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Author Archives: Patricia

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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What’s in a Name?

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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Emma Regina

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

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

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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