Exploring Murder in Anglo-Saxon England

It is always a pleasure to welcome Annie Whitehead to this blog. Annie is an acclaimed historical fiction author and Anglo Saxon historian. I have learned so much about Anglo Saxon times from first reading her historical fiction novels and then diving into her non-fiction. Murder in Anglo Saxon England: Justice, Wergild, Revenge is Annie’s latest non-fiction release, and she’s graciously agreed to share one of the stories that are featured in the book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Welcome Annie!

A Day in the Life of an Anglo-Saxon Settlement

September 29, 2021October 8, 2021 Categories: Author SpotlightsTags: Anglo Saxon history · Annie Whitehead · Life in a mead hall · Life in Anglo-Saxon times · The Sins of the Father5 Comments

It is my very great pleasure to welcome historian and historical fiction author Annie Whitehead once again to my blog. Annie’s writing is an absolute joy to read. Her prose is lyrical, and she gets deep into the Anglo-Saxon world in which she writes. Whenever I read any of her stories, I can’t help but feel that I’m sitting in a mead hall. Her characters come to us from the Anglo-Saxon chronicles, and she lifts them from their dusty pages to bring them to life. Annie has just released her 4th historical novel, The Sins of the Father, which is…

Introducing BETRAYAL – Historical Fiction Anthology #histfic @HistFictioneers

November 20, 2020November 19, 2020 Categories: historical fiction · NewsTags: Alison Morton · Amy Maroney · Anna Belfrage · Annie Whitehead · Betrayal · Betrayal anthology · Charlene Newcomb · Cryssa Bazos · Derek Birks · Elizabeth St. John · Helen Hollick · historical fiction anthology · Historical Fictioneers · Judith Arnopp · Mercedes Rochelle · Tony Riches · Traitor's KnotLeave a comment

I’m very excited to announce the launch of Betrayal, a historical fiction anthology that I have the honour of being a part of with my story “Honour of Thieves”. Spanning eras from post-Roman Britain to the present day, the stories in Betrayal bring to life both legendary moments of deceit as well as imagined episodes of treachery. You’ll encounter highwaymen, knights, pirates, soldiers and even ordinary people, caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Collectively, these stories illustrate multiple facets of betrayal. Under the banner of Historical Fictioneers, the authors of Betrayal include myself, Judith Arnopp, Anna Belfrage, Derek Birks, Helen Hollick, Amy Maroney,…

Giving voice to women of the past

July 6, 2017August 19, 2019 Categories: Author SpotlightsTags: Aethelflaed · Anglo Saxon · Annie Whitehead · Dame Hilary Mantel · Empowering women · historical fiction · history · Mercia · To Be a Queen · Writing14 Comments

A recent interview by Dame Hilary Mantel, of Wolf Hall fame, has generated a number of discussions in the historical fiction community on how women have been portrayed in the past. Dame Mantel went on to say women writers who write about women in the past “can’t resist retrospectively empowering them.” The discussion got me thinking about Æthelflæd, daughter of King Albert of Wessex, who led an army of Mercians into Wales. I first learned about Æthelflæd by reading the novel To Be a Queen, written by Annie Whitehead. I loved her portrayal of Æthelflæd and found her to possess…

Spotlight: 1066 Turned Upside Down (Part 2)- Continuing the conversation

August 16, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: Author SpotlightsTags: 1066 Turned Upside Down · Alison Morton · Anna Belfrage · Annie Whitehead · Battle of Hastings · Carol McGrath · Helen Hollick · Joanna Courtney · Richard Dee · Speculative historical fiction3 Comments

On my last blog post, I featured an exciting new speculative historical fiction anthology, 1066 Turned Upside Down. I had the opportunity to chat with many of the authors about what inspired them to create this anthology. If you missed Part 1, click here to read. Today for Part 2, we continue the conversation about their writing and the anthology. Without further ado, I present Annie Whitehead, Alison Morton, Richard Dee, Carol McGrath, Anna Belfrage, and Joanna Courtney. Helen Hollick, in Part I of this blog, Annie Whitehead speculated about post-Hastings Britain if Harold had been victorious. What are your thoughts about how England…