Elizabeth St.John

I’m so delighted to say we have appointed Sanders Web Works to help us build out Project Archive – an incredible endeavour locating, documenting, curating and digitising 1000 years of Lydiard history. Here’s a link to the announcement, and look for regular updates as we bring this wonderful initiative to life.

https://www.friendsoflydiardpark.org.uk/news/local-company-to-build-lydiards-project-archive/

The Danish King’s Enemy
(The Earls of Mercia)
By MJ Porter
Every story has a beginning.
Leofwine has convinced his king to finally face his enemies in battle and won a great victory, but in the meantime, events have spiralled out of control elsewhere.
With the death of Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, England has lost an ally, and Leofwine has gained an enemy. And not just any enemy. Swein is the king of Denmark, and he has powerful resources at his fingertips.
In a unique position with the king, Leofwine is either honoured or disrespected. Yet, it is to Leofwine that the king turns to when an audacious attack is launched against the king’s mother and his children. But Leofwine’s successes only bring him more under the scrutiny of King Swein of Denmark, and his own enemies at the king’s court.
With an increase in Raider attacks, it is to Leofwine that the king turns once more. However, the king has grown impatient with his ealdorman, blaming him for Swein’s close scrutiny of the whole of England. Can Leofwine win another victory for his king, or does he risk losing all that he’s gained?
The Danish King’s Enemy is the second book in the epic Earls of Mercia series charting the last century of Early England, as seen through the eyes of Ealdorman Leofwine, the father of Earl Leofric, later the Earl of Mercia, and ally of Lady Elfrida, England’s first queen.

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MJ Porter is an author of fantasy (Viking age/dragon-themed) and historical fiction (Early English, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest), born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since AD1066.
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Today’s Author Chats features an intriguing glimpse into the shady London underworld — a terrifying assailant roaming the streets one hundred years before Jack the Ripper. Best-selling author Donna Scott shares her inspiration for writing such a dark and thrilling history, along with some of her literary pilgrimages and favourite authors. Come and join our fascinating chat!

Donna Scott | New Release | The London Monster

I’ve made all my short stories free, and you can download them from Amazon US, possibly other worldwide sites if Amazon cooperates, or my website. A little escape from reality, if just for a few minutes. Enjoy!
“When the man you love falls for the sister you hate, dinner in the Tower is the least of your problems, and war interrupts the path of true love.”
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Join me on Author Chats today where I interview MJ Porter and her fascinating world of pre-1066 historical fiction (with a dash of fantasy). She shares the joy and complexities of like-named characters–Swein, Svein, Sven and Swegn for starters– and how she learned not to agonize over first drafts.

MJ Porter | Vikings, Fantasy and Historical Fiction

Kathryn Gauci, critically acclaimed author of The Carpet Weaver of Usak and The Embroiderer, among other great historical fiction novels, stops by Author Chats today to talk about her new release, The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac, and the extraordinarily detailed research she undertakes for her novels. Two and a half months in the French countryside, anyone?

Kathryn Gauci | New Release | The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac

So happy to invite Margaret Porter to tea and chat today, for it’s been a while since we were at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Maryland, and I love catching up and seeing what fascinating work she’s up to. On this visit, I’m excited to learn more about Margaret’s beautifully refreshed Islanders series set in London and the Isle of Man during the eighteenth century. Hop on over and find out more about this fascinating setting, Margaret’s literary pilgrimages and some of her favourite books.
Author Chats | Margaret Porter

I’m delighted to be chatting with my friend Jane today on Author Chats. We share a love of 17th century rogues, and I had the pleasure of spending a day exploring Oxford colleges with Jane during a Historical Novel Society conference several years ago. Today, Jane shares her love of thrillers, continent and century-hopping, and how she crafted her most recent novel, a darkly humourous whodunnit set in England during WWII.
J.G. Harlond Author Chat