Virginia Crow's Blog: Crowvus Book Blog

 After the loss of NaNoWriMo, it did not take the Crowvus writers long to realise how much we relied on this structured routine for our writing. For me, November had become the only time I was guaranteed to do creative writing. In fact - if truth be told - I've done very little at any other point of the year. Consequently, we decided to adapt to our own interpretation: Cro(w)NoWriMo - the W is in brackets because there was some discrepancy over whether or not it should be in there.

The rules were...

This blog contains spoilers!

Downton Abbey spawned such a high degree of loving obsession from people around the world that it would seem wrong if it never featured in this blog series. 

We were late arrivals to it: by the time we were catching up, there had already been three series and their associated Christmas Specials. Everybody knew that Matthew died in a car accident at the most inopportune moment possible, and that the lovely Lady Sybil died in childbirth. I do wonder how differently I wou...

 Today for #HistFicThursdays, I am so pleased to be hosting Fred Raymond Goldman with his latest book, A Virtuoso in America, as part of The Coffee Pot Book Club's book tour. Read on to enjoy an excerpt from this fabulous book!

First of all, let's meet the book...

How do you reconcile a decision you made in the past when the world erupts in war, threatening the life of someone you love and believe you were protecting?

Adrian Mazurek immigrated to the United States from Krakow, Poland, 14 years ago ...

 

For today's #HistFicThursdays blog, I am thrilled to be welcoming Samantha Ward-Smith to the blog with a guest post about her latest book Ravenscourt, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour! Read on to find out about the inspiration for her novel, and how she brought Ravenscourt into the Gothic tradition.

But first, let's meet the book...

Blurb

He wanted to be gone from the dark enclosing room, with its mocking misery, to be gone from this house of nightmares, of shattered dreams, and discovered...

 Today for #HistFicThursdays, I am delighted to be hosting Erryn Lee with her new book, What Remains, as part of The Coffee Pot Book Club's book tour. Read on to enjoy an excerpt from this fabulous book!

First of all, let's meet the book...

What Remains is a haunting dual-timeline mystery that bridges centuries-and secrets-between ancient Rome and the modern world.

Forensic anthropologist Tori Benino has just landed the opportunity of a lifetime: leading a dig at a long-buried Roman village lost to...

 My brief for this blog was to make it spooky - it being nearly Halloween. I then trawled the internet for the best historical spooky tv series and found one - The Living and the Dead - which really piqued my interest. The main character, played by Colin Morgan of Merlin fame, is a farmer who is driven to explore what happens after death. It was made for the BBC in 2016.

Unfortunately, for some reason I have not been able to fathom, it is not available on iPlayer. So, there went that idea.

That le...

For today's #HistFicThursdays blog, I am thrilled to be welcoming Rosemary Griggs to the blog with a guest post about her latest book Mistress of Dartington Hall, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour! Read on to find out about her strong female character in what is largely thought of as a male world.

But first, let's meet the book...

Blurb

1587. England is at war with Spain. The people of Devon wait in terror for King Philip of Spain’s mighty armada to unleash untold devastation on their land. ...

 Well, this is the last #HistFicThursday blog before I launch Beneath A Darkening Sky at an event in Thurso on Monday 13th. Shame it couldn't be a Friday 13th, but we can't have everything!

One thing is for certain: October is the spookiest month. And not just because we have Halloween. Halloween could be a day later and October would still be the spookiest month...

Look at how the light retreats at this time of the year: up here, the seasons' turning drains away the daylight at a rate of 2.5hours...

"The Spirit of Loughmoe Abbey"
by Megan Wynne
Plot

Gwen is supposed to be home-schooled but her mum's mental health problems mean she isn't receiving any schooling. When it is clear that her mum needs hospital treatment to recover, Gwen is sent to an unusual boarding school where students are helped to communicate with spirits. While there, she is confronted with an unsettling truth about her past.

Review

I read this book in a day, so that is always a good sign! I really enjoyed the mix of normal and...

 With global events reaching a boiling point, I've been thinking quite a lot about what makes a hero or heroine. Because it's an historical fiction blog, that's what I'm focussing on, but I'm pretty sure these thoughts can pass over onto other genres too.

The first thing is that the hero/ine does not have to be the main character. Tolkien said that Samwise Gamgee was the real hero of The Lord of the Rings (which can hardly come as a shock to anyone who has read it) but he was not the main - or ev...