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Author Archives: Patricia

What’s in a Name?

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Patricia

Anyone who tries to write historical fiction about Anglo-Saxon royalty runs into a problem: that would be the names. Many Anglo-Saxon royal names look and sound strange to us today, even if we simplify the spelling. For example: Æthelred, Ecbert, … Read More →

Posted in Research | 5 Comments

VIKINGS!

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Patricia

I wasn’t quite sure at first what to make of the History Channel’s popular new series, VIKINGS. After all, in my novel all the guys with names like Swein, Cnut and Halfdan are enemies. Who was I going to empathize … Read More →

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Waiting for Mr. Martin

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Patricia

If you’ve read all five books in George R.R.Martin’s A Song Of Ice and Fire series, you may be looking for some reading material to tide you over until book 6 arrives. Here are some suggestions drawn from my own … Read More →

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Liquid Gold

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Patricia

A writer of historical fiction has to endure numerous hardships as she conducts intense research into the period she is hoping to re-create in her book. Surely you know this. My own hardships, for example, included a glorious day of … Read More →

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Standing Stones & a Witch

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Patricia

She made a circuit of the clearing among the oaks, three times round and three times back, whispering spells of protection. There had been a portent in the night: a curtain of red light had shimmered and danced across the … Read More →

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A Link

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Patricia

Today I’m sharing a link to a piece that I wrote as a guest blogger last Thursday for the Enchanted by Josephine History Salon. The essay is about how Emma of Normandy went from a historical figure to the focal … Read More →

Posted in Guest Post | 1 Comment

Emma Regina

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Patricia

On November 11, 2005, I wrote the following in my private journal: I have decided to write the Emma novel. I want to try it. If I fail, I fail – but if I don’t try, I can never succeed. … Read More →

Posted in Essay | 5 Comments

The Debut Author’s Life

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Patricia

As I write this post, we are less than two weeks away from the U.S. launch of Shadow on the Crown on February 7. You may be wondering how a debut author with a book to promote spends her time … Read More →

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Jorvik. Part 2

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Patricia

Once you step inside the city walls of York, the modern world seems to recede. York revels in its history, from the artifacts of Viking Jorvik to the motte built by William the Conqueror to the glorious high medieval cathedral … Read More →

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Jorvik!

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Patricia

I first visited York in the 1970’s, and I was utterly smitten by the medieval city: the magnificent York Minster, York Castle and Clifford’s Tower, abbey ruins, the warren of medieval streets known as The Shambles, the museums, the shops … Read More →

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