I’m so excited and pleased to announce not just one thrilling piece of news, but three!

Drum roll….

Thrilling News #1:

I have been invited to speak before the Battle of Worcester Society on September 1st on the subject of the Royalist Highwayman, Captain James Hind.

Highwaymen, and especially 17th century highwaymen, have been a fascination for me for many years. It should come as no surprise that the hero in my ms Traitor’s Knot is a highwayman (you should have been surprised if he was not).

To say that I’m thrilled to be included in the Battle of Worcester Society’s Civil War Nights for 2016 is an understatement. The talk will be held at the Commandery in Worcester, which was the Royalist headquarters during the final battle of the English Civil War on September 3, 1651. As you can see, I’ll be there delivering my talk, the Royalist Highwayman, just two days before the 365th anniversary of that momentous battle. Check out the blog post, the Royalist Highwayman, that was originally written for the English Historical Fiction Author’s blog.

If you will be around the Worcester area on September 1st, I’d love to see you there. For more details, please check out the Battle of Worcester Society’s Events page.

Here is a slideshow I created about the Commandery during my last visit.

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Thrilling News #2:

Traitor’s Knot has been selected as a finalist in the Romance Through the Ages contest in its category (Ancient/Medieval/Renaissance). I haven’t stopped beaming since learning the news. Here’s the official announcement: 2016 Romance Through the Ages contest.

It’s a huge honour to be selected as a finalist, and I’d like to thank the Hearts Through History Romance Writers for running this contest. It takes a great deal of hard work to put something like this together. If I get no further than being a finalist, I will still consider this a big win. Congratulations to the other finalists!

I owe a huge round of thanks to my critique group and beta readers who have given me the gift of their valuable feedback; to the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) and their New Writers Scheme for their mentorship and encouragement; to Barbara Kyle  for her master classes and manuscript review; and to editor Jenny Quinlan, who I’m currently working with to bring this novel home.

Thrilling News #3:

The Writers’ Community of Durham Region (WCDR) recently honoured me with the Len Cullen Scholarship for 2016. The WCDR offers their members scholarship opportunities each year, and this was one of two top awards. This year I’m fortunate to have been selected for one of the top awards along with fellow historical writer and poet, Sally Moore.

The WCDR is not just a writing group. When I first stumbled on them six years ago, I had this image of a small group of writers, cradling their tea and coffee while sharing their stories. My first breakfast meeting (A.B. Funkhauser came with me for company and ended up joining on the spot), revealed a vibrant organization of 275+ strong, featuring exceptional guest speakers and numerous workshop opportunities. In the twenty years since they started, the WCDR has always lived up to their mission statement: encouraging writers at all levels, offering support, education and networking.

This is truly a unique organization, and I’m grateful for them. Writing does not have to be a solitary act.

And thank you everyone who has followed my blog and shared my articles. Your interest and encouragement is warmly appreciated.