Severed Knot: #NewRelease Coming Soon

At long last, my second novel, Severed Knot, is ready to hit online shelves on June 7th! You can pre-order the eBook of this romantic historical adventure through online retailers: Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Google Play, Apple Books, and for those in Australia, Angus & Robertson. The paperback will also be available online through all the same retailers. Severed Knot follows Iain Johnstone, a Scottish moss-trooper and officer in Charles Stuart’s Royalist army. Iain first appeared in Traitor’s Knot with his company of moss-troopers when he tried to steal horses from James Hart, a highwayman. Iain Johnstone always had a great deal of cheek (still…

Battle of Worcester Society

October 28, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: NewsTags: Battle of Worcester · Battle of Worcester Society · Captain James Hind · King Charles II · Oliver Cromwell · Traitor's Knot5 Comments

I had the pleasure and honour of speaking before the Battle of Worcester Society for their Civil War Night series. The talk happened on September 1st, two days before the 365th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, the final engagement of the English Civil War. As well, BBC Radio Hereford Worcester interviewed me on the subject of my talk and aired the interview in the evening before the event. The subject of my talk was Captain James Hind, a Royalist Highwayman who fought for King Charles II. Captain Hind managed to escape the battlefield and elude Parliamentary soldiers who were beating the…

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…

Happy Anniversary, Dear Blog

September 3, 2015August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: Anniversary · Battle of Dunbar · Battle of Worcester · Charles Stuart · Durham · Oliver Cromwell · Oliver Cromwell's death mask2 Comments

A year ago, I launched this site. Happy Anniversary Blog! We’ve had a lovely year together, exploring 17th Century history while musing about history and storytelling in general. I was a little nervous about how we would get on. Was I taking on too much of a commitment? Would I be shackled to the computer, checking stats and worrying if I could keep up the stream of postings my blog might expect? I didn’t have to worry after all. It’s a been a rewarding year. I want to thank all the visitors to my blog this past year–all 2,000 of you!…

The Start

July 23, 2015August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: Battle of Worcester · Charles Stuart · Escape of King Charles II · The Duke of Buckingham · The Start4 Comments

Following the execution of his father by Parliament in 1649, Charles Stuart (later Charles II) was a king without a throne. He scanned the dance floor for likely partners to help him reclaim his crown, but France, Spain and the Netherlands were taking turns examining the potted plants. There were no takers until Scotland stepped forward and motioned to the orchestra. It was a slow and hesitating waltz, broken by alternate periods of negotiation and stubbornness on both sides. Scotland was looking for a Covenanted king, one who would uphold Presbyterianism across the three kingdoms (Scotland, England and Ireland). Reluctantly Charles agreed, and…