Special Guest interview with Toni Mount, Author of The Colour of Lies: A Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

It is late summer and London is all a-bustle for St Bartholomew’s Fayre, with merchants arriving from faraway lands. When an old friend returns with fabulous items for sale, it can only mean one thing: trouble. As thievery, revenge and murder stalk the fayre, Sebastian Foxley – artist and sometime-sleuth – has mysteries to solve. In uncovering the answers, he becomes enmeshed in a web of lies and falsehoods.

Today I'm pleased to welcome author Toni Mount to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book

The Colour of Lies is the seventh Sebastian Foxley medieval murder mystery. Seb is an artist-cum-scribe whose eye for detail that others miss make him fifteenth-century London’s answer to Sherlock Holmes. In the series so far, Seb has progressed from being doubtful about his abilities and reliant upon his elder brother, Jude, to having a wife, a workshop and becoming a father but things never go smoothly for Seb.

In this book, he returns to London after a brief but necessary sojourn in Norfolk to discover Jude has ruined the business and the Foxleys’ reputation. With London’s famous St Bartholomew’s Fair in full swing, there are soon crimes to be solved and the possible suspects come too close to home, leaving Seb to have to choose between seeing justice served and protecting those dearest to him. Revenge, passion, infidelity and a great many lies complicate Seb’s life. Will our hero solve the crimes and save the day? All is revealed in The Colour of Lies as readers share in the fun of the fair, suffer the stinks of medieval London, go aboard a merchant ship and visualise life in the Middle Ages.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I don’t really have a routine because so much is always going on in my life: teaching, lectures, library volunteering, freelance writing for magazines, research and events but, if I’m at home then I plan to have done daily chores such as washing up, washing, meal prep, shopping by ten a.m. Then I’m at my desk. I skim emails for anything vital and then forget about it.

I work for an hour, take a coffee break. Work, take a lunch break, work until 4.30-5.00 then cook dinner. That’s it. I don’t work in the evenings or my head is too busy to sleep. That said; I often have my best ideas in bed or in the shower. The trouble with the latter is it’s too wet to make notes, so I have to remember them!

What advice do you have for new writers?

Three things. Firstly, if you want to write, just get on with it. Nobody else can do it for you or it won’t be the book you want to write. Secondly, be prepared to persevere. A book is a long haul and even once it’s written, there will be editing and checking to do. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, there will be more editing, tweeking, rewriting and proof reading, so be ready for that. And finally, don’t be shy. Get your work out there. If you enjoyed writing it, people will enjoy reading it.

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

The short answer is that I’m still working on that. Being published by MadeGlobal, they don’t have a big publicity budget so events like this ‘blog-tour’ on other people’s websites are great. Facebook and other social media, listing on Amazon and reviews in magazines like GoodReads, Red Herrings (the Crime Writers’ Association monthly) and any other virtual magazines all help.

Author talks and competitions with freebie books as prizes get your name known. But I’m still open to ideas and looking for the ‘big break’. Although my book sales are in the tens of thousands, I’ve a way to go to catch up with JK Rowling and Lee Child, etc.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research.

Unicorn horns. In The Colour of Lies I wanted some really exotic items to be for sale at St Bartholomew’s fair where much of the action takes place, something worth stealing that might also be used as a weapon. Extremely rare and lethally pointed, I decided a unicorn horn was perfect. Unicorn horns were reckoned to counteract every known poison in medieval times, so they were carved into cups for royalty to drink from, dipped into food in case it was tainted to make it safe to eat, or powdered and taken as a medicine – an extremely expensive one – to cure all ills, from plague to piles.

But from where and from which creature did the horns come? Arabian oryx, rhinos... Summer 2018 saw us holidaying in Iceland and we visited the ‘Whales of Iceland’ Museum in Reykjavik. Imagine my delight when I found the narwhal. Narwhals are fairly small members of the whale family, usually white with a single long tooth that grows out of one side of the mouth like a tusk. Examples of these tusks on display were exquisite spirals of ivory, 8-10 feet in length, and then I read the information card. ‘Narwhal tusks were often exported to England in the fifteenth century to be sold as unicorn horns.’ Perfect.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

At one point in the book, Seb reaches rock bottom in a state of emotional dilemma. I won’t say too much – you’ll know which bit when you read it and I don’t what to spoil it for you – but, fortunately, I’ve never been in quite so desperate a situation. I had to recall my saddest moments ever, add a big dash of conflicted interests and multiply by ten to get close to Seb’s emotional predicament. I hope I never experience anything like it for real: I had to take the afternoon off to recover from writing it.           
What are you planning to write next?

I’m currently writing a factual history book, The World of Isaac Newton, commissioned by Amberley Publishing, deadline 1st October 2019. Then I have two commissions from Pen & Sword Books Ltd: How to Survive in Medieval England, deadline 1st June 2020, and Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England, (which should be fun to research), deadline 1st March 2021.

Then there is the next Sebastian Foxley mystery, The Colour of Shadows, currently evolving. This has no definite deadline but my publisher blithely added the words to the preview snippet at the end of Lies, ‘due out later this year!’ So, fingers crossed for that. And then there are all the other ideas brewing in my head: a sequel to my Victorian murder mystery, The Death Collector; an Isaac Newton mystery suggested by Heffer’s Bookshop in Cambridge; an off-shoot novel for one of the secondary characters in the Seb Foxley series and then The Colour of Evil, if I’m still here... Phew!

Toni Mount

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About the Author

Toni Mount is a history teacher, a writer, and an experienced public speaker - and a member of the Richard III Society Research Committee and a library volunteer, where she leads the creative writing group. Toni attended Gravesend Grammar School and originally studied chemistry at college. She worked as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry before stopping work to have her family. Having enjoyed history as a child she joined an adult history class and ultimately started teaching classes herself. Her BA (with First-class Honours), her Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing and Diploma in European Humanities are from the Open University. Toni’s Certificate in Education (in Post-Compulsory Education and Training) is from the University of Greenwich. She earned her Masters degree from the University of Kent in 2009 by the study of a medieval medical manuscript at the Wellcome Library. Toni is married with two grown up children and lives with her husband in Kent, England. When she is not writing, teaching or speaking to history groups - or volunteering - she reads endlessly, with several books on the go at any one time. Find out more at Toni's website www.ToniMount.com and find her on Facebook and Twitter @tonihistorian

Guest Interview With Kelcey Wilson-Lee, Author of Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

I'm pleased to welcome Kelcey Wilson-Lee to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book

Daughters of Chivalry tells the forgotten life stories of the five daughters of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile - Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth. These women travelled extensively and independently from early ages, managed large estates and commanded castle garrisons, undertook diplomatic and trade missions, and promoted England's cultural and military might throughout Europe. They were utterly unlike the powerless princesses familiar from fairy tales, and their lives help to shatter many of the myths that continue to surround understandings of the opportunities open to and constraints upon medieval noblewomen.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I work full-time (as a major gifts fundraiser at the University of Cambridge), and also have two small children, so I research, plan and write whenever I can. Because it's hard to find consecutive hours to really sit down and write, I sketch the narrative progression of each chapter extensively, bundling together the notes and key sources I'll use along with any major interpretive angle I want to feature. This means that by the time I am writing you can pretty much plow through a first draft even on those days when the words aren't flowing smoothly - which is a necessity when you have little time to write and a fixed deadline!

What advice do you have for new writers?

Find a story that you believe in, one that you feel needs to be told, and be creative in thinking about how to make that story as accessible as possible. If the first idea doesn't work, ask why and then come up with a second idea that better addresses the market.

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

Many underestimate the value of word-of-mouth recommendations - one reader who likes the book and mentions it to friends can set in chain dozens of book purchases that really add up. Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads can also do wonders to give potential readers an idea of what a book is really like.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research.

Given Eleanor of Castile's own exceptional learning, it was not unexpected that her daughters would learn to read (and even to write) in their native Anglo-Norman, and perhaps also in Latin. But much rarer was the tutor who taught some of her grandchildren - including her granddaughter, Margaret de Bohun - to read Greek, a truly exceptional skill for a secular woman in early fourteenth-century England.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

A little over halfway through Daughters of Chivalry, the eldest of the five sisters, Eleanora, dies. We can piece together quite a lot about her from surviving sources: she was a dutiful student of diplomacy, a strong advocate for her father's imperial ambitions, a patient sister and a formidable wife, as well as a lover of almonds with a penchant for dresses with bling. But her death is barely acknowledged in the sources, and no cause is given. It was exceedingly frustrating to have to write such a rounded person being essentially snuffed out without being able to offer any more sense of what her final days were like.

What are you planning to write next?

I am presently sketching an idea for a biography - of only one person this time rather than five! Like Daughters of Chivalry, it will be influenced by art, artefact, spaces, and literature, as well as strict documentary history.

Kelcey Wilson-Lee

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About the Author

Kelcey Wilson-Lee is a historian of medieval Britain, its art and architecture. Following completion of her doctoral research on late-medieval tombs, she has written and lectured on this subject, as well as topics including the development of the country house and the representation of medieval women in positions of power. She is a keen advocate for the preservation and enjoyment of Britain's outstanding surviving heritage. Originally from America, she has lived in the UK since 2003, mostly in Cambridge, where she resides with her husband and two sons. Find out more at Kelcey's website https:/å/www.kelceywilsonlee.com/ and find her on Twitter @kwilsonlee

Tudor Book Of The Garden

New on Amazon UK 

or direct from the Tudor Times Shop

The Tudor Book of the Garden has been designed as a practical garden journal for the twenty-first century whilst sharing extensive information about the Tudor garden and gardener. Its dedicated sections allow gardeners to plan and record their horticultural efforts and refer back to them in this high-quality production diary for years to come.

Sections include: Tudor Garden Designers Tudor Tools, The Tudor Gardener, Popular Tudor Gardening Books, Essential Tudor Plants Plants found in Shakespeare, Year Planner with Seasons Favourite Plants, My Garden Layout and Features, My Favourite Gardens.

Historical Fiction Spotlight: Of Knights and Dogfights: A WWII Novel, by Ellie Midwood

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Austria, 1938: On the verge of the most devastating war of all times, four young men found themselves sharing a room in a flying school dormitory. A bohemian Berliner, a Flieger-Hitlerjugend member, a prodigy pilot, and a butcher’s son, with nothing in common but their love for the Luftwaffe and the freedom the sky has to offer. 

The bond they develop is put to the test by what might be a stronger adversary - war itself. Over the English Channel, in the dusty skies of Africa, on the brutal Eastern front, they will discover where their loyalty lies, and what true bravery means. 

“It’s Großdeutsches Reich, soldier. When one has a family at home, it doesn’t leave him many chances for the revolt.” 

As the war progresses, Willi and Johann grow more and more disillusioned with the regime they’re protecting with their lives. An SS unit appearing on their base to claim one of their own; bits of conversation revealing the truth about the extermination program accidentally overheard during the official reception - the pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together, but it’s too late to do anything but fight to the bitter end, whatever it may bring. 

Set during one of the bloodiest wars in history, “Of Knights and Dogfights” is the story of the shattered illusions of youth, tyranny and freedom, friendship and love guiding one out of the darkest hell of Soviet captivity.

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About the Author

Ellie Midwood is an award-winning, best-selling historical fiction writer. She's a health obsessed yoga enthusiast, a neat freak, an adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew and a doggie mama. Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their Chihuahua named Shark Bait.

Find out more at http://elliemidwood.com and find her on Facebook

My Top Five Blogging Tips For Authors #AuthorToolboxBlogHop

As busy writers, it’s easy to forget the value of blog posts as a tool to raise awareness. This blog, for example, averages over 10,000 visitors a month, as well as countless shares across social media. It doesn't cost anything, except time, so here are my top tips, based on my experience of blogging over the past ten years:

Keep it simple

Develop a format and stick to it. As well as saving time, regular visitors know what to expect. For example, I like to start with a book cover with purchase links and end with a short, third-person bio with website and social media links.

Invite other authors

Be selective and invite authors who are broadly within your target readership to guest post. Remember they are busy, particularly if they have a new book to launch, so make it as easy as you can for them.

Develop good ‘interview’ questions

I’ve ‘evolved’ a set of questions that work well – and authors seem comfortable with answering. In the past I’ve been asked all sorts of odd things in blog ‘interviews’. Sometimes the quirky questions can reveal something of the writer, but it’s best to keep them relevant.    

Share your posts on Goodreads via RSS

There are over eighty million readers on Goodreads – who manage and amazing four hundred and thirty million monthly pageviews, so it’s well worth taking the time to set up a feed to automatically post there.

Learn from others

Make the time to visit other blogs and leave comments. Invariably you'll learn something new - and what works well today could change next month, so it's a great way to keep up with new and emerging ideas and developments.  

Happy blogging!

Tony

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Do you have some great tips on blogging you would like to share? 
Please feel free to comment below

The #AuthorToolboxBlogHop is a monthly event on the topic of resources and learning for authors. Feel free to hop around to the various blogs and see what you learn! The rules and sign-up form are below the list of hop participants. All authors at all stages of their careers are welcome to join in 

Guest Post by Author Derek Birks: Echoes of Treason – Book 3 of The Craft of Kings

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

An Exercise in Filling in the Gaps!

The Craft of Kings series charts the exploits and trials of a fictional family - the Elders – through the period of transition between the end of Edward IV’s reign and the arrival of Henry Tudor.

In the previous two books the Elders, led by the young lord who is head of the family, John Elder, manage to survive – just about - the reign of the boy king, Edward V. So, at the start of this story, members of the Elder family are scattered and under pressure. Trust me, for this family, that is pretty much life as usual!

For the backdrop of this novel, I chose the rebellions against Richard III which occurred in October/November 1483. They are sometimes collectively called ‘Buckingham’s Rebellion’ – referring to Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, who was Richard’s erstwhile ally. But the term is very misleading, for it was not Buckingham who began the revolts, nor organised them – and his own part in them was an ignominious failure.

I chose to focus instead on a less well known – indeed hardly ever referred to – area of revolt: Poole in Dorset. In truth, there was not much support for a rising in Dorset, though Poole was an ideal port for Henry Tudor to choose for his invasion and there is some evidence that he did turn up there. So, as they say, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but I soon learned that researching Poole in the fifteenth century was not straightforward at all. It turned out that I was going to have to fill in a lot more gaps than usual!

To start with, my attempts to gather any information about the area for the specific date of 1483 pretty much drew a complete blank. I even had to piece together what the town of Poole might have been like. There were no contemporary maps of a place that appears to have been something like a Wild West boom town at that time. In fact, the map I commissioned for the book may well be the first genuine attempt at producing one for that period.

I set quite a lot of the action at a prominent coastal landmark called Handfast Point – known locally as Old Harry Rocks. It’s a place I have visited many times but unfortunately, because of hundreds of years of erosion, there is no trace of what stood on the point in 1483. There is reference in the sources to a castle there in King John’s reign and another, new castle built there in the sixteenth century, but nothing in between. 

So, a big gap to fill – and that’s where the historical fiction writer can have great fun! I decided that, by 1483, the old twelfth or thirteenth century castle would still have been there, but perhaps in a state of disrepair – otherwise they would not have needed a new one a century later. So that’s what I used for the location – an old, small and decaying castle perched on the edge of sheer chalk cliffs. Did something similar ever exist? I’ve no idea, but it seems at least plausible based on what we know - which is next to nothing!

If you are new to my books then you can expect a lot of action and a fairly high body count – with some interesting characters – at least, I hope you’ll find them interesting!

Derek Birks

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About the Author

Derek was born in Hampshire in England but spent his teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand, where he still has strong family ties. For many years he taught history in a secondary school but took early retirement to concentrate on writing. Apart from his writing, he spends his time travelling, walking and taking part in archaeological digs. Derek is interested in a wide range of historical themes, but his particular favourite is the late medieval period. He writes action-packed fiction which is rooted in accurate history. His debut historical novel, Feud, is the first of a series entitled Rebels & Brothers, which follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family during the Wars of the Roses up to 1471. A second series, entitled The Craft of Kings, also features the Elder family in the 1480s. Find out more at Derek's website: www.derekbirks.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @Feud_writer

Guest Post: The Vision of Antje Baumann, by Laurence Power

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

It is May 1940 in Holland. As the Baumann family realizes that Hitler’s war has suddenly become their war, sirens begin blaring as a squadron of airplanes flies over Oosterbeek. Antje, Gerrit, and Cornelis Baumann are too young to understand what is happening around them. All they know is that they feel powerless as they watch their father cry.

In spring and early summer of 1945 I was a pupil in a rural school in Tipperary. Our curate arrived in one day with collection boxes to put to use. Teaching ceased to allow the priest to say what he had to say. He told us how lucky we in Ireland were because we had enough food to feed all of us, while in Holland children were starving and eating tulip bulbs and whatever else to stay alive.

Two generations earlier Ireland had lived through The Great Famine, the tragedy that took one million lives; another million emigrated. Everyone was aware of it. I took a collection box and walked into farmer's houses for the "starving children of Holland." Most of us took boxes and we were proud to do so.

Over a generation later I was in Holland buying pedigree MRI cattle for a Dutch oral surgeon living in Ireland when I met up with farmers he knew with cattle to sell. To make conversation one evening I raised the Nazi occupation of their country. At first it seemed that they didn't want to go there. But ever so slowly they began to talk. 

To me it seemed a taboo topic until then. Finally, they opened up. There was sadness, anger and most of all there was emotion. It was extraordinary. They couldn't be stopped; a torrent of words without let-up. One of those people told me that in the first days of May 1945 he saw his mother leave the house early. She carried an axe in her hand. Soon she was in the company of other house wives; they too carried axes. Scores to be settled.

From Chapter 17 in my book and on I deal with the airborne landings, near Arnhem. I visited the landing places, the scenes of battle, the blunders, the courage of British tommies and the Dutch resistance. Epic stuff. After the Arnhem tragedy we were, once again, into famine; the Great Irish Famine and now the Hunger Winter. 

How one individual could orchestrate and create such devastation and suffering? Never again. I cycled around the landing areas and Arnhem, I visited museums and the Imperial War Museum in London for background information on Marker Garden. I'm not young now but hope to return there in September, if the Lord is willing. It was the book I had to write.

Laurence Power

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About the Author

Laurence Power is a retired business professional. When Catherine, his wife of 50 years passed away, he researched and wrote Black ’47, a story of the Great Irish Famine of 1846-49 that forever altered the path of Irish history. Laurence lives in County Kildare in Ireland and is currently researching and working on a book that will reverberate in a few countries, hopefully in 2019. His cycling days are over but not his writing days…not yet. Find out more at Laurence's website http://laurencepower.ie/ and find him on Facebook.

Tudor Historical Fiction Spotlight: Shadow of Persephone (The Story of Catherine Howard Book 1), by Gemma Lawrence

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

February 1542: A young woman awaits her execution in the Tower of London, sent to death on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII.

Daughter of the nobility, cousin to a fallen Queen, Catherine Howard rose from the cluttered ranks of courtiers at the court of Henry VIII to become the King's fifth wife. But hers is a tale that starts long before the crown was placed on her head. A tale of tragedy and challenges, predators and prey; the story of a young girl growing up in a perilous time, facing dangers untold. 

The fifth wife of Henry VIII would end her life on the block, like her cousin Anne Boleyn... But where did her story begin?

Shadow of Persephone is Book One in the series The Story of Catherine Howard, by G. Lawrence

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About the Author

Gemma Lawrence is an independently published author living in Cornwall in the UK. She studied literature at university says, 'I write mainly Historical Fiction, with an emphasis on the Tudor and Medieval periods and have a particular passion for women of history who inspire me'.Gemma can be found on Wattpad and Twitter @TudorTweep.

Book review: Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister', by Heather R. Darsie

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

It's unlikely that Henry VIII called Anna (Anne) of Cleves 'the Flanders Mare' (later writers added that nice little detail) and far from being unlucky to have been his wife, Anna seems to have done rather well from becoming 'the king's beloved sister.

I enjoyed reading this wonderfully researched new book from Heather Darsie, which returns to  primary sources. It must have helped that the author is fluent in German, and was able to visit archives and museums all over Europe.

Anna’s story begins with her life as a child, born as a duchess at Burg Castle (now reconstructed and a major tourist attraction), and at the rather staid Cleves court, where the only education she had was in embroidery.

It's hard not to feel sympathy for Thomas Cromwell, as Anna 'ticked most of the boxes' and brought an important alliance. He was unlucky not to realise the significance of the cultural differences between the German and English courts - or that Anna only spoke German (although she was desperately trying to learn conversational English.) 

Like many modern celebrities, it seems Anna was poorly advised, as she changed from her wedding dress into a 'gown like a man's gown' - perfectly acceptable in Germany but a mistake in fashion-conscious England. She eventually swapped her odd (to English tastes) German hat for a French hood, but the damage to her reputation had been done. 

With hindsight, it seems credible that King Henry was less concerned with Anna's looks (or what she wore) than with her young lady-in-waiting, Catherine Howard. It's also worth remembering that Catherine's uncle, the influential Duke of Norfolk, would have good reason to encourage Henry's 'interest' in his niece.

Although Anna had no choice other than to agree the annulment of her marriage, it now seems she had a lucky escape.  She became one of the richest women in England and seems to have been a positive influence on her step-daughters, Elizabeth and Mary (Mary was only a few months younger than Anna). 

Anna is the only one of Henry VIII's six wives to be buried in Westminster Abbey - thanks to his daughter Queen Mary I. (Anna's tomb is on the south side of the High Altar, a low stone structure with carvings of the initials AC with a crown, lions' heads - and a skull and cross-bones!)

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Heather R. Darsie lives in the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in German Languages and Literature, and a Juris Doctorate. During her time at university, she studied in Costa Rica and France, with visits to Germany and other countries. She is currently studying for an MA in Early Modern History. Find out more at maidensandmanuscripts.com  and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @HRDarsieHistory

Historical Fiction Spotlight: No Room for Regret (Cullen - Bartlett Dynasty Book 1) by Janeen Ann O'Connell

Available on Amazon UK, Amazon US

and Amazon AU

London, 1811:  Chained below deck, 18-year-old James Tedder listens to the sobs of his fellow prisoners. Putting his hand over his nose to filter the vile smells, James wonders how life on the other side of the world could ever be worth living.

London, 1812:  Sarah Blay watches the convict ship Indefatigable begin its voyage to the other side of the world with her husband, and his friend James Tedder, on board. 

One year later, Sarah bundles up her three small sons and says a final goodbye to her mother, and follows her husband to Van Diemen's Land on a dangerous journey that will take fourteen long months.

Will Sarah regret her decision... and will any of them survive?

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About the Author

Janeen Ann O'Connell was born and lives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia with her husband and their miniature poodle, Teddy. Janeen's working life was as varied as it was interesting. She worked at the University of Melbourne Archives where her love of history was nurtured, then at Forensic Medicine for Victoria Police. She taught Humanities (which included History) and English, at a secondary school in the outer Melbourne suburbs where she now lives. Janeen weaves elements from her life experiences into her historical fiction stories. Find out more t Janeen's website https://janeenannoconnell.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @janeen_author 

Book Review - Edward the Elder: King of the Anglo-Saxons, Forgotten Son of Alfred, by Michael John Key

Available from Amazon UK 

and Amazon US

History has been unkind to 'the forgotten' Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Elder, son of King Alfred the Great and father of Æthelstan. Part of the reason for Edward the Elder's low profile is the lack of contemporary biographical records, so this new book by Michael John Key is therefore a good way to help put the record straight.

For me, the most useful section of this book deals with the analysis of Edward's legacy. Without Edward's successes, Æthelstan would have had a very different life, so his contribution to British history is not to be underestimated.

Edward the Elder emerges from this fresh examination of the evidence as an effective administrator with a good grasp of strategy - ideal qualities for the emerging political class of kingship. Perhaps the one quality he lacked was the talent for self promotion which created our most memorable kings. 

I was interested in what Michael John Key has to say about Edward the Elder's final resting place. It seems the story of labourers accidentally breaking into his undisturbed tomb is a myth, although advances in scientific analysis mean we might have a small piece of Edward's pelvic bone - but even that could belong to Alfred the Great.

Well researched and engaging, I feel much better informed after reading this book and recommend it  to anyone with an interest in the Anglo-Saxon kings. 

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Michael John Key has spent his professional career in the oil, gas, and petrochemical Industry. After retiring to concentrate on writing he has researched and studied medieval history for many years, with a particular interest in the Anglo-Saxon period. He has a BA History Honours Degree. He was born in Leigh, Lancashire, but now lives in Hampshire, where he has spent most of his life.