Special Giveaway: Traitor’s Knot

To celebrate the release of my debut novel, Traitor’s Knot, I’m offering 6 chances to win a paperback copy of the book! Here’s how you can enter: Pop on over to the English Historical Fiction Authors Blog (EHFA) and enter a comment with your contact details for a chance to win one paperback copy. The Giveaway starts on Monday July 3rd and runs until midnight Pacific Time on Sunday July 9, 2017. Click here to enter. Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for one of 5 paperback copies! This giveaway runs from July 5th to August 5, 2017. Here’s how to enter. Goodreads…

The Loyal Comptons

May 30, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: Banbury · Colchester · Commission of Array · Compton · Compton Wynyates · Earl of Northampton · English Historical Fiction Authors · godly cavalier · Hopton Heath · Sealed Knot · Sir John Gell · Spencer Compton · Warwickshire3 Comments

The following article was originally written for the English Historical Fiction Authors blog and published February 2015. If you enjoy English history and haven’t visited the blog, check out the EHFA site here. The English Civil War was a time of divided loyalties, where brother fought against brother and neighbours faced each other on a bloody field. But there was one Royalist family that was united in their staunch loyalty to the King: The Comptons. The Comptons had estates in Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire, and Compton Wynyates, in Warwickshire. Spencer Compton was the 2nd Earl of Northampton, born in 1601 and educated at Cambridge. In 1622,…

The Fifth Monarchists

May 9, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: 17th century · 17th century enthusiast · Allhallows Church · Barebones Parliament · Charles Stuart · Commonwealth · English Civil War · English Historical Fiction Authors · Fifth Monarchists · Millennium · Oliver Cromwell · Parliament of Saints · Regicides · Rump Parliament · Thomas HarrisonLeave a comment

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…

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…