At long last, my second novel, Severed Knot, is ready to hit online shelves on June 7th! You can pre-order the eBook of this romantic historical adventure through online retailers: Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Google Play, Apple Books, and for those in Australia, Angus & Robertson. The paperback will also be available online through all the same retailers. Severed Knot follows Iain Johnstone, a Scottish moss-trooper and officer in Charles Stuart’s Royalist army. Iain first appeared in Traitor’s Knot with his company of moss-troopers when he tried to steal horses from James Hart, a ..read more

I’m pleased to be a guest of the Seventeenth Century Lady with an article I wrote about Charles II’s Scottish coronation. This occurred on January 1, 1651 in the Kirk of Scone. It occurred against the backdrop of Cromwell’s invasion of Scotland and has the distinction of being the last coronation to be held in Scotland. To read the article, click on the link: Charles II’s Scottish Coronation. Featured pictures: Charles II Coronation at Westminster: [By John Michael Wright – http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page92.asp, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons Kirk of Scone (Moot Hill): I, Calgac ..read more

Oliver Cromwell has gone down through history as the Grinch that stole Christmas. Is that a fair assessment? Christmas was abolished during the English Civil War and throughout the Interregnum, but how did it really happen? I am participating in a Christmas blog series hosted by Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots where I discuss what happened. Click here to read my article, The Puritans Who Abolished Christmas ..read more

I first met Elizabeth St. John after one of the sessions at the 2015 Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver.  We were waiting to meet the speaker, the lovely Jenny Quinlan (aka Jenny Q) of Historical Editorial, when we struck up a conversation about what we were writing. You should realize that when you’re at a historical fiction conference, you can skip the genre question and go straight to, ‘What period are you writing in?”. We both answered 17th century England, and this pretty much sealed it for us. Elizabeth is blessed with a closet-full of famous relatives from which she can draw ..read more

This article was originally posted on the English Historical Fiction Authors (EHFA) site on May 4th, 2017. For more in-depth articles on British history, visit the EHFA. You won’t be disappointed. Photo credit: xelaba via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA One of the most intriguing characters in historical fiction is Milady de Winter of the Three Musketeers. Alexandre Dumas depicted her as a lethal spy whose loyalties were sold to the highest bidder, notably the Cardinal Richelieu. The inspiration for Milady was a socialite and renowned beauty of her day, Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle. Though Lucy w ..read more

Today is the anniversary of Charles II’s birthday. He is 387 years old, but he doesn’t look a bit over 40. In honour of timeless Charles, I thought it would be fitting to introduce you to his early years. The following article was originally written for the English Historical Fiction Author’s Blog (EHFA) and published on May 2, 2016. If you are interested in English history of all ages, I can’t recommend a better site to explore. Charles II (de Champaigne), by Philippe de Champaigne [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsWhen people think of Charles II of England, they usually think of Charles ..read more

World, I am very proud to present my debut novel, Traitor’s Knot! After years of crafting this story, nurturing and polishing it through various edits, I finally release it to the universe. There’s nothing like this exhilaration! In the words of a 17th century poet, no man is an island. This is especially true for a writer. It is only through the support and encouragement of family and friends that this journey has been possible. I would like to thank everyone who cared enough to offer their honest feedback over the years–everyone who believed in me and the story that I wanted to tell. And a h ..read more

Given the talk about government policies and reform that is currently gripping the U.S, I thought it timely to repost an article about England’s Parliamentary struggles following the English Civil War. The following article was originally written for the English Historical Fiction Authors blog and published January 2015. If you enjoy English history and haven’t visited the blog, check out the EHFA site here. It was not all daffodils and roses for the new Commonwealth following the English Civil War. The tide that had carried Parliament to victory, surging them forward with the promise of a ne ..read more

Just don’t. Trust me, no one wants to hear that conversation. Ask my critique group, I have no tolerance for him. Who’s Bob? You know Bob—every writer knows Bob, but historical fiction writers know him best. Bob is the gate crasher, the unwanted guest who always brings down the party, only instead of hanging out at the bar and being obnoxious, Bob hangs out in a story with the protagonist taking on the role as tiresome wingman. At first, it’s all fun and games. Our hero is happy—no relieved—when Bob shows up. Finally the opportunity to trot out his knowledge of the world and dazzle the reader ..read more

On this day in 1649, following the execution of his father Charles I, the Scots Parliament proclaimed Charles II King of Great Britain, France and Ireland. The catch was that he had to take up the Covenant and declare Presbyterianism as the official religion in Ireland and England. “wee, the estats of parlement of the kingdome of Scotland, doe thairfor most unanimouslie and cheerfullie, in recognisence and acknowledgement of his just right, title and successioun to the croune of these kingdomes, heereby proclaime and declare to all the world that the said lord and prince Charles is by the prov ..read more