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Author Archives: Patricia

Mr. Gladstone’s Library

A few months ago the e-newsletter Shelf Awareness ran a photo gallery of remarkable libraries. One picture that particularly caught my attention was of Gladstone’s Library in Wales. Here’s the photo:   Intrigued and a little bit enchanted, I immediately … Read More

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Into the Woods

When I go to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, my days begin with an hour’s walk through Lithia Park. I come across other early risers walking or jogging through the leafy glades , and frequently they are in groups … Read More

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Fecamp’s Abbey Church of the Holy Trinity

She sent her mind elsewhere, across the Narrow Sea to Fécamp, to the massive church hard by her father’s great hall. She was five years old, and her mother was leading her to the side chapel, bidding her place her … Read More

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Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop

Today I’m taking part in a Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop! If you’ve never heard of a blog hop – and this is my first! – here is how this one works: Each author invites up to five other authors … Read More

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A Vist to Fécamp

In 2007 I traveled to Normandy to conduct a little research. One of my objectives was the town of Fécamp – a fishing village on France’s Alabaster Coast. Fécamp is known today for its pretty harbor and its shoreline. It … Read More

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July 15, St. Swithin’s Day

From Shadow on the Crown: Æthelred, his black-robed queen at his side, led a procession of ealdormen and clergy, of noblemen, their wives, and as many townsfolk as could walk or hobble, in a solemn procession from the palace steps … Read More

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Why Emma?

It’s a question I’m often asked: “Why would an American from California write a novel about an all but forgotten 11th century English queen? Certainly, if I’d followed the old adage “Write what you know” I would never have attempted … Read More

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Afterglow

I’ve found that attending a Historical Novel Society conference – and I’ve just returned from my fourth conference in five years – is akin to being tossed into a blender. Faces, names, and stories all whirl around me non-stop for … Read More

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The Duke’s Women

The heroine of SHADOW ON THE CROWN, Emma of Normandy, was the youngest daughter (or so we think) of Richard I, Duke of Normandy and his duchess, Gunnora de Crepon. Emma’s mother appears only in the early chapters of my … Read More

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indieBRAG Blog Tour: Author Paula Lofting on SONS OF THE WOLF

Today I am hosting indieBRAG Medallion recipient, Paula Lofting, who has been honored for her historical fiction novel, Sons of the Wolf. While many writers spend hours in libraries and at computer screens researching their novels, Paula has gone a … Read More

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