Traitor’s Knot: Happy Publication Day!

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World, I am very proud to present my debut novel, Traitor’s Knot! After years of crafting this story, nurturing and polishing it through various edits, I finally release it to the universe. There’s nothing like this exhilaration! In the words of a 17th century poet, no man is an island. This is especially true for a writer. It is only through the support and encouragement of family and friends that this journey has been possible. I would like to thank everyone who cared enough to offer their honest feedback over the years–everyone who believed in me and the story that I wanted…

Mercurius Istoria

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Here Ye! Here Ye! A new broadsheet is born! Hot off the presses. The 17th century saw an explosion of printing and in particular the publication of newspapers, the most popular being Mercuius Politicus. In that tradition, I have started my own broadsheet. Mercurius Istoria is a monthly newsletter offering the subscriber a brief flavour of my news, interesting historical links and images. Subscribe now and receive Mercurius Istoria by email. You don’t even need to find an urchin on a street corner hawking a copy. Delivered straight to your inbox. The December edition is now available. Click here to view.    …

The Winter King, The Queen of Hearts, and the Thirty Years War

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I have the pleasure of welcoming historical fiction author, Laura Libricz, whose novels take place in 17th century Germany. On June 10th, she is re-releasing The Master and the Maid, the first novel of her Heaven’s Pond trilogy. Today, Laura introduces us to the Thirty Years War, that took place in the beginning of the 17th century in Central Europe. The events of the Thirty Years War had a profound effect on European and English History; many of the later English Civil War leaders received their training during this time. But in the beginning, there was the Winter King and the Queen…

The Fifth Monarchists

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Given the talk about government policies and reform that is currently gripping the U.S, I thought it timely to repost an article about England’s Parliamentary struggles following the English Civil War. The following article was originally written for the English Historical Fiction Authors blog and published January 2015. If you enjoy English history and haven’t visited the blog, check out the EHFA site here. It was not all daffodils and roses for the new Commonwealth following the English Civil War. The tide that had carried Parliament to victory, surging them forward with the promise of a new society, became stagnant. Though…

Classicism vs Naturalism: French and Dutch art in the 17th century

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As a special treat, I turn my blog over to Annie Whitehead, indieBRAG honouree and author of Alvar the Kingmaker and To Be A Queen. Annie’s novels are set during the Early Medieval period, but her knowledge of history extends centuries beyond her chosen era to include the 17th century. In this article, she illuminates the differences between two opposing artistic traditions of the 17th century, Classicism and Naturalism. Enjoy!  Artistically, the period of Richelieu and Mazarin saw the rise of French Classicism. Patronage of the arts was strong; Fouquet (the Superintendent of Finances in France), in particular used his money with exceptional taste. He gathered round…