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Basing House in 1644 – contemporary view (Permission of The Turton Collection)

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Loyalty House and Mr Collins

Like Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice, some of my friends shun novels, historical novels in particular, disapproving of them as not being real history. As a writer of historical fiction who strives for authenticity, I roll my eyes. Novels are after all an art form, with writers throwing words at the page like paint…

by AJ Lyndon May 24, 2022May 24, 2022

Dame Edna and the English Civil Wars

From pantomime dames to principal boys, from drag queens to Dame Edna, cross dressing has a long history, Using it as a form of entertainment is not new. The first pantomime dame in the UK dates back to 1806 when a Mr Simmons played Mother Goose in Harlequin, and the Mother Goose at the Theatre…

by AJ Lyndon March 28, 2022March 29, 2022

The Path to Inverness – an interview with SG MacLean

Shona MacLean, award-winning author of the Alexander Seaton and Seeker detective series, might have remained in academia had it not been for the logistics of family life. Her third child was born six weeks after submitting her PhD thesis to Aberdeen University, and the prospect of chasing short-term academic contracts around the country was not…

by AJ Lyndon February 10, 2022February 10, 2022

For a historical novelist writing about the English Civil War, an important and exciting part of writing is the research. Where possible I visit the places which feature in my books, such as White Ladies Priory.

The priory enjoyed a moment of high drama in 1651 when it briefly became the hiding place of Charles II after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester.

At the moment (April 2020) visiting anywhere is off the menu for all of us. It won’t stop me writing about other people’s books, or sharing some of the history which lies behind my “War without an enemy” series. And some day our present will be nothing but a bad dream, as the civil war became for those who lived through it and survived.

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The physic garden, Oxford (location in The Welsh Linnet)- author photo