Books are like buses. I spend a year or more writing then 3 books get published at the same time! Coming on June 17th - exclusive short stories from 15 authors. 'Courage' !

Our Foreword Festival UK merch has arrived! Mugs and tote bags will be on sale at our book fairs in Eye on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June. Supplies are limited – don't miss out! (We love them!! ❤️) forewordfestival.uk 📚💙

♥️ ♥️ with thanks to Tim Hardie ♥️ ♥️

Earth Wounds: Creative Explorations of Viking Age Funerary Customs www.medievalists.net/2026/05/eart... #Vikings #newbooks

How Short Stories Actually Hold Entire Lifetimes and Why It's Important alluringcreations.co.za/wp/how-short...

Real life - this is where you go to chat about memoirs!

In a month's time I'm heading for Shetland. My 70th birthday present delayed because of the heart op. I'll visit @shetlandlibrary.bsky.social of course & if @judithjesch.bsky.social will be there, message me. Photos, soul time, otters, seascapes, Vikings & serendipitous happenstance are the plan!

This dropped on my kindle today as I collect some holiday reading I know I will enjoy. NEW in the Roma Nova series - and I've read all the others. Very enjoyable mix of alt history and thriller - always a smooth read.

Read it, enjoyed and reviewed!

You can’t fool me, that’s a roundabout.

Remembering the late great KURT VONNEGUT who left us 19yrs ago today.

I know you don't want to send to France but I have people in the UK! Can't wait to read this!

10) So what do I bring to this as a novelist? With the freedom of fiction, I added the women's stories. One name in the saga is now a person. I wrote in NOT just the jarls or people in power but thralls and foreigners on the #Viking voyages. Al-Idrisi and Anna Komnene.

7) Interesting which old words are kept & which changed. For my novels I chose Harald, Yule & older place names. But Sweyn (my spelling) still rubs his nose! And before writing 'With Raven Wine' I read the 2025 translation from #Vikings expert @judithjesch.bsky.social whose other books I'd read.

1) Geekie #medievalhistory #Orkney I've read 3 English translation versions of Orkneyinga Saga now - so different! 1873 version Jon A Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie (Project Gutenberg). Great background info, stodgy, literal, obscure, with hidden gems and terrible poems. Good footnotes & old place names

Let's talk #Vikings #medieval My Midwinter Dragon series is finished! A 4-book re-imagining of the 12thC part of the Orkneyinga Saga starts in 'The Ring Breaker' - FREE now for a limited time so grab your copy www.books2read.com/Orkneyjar But #HistFic novels need real history & historians! ...

They truly do not make royal commemorative wares like they used to Bring back the hand-painted tankards with nips out, you cowards www.bonhams.com/auction/3224...

I'm back. My heart op finally happened on Feb 4th & I now have two plastic valves working hard. Amazing surgery! I finished the LAST Midwinter Dragons novel while waiting for the op (5 changes of date) so prepare for 12th C Orkney Vikings & book news! Oh and I'm BACK!!!!

Congratulations to @judithjesch.bsky.social on Publication Day! I have organised a copy as a birthday present to be carried person-post by one of the offspring from the UK to me in France, when possible. SO looking forward to this but my heart op will be in December so projects on hold till after.

I dropped in to check for news and this popped up - lovely news!! Congratulations!

Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that I married Emily in Stardew Valley.

Top 50 Masterpieces of Medieval Literature www.medievalists.net/2024/09/top-... #MedievalLiterature

I'm going to a party and you're all invited! This will be my last social event for a while as I need a heart operation so will be stepping out for a bit... and will be bionic when I return.

We got a lovely email from one of our USA visitors. 🙂 A good time to remind everyone we offer temporary memberships if you are only in Shetland for a short time - and that we have lovely staff!.

some #GoodNews FATE is #CoffeePotBookClub #BookOfTheMonth! authors @alisonmorton.bsky.social @anniehistory.bsky.social @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social @debbieyoung.bsky.social @elizabethstjohn.bsky.social @writerjeangill.bsky.social & me & 3 others thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/08/book...

Only a Grave Will Do was @esmayrosalyne.bsky.social's book of the month!

Want to know a bit more about my writing life? I thoroughly enjoyed this recent interview with Christina Boyd www.thequillink.com/post/intervi...

#WIPSnips Today, we find out that the tradition of witch-burning has its origins in burning the evil Gullveig/Freya at a stake because she liked gold too much. (This is, for once, accurate #NorseMythology) #WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks book II www.whyodindrinks.com

It was a great interview - I loved it!

And there I was hoping for peace & quiet!

#OTD the feast day of St Eadburh of Bicester, reputed to be the daughter of Penda of Mercia. She's in my book Women of Power and she features as a child in Cometh the Hour and as an abbess in The Sins of the Father: viewauthor.at/Annie-Whiteh...

Apparently, this is the Kassel Hand, one of 35 such surviving prosthetics from the time ...

The Faroe Islands have a unique summer tradition where a large rock in Sandur is yarn-bombed by local women, inspired by a local legend about a "Troll Woman's cave"...... #WomensArt

“It is funny how few people are actually capable of wrapping their head around the fact that we have now just made it so computers can lie to you.”

Hello! I was told that a lot of people with an interest in the Scots language and books had migrated over here… In case you don’t know me already, my name’s Emma Grae and I’m a Scots language author, journalist and advocate. Ah scrive fur bairns, young adults and adults - awbody! ☺️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The incomparable @jannywurts.bsky.social has reviewed While Darkness Gathers! “Highly recommended for readers who enjoy John Gwynne, with a lively flavor of Norse and Old English blended with kingdoms with varied cultural roots.” The full review on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...

Last of the ten stories in 'Fate', in order but not in enjoyment, a fun read from Cosy Queen @debbieyoung.bsky.social I loved the ending and there's a top tip for stealing cakes... take a sneak peek at the beginning here www.elizabethjstjohn.com/guest-author... #fatestories

Today's treat, especially for those who love the #Tudors, especially the behind-the-scenes Tudors, is a sneak peek at J.P.Reedman's story. Read the opening here! www.elizabethjstjohn.com/guest-author... #FateStories

Proper formatting enhances the reader experience. You've cooked up a great story, now lay it out for a reader's consumption. Let us FORMAT your manuscript for eBook, Paperback or Hardcover. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ thebookkhaleesi.com/... Get in touch! @eevalancaster #formatting #publishing

Step into the Viking Age and discover the stories of raiders, traders, and explorers—start learning now! 🛶✨ medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/the-... #Vikings

Happiness is a good helmet

Treat for the day! You can read the opening of 'Beware the Crows' by @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social a VERY disturbing and powerful story, not suitable for bedtime. Hey - you've been warned! It's in the title! www.elizabethjstjohn.com/guest-author... #FateStories

L'entente cordiale avec des souris/sourires)

Today I witnessed two Springboks clash, horns locked in silent defiance. Ritual. Instinct. Survival. My new release ⚜️WHEN SECRETS BLOOM🌿 is no different. Old loyalties collide. Truth charges forward. Only one can remain standing. mybook.to/wsb #mystery #medieval #look4books #sawitfirst #99c #77p

Behind the scenes of her story with @anniehistory.bsky.social 'My tale is of refugees, of conquered territories, of strangers not being accepted, of violence and prejudice, of ‘never again’ becoming ‘yes, again’. #FateStories alisonmortonauthor.com/2025/07/10/t... @alisonmorton.bsky.social

❀༻Books Worth Reading༺❀ Read with #KindleUnlimited 💙📚 Each novel is priced at just 0.99c /99p 1-15th July, 2025 ✩*•.The Lydiard Chronicles By Elizabeth St.John`*:.☆ maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-... #BooksWorthReading #BookOfTheDay #HistoricalFiction @elizabethstjohn.bsky.social

Yes, you can get my books here.

Just in case you've missed any of the blogs and story excerpts related to 'Fate' our multi-author anthology - how is that possible? - there's a very useful round-up here on Helen Hollick's blog ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2025/07/fate... #FateStories

THIS is why it's hard to convey the sophistication of the original and why a novelist (that would be me) translates from the translation to get the feel! It's as if a novel was written entirely in Times cryptic crossword clues.

The Bluffer's Guide to Becoming a Famous Alchemist - R. Marsden's story in 'Fate' Get a sneak peek at the opening HERE www.elizabethjstjohn.com/guest-author... #FateStories