Was Joanna of Navarre a Witch?
Was Joanna of Navarre, Dowager Queen of England, guilty of necromancy? So Halloween is approaching and thoughts turn to witchcraft with bats and black cats and things that go bump…
Anne’s Blog
Is this the real Joanna of Navarre?
Historical paintings: Authenticity v. Drama This is a painting of Duke Arthur III of Brittany, painted by the French artist Henriette Lorimier and exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1806…
The King’s Sister: A Family at War
And A June Giveaway! To Commemorate the Wedding of Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, to John Holland, Earl of Huntigdon on 24th June 1386 As a close…
Why did I write The King’s Sister?
My compulsion to write about Elizabeth of Lancaster, younger daughter of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster, was born out of my own initial ignorance about her (for which…
New Year Gift Giving
New Year Gift Giving in the House of Lancaster 1392 Jewels all the Way What value do we put on a man who is more than happy to buy gifts…
The Elusive Face of Katherine de Swynford
What can we say about the Face and Figure of Katherine Swynford, eventually Duchess of Lancaster. What did she actually look like? Katherine de Swynford might be the most well…
A Nun’s Lament
A Nun’s Lament A moving cry from a 12th century heart. Why did medieval women join convents? This is a subject well documented, and needs no insightful additions from me….
The Love Affair That Never Was
Henry V and Katherine de Valois. A fairy tale marriage? Where is the evidence? The Love Affair That Never Was. William Shakespeare has a lot to answer for. Did he…
My Thoughts on Writing about Katherine de Valois
My Thoughts on Writing about Katherine de Valois, and how my novel developed to beome a novel of love and loss, fulfilment and tragedy. My Thoughts on Writing about Katherine…
Myth, Legend, Tradition, Propaganda…
Myth, legend, tradition and historical propaganda: just how did Katherine de Valois and Owen Tudor fall in love? My question is, how justified in a writer of historical novels in using…
“Katherine Swynford”
Katherine Swynford The Iconic 14th Century Love Affair of Katherine, Lady Swynford and John, Duke of Lancaster Although there are well documented portraits of John, Duke of Lancaster, known to…
Brilliana, Lady Harley, English Civil War Heroine.
Brilliana, Lady Harley, was a seventeenth century heroine in the English Civil War who, in the absence of the men of her family, defended her husband’s castle at Brampton Bryan…
