Ann Fanshawe: Memoire of Love

I am a romantic at heart and can’t resist a good love story. Combine this with the 17th Century and this girl becomes putty. One of my favourite couples is Ann and Richard Fanshawe. There were perfectly devoted to each other and their relationship was the stuff of romance. The following article was originally written for the English Historical Fiction Authors blog and published March 2015. If you enjoy English history and haven’t visited the blog, check out the EHFA site here. Journaling became fashionable during the 17th century. Well-known diarists, such as Samuel Pepys, and John Evelyn documented the affairs…

NaNoWriMo: Welcome to the half-way mark

November 16, 2015August 19, 2019 Categories: WritingTags: NaNoWriMo · synopsis · writing tips5 Comments

We’re just past the half-way mark for NaNoWriMo, and I’m thrilled to announce that I am right on schedule. I’ve finally managed to make some decent headway into this new story. It’s still no better than a very elaborate outline, but thanks to this challenge, I have managed to thread my way through some interesting scenes that I may not have written without the NaNo dashboard to act as my beacon light. At this half-way moment, I’m starting to push past that wall of, “I can’t do this,” and want to share a light bulb moment for those out there who are…

NaNoWriMo: Day 10

November 10, 2015August 19, 2019 Categories: WritingTags: Andrew Pyper · NaNoWriMo · outllining · writing tips15 Comments

Today is day 10 of NaNoWriMo and here’s how I’m managing: 1. In an attempt to make some headway into my 50,000 goal, I’ve plucked out willy-nilly the scenes I feel like writing in the moment. I have a good idea of where my story is going, so it’s a reasonable strategy to keep the momentum going. And if Andrew Pyper advocates doing this, it’s worth a try. 2. Having given #1 a go for a few days, I want to: a. Die of frustration, and b. Poke my eyes out I have come to the conclusion that I am a linear writer and need…

The Royalist Highwayman

November 9, 2015November 19, 2020 Categories: 17th centuryTags: 17th century · Battle of Worcester · English Historical Fiction Authors · Featured · Highwayman · James HInd · Royalist highwayman7 Comments

One of the 17th century’s most infamous highwayman is Captain James Hind. Broadsheets were written about his exploits and he became a folk legend in his day which continued on after his death. Most was fiction, but all of it was highly entertaining. Not only was Captain Hind a staunch Royalist, he was quick with his wits, avoided violence whenever he could, was celebrated for his courtesy, and he had a reputation for being a Robin Hood character. It should be no surprise that he was the initial inspiration for my highwayman. Who was Captain Hind really? His exploits were…

NaNoWriMo

November 5, 2015August 19, 2019 Categories: WritingTags: Poldark · writing tips4 Comments

Non-writers may be excused if they think that NaNoWriMo refers to an old Mork and Mindy joke, but for writers, this is the acronym for National Novel Writing Month. NaNo is the challenge to write 50,000 words in a month. Even a non-writer should appreciate that this is madness. This is my second time I’ve thrown my hat in the ring, but this year I’m starting a new novel instead of finishing an existing work in progress. So, yea, this is tough. I’ve spent the lead up time to plot and plan Book 2. I’ve done my writerly exercises, character sketches, and brainstorming…