Creating Characters: An Author’s Inspiration #writingtips #creativity #writerslife

Ask a writer if their characters are real, and they will probably say, “Define real.” Characters are real in every sense, except being flesh-and-blood. They become a writer’s constant companion even when the writer isn’t hunched over a computer screen tapping furiously away. See that faraway look in a writer’s eye when you’re talking to them? They’re probably thinking about these characters and what they’ll put them through next. So how do these characters walk into a writer’s life and become as immediate as flesh-and-blood friends? Are they constructed through a writing exercise or is there an organic method to…

Prince Rupert of the Rhine: Pirate Prince of the Caribbean #17thCentury #StuartAge

One of the most dashing and iconic figures of the War of the Three Kingdoms is Prince Rupert of the Rhine. The son of Frederick V, Elector of Palatine, and Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James VI of England, he fought for King Charles I’s against Parliament. The force and swiftness of his cavalry charge usually struck terror in the Parliamentarians (although it could have been more disciplined). To this day, portraits of Rupert still causes hearts to flutter.  While Rupert is mostly known as a Royalist cavalry commander, he did enjoy a brief sojourn as a Pirate Prince, sailing…

The Life of Indentured Servants in Colonial Barbados

The English Commonwealth in 1651 had a challenge on their hands. During the third English Civil War, their commander Oliver Cromwell defeated the forces of Charles Stuart (the future King Charles II) first at Dunbar, and then precisely a year later, at Worcester. But Parliament was left with a pressing concern: What to do with the thousands of Scottish prisoners that they had captured?  Catch and release, even with exacting a promise not to raise arms against them again, wasn’t a viable option, and Parliament didn’t have the resources to keep thousands of Scottish prisoners indefinitely. After the Battle of…

Severed Knot is available on NetGalley – News for #bookbloggers #bookreviewers #SeveredKnot #NetGalley

If you are a book blogger or a book reviewer and enjoy historical fiction or historical romance, this announcement is for you! Severed Knot is available on NetGalley for the next month. If you are a NetGalley user and are willing to provide an honest review, request an ARC copy of Severed Knot today. Read it before everyone else does. To request your ARC, click on the image below. Thanks for reading!

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…