When Puritans made sex illegal

On 10 May 1651, Parliament passed “An Act for suppressing the detestable sins of Incest, Adultery and Fornication” which made such acts (forgive the pun) a felony. They made sex outside marriage illegal. “For the suppressing of the abominable and crying sins of Incest, Adultery and Fornication, wherewith this Land is much defiled, and Almighty God highly displeased” * But the government did show a little mercy. While the Act was enacted on 10 May, it was to be in effect on 20 June 1651. That was at least thoughtful of the lawmakers to give people fair warning. I can only imagine what was happening…

Don’t speak to Bob

March 21, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: WritingTags: 17th century enthusiast · As you know Bob · character driven dialogue · English Civil War · historical fiction · lazy writing · story pet peeves · tips for historical fiction · Traitor's Knot · Worcester13 Comments

Just don’t. Trust me, no one wants to hear that conversation. Ask my critique group, I have no tolerance for him. Who’s Bob? You know Bob—every writer knows Bob, but historical fiction writers know him best. Bob is the gate crasher, the unwanted guest who always brings down the party, only instead of hanging out at the bar and being obnoxious, Bob hangs out in a story with the protagonist taking on the role as tiresome wingman. At first, it’s all fun and games. Our hero is happy—no relieved—when Bob shows up. Finally the opportunity to trot out his knowledge of…

A moment in time: Scotland declares for Charles II

February 5, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: 17th century · English Civil War · King Charles II · Proclamation of Charles II · Scottish ParliamentLeave a comment

On this day in 1649, following the execution of his father Charles I, the Scots Parliament proclaimed Charles II King of Great Britain, France and Ireland. The catch was that he had to take up the Covenant and declare Presbyterianism as the official religion in Ireland and England. “wee, the estats of parlement of the kingdome of Scotland, doe thairfor most unanimouslie and cheerfullie, in recognisence and acknowledgement of his just right, title and successioun to the croune of these kingdomes, heereby proclaime and declare to all the world that the said lord and prince Charles is by the providence…

Today on the EHFA: The Banqueting House

February 2, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th century · NewsTags: Inigo Jones · King Charles I · King James I · Peter Paul Rubens · The Banqueting House1 Comment

Today I can be found on the English Historical Fiction Authors blog (EHFA) taking you on a tour of Whitehall’s Banqueting House. To access my article, click here! I’ll be back on February 5th with another instalment of A Moment In Time. Stay tuned.

Storytelling makes us human

January 24, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: CreativityTags: Creativity · Featured · fiction · Human condition · storytelling · Ted Talks · Writing8 Comments

Have you ever wondered what makes us special? I recently watched a Ted Talk, by Yuval Noah Harari, What explains the rise of humans, where he explores the basic question about what makes us human. Chimpanzees are our closest relative, sharing 99% of our DNA, and yet we are as different to them as the sun is to the moon. Why? According to Harari, humans differ from other animals because we can cooperate in large numbers and with great flexibility. How do we do this? Through our imagination. Animals use their language to describe objective reality; in contrast, humans exist in a “dual reality” consisting…