glistening sails and their ghostly hosts peering down, blazing with light on the men below who shrank from them in terror. And in that year also, the crozier of the bishop of Cluin Ioraird spoke to its owner, words of radiance and doom setting the kingdom alight. Though we saw no such miracles to presage coming things, the Tiarna had a dream. He saw a great light rise from the mound on Cnuc Bán. A sídhe mound guarding the high pass over the valley and below – a stag belling, a wild dog of two colours devouring a heron’s nest and above, a sun rising in the west, spreading brightness over a darkened east. A weapon shining at the heart of the mound. A weapon of immense power. The Tiarna ignored the words of his wife and councillors, he disregarded his ollamh, he closed his house to the monk and chewed his thumb long into the night. Night after night ruminating beside ashen fires, forging his resolve. Until, one darkening day, he sat on his horse commanding the unthinkable. Watching us scrabble and shift moss-thick stones from the ancient cairn. We worked in silence, frantic in our task, working to quieten the dread that rang out in each of our heads. To stave off the flesh-creep as hour after hour, we watched the sun pass its peak and begin to drop away westwards over the shoulder of the cairn. The mound’s passive bulk thrumming with threat, and the geis-breaking sound of stones rolling free, rising to swallow everything else. Swallowing the champ of the standing horses, the rare lilts of the wind through the woodland below, the keening of buzzards circling. We cast the stones out beyond the kerbing into the heather, hoping they would land soft. Flinching at each cracking strike as they collided with hidden rock among the furze. Dread and skeletal hands clenching slowly within our skulls as the darkness thickened in the east. ‘Ho,’ Lochru cried out – the first human sound in hours and he came around the curve of the mound, his palsied face white, his hands trembling. He motioned to the Tiarna who urged his horse onwards. Tuar, his ollamh and the monk, Milesius cantering on also. We all followed to where the youth Fiacra stood, unnaturally still, his eyes fixed upon something in the scree. With great reluctance, he raised his hand and pointed at an opening which showed amongst the loose stone. Two rough pillars leaning towards each other, forming a narrow doorway as wide as the span between fist and elbow. We stood steaming in the cold. Shudders passed among us and Milesius, hand on the psalter hanging in a satchel at his side, mumbled Latin incantations. The Tiarna gazed coldly. He looked to where his son, Conn stood by, leaning on a spear. I saw the subtle question in the Tiarna’s eye. I saw Conn’s face lowering to the ground, refusing the wordless request and, to disguise Conn’s refusal, the Tiarna’s voice came sudden and barking. ‘Send in the Sasanach,’ he said without looking in my direction and my bowels dropped within me. I stared ahead at the terrible and absolute blackness, a blackness that inhaled the failing light, and did not move. Lochru came towards me, grabbing my arm and pulling me past him with a blow that cupped the back of my skull. I staggered forward, feet twisting among the stones, and fell to my knees before the doorway, backing instantly, as if from a wild beast. I looked to the Tiarna on his horse and Milesius at his side. Their faces as hard as the stone of the hill. I breathed through my nose, a forceful breath. Another. And another. I made the sign of the cross, rose, commending myself to God and the Saints Patricius, Féichin, Lasair and stepped forward. I moved towards the dragging blackness. Towards the mouth of the underworld. Towards the realm of the sídhe. I approached as if approaching cold water, step by step, clenching something deep within. My hand reached out to touch a pillar and its frigid surface drew the warmth from me. I turned side-on, a welling panic, though I did not stop. I slid my shoulder into the gap and pushed my chest through, feeling the pillars scrape at once along my spine and breastbone. I dipped my head, without looking back and entered the dark. The space within forced me to crawl and I advanced blindly, my bulk blocking the light from the opening. The stones pressed in all around so that I could neither stand nor turn. Pools of water splashed beneath me, a dead air, stale in my lungs. My eyes moved wildly around, though nothing changed in the depthless dark. Hands slipped and scraped and I struck my head frequently on the uneven roof. Yet I moved, and in moving there was hope. Paul Duffy Paul Duffy, author of Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound (2022), is one of Ireland’s leading field archaeologists and has directed numerous landmark excavations in Dublin as well as leading projects in Australia, France and the United Kingdom. He has published and lectured widely on this work, and his books include From Carrickfergus to Carcassonne—the Epic Deeds of Hugh de Lacy during the Cathar Crusade (2018) and Ireland and the Crusades (2021). He has given many talks and interviews on national and international television and radio (RTÉ, BBC, NPR, EuroNews). Paul has also published several works of short fiction (Irish Times, Causeway/Cathsair, Outburst, Birbeck Writer’s Hub) and in 2015 won the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Award. He has been shortlisted for numerous Irish and international writing prizes and was awarded a writing bursary in 2017–2018 by Words Ireland. Social Media Links: Website Twitter Facebook Linked-in Goodreads

Historical Fiction Book of the Year Awards 2022 Categories and winners: Ancient World Historical Fiction Gold Medal Before Beltane By Nancy Jardine Silver Medal The Cimbri Appear By Jeff Hein Early Medieval Historical Fiction Gold Medal Son of Anger (Ormstunga Saga Book 1) By Donovan Cook Silver Medal Beheld: Godiva’s Story By Christopher M. Cevasco Bronze Medal The Wistful and the Good (Cuthbert’s People, Book 1) By G. M. Baker Honourable Mention The Last King By MJ Porter Medieval Historical Fiction Gold Medal Her Castilian Heart By Anna Belfrage Silver Medal The Douglas Bastard (A sequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy) By J R Tomlin Bronze Medal De Bohun's Destiny (The Meonbridge Chronicles Book 3) By Carolyn Hughes Honourable Mention Imperial Passions - The Great Palace: A Byzantine Novel By Eileen Stephenson Honourable Mention The Song And The Sword By Isabelle Chevallot The Tudors, The Stuarts, and The Commonwealth of England Historical Fiction Gold Medal Lady in Waiting By Karen Heenan Silver Medal A Woman of Noble Wit By Rosemary Griggs Bronze Medal The King's Inquisitor By Tonya Brown European Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Viennese Dressmaker By Kathryn Gauci Silver Medal We Shall Not Shatter By Elaine Stock Bronze Medal The Shadows of Versailles By Cathie Dunn Honourable Mention Paris In Ruins By MK Tod Honourable Mention Longsword: Edward and the Assassin Dimitar Gyopsaliev Asian Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Admiral's Wife By MK Tod Silver Medal Lies That Bind By E.S. Alexander Bronze Medal The Lake Pagoda By Ann Bennett American Historical Fiction Gold Medal Northern Shadows (Northern Wolf Series Book 5) By Daniel Greene Silver Medal Muskets & Minuets By Lindsey S. Fera Bronze Medal The Mesilla By Mary Armstrong Honourable Mention Fortunate Son By Thomas Tibor Honourable Mention John Brown's Women Susan Higginbotham Early Modern Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Silkworm Keeper By Deborah Swift Silver Medal When Starlings Fly As One By Nancy Blanton Bronze Medal The Shadows of Versailles By Cathie Dunn Honourable Mention Ash Fall A Novel of the Knights of Malta (the Siege of Malta Book 3) By Marthese Fenech Modern Historical Fiction Gold Medal Angels and Bandits By Brodie Curtis Silver Medal The Art of Deception By Pam Lecky Bronze Medal The Girl from Bologna By Siobhan Daiko Honourable Mention Secrets of Rosenli Manor By Heidi Eljarbo Honourable Mention Where the Gulls Fall Silent By Lelita Baldock Women's Historical Fiction Gold Medal Gwenna The Welsh Confectioner (The New Zealand Immigrant Collection) By Vicky Adin Silver Medal A Woman of Noble Wit By Rosemary Griggs Bronze Medal Under the Emerald Sky (The Irish Fortune Series) By Juliane Weber Honourable Mention The Viennese Dressmaker By Kathryn Gauci Dual Time-Line Gold Medal The Girl from Bologna By Siobhan Daiko Silver Medal The Admiral's Wife By MK Tod Bronze Medal The Virgin of the Wind Rose By Glen Craney Supernatural Historical Fiction Gold Medal The Year We Lived By Virginia Crow Silver Medal The Ghost Rider By Ellen Read Bronze When The Mermaid Sings By Helen Hollick Honourable Mention Over the Broad Earth By J.L. Feuerstack Young Adult Historical Fiction Gold Medal Muskets & Minuets By Lindsey S. Fera Silver Medal Clement: The Templar’s Treasure By Craig R. Hipkins Bronze Medal A Stranger from the Storm By William Burton McCormick Time Travel Gold Medal Shake Loose the Border By Andrea Matthews Silver Medal Finding Jane By Elizabeth Conte Historical Romance Gold Medal Sea of Shadows By Amy Maroney Silver Medal A Woman of Noble Wit By Rosemary Griggs Bronze Medal The Feathered Nest By Ellen Read Honourable Mention Muskets & Minuets By Lindsey S. Fera Historical Fantasy Gold Medal The Last Crystal By Frances Schoonmaker Silver Medal Over the Broad Earth By J.L. Feuerstack Bronze Medal Over the Breadth of the Earth By J.L. Feuerstack Honourable Mention Strung By Roske Congratulations to all the winners from The Coffee Pot Book Club team. A massive thank you to our judges, without whom this competition would not be possible. You are the best!

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US Traumatized by horrors witnessed during the Nazi invasion of France, a young woman retreats to the dense Breton woods where she becomes a member of the clandestine French Resistance. When she finds a critically injured American paratrooper whose plane was shot down, she shelters the wounded soldier in her secluded cottage, determined to heal him despite the enormous risk. I'm pleased to welcome author Jennifer Ivy Walker to The Writing Desk Tell us about your latest book The Witch of the Breton Woods is the story of a reclusive healer and member of the clandestine French Resistance who finds a critically injured American paratrooper. Despite enormous risks, she shelters him in her woodland cottage, keeping him hidden from the suspicious villagers who have labeled her a witch, the paramilitary organization known as La Milice which collaborates with the Germans, and the Nazis who are hunting him. What is your preferred writing routine? I write every day, from late morning after my chores are done, until evening. I take a daily evening walk, and sometimes, if I’m in a really intense part of a novel, I’ll keep writing until midnight! What advice do you have for new writers? I took a series of free online courses through Reedsy and learned a great deal about plot and character development, point of view, using sensory involvement to immerse readers in a scene. Those online classes taught me so much! What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books? I am still searching for that. I have not been successful with sales, despite having won several awards for my writing. I am hopeful this Coffee Pot Book Club blog tour might help me attract new readers! Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research I was fascinated to learn that the American paratroopers dropped into Normandy had vials of penicillin in their backpacks. A new discovery in medicine, this antibiotic saved countless limbs which would have been lost to gangrene and thousands of lives, so I had to include that in my story! What was the hardest scene you remember writing? When Beau confronts the Butcher. What are you planning to write next? I am currently writing a Viking trilogy set in tenth century Normandy. It is a blend of historical fiction, Norse mythology, and steamy Viking romance! Book 1, Dragon of Denmark, will be published soon, and I am halfway through book 2, The Wolf of the Nordic Seas. Book 3, Falcon of the Faroe Islands, is next! Jennifer Ivy Walker # # # About the Author Jennifer Ivy Walker has an MA in French literature and is a former high school teacher and professor of French at a state college in Florida. Her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, incorporating her lifelong study, summers abroad, and many trips to France. Find out more from her website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/ and follow her on Facebook and Twitter: @bohemienneiv

Today, I'm delighted to welcome Katerina Dunne to Ruins & Reading. We're sharing a fascinating guest post about her main charac...

Book Title: Zig Zag Woman Series: Author: Roberta Tracy Publication Date: April 16, 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Pages: 248 pp. Genre: Historical Mystery The last thing LAPD Detectives McManus and Tyson expect to find behind Pantages Theatre is a body rolled up in a blanket. The last thing Margaret Morehouse, one of the city's first policewoman with arrest powers, expects to do is join the investigation. When a deadly explosion at the L. A. Times derails their efforts, Margaret finds herself at a crossroads and strikes out on her own, a path leading to delusion and self-discovery on a vaudeville stage. Her husband's nephew Leland further complicates the situation by sharing a ransom note and confiding his failure to report his wife's disappearance at the Dominguez Air Meet. A brief stint as a magician's assistant takes Margaret to Chicago, where she almost signs on as a zig zag girl, the term used for ladies performing in the "cutting-a-woman-in-two"illusion. Instead, Margaret returns to the tumultuous world of early twentieth century Los Angeles. Reunited with McManus and Tyson, she confronts prejudices and societal norms in efforts to identify a body, clear Leland's name, and topple the stranglehold one powerful, amoral person has over many lives. Their efforts lead to dead ends and misconceptions before truth comes to light. Love is rekindled and danger uncovered in unlikely places. Margaret goes from Zig Zag Girl to Zig Zag Woman, no longer cut in two but headed on a clearer path. Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mvLBY6 ZIG ZAG WOMAN EXCERPT 3 Margaret was in no such mood. Her late-night wanderings might well test Edmund’s patience to the limit. She boarded the Olivet and showed her badge to the surly conductor. Worried the creak of hardwood floors would awaken Edmund and Cushman, she unlaced and removed her shoes when she reached the doorstep. From faraway came a distinct pop! Less than a second later, something buzzed overhead, bounced off the upper brass door hinge, ricocheted against the jamb, and clattered to the porch so loudly she barely heard sounds of feet and hooves running off into the night. Peeling off a glove to feel around, Margaret half expected to find a dazed bird or bat. Her fingers came upon a metallic object, cylindrical and burning hot. She picked it up gingerly and went inside. Under the dim light of the lamp Cushman had left by the window, she saw it was a large leaden bullet. Early experience as a staff greeting card writer introduced Roberta Tracy to witty people who shared the writer’s dream. Marriage, motherhood, and career intervened, but she maintained that creative desire. A degree in nonprofit management led her to work situations where newsletters, grant proposals, and business correspondence took precedence. Still, she wrote poetry, some of which won prizes and publication, and children’s books set in worldwide locations. Recently, she co-authored Come Dream With Me, a part travelogue, part hippie nostalgia work of creative nonfiction, detailing the adventures of colleague Inese Civkulis. No matter what writing projects unfold in the future, she'll never find enough words to thank family and friends for their inspiration and encouragement. #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookclub Website: https://www.robertatracy.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/RobertaTra72258 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556591057891 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roberta.tracy.24/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Roberta-Tracy/author/B0D2PR17RV Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8101746.Roberta_Tracy Tour Schedule Page:

Life in ancient Israel: Lifestyles of the Affluent By Cynthia Ripley Miller My third book, a work-in-progress, in my Long-Hair Saga series is set in the 5th century in Jerusalem. In researching the period, culture, terrain, and customs, I came across a few surprising facts and details that existed even earlier. Some are surprisingly similar to the habits and customs of today. Records and Ruins In the cities of Sepphoris, Caesarea, Bethsaida, Masada, and Jerusalem: Archaeologists have discovered that particularly affluent residents in ancient Caesarea enjoyed such luxuries as a ‘toilet near his table’ and a toilet was found in a Roman villa near the dining room at Sepphoris in Galilee. Affluent Roman homes were large and spacious and had spacious grounds, olive and grape presses, wine cellars, frescoed walls, and family tombs. Roman aristocrats could also afford to eat meat every day and from silver and goldware, whereas the poorer classes ate off dishes made from pottery. They paid taxes and paid as much as ‘2/3 of their profits to local governors and the Romans.’ Wealthy women kept to their homes, and ancient literature makes many references to women looking out their windows. It seems this was a ‘common motif in ancient literature.’ Servants were essential. Some country landowners had more than 50 servants to make their lives easier and comfortable. The wealthy could afford dyed textiles of an assortment of colors, purple being one of the most popular. Only the wealthy could afford to wear their hair long, oiled, and intricately braided. Religion and Politics in Jerusalem in the 5th Century AD In the Roman period referred to as Late Antiquity (1st through the 7th century), Jerusalem became a Roman colony. It was rebuilt and named Aelia Capotolina by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 130 AD. A pagan, Hadrian built a statue of himself and placed it in front of the temple he built to Jupiter on the site of ‘the second Jewish temple, The Temple Mount.' This action, along with several other ‘idolatrous’ acts, caused the Jews to launch a third Jewish revolt, which failed. Afterward, the Jews were banned from the city ‘on pain of death.' This exclusion of the Jews from Jerusalem lasted for centuries, with one small reprieve in 363AD by Constantine’s nephew Emperor Julian. Still, later, the privilege was denied them, and the one occasion allowing them to visit once a year on what is assumed to have been Tisha b’Av. The Bordeaux Pilgrim who visited Jerusalem in 333-334 wrote, ‘There are two statues of Hadrian, and, not far from them, a pierced stone to which the Jews come every year and anoint. They mourn and rend their garments and then depart.’ They weren’t allowed back into Jerusalem until 1187 when Saladin captured the city, summoned the Jews, and allowed them to resettle in Jerusalem. After Constantine, and in the late Roman era or Late Antiquity, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire. It became the predominant religion of ‘Palaestina,’ and Byzantine Jerusalem ‘was almost completely Christian’ although other religions existed as well. This is a light view of the ancient world of Jerusalem, involving customs, beliefs, and cultural aspects that existed in Jerusalem earlier and in Late Antiquity. As always, I’m amazed at the political turbulence, dramas, and societal developments taking place and driving this period toward the medieval era. Through the strife, Jerusalem and Israel have survived and made an impression on the world. Simon Sebag Montefiore wrote in his biography, Jerusalem, ‘Life in Herodian, Crusader, or British Jerusalem was always just as complex as life is for us today. There were quiet evolutions as well as dramatic revolutions.’ Cynthia Ripley Miller is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise and The Quest for the Crown of Thorns: Books 1 & 2 in the Long-Hair Saga, a series set in late ancient Rome and France. A Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist and A Circle of Books Award winner, Cynthia has lived and traveled in Europe, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, taught history and English. Her short stories have appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, The Scriptor, and at Orchard Press Mysteries.com. Cynthia blogs at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus and on her website, www.cynthiaripleymiller.com. She lives outside of Chicago with her family, along with a sweet German Shepherd and a cute, but bossy, cat. “In this thriller, set in fifth-century Rome, rivals race to possess Christ’s crown of thorns. Ripley Miller (On the Edge of Sunrise 2015) astutely brings to life a Rome teetering precariously on the brink of collapse … The plot advances energetically, and the combination of political and romantic drama—spiritual as well—is rousing. The reader should be glad to have read this volume and eager for a third. Intelligent and artfully crafted historical fiction … .” - Kirkus Reviews ~ The Quest for the Crown of Thorns: Book Two of the Long-Hair Saga On the Edge of Sunrise: Book One of the Long-Hair Saga. The Quest for the Crown of Thorns: Book Two of the Long-Hair Saga. Sources: Montefiore, Simon, Jerusalem Vamosh, Miriam, www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology www.thoughtco.com/western-wall Temple Mount, Wikipedia

Welcome to a stop on the Coffee Pot Book Tour for Riana Everly’s Death in Sensible Circumstances, a historical mystery with a Jane Austin ...

Downriver The Poison River Series, Book #1 by Jennifer M. Lane A sulfur sky poisoned her family and her heart. Now revenge tastes sweeter than justice. It’s 1900. In a Pennsylvania coal town tainted by corruption and pollution, Charlotte's world collapses when her parents meet a tragic end. Sent to a foster family in a Maryland fishing village, she’s fueled by grief and embarks on a relentless quest for justice against the ruthless coal boss, Nels Pritchard. But Charlotte is no ordinary girl. She shares the fiery spirit of her father, whose powerful speeches inspired worker riots. With a burning desire for vengeance, she sets out to uncover the truth behind Pritchard's crimes, unearthing a shocking connection between the town's toxic air and the lifeless fish washing up on the shore of her Chesapeake Bay foster town. To expose the truth, Charlotte builds a network of unexpected allies. There are gutsy suffragists, a literary society of teenage girls willing to print the truth… and Weylan. The captivating young man lost his own family to Pritchard’s poison. He offers support, but Charlotte questions his true motives when he lures her to break the law. Could she be falling into a dangerous trap, leading her to a fate worse than poison? With her unwavering spirit and determination, Charlotte must forge alliances and navigate a web of treachery before Pritchard seeks his own ruthless revenge. The newest book by award-winning author Jennifer M. Lane is perfect for fans of Jeannette Walls’ Hang the Moon and the fiery protagonist in The Hunger Games. Join Charlotte in this small town, coming-of-age dystopian historical saga as she finds resilience, courage, and triumph in her search for identity, independence, and her true home. Welcome, Jennifer! Please make yourself at home. Would you prefer tea or coffee, or perhaps something more…fortifying? Ooh, a nice treat. I hope you like a nice Irish Tullamore. I'm more of a Scotch whisky aficionado... Before we begin, please introduce yourself. I’ve always been a history lover. I remember riding in the car as a child wondering what the road and the landscape looked like during colonial times. Being surrounded by history growing up on the Chesapeake Bay and in the Philadelphia region, history was everywhere, and it inspired my imagination. As an adult, I have a museum studies degree, and I always enjoyed working with primary source documents and Early American Material Culture. Could you tell us a little about your book and what inspired you to set your novel during this particular period in history? Downriver is a result of intersecting interests. I’ve wanted to set a book in my Chesapeake Bay hometown for quite some time. I was also inspired by the coal patch town near where my partner, Matt, grew up. The history of anthracite coal country is fascinating. Worker uprising and unionizing, railroad history, the Molly Maguires. There’s murder, mystery, dramatic court cases, criminal justice conspiracies. It’s an endless source of inspiration. It sounds utterly intriguing – perfect for an historical fiction writer! When researching this era, did you come upon any unexpected surprises? The most surprising thing involved another manuscript I wrote, set in a different era. I had already drafted a book set in 1794, during the Whiskey Rebellion. I’d stumbled upon the name Tench Coxe while reading letters sent between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and I loved the name so much I named a character after him. Then, while writing Downriver, I discovered that the land Eckley Miner’s Village sits on was once owned by the real Tench Coxe. He made shingles there before it grandson, Eckley Coxe, shifted to mining. Your novel deals with environmental damage and workers’ rights, at a time when both were still deemed controversial. How did you approach these topics within their historic setting? The broader legal issues get more page time in the second book in the series, and I’ve been excited to weave that history into the story. (No spoilers, but in 1900 Missouri sued Chicago for dumping sewage in the river, and the Supreme Court case might help Charlotte.) Because there is no EPA and there are no guidelines or laws preventing the coal boss from polluting the waterways, she doesn’t have a modern legal course to follow. Instead, like the coal miners, she has to rely on the power of the people. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of writing Historical Fiction during this era? The Tiffany Effect. The year 1900 is modern enough that high schools existed. You could buy matchsticks, devilled ham in a can, and a ditto machine. There were automobiles, and though they were somewhat rare, they were more locally-made than they are today. Immersing myself in that era has been a fun and much more modern experience than my favorite era of the American Revolution. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why? I love Hazel’s snark, but Weylan really gets put through the wringer over the course of the trilogy. I don’t want to give anything away, but goodness does that man suffer. Any time you inflict that kind of suffering on a supporting character, it’s hard not to feel a little extra bad for them. And lastly, what are you working on next? I’m still plugging away on the Whiskey Rebellion romance. I’ll return to the sequel to Downriver soon, and I’m researching the life of America’s first woman ironmaster for a work of biographical historical fiction. So many projects and so little time. That sounds very interesting. I bet your research is fascinating. Best of luck with your various projects! Many thanks for your time, Jennifer. It was a pleasure to host you. Thank you for having me! This has been a pleasure! Universal Ebook Buy Link Universal Series Link This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. Jennifer M. Lane A Maryland native and Pennsylvanian at heart, Jennifer M. Lane holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Barton College and a master’s in liberal arts with a focus on museum studies from the University of Delaware, where she wrote her thesis on the material culture of roadside memorials. Jennifer is a member of the Authors Guild and the Historical Novel Society. Her first book, Of Metal and Earth, won the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel and was a Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the category of Literary / General Fiction. She is also the author of Stick Figures from Rockport, and the six book series The Collected Stories of Ramsbolt. Connect with Jennifer: Website • Facebook • Twitter / X • Instagram • Threads Amazon Author Page • BookBub • Pinterest • Goodreads

Nothing’s forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten. Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood. Exclusive Guest Interview Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet It was 28th June 1986 when we saw the credits roll for the last time. And like many other dedicated fans, I remember thinking, that can’t be the end? There are too many unanswered questions. But little did we all know that it was not the end. Time waits, they say, and so must we. I am glad to say the wait was worth it! We are continuing with our celebrations of all things Robin of Sherwood today, and it is my very great pleasure to welcome Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet onto the blog today! Robert Of Huntingdon aims his bow...! Hi Barnaby, welcome to Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots. It is so fabulous that you could join us today and talk about your Robin of Sherwood journey. Your audio production company, Spiteful Puppet, could have chosen any television show to resurrect — why Robin of Sherwood? Well, nothing’s forgotten. Nothing’s ever forgotten. Ahem. But, it wasn’t their idea (although I found out later that they’d looked into doing it and then decided to do their own version of the Robin Hood legend called ‘Hood’, by Iain Meadows; which won a fair few awards). Spiteful Puppet actually didn’t come on board the project until quite late into production but the actual start of the whole journey began, for me, when a lovely fan called Rowena Sayer passed on the only copy of Richard ‘Kip’ Carpenter’s unproduced ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ script to me – which she’d won in an auction a few years before – that even had Kip’s annotations in biro on it. It was like being handed the Dead Sea Scrolls. I felt like Herne the Hunter. And the script was a hefty 2-hour movie size. So, I soon felt like Hernia the Hunter as I didn’t want to put it down. Anyway, Rowena wanted it to go back to Kip’s estate, as he’d not long passed away, and handed it over to me at the 30th anniversary event I was running. Harriet, Kip’s daughter, graciously agreed to it being adapted for audio, the cast agreed to come on board (and Jason Connery and Mark Ryan magnificently backed me up when it all nearly fell apart, which I’ll always be humbled and grateful to them for doing that), and Spiteful Puppet then kindly press-ganged me into their company. As for why ‘Robin of Sherwood’ (you may have noticed I’ve waffled on without answering the question), it’s because it’s so powerful and evocative and mystical and mysterious as a series – with such symbolism and adult themes – and it’s all wrapped up in storytelling that is so engaging and exciting that you can’t help taking yourself back to it and watching it all over again. Many people said it was too ‘visual’ a series to put on audio but it’s the words and the music and the sounds and the feel of it that pulls you in. With those original television pictures playing in your head, it’s so easy to allow the audios to seep into your ears and create new episodes for you to re-play that you can see happening in your mind’s eye. Judi Trott (Marion) and Jason Connery (Robin). I cannot even begin to imagine how exciting that must have been to be handed Richard Carpenter’s script for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’s.’ How easy was it to get ITV and the original cast onside? To get the one-off licence for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ was a journey worthy of Phileas Fogg from ‘Eighty Days Around The World’ – if he’d been stopped at every country he entered and told to turn back and start again but by going a different route. Ha. There were a lot of ‘no’ emails from ITV, to begin with. One of the original producers of the television show, Esta Charkham, fired off a very firm email to them on our behalf and – with the added bonus of a script from the original creator/writer of the series – ITV slowly thawed. Clive Mantle (Little John). Then, when KOTA was a success, I think it took about two years of negotiations to get a licence to continue. These things are never quick! The great thing about building a relationship with a licence holder is that you can prove yourself and ITV have been really supportive of all that’s come since KOTA. As for the original cast, they were marvellous for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’. You couldn’t have asked for a more positive bunch, partly because they knew the first one was a Kip script (so it had his essence running through it) and partly because – I hope – they felt they could trust me because I’d organised some events for the show that they’d attended and seemed to have a fun time doing so. I also had the naked photos of them all at an orgy in Nickolas Grace’s hot tub too. That helped the most. Ahem. Nickolas Grace (The Sheriff of Nottingham). I am sure the photo was the deal breaker!! The original writer, Richard Carpenter, sadly passed away some years ago. How did you go about finding new ones? I feel absolutely gutted, to this day, that the whole process of getting ‘Robin of Sherwood’ on audio arrived just too late for him to contribute properly too. I’d sent him an email about it all very shortly before he unexpectedly passed away. I don’t know if he read it. I like to hope that he did and that he was excited about the possibility of a new version on audio. It’s been a genuine joy to get to know his daughter, Harriet, and her positivity and knowledge has played a big role in not straying too far away from her father’s template for the show. Finding new writers was a real challenge. I asked a lot of writers I knew (and a lot I didn’t) to provide pitches for an episode that they might conceivably write. All of them provided something unique and fascinating but not every pitch felt like a Kip script idea. That was the barometer, really. Whether it felt like something Kip would come up with. He had a way of writing that I managed to ape (as I was one of the three writers who adapted ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’) and I found I could capture his dialogue well. I needed writers who could do the same. Everything had to be approved by Kip’s Estate, ITV and Spiteful Puppet – so, there were a lot of hoops to jump through before anything got commissioned. Then, of course, there was the cast’s opinions and thoughts (some of whom had always talked about how collaborative Kip was in his writing, discussing things with them). It really was a process of trial and error and elimination. My original pie-in-the-sky idea was to get in Anthony Horowitz (who wrote a few episodes of Series 3, when Kip’s workload on the television show became too much). Sadly, he’s a very busy man but he’s always acknowledged that Kip was his mentor and gave him his start in the business. One day, perhaps, he and I will find a way to make it work. But, for now, I think we’ve had some amazing writers follow in Kip’s footsteps. Big thanks to Iain Meadows, Jennifer Ash, Paul Birch, Paul Kane and Tony Lee (all fans of the television show) for just getting it so right. Hats off to all the writers who have made this possible. Stepping into Richard Carpenters shoes must have been incredibly humbling to them all, but I think they have done a marvellous job. Do you have a favourite original episode? New audio episode? I do, yes. And I’m not telling. Tee hee. No, it’s always difficult picking a favourite ‘thing’ because it often depends what mood you’re in that day. It’s why I fail spectacularly at the ‘Top Ten Films’ or ‘Top Ten Books’ type of lists. Michael Praed (Robin: Season 1 & 2) Jason Connery (Robin: Season 3) If you buttonholed me today (which is apparently quite painful depending where you buttonhole), I’d have to say ‘Herne’s Son’ for the television series. That’s simply because, like ‘Doctor Who’ before it, changing the lead actor for the lead role in a highly successful television series - and giving such a brilliant reason and backstory for doing so - makes it such a risky and clever adventure. Plus, I quite fancy Jason Connery. Don’t tell him. It’s why my wife looks so like him. Ha. As for the audio, I’ve got to go with ‘What Was Lost’. That’s because it was the first episode(s) of an imagined Series 4 that never got to be on television. Following on directly from the end of Series 3, myself and Iain Meadows (the writer) had a few conversations with Jason Connery about where the series should go and where he’d like to see his character be after the harrowing events of the conclusion of ‘Time of the Wolf’. The excitement of the ‘anything can happen’ storyline, where we’re not bound by the continuity of the television stories, was intoxicating. Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much) Producer/Director Barnaby Eaton-Jones. It wasn’t a full-cast audio, as there was a mutual decision from us and Jason for him to deliver it as a narration because it was such a big deal and it really needed to be his voice telling the story of his Robin. He put in such a good performance over what is essentially a movie-length story (or a two-parter, if we’re talking television terms) that I don’t think it loses anything by not being performed by the rest of the cast on this occasion. I remember checking the final recording for levels, by listening to the first five minutes – and then finding myself at the end of Part One, having been drawn into the story totally. It also helps that our sound designer, Joseph Fox, is a canny devil and can perfectly create a soundscape that feels like you’re there living out the story in your head with the narrator (or full cast). Tell me about the Hooded Man events? There’s been a long history of events celebrating the television series (as there often is with popular or cult shows) and I basically am following in the forest trails of other well-loved versions. However, I think I’ve managed to provide something a little different to previous UK conventions that, like my taste in shirts (which fans seem to take delight in commenting on!), are just bigger, funnier and more colourful. That’s really all down to the cast being willing and happy to come along and join in the fun (the comical ‘cut’ scene from KOTA, performed by them at the 2016 convention, was a highlight for me!) and also because the fans themselves are a happy and supportive bunch. I run a bi-annual weekend event and am just experimenting with a one-day event in-between, celebrating one episode rather than the series as a whole (which the weekend ones do). I’ve been able to donate a lot of money to The Sherwood Forest Trust because of this and also I’m really very proud of the newly-forged friendships (and relationships and marriages!) that have come out of the events since I started them in 2014. My happiness always comes from seeing others happy. They’re a lot of hard work in the planning, which is just me trying not to melt my brain too much, but - of course - none of it would run smoothly without my willing bunch of interviewers and stewards and the fact my wife basically is a clockwork machine at the actual event and allows me to float about whilst she marshals the troops. Lastly, anything new in the Robin of Sherwood pipeline? Yes. Oh, you want to know? Sorry. It’s something quite big, actually. It’s been difficult to keep it a secret but I’m hoping, in a week or so, I can announce it. Keep your eyes peeled by liking my Facebook page – HERE!. Jason Connery I don’t want to end on a blatant plug so can I just say a quick thank you for interviewing me. I always feel a little bit of a fraud being interviewed about ‘Robin of Sherwood’, because I’m just holding the hood at the moment until someone else comes to wear it, and I know I’m in a very privileged position to be running events and providing new stories for this amazing show. I don’t ever take that for granted. I’d also like to just take a moment to thank the ever-lovely fans, who are a very groovy bunch of diverse people from all over the world (waves manically around the globe), and also the amazing cast/crew from the television series who – without question – have been so welcoming to me and encouraging but rightly protective of the legacy of the series that means so much to them. Michael Praed. I’ll always try my best to get it right for Kip, for the original cast/crew, and for the fans. Thank you so much, Barnaby, for taking the time out to talk to us about Robin of Sherwood today! Robin of Sherwood The Knights of the Apocalypse England in the reign of King John and a dark force is intent on conquest. Only the hooded man can stand against it… The church lies impotent at the mercy of the Pope and the interdict against the kingdom. With the people living in fear and a series of disappearances that threaten the very fabric of noble society, Robin ‘i’ the hood and his band of outlaws must race to rescue the past so that the future may be protected. A journey to Huntingdon and beyond Sherwood will see them battle their most dangerous enemy yet as Herne’s son faces The Knights of the Apocalypse… Pick up your copy of The Knights of the Apocalypse SpiteFul Puppet To find out more about Spiteful Puppet or to purchase other audio CDs in the Robin of Sherwood Series, visit their website HERE! Catch up with the Robin of Sherwood celebration posts HERE! References: All images are copyright protected. SpiteFul Puppet and Robin of Sherwood Knights of the Apocalypse have kindly granted permission to use the said images for the purpose of this blog post only.

Are you ready for today's book recommendation? Return to the Eyrie By Katerina Dunne Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice. Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470: Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’. Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through. Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary. Doesn't this book sound amazing?! You can grab your copy over on Amazon. Katerina Dunne Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers. Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022). Social Media Links: Website (publisher) Facebook LinkedIn Amazon Author Page Goodreads Tour Schedule

FEATURED AUTHOR: JESSIE MILLS Please welcome Jessie Mills as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between January 30th — Febr

Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with… Return to the Eyrie Medieval Hungary by Katerina Dunne Thursdays, August 1st - 22nd, 2024 Publication Date: April 30th, 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Pages: 404 Genre: Historical Fiction / Medieval Fiction / Historical Romance Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice. Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470 Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it - even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral 'eyrie'. Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour - if she can survive long enough to see it through. Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary. * Find our 5* Editorial Review of Return to the Eyrie HERE! * Buy Link: Universal Buy Link Katerina Dunne Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers. Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022). Author Links: Publisher's Website • Facebook • LinkedIn Amazon Author Page • Goodreads Tour Schedule August 1st Let Your Words Shine Amy Maroney's Official Blog Wendy J. Dunn's Official Blog Adventures of a Tudor Nerd The Coffee Pot Book Club August 8th Brook's Journal Let Us Talk of Many Things The Historical Fiction Company The Book Bandit's Library Ruins & Reading August 15th When Angels Fly Pam Lecky's Official Blog The Whispering Bookworm Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots MJ Porter's Official Blog Mary's Bookcase Left on the Shelf August 22nd Oh look, another book! Linnea Tanner's Official Blog Elizabeth St.John's Official Blog Historical Fiction Blog CelticLady's Reviews Archaeolibrarian

Life in the Times of the Radium Girls By Samantha Wilcoxson June 1, 2020 - Luminous Blog Tour My latest novel, Luminous, takes an intimate look at the life of one of the young women who have become known as Radium Girls. This was a time of great change in the United States and the larger world due to World War I, which was followed by a time of economic boom and devastating crash. In the midst of this, young women discovered opportunities to join the workforce like never before. With men at war, and many sadly not returning, women began to find their place in the world beyond the realm of homemaking. Some of the jobs that women were able to obtain were those one might expect as seamstresses, laundresses, and in domestic service. Others were new positions in war industries or jobs that had been left open by men. Those were the ones that were seen as exciting new opportunities. Women could work in munitions factories, learn how to perform mechanical work, and paint with an innovative new material that made things glow in the dark. Catherine Donohue was one of the young women who counted herself blessed to find employment at Radium Dial in Ottawa, Illinois. In the Radium Dial studio, women used radium infused material to paint watch and instrument dials. This enabled soldiers to read information in the dark, and the industry continued after the war as glow-in-the-dark watches became fashionable. Dial painter positions were in high demand due to the good pay and perceived sophistication of working in a studio as opposed to a factory. Radium Dial. In the years following World War I, these women enjoyed increased independence and economic comfort. Prohibition also increased women’s freedom in a way. While bars and pubs had formerly been the domain of men, secretive speakeasies became the illicit gathering spots for men and women, having just the opposite effect that the promoters of Prohibition had intended. During this time, women also gained the right to vote and have their voices heard in the public forum. It was an era of fast paced change even before the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed. The economic downturn of the 1930’s reversed some of women’s gains. With jobs scarce, men felt that they deserved those that were available, and many women of the time agreed with them. Women increased activities at home that could help save money, such as gardening and taking in sewing or laundry. Women working with radium were secure in their employment, but they started experiencing even more disturbing problems. At Radium Dial in Ottawa and other companies using radium, workers began to experience a myriad of serious health problems. Catherine Donohue first developed a limp that she dismissed as arthritis, though she was in her twenties. Girls began to die of symptoms that were blamed on diphtheria, tuberculosis, sepsis, and even syphilis. It took years for people to realize, and even longer to admit, that the fatal health problems were caused by radium poisoning. The women suffering from radium poisoning had a fierce battle to fight before their employers were held responsible for the way they had been exposed to dangerous material. Companies continued to exploit the workers long after they knew what radium could do to a person’s health. Catherine Donohue was one of the women who took her case to court as many times as necessary to gain a victory for those who were dehumanized for the sake of company profit. In Luminous, I have explored Catherine’s life, her work, and her legal and medical battle as she suffered radium poisoning in the 1920’s and 1930’s. I hope that it is a glimpse into the era that is both informative and emotive. Catherine Donohue’s experience left an impact that affects working men and women to this day. Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl By Samantha Wilcoxson Catherine Donohue's life was set on an unexpected course when she accepted a job at Radium Dial. The pay was great, and her co-workers became her best friends. But a secret was lurking in the greenish-grey paint that magically made things glow in the dark. When Catherine and her friends started becoming sick, this shy Catholic girl stood up to the might of the radium industry, the legal and medical communities, and townspeople who told her to be quiet. Would she be too late? Catherine's quest for social justice in the era between World Wars is emotive and inspiring. Pick up your copy of Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl Amazon UK • Amazon US Samantha Wilcoxson Samantha Wilcoxson Samantha Wilcoxson is a history enthusiast and avid traveler. Her published works include the Plantagenet Embers series with novels and novellas that explore the Wars of the Roses and early Tudor era. Luminous is her first foray into 20th century American history, but she suspects that it will not be her last. Samantha enjoys exploring the personal side of historic events and creating emotive, inspiring stories. Connect with Samantha: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Goodreads.

A Grave Every Mile Ghosts along the Oregon Trail, Book #1 by David Fitz-Gerald Embark on a harrowing trek across the rugged American frontier in 1850. Your wagon awaits, and the untamed wilderness calls. This epic western adventure will test the mettle of even the bravest souls. Dorcas Moon and her family set forth in search of opportunity and a brighter future. Yet, what awaits them is a relentless gauntlet of life-threatening challenges: miserable weather, ravenous insects, scorching sunburns, and unforgiving terrain. It's not merely a battle for survival but a test of their unity and sanity. Amidst the chaos, Dorcas faces ceaseless trials: her husband's unending bickering, her daughter's descent into madness, and the ever-present danger of lethal rattlesnakes, intensifying the peril with each step. The specter of death looms large, with diseases spreading and the eerie howls of rabid wolves piercing the night. Will the haunting image of wolves desecrating a grave push Dorcas over the edge? With each mile, the migration poses a haunting question: Who will endure the relentless quest to cross the continent, and who will leave their bones to rest beside the trail? The pathway is bordered by graves, a chilling reminder of the steep cost of dreams. A Grave Every Mile marks the commencement of an unforgettable saga. Start reading Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail now to immerse yourself in an expedition where every decision carries the weight of life, death, and the pursuit of a brighter future along the Oregon Trail. “I see.” His dark brown eyes look intensely at me, and he asks, “What is your dream, Dorcas?” Then he looks back at his work. I think for a moment and say, “To get my family safely to Oregon.” “Then what?” “To help Larkin become a banker.” “I see. No, what is your dream, Dorcas? Not Larkin’s dream.” I sputter, not knowing what to say. “Should a woman have a dream?” A new life. New chances. A better world for her children to grow up in. The path to Oregon poses new opportunities, and the chance for dreams to come true. Dorcas Moon wants such dreams to come true for her family. What is not necessarily as clear until they have begun the journey is just how perilous and draining the path truly can be. They were ready for the challenging weather and difficulties on the path, but the countless graves along the track caught them off guard. The further into the journey they go, the more often they find themselves stopping to rest alongside the final resting places of those who had attempted the journey before them and failed. As they travel mile after mile, the thought slowly arises in everyone’s mind - who will survive the journey to Oregon, and who will be buried in unmarked graves by the roadside? A chilling expedition in pursuit of a better future, A Grave Every Mile: A Pioneer Western Adventure (Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail Book 1) by David Fitz-Gerald is an enthralling novel of self-discovery whilst striving towards a new world, and a better life. Dorcas Moon is a woman unlike any others around her. Her height, which is unusually tall for a woman, is matched by her larger-than-life personality that cannot be contained. She is not afraid to let her voice be heard, nor does she shy away from stepping into situations where she feels she can have a positive impact. On the road to Oregon, she does what she can to keep everyone around her in high spirits and looked after. Dorcas is portrayed with an immense attention to detail. Within just a few pages, she becomes a character who captures your heart and remains there throughout the entire novel. Dorcas is a protagonist with remarkable emotional strength, prioritising others over herself. She not only cares for her husband and four children but also takes care of the couple in the wagon behind them, as well as forming caring bonds with many others in the convoy. In a world where self-preservation seems paramount, Dorcas emerges as a symbol of generosity and compassion. Dorcas’ character is skilfully crafted, guaranteeing her status as a beloved character among readers. There are several relationships that are tested in the first stretch of the long journey Dorcas and her family find themselves on. Dorcas is a very kind-hearted person and is deeply affected by the mistreatment of the animals around her. She hates to see the mules pulling their wagon forced into doing so by the loud crack of a whip. Such abject suffering makes her want to pull all her children in close to her and protect them from anything the world might throw at them. She and her husband, Larkin, are often at odds, for while Dorcas is desperate to protect everyone and everything, Larkin tries to be more realistic and straight to the point. He doesn’t ‘coddle’ their children, and he tries to keep everything running smoothly, but the more he tells Dorcas to step back and calm down, the less she can. There is a definite tension between Dorcas and Larkin, which is not at all helped by the presence of the assistant wagon master, Agapito Huerta Delgado, whom Dorcas can’t help but admire for both his tenacity and his good looks. Dorcas may be married, but the relationship she has with her husband is strained — it is a relationship of convenience and routine rather than one of passion. But when Dorcas looks at Agapito, she sees the possibility of something else. This novel explores the highs and lows of relationships, including friendships that flourish and falter, and the feelings characters have for one another. The sense of imprisonment in this story arises from the characters’ inability to escape any difficult situations with each other while travelling together, is requires them to face every problem head on. Given the fact that they are on the road together for months, it’s crucial for everyone to get along and maintain peace for a smooth journey. The exhilaration of finally starting the journey turns to concerns fairly quickly after setting out. There are many factors that contribute to Dorcas’ overall concern, and although she tries to look past it, she can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen. As they continue their journey, Dorcas notices a steady decline in her daughter Rose’s mental state. Rose wanders off by herself, out of the safety of the camp, and is frequently found having what looks to be conversations with people who are not there. She develops an obsession with the graves along the road, and Dorcas can’t help but question the soundness of her mind. Is her daughter going mad? What can she do to help, when Rose refuses to talk to her and acts like there is nothing out of the ordinary? The paranormal elements, while not central to the plot, undeniably leave a lasting impression on the reader. The notion that the convoy may not be the only ones on the trail is unsettling enough when it comes to wolves and snakes – when that idea is extended to an additional plane of existence, with the suggestion of an otherworldly universe where the deceased reside, the path ahead becomes more than just unsettling. Through his masterful storytelling, Mr. Fitz-Gerald manages to educate readers about the challenges of emigrating along the Oregon Trail while simultaneously immersing them in the enchanting world of Dorcas Moon, resulting in a novel that is as thought-provoking as it is impossible to resist. In A Grave Every Mile: A Pioneer Western Adventure (Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail Book 1), David Fitz-Gerald crafts a captivating narrative that sweeps you into the story and keeps you hooked. The sound of the wheels turning over the loose stone and the chatter of people accompany you as you join the characters on the road to new futures. Mr Fitz-Gerald has crafted a novel that promises to be the start of an exquisite series, and one that should be shared far and wide, for it is of excellent quality and impeccable penmanship. This is a novel, and a series, that I won’t be forgetting about for a very long time. I Highly Recommend. Review by Ellie Yarde The Coffee Pot Book Club Universal Buy Link The title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. Series Trailer: https://youtu.be/sWvp6dtbXvA David Fitz-Gerald David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850. Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society. Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level. Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses. Connect with Dave: LinkTree • Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram Amazon Author Page • Pinterest • Goodreads • BookBub

Oraiáphon A Novella of The Empire By Marian L Thorpe Can a musician heal, when a physician cannot? All scáeli’en know the tale of Oraiáphon: how his music tamed the wildest beasts and charmed the darkest god. Only a fable—until song becomes Sorley’s last supplication to bring Cillian back from certain death, for Lena, for their child, and for the country that so desperately needs him. "Courage comes in many forms, Sorley, and only men blinded by prejudice and thoughtlessness think otherwise." Lord Sorley had dreamed of becoming a scáeli — a travelling musician, a historian, the holders and disseminators of deeds and stories. Instead, he had become a toscaire, an envoy for Linrathe. But his hopes, his dreams no longer matter, for the man he has loved for years is hovering in that shadowy world between life and death. The doctor has told both Lord Sorley and Lena that Cillian, Major of the Empire and partner to Lena, will die and that they should prepare themselves. But neither of them can. Cillian means so much to both of them. They know his life is in the gods' hands, but they will not give up on him, not while he still breathes. But, maybe, if Sorley plays for him, he might just get through to Cillian's fevered mind that there is something worth fighting for – worth living for. The doctor may well be losing hope, but Sorely will not. Not yet. Not until that last breath leaves Cillian's body. From the desperation and sorrow that comes when a loved one is dying to the celebration of a child's birth. Oraiáphon by award-winning author, Marian L Thorpe is the exciting new instalment in the Empire's Legacy series. I absolutely loved every minute of Thorpe's Empire's Legacy series, and I was very excited when I learnt that Thorpe had written a novella about Lord Sorley. Within moments of reading, I felt myself being transported back into the world that I had loved so much — it was as if I had never left. And it was also great to be back amongst friends, to once again travel with the fantastic characters that Thorpe depicts with such skill and diligence. Thorpe's crystalline prose washed over me as I lost myself in the narrative. The fantasy world that Thorpe has created is ambitious, but it is also incredibly vivid and real in the telling. This is a world where a reader can lose themselves in and time no longer seems to matter. All that matters is the story. All that matters are these characters. Thorpe tells this story with an impressive sweep and brilliance, which makes Oraiáphon next to impossible to put down. Lord Sorley was a character that always intrigued me, and I was really looking forward to reading this book from his perspective. Sorley is an incredibly tortured soul, and he hides a shameful secret, one that he has hidden all of his life. Sorley comes from a kingdom where the sexual attraction between members of the same sex is not tolerated. But here, in the Kingdom of the Western Empire, it is a normal part of everyday life. Sorley struggles with this new found freedom. He still can't quite believe that his attraction to the same sex is not forbidden, it is not looked down upon, and no one judges you for your choices. As long as it is consensual then there is nothing to fear. In this kingdom, you are free to love as you will — what a contrast to the nation Sorley came from. It is no wonder that at times, Sorley feels untethered and somewhat dislocated. Lord Sorley's relationship with Cillian is heartbreakingly tragic, as unrequited love so often is. Sorley is so in love with Cillian. He would do anything for Cillian, absolutely anything. Sorley knows nothing can come of their relationship, and he has a loving partner of his own. Druisius is incredibly understanding of Sorley's feelings, and Duisius is such a caring and wonderful man that often Sorley feels terribly conflicted. He knows that the love he feels for Cillian is the love he should feel for Druisius, but what the mind understands and the heart demands so often conflict. Cillian is in a loving relationship with Lena, and they are expecting a child together. There is no room for Sorley in their relationship other than that of a trusted friend. Although this book is told from Sorley's point of view, we are reunited with some of the characters that made the Empire's Legacy saga so enthralling. Once again, I felt drawn to Cillian. Cillian is an honourable man who has a sharp wit and a keen intelligence. He is also extraordinarily compassionate and to witness him fighting for his life was an emotional experience. I, along with Sorley and Lena, hoped for a miracle. Oraiáphon is not a novella that stands alone. You do need to read the other three books in the series first: Book 1: Empire's Daughter Book 2: Empire's Hostage Book 3: Empire's Exile Empire's Legacy is a series that demands your attention from start to finish. It is as brilliant as it is mesmerising. Oraiáphon is a very welcomed addition to the saga. I Highly Recommend. Review by Mary Anne Yarde. The Coffee Pot Book Club. Pick up your copy of Oraiáphon Amazon UK • Amazon US Marian L Thorpe Not content with two careers as a research scientist and an educator, Marian L Thorpe decided to go back to what she’d always wanted to do and be a writer. Author of the alternative world medieval trilogy Empire’s Legacy, Marian also has published short stories and poetry. Her life-long interest in Roman and post-Roman European history informs her novels, while her avocations of landscape archaeology and birding provide background to her settings. As well as writing and editing professionally, Marian oversees Arboretum Press, a small publishing imprint run as a collective. Marian is currently writing Empire’s Reckoning, the next book in her series. Connect with Marian: Website • Twitter • Goodreads.

Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with… A Most Unsettled Man by Lily Style August 26th - September 30th, 2024 Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024 Publisher: Historium Press Pages: 362 (pb) Genre: Historical Non-Fiction / Biographical Fiction George Matcham, dubbed the most unsettled man alive, was born in East India Company controlled Bombay and undertook three epic overland treks between Asia and England before marrying the favourite sister of the not yet famous Horatio Nelson. Intimate details about George's life have been preserved because of his close relationship with Nelson and his famous paramour Emma Hamilton, whose rises and falls he observed first-hand. Packed with period press clippings and eyewitness accounts, A Most Unsettled Man provides an unprecedented glimpse into the private life of a modest 18th century English gentleman, as well retelling the enduring love story of Nelson and Emma from an entirely new perspective. Buy Links: Universal Ebook Buy Link Amazon US (paperback) Amazon UK (pb) Lily Style Lily Style is the direct descendant of famed lovers Admiral Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton and also Nelson's sister, Kitty Matcham (because their grandchildren married). Lily is the founder of Emma Hamilton Society and writes regularly for Nelson-related publications. She is also a keen genealogist with an interest in piecing together real human stories lying behind dry facts. One of these stories is of her 4th great-grandfather, George Matcham, whose story she's traced from his mid eighteenth century birth in East India Company controlled Bombay through to his intimate involvement with Nelson and Emma's rise and fall. Author Links: Website • Facebook Amazon Author Page • Goodreads Tour Schedule August 26th When Angels Fly Let Your Words Shine Let Us Talk of Many Things The Historical Fiction Company August 27th The Book's Delight Jennifer C. Wilson's Official Blog Wendy J. Dunn's Official Blog Archaeolibrarian August 28th Samantha Wilcoxson's Official Blog Oh look, another book! CelticLady's Reviews August 29th Historical Fiction Blog MJ Porter's Official Blog Elizabeth St.John's Official Blog The Coffee Pot Book Club August 30th Mary's Bookcase Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion The Whispering Bookworm Ruins & Reading

The Witch of the Breton Woods by Jennifer Ivy Walker Traumatized by horrors witnessed during the Nazi invasion of France, a young woman retreats to the dense Breton woods where she becomes a member of the clandestine French Resistance. When she finds a critically injured American paratrooper whose plane was shot down, she shelters the wounded soldier in her secluded cottage, determined to heal him despite the enormous risk. Ostracized by villagers who have labeled her a witch, she is betrayed by an informant who reports to the Butcher—the monstrous leader of the local paramilitary organization that collaborates with the Germans. As the enemy closes in, she must elude the Gestapo while helping the Resistance reunite the American with his regiment and join the Allied Forces in the Battle of Brittany. Can true love triumph against all odds under the oppressive Third Reich? Throughout the Nazi Occupation of France during World War II, life for villagers in Brittany was a battle for survival, marked by hardship, deprivation, resistance, and resilience. For many Breton villagers, the Occupation brought immediate and severe disruptions. The German military presence in Brittany began in 1940, with the arrival of soldiers, military police, and the establishment of defensive installations, including artillery emplacements, bunkers, and fortifications designed to repel naval assaults from strategic seaports along the vast Breton coastline. The local population was subjected to strict curfews, frequent inspections, and the pervasive presence of German troops, which altered the daily rhythm of life. Many families were evicted when their homes were commandeered by the German army. In the novel The Witch of the Breton Woods, Yvette’s family home--uniquely positioned on a peninsular clifftop in the oceanfront village of Cancale--was confiscated to establish a defensive German garrison and strategic lookout point of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. Map of Battle of Brittany. Wikimedia Commons Economic life in Brittany was profoundly affected during the Second World War. German authorities requisitioned French resources, with local farmers suddenly forced to produce crops to feed the voracious Wehrmacht army. With food and supplies appropriated by the Germans, the Breton people struggled against starvation. Villagers had to contend with ration coupons and shortages of essential goods, leading to long queues in local shops, perilous bartering, or paying exorbitant prices for illegal commodities purchased on the Black Market. The scarcity of items like bread, meat, sugar, dairy products, coffee, and fuel made even basic daily tasks challenging. Rationing during WWII. Wikimedia Commons For many Bretons, the Occupation also meant a loss of freedom and increased surveillance. The Nazis imposed strict controls over public and private life. Village gatherings, religious ceremonies, and even traditional Breton festivals were restricted or canceled, as the Third Reich sought to suppress any form of collective expression that might foster resistance. The presence of German troops in the villages, patrolling streets and enforcing curfews, created an atmosphere of tension and fear. Able-bodied Frenchmen were conscripted--sent off to work in forced labor camps-- producing munitions, weapons, and vehicles for the Germans. They constructed roads, bridges, airfields, and military installations, often working in mines and quarries, or on farms to produce crops to feed the Nazis. Many young men evaded this compulsory Service du Travail Obligatoire by escaping into local woodlands or mountainous terrain, where they formed clandestine bands of Resistance groups known as les maquis. STO propaganda poster. Wikimedia Commons The French Resistance engaged in acts of sabotage, intelligence gathering, and support for the Allied Forces. Despite the risks, many Breton villagers participated in covert activities, such as smuggling Jews to safety through an extensive escape networks, helping downed Allied pilots evade capture, and distributing anti-German leaflets. The Resistance was often supported by the rural landscape, which provided natural cover and allowed for the establishment of hidden safe houses and cells. Les maquisards. Wikimedia Commons However, the Occupation of France during World War II also saw the rise of collaboration and conflict within the community. The paramilitary organization known as la Milice actively hunted, tortured, and killed members of the French Resistance, prompting some villagers to collaborate with the German authorities and betray their own countrymen. Many of les collabos--the locals who collaborated with the Germans--were often rewarded with access to Black Market goods (such as meat, bread, coffee, and sugar) which were unavailable and highly tempting to destitute, desperate families with young children facing starvation. This created a hostile environment within Brittany, where suspicions and accusations pitted villagers against each other. In The Witch of the Breton Woods, the character Marie-Claire Dubois is a perfect example of this betrayal. Emblem of La Milice. Wikimedia Commons. Overall, life for villagers in Brittany during the Nazi Occupation of France was characterized by a tenacious struggle for survival amidst the constant fear of the omnipotent Third Reich, the conflict between resistance and collaboration, and the loss of young men forced into labor camps, leaving many young wives and mothers at the mercy of the often merciless enemy. Universal Buy Link Book Trailer Link: Jennifer Ivy Walker Jennifer Ivy Walker has an MA in French literature and is a former high school teacher and professor of French at a state college in Florida. Her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, incorporating her lifelong study, summers abroad, and many trips to France. The Witch of the Breton Woods is heart-pounding suspense set during WWII in Nazi-occupied France, where a young woman in the French Resistance shelters and heals a wounded American soldier, hiding him from the Gestapo and the monstrous Butcher who are relentlessly hunting him. Connect with Jennifer: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn Amazon Author Page • Pinterest • BookBub • Goodreads

Downriver By Jennifer M. Lane Publication Date: May 28, 2024 Publisher: Pen & Key Publishing Pages: 344 pages Genre: Historical A sulfur sky poisoned her family and her heart. Now revenge tastes sweeter than justice. It’s 1900. In a Pennsylvania coal town tainted by corruption and pollution, Charlotte's world collapses when her parents meet a tragic end. Sent to a foster family in a Maryland fishing village, she’s fueled by grief and embarks on a relentless quest for justice against the ruthless coal boss, Nels Pritchard. But Charlotte is no ordinary girl. She shares the fiery spirit of her father, whose powerful speeches inspired worker riots. With a burning desire for vengeance, she sets out to uncover the truth behind Pritchard's crimes, unearthing a shocking connection between the town's toxic air and the lifeless fish washing up on the shore of her Chesapeake Bay foster town. To expose the truth, Charlotte builds a network of unexpected allies. There are gutsy suffragists, a literary society of teenage girls willing to print the truth… and Weylan. The captivating young man lost his own family to Pritchard’s poison. He offers support, but Charlotte questions his true motives when he lures her to break the law. Could she be falling into a dangerous trap, leading her to a fate worse than poison? With her unwavering spirit and determination, Charlotte must forge alliances and navigate a web of treachery before Pritchard seeks his own ruthless revenge. The newest book by award-winning author Jennifer M. Lane is perfect for fans of Jeannette Walls’ Hang the Moon and the fiery protagonist in The Hunger Games. Join Charlotte in this small town, coming-of-age dystopian historical saga as she finds resilience, courage, and triumph in her search for identity, independence, and her true home. Excerpt I spend a fitful night tangled in my sheets. In the morning, I gather the stories the literary society has collected and written, and I pack them into the bottom of a fruit basket. I cover them with apricots in case I’m stopped along the way. Then I dress in a dark skirt and a shirt and, slip in the morning light. With my eyes peeled for anyone who might see me, I traipse through the tree line along the side of the newspaper building with my skirt hiked over my shoes to keep the burrs from sticking to my hem. Then I knock on the back door like Weylan told me to. Three quick raps. A pause. Two more. The door flies open so fast, he must have been standing next to it waiting for me. He pulls me into the darkness, and into a short hall. There are rooms on either side, their doors open at odd angles, and the sunlight streaming in the roofline windows makes triangles on the floor. He motions for me to follow him down the hall. “Did anyone see you?” “No.” I pull the pages from the bottom of the basket as I follow him down the hall. “How long do you think it will take?” “No idea.” A room this large should feel emptier than it does. Chairs and stools are scattered around with no rhyme or reason, pushed out of the path of the last people who worked here. Counters run along two walls. All sorts of letter trays and boxes of letters clutter the place. It smells like damp concrete. Like rocks and old wood. This isn’t his first time here in the daylight. I can tell by how easily he moves, pushing letter cases around on the counter. I spread the pages out in order, and he hands me a little metal tray with a locking slide on one end. “It’s a composing stick,” he says. “This lever sets the column width. We’ll line the letters up in this tray, here. You put them in upside down.” “That’s a relief,” I say. “Much easier than backwards.” “It still takes time, but at least we can work together. We can work on separate stories and piece them together when we’re done.” It’s too finicky a task for much talking, and our silence is easy at first, comfortable and warm, but questions worm into the quiet, and I can’t resist indulging them. “You don’t trust me?” I ask. “I do now. Generally, I don’t trust anyone.” “I’m honored then.” “Is this like what your father did in Stoke?” he asks. “No, not at all. He gave speeches.” “He worked with coal?” “Not his whole life, but yes.” The words fall out of me easily. “When my parents were young, it was a small village. A few houses, mostly farms. A chapel. Then someone found coal, and people sold off their farms in pieces. Their sons started working there, like my father. They liked the company store and all it promised, but they traded their lives for a pittance. Didn’t realize they were selling their souls until it was too late.” “What do you miss the most?” he asks. “My life,” I say with a snort. “The little things, honestly. It was a beautiful place to live, but I miss the tall clock in the sitting room. The sound of people walking on the porch. How the front door slammed. The smell of the kitchen. I miss the woods around us, because I knew every tree. And I miss my father’s pen.” “His pen?” Weylan almost laughs. “It’s silly. I know. It wasn’t silver or anything fancy. Just carved wood. “What happened to it?” He lifts a full block of text and places it on the galley tray. “Lost when we moved. The bank said it all had to be sold, everything but our clothes. It belongs to someone else now. It’s my turn. Can I ask you something?” “Of course,” he says. “Did you ever look into the fish? Were you ever so angry you wanted to know why they made people sick?” He raises a shoulder. “The truth belongs to powerful people like Whitaker. It’s easier to let them have it.” “You can’t honestly believe that.” I pluck a comma from a tray and place it at the end of line. It makes a satisfying click as I press it into place. “That doesn’t sound like you at all. Besides, that’s a reality they’re shaping, not the truth.” Weylan says nothing for so long that I think I’ve offended him. He works with his head down, finishing a line and topping it with a lead slug. He feels far away. “All of these people told their stories,” I say. “They—” “I’m not telling mine.” His voice isn’t rough but it’s definitive. “No, I suspect if you wanted to, you would have by now. I just mean that putting it into words can be good.” “I’m sure that’s true,” he says. “But once you put it out there, people can do what they want with it. They can twist it. Change it. Call you a liar. I prefer cold facts.” Facts. Another thing we have in common. I would chase them to the end of the earth. “That’s fair. The silence falls on us again, and I’m torn between apologizing and not being sorry at all. “I didn’t mean to push,” I say. That much is true. This strange club we belong to doesn’t mean we feel the same, and that’s fine. He doesn’t need or want my apology; I can tell by his smile. No offense meant, none taken. “I’m afraid,” he says. “Afraid of this? Of what they’ll do if they find out it was us?” “No. Of the truth.” He places a full block of letters on the galley and starts over. “Because once you know the truth, you might feel even more powerless. I want to build my own life, my own future. Not have it taken from me or dictated. I can’t do that if it all feels pointless.” “So what made you want to help us, then?” I ask with a great deal of hesitation. “If you don’t want to know the truth—” He turns to face me, his elbow on the counter, inspecting his thumb. The lead makes our fingers gray and metallic, as if we’ve been mining for something precious. “I offered because I met someone who wasn’t afraid of the truth. Someone who went looking for it. And I want to know her more.” My breath catches in my throat. He makes an odd sort of melancholy wince, like he’s choking back a disappointment, and I don’t know if it’s with himself or with me, but I do know this is the best and worst thing I could have heard because every moment I’m with Weylan feels less lonely. It feels like action, like my heart has momentum, and revenge eats at me less since I met him. It’s direction and hope, all mashed together, and the lightness I feel with him I can only describe as relief and whatever the opposite of alone is. Since I met Weylan, my life has a purpose even more salient than the acid cloud of vengeance that’s hung over me, and not only is it distracting, it’s the kind of thing I could get used to. I could come to crave being with him. But that means I’d have something to risk losing, and I’m never going to let myself lose another thing again. Pick up your copy HERE! Jennifer M. Lane A Maryland native and Pennsylvanian at heart, Jennifer M. Lane holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Barton College and a master’s in liberal arts with a focus on museum studies from the University of Delaware, where she wrote her thesis on the material culture of roadside memorials. Jennifer is a member of the Authors Guild and the Historical Novel Society. Her first book, Of Metal and Earth, won the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel and was a Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the category of Literary / General Fiction. She is also the author of Stick Figures from Rockport, and the six book series, The Collected Stories of Ramsbolt. Connect with Jennifer: Website Twitter Facebook Instagram Threads Pinterest BookBub Amazon Author Page Goodreads Tour Schedule

Book Title: Small Eden Author: Jane Davis Publication Date: 30 April 2022, eBooks / 30 May 2022, paperbacks Publisher: Rossdale Print Productions Page Length: 394Genre: Historical Fiction (1864 – 1910) A boy with his head in the clouds. A man with a head full of dreams. 1884. The symptoms of scarlet fever are easily mistaken for teething, as Robert Cooke and his pregnant wife Freya discover at the cost of their two infant sons. Freya immediately isolates for the safety of their unborn child. Cut off from each other, there is no opportunity for husband and wife to teach each other the language of their loss. By the time they meet again, the subject is taboo. But unspoken grief is a dangerous enemy. It bides its time. A decade later and now a successful businessman, Robert decides to create a pleasure garden in memory of his sons, in the very same place he found refuge as a boy – a disused chalk quarry in Surrey’s Carshalton. But instead of sharing his vision with his wife, he widens the gulf between them by keeping her in the dark. It is another woman who translates his dreams. An obscure yet talented artist called Florence Hoddy, who lives alone with her unmarried brother, painting only what she sees from her window… Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPg68r Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09X61J6PR Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X61J6PR Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09X61J6PR Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09X61J6PR Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/small-eden-jane-davis/1141322156 Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/small-eden/jane-davis/9781838034825 (POD) / https://www.waterstones.com/book/small-eden/jane-davis/9781838034818 (Trade paperback) Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/small-eden-gambles-sometimes-pay-off-a,jane-davis-9781838034818 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/small-eden iBooks: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/small-eden/id1617742505 Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1142088 Jane Davis Hailed by The Bookseller as ‘One to Watch’, Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners. She spent her twenties and the first half of her thirties chasing promotions in the business world but, frustrated by the lack of a creative outlet, she turned to writing. Her first novel, 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding the next Joanne Harris. Further recognition followed in 2016 with 'An Unknown Woman' being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with 'Smash all the Windows' winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her novel, 'At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock' was featured by The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021. Interested in how people behave under pressure, Jane introduces her characters when they are in highly volatile situations and then, in her words, she throws them to the lions. The themes she explores are diverse, ranging from pioneering female photographers, to relatives seeking justice for the victims of a fictional disaster. Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey, in what was originally the ticket office for a Victorian pleasure gardens, known locally as ‘the gingerbread house’. Her house frequently features in her fiction. In fact, she burnt it to the ground in the opening chapter of 'An Unknown Woman'. In her latest release, Small Eden, she asks the question why one man would choose to open a pleasure gardens at a time when so many others were facing bankruptcy? When she isn’t writing, you may spot Jane disappearing up the side of a mountain with a camera in hand. Website: https://jane-davis.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/janedavisauthor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaneDavisAuthorPage LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-davis-b1159563/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/janeeleanordavi Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jane-davis Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Davis/e/B0034P156Q Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6869939.Jane_Davis Tour Schedule https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/07/blog-tour-small-eden-by-jane-davis.html

Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with… The Witch of the Breton Woods by Jennifer Ivy Walker Wednesdays, August 14th - September 4th, 2024 Publication Date: July 10th, 2024 Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Pages: 163 Genre: Historical Romance / Historical Suspense Traumatized by horrors witnessed during the Nazi invasion of France, a young woman retreats to the dense Breton woods where she becomes a member of the clandestine French Resistance. When she finds a critically injured American paratrooper whose plane was shot down, she shelters the wounded soldier in her secluded cottage, determined to heal him despite the enormous risk. Ostracized by villagers who have labeled her a witch, she is betrayed by an informant who reports to the Butcher—the monstrous leader of the local paramilitary organization that collaborates with the Germans. As the enemy closes in, she must elude the Gestapo while helping the Resistance reunite the American with his regiment and join the Allied Forces in the Battle of Brittany. Can true love triumph against all odds under the oppressive Third Reich? Buy Link: Universal Buy Link Book Trailer Link: Jennifer Ivy Walker Jennifer Ivy Walker has an MA in French literature and is a former high school teacher and professor of French at a state college in Florida. Her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, incorporating her lifelong study, summers abroad, and many trips to France. The Witch of the Breton Woods is heart-pounding suspense set during WWII in Nazi-occupied France, where a young woman in the French Resistance shelters and heals a wounded American soldier, hiding him from the Gestapo and the monstrous Butcher who are relentlessly hunting him. Author Links: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn Amazon Author Page • Pinterest • BookBub • Goodreads Tour Schedule August 14th Let Us Talk of Many Things Oh look, another Book! Let Your Words Shine The Writing Desk MJ Porter's Official Blog Linnea Tanner's Official Blog August 21st Archaeolibrarian Historical Fiction Blog Judith Arnopp's Official Blog The Coffee Pot Book Club August 28th Mary's Bookcase The Historical Fiction Company Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots Books + Coffee = Happiness The Whispering Bookworm Ruins & Reading September 4th Pam Lecky's Official Blog CelticLady's Reviews Left on the Shelf

Pride and Perjury Twelve Short Stories inspired by Pride and Prejudice by Alice McVeigh Twelve deliciously witty short stories, the fourth in what Publishers Weekly described as “McVeigh's celebrated Austenesque series”. What really happened when Wickham eloped with Lydia? What did the Longbourn servants secretly think of the Bennet sisters? Take a deep dive into Caroline Bingley's schemes, Lady Catherine's de Bourgh's diary - and Mr Knightley’s heart. Previous books in this series have been shortlisted for the UK Selfies Book Awards, runner-up for Foreword Indies’ “Book of the Year,” and quarterfinalists in Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Prize. In April 2024, McVeigh's Jane Austen series won Chanticleer International's Book Series (historical). ‘What!’ cried Elton. ‘Not Darcy of Pemberley? Are he and Bingley, then, so very well-acquainted?’ ‘Aye, and always were,’ said the older man. ‘Long before Bingley wedded one sister and Darcy the other.’ Pride and Perjury: Twelve Short Stories by Alice McVeigh depicts the lives of some of the supporting characters from two of the most cherished love stories in English literature - Pride and Prejudice and Emma. Throughout this collection of short stories, McVeigh uses the same literacy technique as many other stories that feature the main characters from Austen’s classics: pastiches. McVeigh’s evident dedication to studying Austen’s unique writing style imbues her stories with a strong sense of authenticity. The reader can transition smoothly between Austen’s books and McVeigh’s due to the similarities in writing styles. It is hard to believe that Austen didn’t write these short stories herself, as they bear such a strong resemblance to her engaging writing style. While some adaptations of classic literature may be hit or miss, most of these short stories were captivating. However, the way Mrs Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) and Mr Knightley (Emma) were depicted was shockingly scandalous. The notion that Mrs Bennet was hooked on opium and Mr. Knightley seduced a servant didn’t align with their established character. Mrs Bennet’s nerves were a challenge for her, but the original novel doesn’t indicate any addiction as the reason for her behaviour. In this short story, John Thorpe (Northanger Abbey) falsely claims that Miss Bennet is hooked on opium, which, even for him, seems far-fetched. It’s even more puzzling that McVeigh is very aware of her audience, yet she decides to give a cherished character like Mr Knightley a past that rivals John Willoughby (Sense and Sensibility). Prior to the start of the “Mary Rose” story, the author cautions readers that: “Some very genuine Austen enthusiasts can’t bear any of Austen’s heroes to be less than pure on their wedding nights. If you feel this way, I respectfully suggest that you skip this short story and scroll on to the next one.” If your goal is to alienate your readers, then this strategy might work, but the reader can only hope that was not on the author’s mind when writing this story. The character of Mr Knightley in Mary Rose was portrayed in a way that deviated significantly from Austen’s original, making the story one of the least believable, leaving a rather negative impression, and unfortunately, an unwillingness to continue reading, which would be very concerning, as the story that directly follows Mary Rose, Pride and Perjury, was by far the best story in the collection. The abundance of Pride and Prejudice adaptations can, unfortunately, diminish its charm, as was evident in several of these stories. The Housekeeper’s Tale lacked lustre and One Good Sonnet with its scandalous suggestion of opium seemed overly monotonous and rather degrading of a beloved, if not slightly anxious, character. Despite this, Pride and Perjury, a tale centred on the rather presumptuous clergyman, Mr. Elton, in Austen’s Emma, proved to be the most gripping. The author’s skilful storytelling in Pride and Perjury seamlessly combines the beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey during their time in Bath. Among the stories in this collection, this particular one stood out as an exciting and refreshing addition, making it the clear highlight. The author’s true talent shines through in Pride and Perjury, particularly in the masterful depiction of Mr Elton’s time in Bath as he searches for a wife and the brilliant portrayal of characters like John Thorpe. Likewise, A Heliotrope Ribbon was another story where the author really understands the characters – her portrayal of Mr Wickham was brilliantly depicted. While McVeigh’s writing bears similarities to Austen’s, and artistic freedom should be embraced, it’s crucial to keep in mind the intended readership of these stories. This collection is specifically for Austen fans. It would be almost impossible to comprehend the events in these short stories without reading the original works, which contradicts the inclusion of narratives that diminish beloved characters. This book would receive the highest recommendations if One Good Sonnet and Mary Rose were not part of the collection. From the perspective of an annoying, genuine Austen enthusiast, these two stories ruined the overall enjoyment of this book. Nevertheless, there are stories such as Pride and Perjury that will thoroughly entertain Austen fans. Review by Mary Anne Yarde The Coffee Pot Book Club The title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. Universal Buy Link Alice McVeigh Alice McVeigh has been published by Orion/Hachette in contemporary fiction, by UK’s Unbound in speculative fiction (writing as Spaulding Taylor) and by Warleigh Hall Press in historical fiction. Her books have been in the last seven for the UK Selfies Book Award (2024), been a runner-up for Foreword Indies’ “Book of the Year” and joint runner-up in Writers Digest International Book Awards. Three of her novels have been Publishers Weekly’s starred “Editors Picks” – one was a BookLife quarterfinalist. McVeigh’s multi-award-winning Austenesque series won First Place for Book Series (historical) in Chanticleer’s International Book Awards 2023. A long-term Londoner, McVeigh was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Thailand, Singapore, and Myanmar, where her father was a US diplomat. After spending her teenage years in McLean, Virginia, and achieving a degree with distinction in cello performance at the internationally renowned Jacobs School of Music, she came to London to study cello with William Pleeth. McVeigh spent over fifteen years performing worldwide with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique. She was first published in the late1990s, when her two contemporary novels (WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS and GHOST MUSIC) were published by Orion Publishing to excellent reviews, including: “The orchestra becomes a universe in microcosm; all human life is here . . . McVeigh succeeds in harmonising a supremely comic tone with much darker notes”(The Sunday Times). And: “McVeigh is a professional cellist and is thus able to describe with wry authority the extraordinary life of a London orchestra. This is a very enjoyable novel, and not quite as light as it pretends to be” (The Sunday Telegraph). Inspired by her life as a touring cello professional, both novels have been recently released in completely new editions on Smashwords. Alice has long been married to Simon McVeigh, Professor Emeritus at the University of London; their daughter Rachel has a Presidential Scholarship at Harvard in Chinese Lit. (Ph.D). When not playing cello or writing, Alice is generally smiting tennis balls at the Bromley Tennis Centre. (Often far too hard. As Rachel observed when aged four, “My mum hits the ball farther than anybody!”) Connect with Alice: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Threads Amazon Author Page • Pinterest • BookBub • TikTok • Goodreads

Media Kit Book Title: Death in Sensible Circumstances: A Sense and Sensibility Mystery Series: Miss Mary Investigates (#4 in the series) Author: Riana Everly Publication Date: March 1, 2023 Publish…

The Mrs MacKinnons on Audio The Mrs MacKinnons, by Jayne Davis, is now available as an audiobook. Published by Tantor, it can be listened to on subscription from Audiobook.com or Amazon’s Audible, or bought from Amazon. England, 1799 A traumatized soldier returning to a derelict inheritance. A widow with a small son and a manipulative father. Major Matthew Southam returns from India, hoping to put the trauma of war behind him and forget his past. Instead, he finds a derelict estate and a family who wish he'd died abroad. Charlotte MacKinnon married without love to avoid her father's unpleasant choice of husband. Now a widow with a young son, she lives in a small Cotswold village with only the money she earns by her writing. Matthew is haunted by his past, and Charlotte is fearful of her father's renewed meddling in her future. After a disastrous first meeting, can they help each other find happiness? Jayne Davis Jayne Davis writes historical romances set in the late Georgian/Regency era, published as both ebooks and paperbacks, and now in audio too. She was hooked on Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as a teenager, and longed to write similar novels herself. Real life intervened, and she had several careers, including as a non-fiction author under another name. That wasn't quite the writing career she had in mind... Finally, she got around to polishing up stories written for her own amusement in long winter evenings, and became the kind of author she’d dreamed of in her teens. She is now working on the first few books in the Marstone Series, set in the late Georgian/early Regency period. Connect with Jayne: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Goodread.