Extract from a letter written by Queen Henrietta Maria to her son, the exiled Prince Charles (later King Charles II).

I discovered this long letter during my research, and thought this extract from the end offers a poignant impression of the widowed queen's mind and relationship with her son:

I have no other rainbow than that of remembering that I am your mother, and in your generous spirit it is well seen that you are the son of so great a father; and if God, who is above destiny, should please to replace you on his throne, which I cannot hope to see in my few remaining days, you will show yourself still more so. But meanwhile, what can your wretched mother advise you? The crowns of Scotland and Ireland are doubtless fitting steps to bring you to your entire kingdom of Great Britain, yet, nevertheless, I fear the infidelity of the Scots, who for the price of a few pieces of money, sold the life of the king, your incomparable father, to the Parliament. My afflicted heart knows that if you declare yourself Catholic, as you have so often promised me, they will not think your title good ; and if you do not do so, with what affection will Ireland follow you ? I will never believe that this promise will betray you, for he who fears God, cannot be faithless to his prince. Would it had pleased heaven that Henry VIII., your ancestor, had never apostatized from God ! then would the kingdom of England not now have committed, with so detestable infidelity, so execrable a parricide to the king!

Would that my father, the great Henry, could rise again, to read you a lecture on the manner in which you should govern these kingdoms ! recommend yourself, however, to the Most High, that He may direct your actions to the desirable end ; — as all the remaining hours of my few days will be for you, and to unite you with God, though I am so cast down and dispirited by grief, that I do not remember any more to say to you. Yet my real afflictions do not make me forget your brothers, and that unfortunate Elizabeth. Oh ! if before my death, I could see her out of the hands of the traitors, I could die content. To this at least, I will exhort you, to employ every force, to use every artifice, to withdraw so dear a part of my own heart, this innocent victim of their fury, your worthy sister, from London. Do it, I pray and conjure you, by the spirit of the king, my lord and your father.

Instead of the counsels which I could give you, and which you ask from me, you must receive all I have to give, which my secretary will deliver you in my name, with a most fervent embrace ; that is, almost all the jewels which I have left, reserving two only, one for Elizabeth, if I can give it to her, and the other for my own support, during my short residue of life ; whilst, having taken leave of the court, I retire with only two maids, my secretary, and confessor, to private life, to finish my days with the least possible disturbance, disentangled from the world ; and you may be even sure that my spirit, which hopes for eternal rest in imperturbable felicity, will ever pray for you and your happy success. I conclude by remaining.

Yours as ever. 

Special Guest Interview with Gerard Stahl, Author of Tides of Renderis: Forged Slumber

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

What if the person you were meant to love existed in a world y

ou were never supposed to find?

I'm plasrd to welcome author Gerard Stahl to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book.

At its core, Tides of Renderis: Forged Slumber is about five individuals who have created a family of their own. When I started developing this series, I wanted to create characters readers would genuinely want to spend time with. Characters you'd want to call on the phone, invite over for dinner, or have by your side when life gets a little crazy. I wanted them to feel like real people, even though the world I've thrown them into is anything but ordinary!

Set in the quaint coastal town of Cobalt Cove, Forged Slumber introduces readers to a group of friends whose lives become entangled in a supernatural mystery involving another realm, dark magic, and secrets that challenge everything they thought they knew. From the opening line, "I fell in love with someone I never met," to the mysterious words, "Someone forged his slumber," there are clues and twists waiting to be discovered.

There's also a love story at the heart of it all. I'm a sucker for a good slow-burn romance! Ultimately, I wanted readers to come for the mystery and magic but stay because they've fallen in love with the characters.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I'm a part-time writer, although sometimes I feel like I'm writing all day! I've been an English Language Arts teacher for more than 25 years, helping elementary school students develop a love of reading and writing.

My own creative writing usually happens at night, after I've finished my teaching responsibilities and settled in at home. I've never considered teaching a hindrance to being an author. Quite the opposite, actually! During the school day, I'm constantly surrounded by stories, creativity, and young imaginations. My students inspire me to think differently, and sometimes their enthusiasm for storytelling sparks ideas of my own.

Once that final school bell rings, it's my turn to put those creative muscles to work. I think teaching is the perfect companion career for an indie author. At least, it certainly has been for me!

What advice do you have for new writers?

I would tell aspiring authors that the key to good writing is getting there. Don't rush an ending just because you're excited to reach it. All the things that happen along the way are the heart of the story.

Those quieter conversations, unexpected friendships, difficult decisions, and little moments of growth are what make readers care about your characters. You can write the biggest, most spectacular ending imaginable, but if readers haven't connected with the people experiencing it, that ending won't have nearly the same impact.

Give your characters room to grow, make mistakes, and surprise you. When you finally reach that big ending, you want it to mean something.

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?

I think the best way to answer that question is with one word: perseverance. The writing is the easy part. Finding your audience presents a challenge, but it isn't an impossible feat if you're willing to persevere.

I've always been a visual learner, so I take the time to create imagery and even videos that help convey what my stories are about. I share them across various social media platforms in the hope that they'll reach the right readers. I'm constantly experimenting with different ways to bring my stories to life beyond the pages of a book.

I also firmly believe in the power of word of mouth. Everyone knows somebody who knows somebody! I'm proud of my work, and I'm certainly not shy about talking about it. I think that enthusiasm is important, especially as an independent author. You have to believe in what you've created and be willing to keep putting it out into the world.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research.

My answer might be a little unexpected, but I'd have to say love. We love our fellow human beings, places, experiences, and so many other things in life. What I didn't expect was to discover an entirely new level of love for my creative process once I hit that publish button and sent my book out into the world.

I loved my book from the very beginning. After all, I spent years creating its world and developing its characters. But what surprised me most was hearing why other people loved it, too. Sometimes readers connect with characters or moments in ways I hadn't even considered.

As a writer, you can spend so much time trapped inside your own head, building worlds and creating characters that feel incredibly real to you. There's something wonderful about finally opening that door, inviting other people inside, and hearing what they have to say. That has been one of the most unexpected and rewarding parts of this entire experience.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

What a challenging but welcome question! I don't want to give too much away, but there is a scene in my book that required me to place a character in two different realms at once.

This character possesses certain core qualities that remain consistent across both realms, but their behavior and personality are distinctly different in each one. They also have a task to carry out in both realms, and each task directly affects another character's life.

The challenge was balancing the positive and negative aspects of this character's personality while making sure everything remained consistent with the larger story. I had to consider how their actions in one realm would affect events in the other without disrupting the continuity of the narrative.

It was definitely one of the more challenging scenes I've written, but I think I accomplished what I set out to do. And I'll leave readers with one little hint: this character is both young and old across the two realms. Make of that what you will!

What are you planning to write next?

Book two of my Tides of Renderis trilogy, Forged Realities, is pretty much ready to go! Book three, Forged Sunder, is also completely written, although I recently decided to revisit its final story arc. I'm spending some time reworking a few elements because I want the conclusion of the trilogy to feel earned and give these characters the ending they deserve.

It's strange and exciting to be this far into a world that existed only in my imagination for so many years. Forged Slumber introduced readers to these characters and their world, but their story is far from over. There are still plenty of secrets to uncover, relationships to explore, and surprises waiting for readers.

And believe me, these characters still have quite a journey ahead of them!

Gerard Stahl

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About the Author

Gerard Stahl is an independent author and elementary school English Language Arts educator from New Jersey with more than 25 years of teaching experience. His writing combines his love of supernatural fantasy, suspense, and character-driven storytelling. His debut dark fantasy trilogy, Tides of Renderis, begins with Forged Slumber, a story of friendship, romance, and supernatural mysteries spanning two realms. When he isn't teaching or writing, Gerard enjoys spending time with his family, exploring his love of pop culture, and finding inspiration in the world around him. Find out more at Gerard's Website: https://storiesbystahl.com  and find him on TikTok: @gerard.916 and Instagram @storiesbystahl

Bess Raleigh and the Gunpowder Plot: A Family Affair

When we think of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, the names that usually spring to mind are Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy. Yet behind the conspirators was an extensive network of family relationships, and one woman found herself remarkably close to the centre of it all: Elizabeth, Lady Raleigh, better known as Bess Throckmorton, wife of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Bess was born into the influential Throckmorton family, one of England's most prominent Catholic dynasties. Although Bess herself was a Protestant, her extended family included numerous Catholics whose religious convictions had brought them into conflict with the Crown. These family connections extended into the households of the Gunpowder Plotters.

Robert Catesby

Catesby's mother was Anne Throckmorton, daughter of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton Court. Through the Throckmortons, Bess was related to the wives of nearly all the principal conspirators. Among them were Martha Wright, whose husband Thomas Percy was involved in the plot and whose brothers John and Christopher Wright were also conspirators; Anne Tufton, wife of Francis Tresham; and women connected to the Wintour, Grant and other conspirator families.

These were not simply distant acquaintances. They belonged to an interconnected world of Catholic gentry families, where marriages strengthened relationships, secured property and maintained networks of influence. Family loyalties could survive differences in religious conviction, although the events of 1605 would put those loyalties under extraordinary pressure.

Bess occupied a particularly interesting position. Unlike many of her Catholic relatives, she remained a Protestant. This distinction mattered enormously when the authorities began investigating the conspiracy. Catholic households were searched, women were questioned, and several of the plotters' wives were arrested and brought to London for examination.

Bess had another, rather more immediate reason to be anxious.

Her husband, Sir Walter Raleigh, was already imprisoned in the Tower of London. Arrested in 1603 following the alleged Main Plot against James I, Raleigh had been convicted of treason and sentenced to death. His execution was postponed, however, and his sentence was eventually commuted to imprisonment for life.

The discovery of the Gunpowder Plot therefore brought an additional danger to a household already living under suspicion. Raleigh's reputation, his previous political difficulties and Bess's family connections made them particularly vulnerable to rumours that they might have known more about the conspiracy than they admitted.

Both Bess and Walter came under suspicion following the discovery of the plot. However, no evidence was found to establish their involvement, and the accusations were dropped.

For Bess, the consequences were nevertheless serious. She had two surviving sons to support, a husband whose freedom depended upon the King's mercy, and relatives whose names were now associated with one of the most notorious acts of treason in English history.

There is something particularly compelling about Bess's position. She was a Protestant woman surrounded by Catholic relatives, married to a man who had himself been condemned for treason, yet she managed to navigate the dangerous political and religious divisions of Jacobean England.

The Gunpowder Plot is usually remembered as a story of thirteen men and their terrible conspiracy. But for Bess Raleigh, it was also a family crisis. The explosion that never happened threatened to destroy lives and reputations far beyond the conspirators themselves.

Her story reminds us that behind the great political events of history were families, marriages and women who had to live with the consequences of decisions they had not made. 

Discover the world of Bess Raleighin the final book of my Elizabethan series: Bess - Tudor Gentlewonan

Tony Riches

Book Launch Guest Post by Kari Lee Townsend, Author of The Shadow in the Mirror (A Harrow & Marrow Mystery Book 1)

Available for pre-order

from Amazon UK and Amazon US

A portrait artist whose brushstrokes reveal murder, a skeptical inspector who can't explain what she knows, and a killer using mirrors as instruments of death — a gothic paranormal mystery set in Victorian London's most shadowed corners, where the line between vision and madness is razor thin.

Mercury, Poison Powder, and a River Under London: What Surprised Me While Researching The Shadow in the Mirror

When I started The Shadow in the Mirror, the first book in my Harrow & Marrow Mysteries, I thought I knew what a Victorian gothic needed: fog, gaslight, a brooding inspector, and a mirror or two. I didn’t expect the research to take me through poison, plumbing, and the dangerous habits of fashionable ladies. Every one of those discoveries ended up in the plot.

The book is set in London in 1887. Inspector Lucien Harrow and portrait artist Seraphine Marrow, who has a gift she doesn’t yet understand, investigate a string of deaths among young women in the city’s most polished social circles. The deaths look unrelated, but they aren’t.
The mirror was a poisoned object

I wanted mirrors at the heart of the story, so I looked into how a Victorian mirror was actually made. For centuries, glass was silvered with a tin-and-mercury amalgam. The result was beautiful, but the workers who made them were slowly poisoned by mercury. Silver nitrate methods arrived in the nineteenth century and gradually changed the trade, so for a while both processes, and both kinds of danger, overlapped.
I had assumed the mirrors were the spooky part of my story. It turns out they were a toxic part of the trade too, an everyday object in every fashionable drawing room with a hidden dark side. 

Beauty was a dangerous business

The detail that stopped me cold was how far Victorian women went to look pale. A fashionable complexion was ghostly white, and the cosmetics of the day delivered it with ingredients that would horrify us now. Lead-based face powders were common, and arsenic was sold as a complexion aid, even in the form of “wafers” women ate to clear and whiten their skin. Some used belladonna to widen their eyes. Women were deliberately dosing themselves in pursuit of an ideal, and the damage built up quietly.

For a mystery writer, that’s irresistible. When young women in high society start falling ill and dying, how do you tell poison from fashion? A pale, wan, fragile look was the goal, so early warning signs could be mistaken for beauty. That gave my characters a built-in problem to solve.

A painter’s studio is basically a chemistry lab

Seraphine’s studio had to be accurate, and it was just as hazardous. Pigments came from lead, mercury, and arsenic compounds, so even the lovely whites and greens had a body count attached. This research shaped how she sees the world. A painter notices tiny shifts in color, skin tone, and reflection, which is exactly the attention a mystery needs. She can look at a pale complexion and wonder what put it there.

The river that London buried

My favorite discovery came from the ground itself. The Fleet was once a real river, and it still runs beneath London. Over the centuries it was covered over and absorbed into the city’s sewers, so it’s still down there, hidden under the streets.

For a mystery writer, a lost river is the perfect hiding place. It’s dark, fast-moving, and out of sight, with culverts, tunnels, and sluice gates that only a few people understand. If you needed to bury a body, or hide a ledger, a weapon, or any evidence that could ruin a family, you couldn’t ask for a better spot. The Fleet had long been a dumping ground, so no one would question what drifted through it. Getting the water logic right turned into a puzzle of its own, and I’m proud of how it plays out in the climax, though I promise no spoilers.

Every detective needs a few good sidekicks

Research gives a story its bones, but the ensemble gives it a heartbeat. I come from cozy mysteries, where the recurring cast is half the fun, so I wasn’t about to write a gothic without one.

Seraphine has Rook, the dog who appears on the cover. He’s loyal, observant, and has opinions about suspicious characters. Then there’s her housekeeper, Mrs. Clove, who keeps Seraphine’s household running and has no patience for nonsense, whether it comes from a ghost or a duke. Inspector Harrow has Constable Oakes, his steady right hand, who brings warmth and humor to the cases and balances his brooding boss. 

They are the heart of the series, and early readers have told me they feel like family. I think that’s the cozy writer in me. Even in the fog, I want my characters to have people who have their backs.
That may be the most surprising thing I learned. Research isn’t a chore you finish before the story starts. It keeps handing you plot, and the more oddly specific the fact, the better it works. Add a loyal dog and a couple of devoted friends, and you have a world worth coming back to.

Join the giveaway

If you’d like to step into 1887 London, I’m giving away 10 paperback copies of The Shadow in the Mirror on Goodreads, running from October 19 to November 15, 2026.

Book giveaway for The Shadow in the Mirror (A Harrow & Marrow Mystery) by Kari Lee Townsend Oct 19-Nov 15, 2026 | Goodreads

Thank you so much to Tony for having me on The Writing Desk!

Kari Lee Townsend

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About the author

National Bestselling Author, Agatha, RT Reviewer's Choice and Golden Duck Award Nominee. Kari lives in Central New York with her husband & Samoyeds. She's a lover of wine & travel, obsessed with reality TV, and loves a good book with mystery, romance & humor. She writes paranormal and fantasy cozy mysteries, historical mysteries & upper middle grade as Kari Lee Townsend, as well as suspense, romance, romantic comedy & women's fiction as Kari Lee Harmon.
You can find her at www.karileetownsend.com and on Instagram, Twitter/X @karileetownsend and Bluesky @karileetownsend.bsky.social

Blog Tour Spotlight: Grace: Historical fiction about Grace Darling, the lighthouse keeper’s daughter, by Helen Steadman

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

A young woman answers a cry across the water and loses herself 

in the echo. Longstone Lighthouse, 1838.

Grace Darling wakens to the howl of wind screaming over stone and the sight of a ship smashed against the rocks. No stranger to the fury of the sea, she braves the raging waters, risking her life to save nine survivors.

Her valour captures the nation’s heart, and in the aftermath of her daring rescue, she is hailed as a heroine. Painted, praised and relentlessly pursued, Grace is swept out from the shadows of solitude and into the limelight. But fame brings its own tempest, and the lighthouse keeper’s daughter soon finds herself eclipsed by her own legend.

Grace is a haunting portrait of a modest young woman consumed by the voracious gaze of Victorian Britain.

# # #

About the Author

Helen Steadman mostly writes biographical historical fiction (think herbs, healing, witch trials, swords, shipwrecks and lighthouses) set in the north east of England.  Find out more at Helen's website: https://helensteadman.com/  and find her on Facebook:and  Twitter / X: @AuthorStea60177

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Colour of Malice: A Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery, by Toni Mount

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Winter, 1482. A strange new weapon has appeared on the frozen streets of medieval London. Few have seen its like before. Sadly, someone has already learned how deadly it can be, and artist, scribe and sometime sleuth Sebastian Foxley must investigate this new murder mystery.

Seb's search for answers takes him from London's humble fisherfolk to the court of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, where he has been commanded to paint a portrait of the Duchess, Anne Neville.

But perhaps the deaths are not the work of a stranger. An enemy from Seb's past has returned, bringing old malice and new danger to the city. With London gripped by bitter cold, Seb must discover who is behind the killings and what they really want before another victim pays the ultimate price.

Join Seb, his family and friends in The Colour of Malice, the fourteenth Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery, as secrets are uncovered and murder comes again to the stinking streets of medieval London.

# # #

About the Author

Toni Mount earned her Master’s Degree as a mature student at the University of Kent by completing original research into a unique 15th-century medical manuscript. She is the author of several successful non-fiction books including the number one bestsellers, Everyday Life in Medieval London and How to Survive in Medieval England, which reflect her detailed knowledge of the lives of ordinary people in the Middle Ages. Toni’s enthusiastic understanding of the period allows her to create accurate, atmospheric settings and realistic characters for her Sebastian Foxley medieval murder mysteries. Find Toni on Facebook

Charles II’s Secret Queen: Lucy Walter: An Infamous Mistress or Forsaken Queen? by Stephen M Carter

Available from Amazon UK 

and pre-order on Amazon US

Lucy Walter was no stranger to conflict after watching her parents fight like cats, only to become the target of her father’s fists. She fell in love as the bloody Civil War ripped England and her family apart. She was with her lover when he learnt of his father’s execution, only to read that the death warrant was signed by a relative. Then she had fight to save her children from being dragged away, and her family being destroyed.

Charles II's Secret Queen is the true story of court intrigues, scandal, and seduction. It is the tale of a woman’s fight for survival against the odds, and the thin line between loyalty and betrayal. Of a mother who had to choose between her king, her lover, and her children.

Charles II's Secret Queen is based on new research, lost manuscripts, and fresh insights. To some, Lucy Walter is Charles II's treacherous whore, she’s the villain without a voice, and even less virtue. After three centuries of bias, it's time to let Lucy be heard. It’s time to answer the question: Was Lucy an Infamous Mistress or Forsaken Queen? When you know the answer, your perspective will change forever. Reader beware, this book is treason