Special Guest Post by Elena Maria Vidal, Author of Generalissima: A Novel of Henrietta Maria: The Henrietta of France Trilogy, Book Two

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

As the Three Kingdoms totter on the brink of anarchy, Henriette-Marie, queen of Charles I, strives to bring up their lively, growing family. In addition to her own health problems, she worries about the welfare of her mother the Dowager Queen of France, who sought refuge in London only to find herself under attack. As Henriette faces choices which may separate herself from her beloved husband and children, she seeks help from the Pope and the Irish Catholics. 

Henrietta Maria and Her Mother, Marie de’ Medici

First of all, I would like to thank Tony Riches for opening his popular blog to other historical writers so that we may share our research. I am the author of a biography of Marie-Antoinette as well as six historical novels. The latest two novels are about Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I and they are entitled My Queen, My Love and Generalissima. They are part of an unfinished trilogy; the third instalment Avalon will be out sometime in 2027 or 28. 

In my readings about Henrietta of France, I have found that her mother Marie de’ Medici played an enormous role not only in her upbringing but in her ongoing political decisions, as well as shaping her faith, her love of the arts, of music, theater, and architecture. 

Queen Marie has ended up playing a much larger role in my novels than I originally would ever have imagined, due to the sheer force of her personality as much as to her real adventures, which included leading rebellions against her son, climbing out of windows to escape the royal guards, and hiding with her entourage of dwarves in a German brewery. All of this followed a glittering career of being Queen Mother Regent of France. Most of the Queen’s life is captured in the spectacular series of twenty-four huge paintings by Rubens, now at the Louvre.

 Marie de' Medici, Queen of France, painted by the Flemish Baroque artist 

Peter Paul Rubens around 1622.

Marie’s life had always been eventful, however. Born in 1575 in Florence, the youngest daughter of Francesco de' Medici, who was to inherit the Duchy of Tuscany, she was reared in the magnificent Pitti Palace. Marie’s mother, a Habsburg Archduchess, fell down the palace steps when expecting her eighth child and died in agony. Some thought she had been murdered. 

Marie’s father married his mistress. Marie was well-educated and healthy but lonely. The stepmother found a companion for Marie: a homely dwarf named Dianora, who claimed to possess psychic powers. In spite of the Florentine court’s penchant for fortune-telling and astrology, Marie remained firmly Catholic her entire life. When in her twenties, word came that the King of France was looking for a wealthy wife.

Henri IV or Henri of Navarre (1553-1610) has been celebrated by the French people as the monarch who was the epitome of justice, kindness, and virility. The fact of his many mistresses and bastards never hindered his popularity, so great were his achievements on behalf of the French people in ending the Wars of Religion. His childless first marriage with his cousin Marguerite de Valois was annulled so that he could have legitimate offspring. 

He married the much younger Marie de' Medici in 1600. Queen Marie, loving her husband, suffered from his unfaithfulness. She brought with her Dianora, renamed Leonora. Leonora married another Italian, a thug named Concini who later bullied his way into becoming a marshal of France. After the couple had several children, in 1610 Henri had Marie crowned and anointed at Notre Dame de Paris. The day after her coronation, Henri was stabbed to death in his coach in the streets of Paris. Marie became the Regent for their young son, Louis XIII.

As Regent, Queen Marie chose to avoid war by making peace with the other Catholic powers of Spain and the Empire. She believed that Catholic monarchies should unite to keep Protestantism at bay. Too often Queen Marie is dismissed as being "stupid" in histories of the time. But Henri IV would never have designated Marie to be Regent in case of his death if he had thought her hopelessly ignorant and helpless. Queen Marie had great devotion to the Virgin Mary, seeing her role as being like that of the Mother of God, the conduit of power between the king and his people. 

As regent for her son Louis XIII she was determined to keep France out of wars, especially wars with other Catholic countries. Her older daughters, Elisabeth, Queen of Spain and Christine, Duchess of Savoy, had been brought up with Marian devotion and saw their roles in their adopted countries as being active rather than passive. As for Louis XIII, he attained his majority in 1614, although Marie kept running the country. Louis overthrew his mother in 1617, and had Leonora and Concini executed. After a brief exile, Marie managed to make her way back to Paris, where she presided in majesty at the new Medici Palace, later known as the Luxembourg. And she had one more daughter left to marry off.

The youngest child, Henriette-Marie de France, born on 25 November, 1609, was perhaps Marie’s favorite as she greatly resembled Henri IV, in coloring and wiry agility, as well as in merriment and a sense of adventure. Marie arranged for her youngest daughter Henriette to marry in England because she believed there was a chance of bringing Charles I into Catholicism. Henrietta Maria, at age fifteen, tackled the insurmountable task of converting the British Isles back to Catholicism. 

Marie made Henriette promise never to become a Protestant and if she did, she would be cursed by Marie. Henriette never flagged in the practice of her Catholic faith no matter the cost. While Charles I never converted to Catholicism, his relationship with his devout wife was deeply spiritual, which enhanced the intense physical passion between them. They were happiest together and with their children. Their tragedy is that they were eventually separated by the Civil Wars as their family was scattered. Their two youngest children were captives of the enemy forces. And Charles I was eventually arrested and beheaded in 1649.

In Marie’s later years, another falling-out with her oldest son Louis XIII, and especially with his minister Cardinal de Richelieu, led to her exile in England, where she lived in St. James Palace. Marie was warmly welcomed by Charles I and Henriette, although they were in the throes of a constitutional crisis. Marie saw the coming disasters and, realizing her Catholic presence was causing political complications for Charles and Henriette, went to Germany to seek refuge with her friend the painter Rubens. 

The Thirty Years War was raging; Rubens had died but the ailing Queen was able to stay in a brewery in Cologne owned by the Rubens family. She died in the brewery in Cologne on 3 July, 1642 in a state of destitution, abandoned by her son Louis XIII, who would not allow her to die in France, although he later had her buried at Saint Denis. Mercifully, the Queen received the ministrations of the Carmelites of Cologne, to whom she bequeathed a cherished statue of the Blessed Virgin, one of her last possessions.

Elena Maria Vidal

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About the Author

Elena Maria Vidal was born in Florence, Oregon in 1962 but grew up in Frederick County, Maryland. She received her BA in Psychology from Hood College and her MA in Modern European History from SUNY Albany. She has been a member of the Secular Order of Mount Carmel since 1986. Elena enjoys cooking, gardening, opera and working with the elderly. She lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with her family. She is currently engaged in writing a historical fiction trilogy about Queen Henrietta Maria. Elena’s Tea at Trianon blog deals with social, religious and political issues as well as history. My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria is her fifth novel and sixth book. Find out more from her blog, Tea at Trianon and find her on Twitter @emvidal

New Audiobook: Queen Anna, Book One in the Stuart Queens Trilogy, Narrated by Ruth Urquhart

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

A crown won in the eye of a storm. A queen who refuses to be broken... Princess Anna of Denmark sails for Scotland to marry King James VI, but storms ravage her fleet, igniting a deadly obsession with witchcraft in her new home. Arriving in a strange and paranoid court, Anna finds her new husband’s bed is a treacherous place.

After fourteen years researching and writing the twelve books which tell the story of the Tudors, it seemed natural to explore the succession in more detail and understand the rise of the Stuarts.

I discovered Anna’s story while writing about Bess and Walter Raleigh, and like most people, knew little about her life. I’ve enjoyed the year of research behind this book, uncovering primary sources – and even learning a little Danish.

With notable exceptions, Anna is largely overlooked by historians, and I found myself wondering about the image of her as shallow, with little influence. I don’t recall her being mentioned in my history lessons at school, but Anna was the daughter of a king, wife of a king and mother of a king. 

I became intrigued by the idea of a fourteen-year-old Danish princess being forced by her parents into a strategic, arranged marriage with King James of Scotland. Anna had to leave her friends, her family, and everything she knew, for a strange country across a dangerous sea where she could barely speak the language.

There is also the question of her relationship with King James, and how they had so many children. As well as her daughter Elizabeth, the ‘Winter Queen’ of Bohemia, Anna was the mother of Henry, possibly the greatest king we never had, and the ill-fated King Charles I.

My research took me from the Danish Court to Holyrood House in Scotland and on to the palaces of Westminster and Anna's beloved Denmark House. Her vibrant personality can be seen in her surviving letters, some of which I had translated from old French, (and include in the book in italics). 

I enjoyed following Anna to England after the death of Queen Elizabeth Ist, and making a new life died as queen consort of three kingdoms. She ordered the old queen’s priceless gowns to be used as costumes in her legendary masques, and slept in the same bedchamber as Queen Jane Seymour, her favourite bed.

I found a resilient woman and a devoted mother to her children. Anna was a creative patron of the arts, and did her best to be a loyal queen consort to King James.

 

Tony Riches

 

About the Narrator

Ruth Urquhart is an award winning, Scottish female voice over artist and character voice actor. Professionally trained as an actor with over 10 years experience as a voiceover artist, she is the voice of multiple characters in global animations, cartoons and video games. Ruth has provided voiceovers for TV commercials, global brands and corporate films as well as e-learning and online courses, medical narration, video explainers, and radio adverts.  She has dubbed worldwide cinema released movies and animations as well as providing narration for documentaries and over 200 audiobooks.  Ruth says, ‘My sister-in-law Anne is Danish and I have always been picking her brain over the years regarding various jobs that have required a Danish accent!’ Find oiut more at ruthurquhart.com/ and find Ruth on Instagram  @tartanchameleon 

Special Guest Post by Dr. Eric Jourgensen, Author of The Deadline Plate (The Chronicle Keepers)

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Deadline Plate is a student journalism time-travel mystery about four young reporters who discover an old printing plate in their school’s anniversary time capsule. When the plate pulls them into 1887 New York, they must work with Nellie Bly as her groundbreaking asylum investigation is threatened by a mysterious force trying to erase the record. To get home, they have to protect sources, preserve evidence, and learn that telling the truth means more than getting the story first.

Why My Time Travelers Carry Notebooks 

When I decided to send four student journalists into 1887 New York, I gave them the obvious modern tools: phones, cameras, audio recorders, and the instinct to document everything. Then I made those tools unreliable.

That choice became one of the engines of The Deadline Plate, the first book in The Chronicle Keepers series.

The novel begins with four students discovering a printing plate buried in their school's time capsule. The plate carries a story about their own disappearance and sends them to New York during Nellie Bly'searly reporting career. 

Someone called the Redactor is changing the historical record. The students cannot simply look up what happened, record a confession, or trust that a digital file will survive. They have to interview witnesses, compare accounts, preserve documents, and decide what they can prove.

In other words, they have to do journalism.

I teach high school journalism, newspaper, broadcast journalism, and yearbook. My students live in a world where nearly every moment can be photographed, recorded, copied, reposted, and misunderstood before the bell rings. Their problem is rarely a lack of information. It is figuring out which information deserves trust.

That made time travel an interesting writing problem. If my characters could carry perfect access to the present into the past, the mystery would collapse. A smartphone can become a shortcut disguised as a prop. Search the name. Photograph the document. Record the witness. Check the date. Done.

But journalism is not supposed to be a shortcut.

So the past pushes back. Batteries fail. Recordings cannot be trusted. Context disappears. The students discover that having a copy of something is not the same as understanding it. A document can be authentic and still incomplete. A witness can tell the truth and still be wrong. A newspaper can print accurate facts and create a false impression through what it leaves out.

That last problem matters to me. My nonfiction work uses a framework called the WATER Check: Wait, Ask, Trace, Examine, Respond. It teaches students to slow down before accepting or sharing something. The framework grew from a classroom deception in which every fact I presented was technically true, but the overall conclusion was designed to mislead.

The same idea sits underneath The Deadline Plate. The villain does not always need to invent a lie. Sometimes changing the record means removing a name, shifting a date, preserving one account, or making another impossible to find.

That is why the notebooks matter.

A notebook is limited. It cannot capture everything. The person holding it must choose what to write down, which quotation is exact, what needs verification, and which detail might matter later. Those choices create responsibility. The notebook also leaves evidence of uncertainty: crossed-out words, arrows, questions in the margin, and a blank where the reporter did not hear clearly enough to pretend.

For young reporters, that can be an important lesson. Technology makes documentation easier, but it does not make judgment automatic.

Nellie Bly was the right historical journalist for the first book because she understood both evidence and access. Her reporting mattered because she entered places powerful institutions preferred to keep closed. She observed, remembered, questioned, and wrote for readers who had not seen what she had seen. 

Her work also creates difficult questions for a modern writer. How do you introduce a real person without turning her into a marble statue? How do you respect what she accomplished while still allowing fictional characters to occupy the same room?

My answer was to make her active, intelligent, impatient, and human. The students do not arrive to teach Nellie Bly how journalism works. They are the ones trying to keep up.

The research moved between biographies, archival newspapers, timelines, maps, and the practical details of a nineteenth-century pressroom. I kept returning to the physical nature of news. Type had

weight. Ink stained hands. A printing plate could preserve a page, but it could also be altered, hidden, or destroyed. That physicality gave the fantasy rules something solid to push against.

It also changed how I thought about the students' modern newsroom. Their digital stories feel temporary until one incomplete version travels farther than the correction. Suddenly, the old problem and the

new problem look remarkably similar. Once a record begins moving, the reporter cannot control every place it goes.

The students carry notebooks because they need tools that still work when the spectacular tools fail. More importantly, they carry notebooks because the series is about the choices made before publication.

What did you see?

Who told you?

What can you verify?

What is missing?

Who pays the price if you get it wrong?

Those questions matter in 1887. They matter in a high school newsroom.They matter anywhere history is still being written.

 Eric Jourgensen 

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About the Author

Eric Jourgensen, Ed.D., is a journalism educator, author, and adviser to student newspaper, broadcast, and yearbook programs in South Florida. He is the creator of the WATER Check media-literacy framework and the author of The Deadline Plate, Book One of The Chronicle Keepers. The young adult series follows student journalists who travel through history to protect stories at risk of being changed or erased.Learn more at https:ericjourgensen.com and find Eric on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky @drdarthgrader.bsky.social

Book Review Finis Britanniae: A Military History of Late Roman Britain and the Saxon Conquest, by Murray Dahm

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Murray Dahm’s Finis Britanniae is an engaging exploration of one of the most dramatic turning points in British history: the collapse of Roman rule and the emergence of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

What sets this book apart is its military focus, moving beyond the familiar story of the Romans leaving and the Saxons arriving, examining warfare, fortifications, armies and the changing political landscape that shaped Britain’s transformation.

 
I particularly liked the occasional asides, which show the period as brutal as anything in ‘Game of Thrones’:

Hengist prepared an entertainment, to which he invited the king, the nobles and military officers. He ordered three hundred Saxons to conceal each a knife under his feet, and to mix with the Britons, and when they are sufficiently inebriated, he would cry out, ‘Nimeder Sexa!’ the let each draw his knife and kill his man, by which were slain three hundred nobles of Vortigern. (Save the king, held for ransom.)

Accessible and thought-provoking, Finis Britanniae is recommended to anyone interested in Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval warfare. It brings a fascinating but often misunderstood period to life.

Tony Riches

(I would like t thank Amberley Publishing for providing a review copy.)

Special Guest Interview with Gabriel Garcia, Author of Decimus: The Wolf Of Rome: (Tales from The Gathering)

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

216 BC, the formidable Carthaginian general Hannibal unleashed a terrifying wave of aggression against Rome following the catastrophic Battle of Cannae, a defeat that sent shockwaves through the Roman Republic. As the dust settled from the chaos of war, the arrival of Mago and Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brothers commanding forces in Hispania, threatened to cement Rome's fate. Amidst the turmoil, Hannibal delivered a chilling ultimatum to the people of Rome: surrender

or face utter annihilation.

I'm pleased to welcome author Gabriel Garcia to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book.

Decimus: The Wolf of Rome is an alternative historical fantasy set within The Gathering Universe and is the second book in the Tales from The Gathering spinoff series. The story follows Decimus Aquilla, a survivor of the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, who must rescue his son, Justinian, from the Carthaginian king Hannibal, now the ruler of Rome, all the while forming a rebellion to fight back against the Carthaginians and retake their home. 

What is your preferred writing routine?

I am a night owl when it comes to my writing. I typically write between 9 and 11 pm, focusing on 20-30 minutes of writing per day.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Craft the story that speaks to you. Put it down on paper. Not every tale is destined for the spotlight; some are meant to be cherished privately. Share the narrative that matters to you with the world, and from there, dive into research, build connections, and promote your work whenever you can.

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

So far, in-person events have been great. I've attended two major gatherings this year, and I have another one lined up next week on the 19th called Alpha & Omega Con. Additionally, I’m looking forward to two events in November: one at my local library and another at an indie book fair.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research.

While delving into the historical context of Decimus during the Second Punic Wars, I realized just how crucial this conflict was on a grand scale. If the Romans had truly lost and Carthage somehow emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean, the course of Western history would have changed dramatically. Much of Europe could have remained pagan, with Carthage, Sicily, and southern Italy potentially becoming the heart of the Renaissance. Major religions like Christianity and Islam might have followed very different paths in their expansion and trade, leading to a drastically altered development of future continents, such as the Americas.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

The most challenging scene I wrote was early in the book, when Decimus faces the loss of his wife, Flavia. It was difficult to capture, as it sets the emotional tone for the rest of the story. The moment was raw and authentic, creating an uncomfortable feeling that oddly felt poetic in its delivery.

What are you planning to write next?

I'm currently working on my first novel titled "The Taino Gladiator." This story follows a young high school senior and amateur boxer from 1990s New York who finds himself magically transported back to ancient Rome, just before the Gladiator rebellion led by Spartacus kicks off.

Gabriel Garcia

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About the Author

Gabriel Garcia is a vibrant storyteller and passionate historian who weaves tales across the realms of fantasy, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and science fiction. Growing up in the sun-soaked expanses of Southern California, Gabriel’s vivid imagination was ignited by his deep-seated love for history and the art of storytelling. Influenced by the literary prowess of masters like Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, and Brian Jacques, he channels his creative spirit into crafting narratives that captivate and inspire. His literary adventure began with the release of his debut novel, The Gathering. This book was a labor of love, meticulously developed during his pursuit of a Master’s degree in History. That journey not only honed his writing skills but also deepened his appreciation for the intricate historical backdrops that enrich his stories. Building on this foundation, Gabriel has gone on to publish several more compelling books, each one exploring different facets of the human experience. Gabriel’s creativity doesn’t stop with writing novels. He also hosts the engaging podcast "Tales From The Wandering Scribe," available on YouTube. Here, he connects with fellow writers and creatives, diving into meaningful conversations about their unique journeys and inspiring stories. His podcast is more than just a platform for writers; it’s an exploration of fascinating historical topics alongside historians and passionate hobbyists. Gabriel invites listeners to embark on a thrilling journey through history’s many layers, creating a dynamic space for anyone curious about the past. Join him on this remarkable adventure, and discover the exciting paths that lie ahead in the wondrous worlds of literature and history!  Find out more at https://wonderingscribe.com/ and find Gabriel on Bluesky, and Instagram 

Blog Tour Spotlight: The Irish Ties That Bind, by Michael J. Hopkins

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

From the green hills of southern Ireland to the heartland of America, four families are united by faith, perseverance, and an enduring legacy that spans generations.

As famine and hardship drive Irish immigrants across the Atlantic in the mid-nineteenth century, the Power and Coughlin families plant new roots in the American Midwest. Their daughters answer a higher calling, joining the fledgling Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Through the remarkable leadership of Sister Emily and Sister Samuel, these women help shape a religious community that will educate thousands and leave an indelible mark on the nation.

Their story intertwines with those of the Cullen and Hynes families, whose lives are transformed by the sisters’ influence. Seeking refuge from the unrest of postwar Chicago, they settle in Dixon, Illinois, where friendship, faith, and family bind them to another rising family—the Reagans. As Ronald Reagan grows from a small-town boy into a radio broadcaster, actor, and emerging public figure, the lives of ordinary and extraordinary Americans intersect in unexpected ways.

Set against the backdrop of immigration, the Great Depression, two world wars, and the dawn of the Cold War, The Irish Ties That Bind is a sweeping historical saga of courage, devotion, and the families whose quiet strength shaped generations. It is a powerful testament to the bonds of family, faith, and heritage that endure long after history's tides have turned.

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About the Authir

A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, Michael J. Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Beloit College, subsequently obtaining a degree in history from Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. He furthered his academic pursuits by completing a Master of Arts in the Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Mr. Hopkins concluded a distinguished forty-year tenure in secondary education, having served as a social studies instructor at Darlington High School for thirty-nine years. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he dedicated many years to coaching basketball, baseball, and football at the same high school. His contributions to athletics were formally recognized in 2021 with his induction into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.  Following his retirement from education, he has transitioned into a career as an author. In 2025, he published his autobiographical memoir, Embracing A Competitive Life: Trials, Triumphs, and 150 Life Lessons in Six Decades of Competition, which chronicles his experiences as both an athlete and a coach. Find out more at https://www.historiumpress.com/hp-authors/michael-hopkins and find Michael on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesk  @mjhop.bsky.social 

Book Launch Spotlight: What Love E'er Meant (Regina Book 2) by Janet Wertman

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

A new queen must prove she deserves the throne God gave her, while the path everyone insists will secure it might cost her everything

Against all odds, Elizabeth Tudor has become Queen of England. Determined to fulfill what she sees as a divine responsibility, she sets out to heal a country ravaged by religious discord, war, and debt – and vindicate the legacy of Anne Boleyn, the mother who did not deserve her fate.

But Elizabeth’s crown is not fully secure: to the Catholic world, her cousin Mary Stuart is the rightful Queen of England and there are rumblings to put her there. Shoring up defenses requires that Elizabeth challenge France’s control of Scotland and Spain’s dominance on the seas, as well as calm internal strife. Above the din of menace, one question dominates all others: who will she marry?

William Cecil, her trusted Secretary of State, urges her to secure an alliance through a strategic match. Robert Dudley, the love of her life, pressures her to choose him. And Mary herself presents a cautionary tale. In the end, Elizabeth chooses not as a woman but as a queen, and learns the sobering truth of sovereignty: to rule is to stand alone.

What Love E’er Meant, the searing second volume in the 

Regina Trilogy, captures a young queen’s struggle to balance love and power, duty and desire…and the profound cost of 

choosing crown over heart.

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About the Author

By day, Janet Wertman is a freelance grantwriter for impactful nonprofits. By night, she writes critically acclaimed, character-driven historical fiction – indulging a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she was eight years old and her parents let her stay up late to watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R. Her Seymour Saga trilogy (Jane the Quene, The Path to Somerset, The Boy King) took her deep into one of the era’s central families – and now her follow-up Regina series explores Elizabeth’s journey from bastard to icon. Find out more from www.janetwertman.com and follow Janet on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky @janetwertman.bsky.social

Special Guest Post by Jacquie Rogers, Author of the Quintus Valerius Roman Mysteries

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

224 AD: Imperial Investigator Quintus Valerius is summoned from Rome to Britannia by his old companion-in-arms, Governor Gaius Trebonius. Trebonius wants Quintus to investigate fraud at the silver mines he is overseeing. But on his journey to Somerset in the south-west of the isle, Quintus hears rumours of a Druid uprising. And when he encounters his scorned ex-lover, he suspects she may have something to do with it. When Quintus finally reaches the mines, he finds himself under attack. He realises a dark conspiracy could be behind the fraud. And the stakes are raised when a potential witness is murdered.

Thank you, Tony, for inviting me back to your blog. I was last here in 2023, when I wrote about the history behind my third Roman mystery, The Loyal Centurion. Since then I’ve moved to Sapere Books, who have signed me up with enough relaunches and new books to keep me busy for a long time! Suffice it to say that my Quintus Valerius mysteries are coming out this autumn and winter, with brilliant new covers and add-ons like maps, cast lists (helpful with all those Latin names), place names, glossaries and reader notes. The Governor’s Man is on pre-order now, followed by The Carnelian Phoenix on 20 November. The Loyal Centurion follows in the New Year. 

Since last appearing here, I’ve written a new mystery for Quintus and his fellow sleuths set in Aquae Sulis, the Roman spa resort and religious centre of Bath. The Bath Curse came out of my enduring fascination with the famous lead curse tablets found in the Sacred Spring at Bath. They were dedicated to the British-Roman goddess Sulis Minerva, renowned for her healing, wisdom and help in a just war.

Gilt-bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva, 

a monumental artifact from Roman Britain

Anyone wanting justice, or simply with a major grudge, could come here to make a sacrifice to the goddess, and have their particular beef inscribed by a clerk onto a thin lead sheet. The justice sought would take the form of retribution dealt out by the all-powerful Sulis Minerva. The curse tablets were folded or rolled up, and thrown into the steaming sacred spring. 

Roman curse tablet (defixio) discovered at the King's Bath 

in Bath, England (Aquae Sulis).

Poor Docilianus – I doubt he ever got his warm wool coat back, despite his fervent prayers. But Aquae Sulis wasn’t just about healing and worship. By the Severan period (AD 220s, when my books are set), it was a popular spa resort not unlike the Bath of Jane Austen’s day. People came to Bath from all over the western Roman Empire, to holiday, relax, gossip, drink the waters, meet a potential partner, even gamble. If you’ve visited Bath yourself, you’ll know how splendid the Great Bath is. It’s unique in Britain both for its grand size and the natural flow of waters, heated by geothermal forces to a steady 46 degrees C, and pumping out over a million litres a day.

We don’t know much about the visitors who travelled here to take the highly-mineralised waters, but I imagine that the steady influx of wealthy visitors to this tiny city might tempt the unscrupulous – and the downright criminal – to prey on them. A sort of Las Vegas-cum-Monte Carlo, perhaps?

As well as The Bath Curse (to be published in 2027), I’ve begun a new companion series. Same time period as the Quintus Valerius books (early third century), still in Roman Britannia, but the Otto Cornelius series has action centred around the wonderful city of Viroconium Cornoviorum. Nowadays Wroxeter Roman city lies under fields around seven miles south-east of Shrewsbury, where English Heritage care for this fourth-largest of Britain’s Roman cities. It was built as the capital for the Cornovii tribe, whose lands stretched from Staffs to the Mersey, and well into modern Wales. That makes it the most north-westerly of Rome’s cities – and what a city it was! 

We are very fortunate that Viroconium survived in some form or another long after the end of the Roman period. It is thought that a possible plague drove the remaining inhabitants away to a better defended site – hence mediaeval Shrewsbury. The old city remained untouched, under a cover of soil and grass. Eventually Victorian antiquaries took an interest in the astonishing remains of what we now know to be a large gym hall, or baths basilica. Since then, modern techniques of geophysics and aerial photography have revealed in detail the layout of a wealthy, bustling city of some 15 000 people, spread over 73 hectares.

Even this remote city would have had a mix of people from many parts of the Roman empire. I’ve taken advantage of this, to create as my main character a German-Romano-British officer, Prefect Otto Cornelius, pushed into early retirement from the XXth legion in Chester. Needless to say, these also being mystery novels, he soon stumbles across murder and theft. The Silver Mirror and The Amber Goddess are both written, while The Salt Road is under way. All to be published in 2027/2028.

Artist’s impression of the baths complex at Wroxeter

Last year I finally travelled to Pompeii and Herculaneum. I know, it’s shameful being a Roman historical novelist who’s never been to the best-preserved Roman towns of the lot. 

I came, I saw, I was vanquished. It was a very emotional week for me. When I’d finished crying, I wrote my own story of the people found by archaeologists on the beach at Herculaneum, waiting in vain for rescue by Pliny’s navy.  

And now that’s been published too. I’ve situated the story as a prequel to the Quintus Valerius series, an introductory novelette featuring a noble ancestor of Quintus. Tribune Flavius Valerius was definitely in the wrong place, at the wrong time. My homage to those left on the beach at Herculaneum is titled after a quote from the only eye-witness account of the Vesuvian eruption of AD 79: A Night Blacker and Darker. It’s available now, in paperback and for Kindle.

Thank you, Tony. I hope you’ll invite me back to your wonderful blog next year, when I’ll have more Roman history to share. 

Jacquie Rogers

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About the Author

Jacquie Rogers was a child £10 Pom, moving back to the UK nicely in time for the three-day week. She had careers in advertising and university teaching before turning to writing. Since then, she’s written four novels for her Quintus Valerius Roman mysteries, and another two so far in her forthcoming companion series, the Otto Cornelius Roman mysteries, set in and around Wroxeter Roman city. Her short stories have been published in several countries. In 2020 and 2021 she was Runner Up in the Lincoln Book Festival flash fiction competitions. Jacquie lives in Malvern, where she walks the hills with her husband and their dog, Peggy. Jacquie loves travelling Europe by motorbike, and discussing politics, travel and books. She spends a lot of time in cafés and pubs. Find out more at Jacquie’s Substack, Writing Roman Britain, where you can sign up for free to her monthly newsletters. For social media, book links and author events, go to https://linktr.ee/jacquierogers 

Special Guest Post by Anna Belfrage, Author of The Prodigal Son (The Graham Saga Book 3)

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Safely returned from an involuntary stay in Virginia, Matthew Graham finds the Scottish Lowlands torn asunder by religious strife. His Restored Majesty, Charles II, requires all his subjects to swear fealty to him and the Church of England, riding roughshod over any opposition.

A masked pimpernel – of Alexander Peden, devout preacher and religious rebel

One of the joys of writing historical fiction is making the acquaintance of the somewhat lesser known people who once played important roles in the events of the past. One such person is Alexander Peden, the charismatic Scottish Kirk minister who set large parts of Ayrshire ablaze with his determined refusal to abandon his faith. He plays a pivotal role in my book The Prodigal Son and inspires my male hero  Matthew Graham to risk life and limb in his steadfast support of the Covenanter cause. 

This does not endear Alexander Peden to Matthew’s time traveller wife, Alex, who spends far too much time with her heart in her mouth while Matthew is off playing the hero. Should he be caught, they’d likely hang him—or sell the entire Graham family into bondage in the new world. Alex does not understand how anyone can risk so much for religion. Matthew cannot comprehend how she cannot see that some things are worth dying for. Let’s just say the Graham family is at an impasse . . . 

While Matthew is a purely fictional character, anyone familiar with the history of the Covenanters and their persecution in the late 17th century will, at some point or another, have stumbled over Mr Peden.

To me, Sandy Peden – oops, Alexander Peden (Sandy to friends only, and I’m not quite sure I qualify) – came alive the day I stood in the National Museum of Scotland and peered at his mask.  

17th-century disguise mask and wig worn by Alexander Peden, 

a  Scottish religious rebel, on display at the 

National Museum of Scotland 

I realise that the purpose of the mask was to disguise him, thereby leading me to assume he didn’t at all look like it. Still, when studying the mask I had my first clear image of Sandy – a slight man who burned with restless energy, whose eyes glowed with passion when he spoke about God. A brave man, a stubborn man – and a man convinced that his faith and his beliefs were the right ones. 

“Of course they are,” he says, sounding aggravated. 

    “You think?” I snort. “All that stuff about predestination, about the relative unimportance of women…”

    “Pah! Just shows how little you know! Now, I am willing to take on the task of educating you – however much of a Sisyphus task that might be.”

    I ignore the little man. I’m not uneducated, thank you very much. 

    “Aye you are,” he says. “You have studied such varied subjects but how much of your academic efforts have you expended on God? On the Holy Writ?” He sinks those luminous grey eyes of his into mine. “No, I thought as much,” he says before fading away.

 

Alexander Peden was born in 1626 and educated at Glasgow University. In 1662 he was ejected from his parish New Luce—the restored king, Charles II, and his advisors were determined to supplant the Scottish Kirk with the Church of England. Peden spent the rest of his life as a religious rebel, holding secret services out on the moors of Ayrshire to fortify his ever-growing flock of die-hard Presbyterians. 

The powers that were searched high and low for him, but Sandy knew how to blend into the landscape—ably helped by my Matthew—and to further confuse his pursuers he wore the mask mentioned above. It is said that on several occasions he evaded capture by praying to God for deliverance – which God duly supplied through the opportune appearance of a thick fog or clouds to cover the moon. 

“God looks to his own,” Sandy puts in, scratching at his balding head. He smells, his dark coat is frayed around the cuffs and has a long tear down the back. He looks tired and dirty, and he keeps on coughing.     He frowns at my inspection. “It’s not a life of comfort to be constantly on the run.” 

    “So why not give up?” 

    “Give up?” Sandy raises fair, bushy brows. “I’m outlawed. They’d hang me off the first gallows they could find.” 

No matter divine intervention, Sandy’s luck eventually ran out. In 1673 he was captured and spent the coming five years on the Bass Rock. After this, he was to be deported to America and together with 60 others he was set aboard a ship to London where they were to be transferred to another, larger vessel. However, the captain of this vessel was so incensed when Sandy informed him why they were being deported that he released them, leaving them on the London docks. 

“A good man,” Sandy laughs. “He would no more carry me off against my will than he would kill his mother.” He scratches at his chest. “Lice,” he mutters. “Courtesy of His Majesty’s tender care, I reckon.” 

    “Or of living rough.”  

    “That too.” He purses his lips. “Sometimes…” 

    “Sometimes what?” 

    Sandy shakes his head. “Nowt,” he says, smiling ruefully. 

    “Go on; sometimes…” 

    “… I long for a bed – a warm home, a family…” He stares off in the distance. “God has ordained and I must obey.”

After the encounter with the godly captain, Sandy and his companions walked all the way home. For the remaining years of his life, Sandy divided his time between Scotland and Ireland, always on the run, always holding to his faith and preaching the word of God as he knew it. 

Alexander Peden died in 1685 – in a bed, as he’d prophesised. 

“Of course,” Sandy says. “God allowed me one last night of comfortable sleep.” 

    “That was nice of him.” Seems the least he could do, given Sandy’s unstinting service. 

    Sandy wags his finger at me. “You sound like Alexandra Graham. That woman is in serious need of guidance, but that husband of hers is too besotted with her to do as he should.” 

    “He is?” I smile, thinking that if Matthew is besotted with Alex, she definitely returns the favour. 

    “You know he is.” Sandy smiles. “A marvellous woman, for all that she is wild and half-heathen.” 

    “Matthew isn’t too bad either,” I say. 

    Sandy chuckles and gets to his feet. “Well you would say so, wouldn’t you? After all, you’ve made him up.” With that he is gone.

    

Upon hearing Alexander Peden was dead a company of soldiers chose to disinter his body, intending to hang his corpse from the gallows in Cumnock. Loud objections from the people led to Sandy being reburied at the foot of the gallows. In due course, an impressive monument was erected over his final resting place. Not that Sandy ever wanted a monument – all he wanted was the freedom to worship God according to his beliefs.

If the above has inspired you to want to learn more about Alexander Peden and the religious persecution that plagued the Scottish Lowlands in the aftermath of the Restoration, why not read The Prodigal Son ?

Safely returned from an involuntary stay in Virginia, Matthew Graham finds the Scottish Lowlands torn asunder by religious strife. His Restored Majesty, Charles II, requires all his subjects to swear fealty to him and the Church of England, riding roughshod over any opposition. 

In Ayrshire, people close ranks around their evicted Presbyterian ministers. But disobedience comes at a high price, and Alex becomes increasingly nervous as to what her Matthew is risking by his support of the clandestine ministers – foremost amongst them the charismatic Sandy Peden. 

Privately, Alex considers Sandy an enervating fanatic and all this religious fervour is  incomprehensible to her. So when Matthew repeatedly sets his faith and ministers before his own safety, he puts their marriage under severe strain. 

Things are brought to a head when Matthew places all their lives in the balance to save his dear preacher from the dragoons. How much is Matthew willing to risk? How much will he ultimately lose?

Anna Belfrage 

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About the Author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England.  Her Castilian Heart is the third in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In the second instalment, The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain. This latest release finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain! Anna has also authored The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode!  All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards. Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com and find her on Facebook, Twitter @abelfrageauthor and Bluesky @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Fern Flower, by Kathleen Shoop

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Russia 1908-1917: Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child.

Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turns its gaze to river bends and forest floors in search of the legendary Fern Flower—a mythical bloom said to grant fortune, power, and the deepest desires of the heart. Only one person had ever found it.

Until Mila.

Years later, in the fading grandeur of Petrograd, Mila and her friends slip into the fabled Stray Dog Café, once the sanctuary of Russia’s most daring artists and dreamers. Inspired by its ghosts, murals, and memories, Mila's group resurrects the work she'd first imagined as a child. The Fern Flower is a breathtaking ballet drawn from folklore, magic, and the secrets of Mila’s past.

But in the fiercely competitive ranks of the Imperial Ballet School, talent is never enough. Though Mila wrote the ballet and her gifted musician friend composed its score, rivals question whether Mila is worthy of claiming the coveted lead role.

As World War I intensifies and revolution ignites, the Russia Mila knows begins to collapse. Family secrets surface, loyalties are tested, and the people she loves begin to disappear. When her parents flee and her young brother’s life hangs in the balance, Mila is faced with an impossible choice: remain with the found family who helped her chase her dreams or risk everything to save the person who needs her most.

With Russian folklore, imperial grandeur, and the fierce beauty of ballet, The Fern Flower is a sweeping tale of ambition, friendship, sacrifice, and the magic that survives even when the world is falling apart.

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About the Author

Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, PhD’s novels have won awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom and has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide. She co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and co-coordinated the 2023 Pennwriters Conference.  She frequently teaches and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers. Find out more at Kathleen's website: http://kshoop.com and find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter / X @kathieshoop and Bluesky @kathleenshoop.bsky.social

Book Launch Spotlight: Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History, by Lucy Worsley

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Lucy Worsley has lived and breathed royal history for more than twenty years. As Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, she worked in some of Britain's most famous royal sites, from Hampton Court to the Tower of London, and even lived in one of them herself. Now she takes us behind closed doors to reveal some of the monarchy's best-kept secrets.

In Queens and Kings, Lucy brings to life the rulers who have shaped Britain over the last thousand years, from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II. What emerges is a royal world far stranger, funnier and more surprising than we might think: of intimate love letters, phantom pregnancies, unruly pet monkeys and fatal betrayals. Venturing through haunted staircases and into private bedchambers, she finds the details that make history feel gloriously human.

With her trademark warmth and incisive scholarship, Lucy explores the full splendour, scandal and sorrow of royal life. The result is a wildly engaging history of the monarchy from one of our most beloved historians.

'Warm, insightful, and full of heart, Worsley has distilled a lifetime of experience into this crowning achievement of a book.' HALLIE RUBENHOLD

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About the Author 

Dr Lucy Worsley was Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the charity which looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, and other historic places. Her first paid employment after studying history at Oxford was at a minor stately home called Milton Manor, near Abingdon, where she fed the llamas. After that she became an Inspector of Ancient Monuments at English Heritage, doing historical research at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire: this led to her first book, 'Cavalier', about a dissolute Royalist duke. Her work as a curator at Kensington Palace led to 'Courtiers', which was followed by 'If Walls Could Talk', 'A Very British Murder', and her first historical novel for young readers, 'Eliza Rose', which is set at the Tudor court.for young readers, 'Eliza Rose', which is set at the Tudor court. For more information visit Lucy's website www.lucyworsley.com and find her on Twitter @Lucy_Worsley and Bluesky @lucyworsley.bsky.social

Book Launch Spotlight: The Goddess Queen: The sweeping historical novel by Alice Roberts

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

QUEEN OF EGYPT. WARRIOR OF ROME. THE FATE OF AN EMPIRE.

The Roman Republic is crumbling, torn apart by rivalries. Egypt is a wellspring of wealth, but its rulers have squandered their advantage and ended up hopelessly indebted to the protection racket that called itself Rome.

Now a woman, as Pharaoh, has a chance to reclaim what Egypt has lost. And a disgraced Roman commander has his chance to reclaim his sword and wield it to build an empire unlike anything the world had seen.

Their stories collide in a maelstrom of ancient history, high politics and power. This is the story of Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen who confronted and contested the power of Rome. And Antonius, the soldier who might be her salvation or her downfall.

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About the Author

Professor Alice Roberts is an academic, author and broadcaster. Best known for her  programmes and write books about human anatomy, physiology, evolution, archaeology and history, she is a medical doctor, and went on to become a university lecturer. and Professor of Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham. Find out more at Alice's webssite https://www.alice-roberts.co.uk and you van also find her on Facebook and Twitter @theAliceRoberts