A Sombre Christmas with the Paston Family 1459
As would every other family of means in the 15th century, the Paston family celebrated Christmas. The house would be decorated with greenery, gifts given at New Year, with…
Category: Medieval English History
A Tea Break with The Queen’s Rival
Here are the first pages of The Queen’s Rival Introducing Cecily Neville and her three youngest children A Promise of things to come … Sit with a cup of tea…
Who Were The Pastons?
To Celebrate The Royal Game. A Tale of Courage and Resilience. Of Power and Danger. The Fabulous Pastons The Pastons were to be found living in Norfolk in the…
Cecily Neville’s Christmas 1461 AD
A Solemn Christmas Cecily Neville, Dowager Duchess of York, King’s Mother, made the decision in December 1461 not to celebrate Christmas and the New Year at Greenwich with her…
Scandal Hits the House of York!
The piety of Cecily Neville was much praised during her lifetime, particularly in her later years. Her pride was also widely acknowledged. Proud Cis has become a recognisable epithet. Yet…
The Queen’s Rival and the Wheel of Fortune
A Short but Colourful Post! In The Queen’s Rival I make frequent use of the idea of the Wheel of Fortune in the history of Cecily Neville and the House…
Writing about Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, King’s Mother
Welcome to my new blog. Some of my thoughts on my writing about Cecily Neville in The Queen’s Rival, and my answers to some questions that I am sure…
Why was I inspired to write about Elizabeth Mortimer?
Queen of the North Sumptuous and Evocative Historical Fiction from the Sunday Times Bestselling Author Queen of the North tells the passionate but ultimately tragic tale of Elizabeth Mortimer, daughter…
Family Connections: Percy, Mortimer, – and Tudor?
Queen of the North The two main protagonists in my novel Queen of the North are Sir Henry Percy and Elizabeth Mortimer. For those readers who have a keen enjoyment…
Twelve Facts you should know about Elizabeth Mortimer, Lady Percy
(And much that we do not know) Elizabeth was born in 1371 in one of the Mortimer castles in the Welsh Marches, probably in Usk where Roger her eldest brother…
Some thoughts: was Joan, Fair Maid of Kent, a beautiful woman?
I frequently receive comments on my posts and blogs that Joan of Kent must indeed have been an outstandingly beautiful woman. Do not the images of her, that can be…
Joan of Kent: not content with one scandalous marriage …
The marriage of Joan of Kent to Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to the English throne proved to be in some ways quite as scandalous as her previous marital adventures…
