I believe that Mr Chesterfield was probably a spaniel owner. Mum disapproves wholeheartedly of me using the sofa for this purpose! #Dogs #Spaniels #Burrs #GooseGrass

Something spooky this way comes... #Gothic #October #Halloween #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Today's #HistFicThursdays blog comes from @jayzedkay.bsky.social as she explores the appeal and inspiration to be found in the local area as part of her upcoming Gothic Horror anthology. crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/hist... #ComingSoon #Caithness #GothicHorror

What dinosaur is a writer's best friend? A thesaurus. I can't take the credit / blame for this super cheesy joke! 😂 #FantasyIndiesJuly #WritingCommunity #booksky

Today, during an insane heatwave, we had a stall at Latheron Show, where the main ring attractions were pig tricks and dancing diggers. I love Caithness! #Scotland

#FantasyIndiesJuly #13 Hmm, themes... Evolving friendships is an important theme in Doorway to the Sunset. The main characters are familiar with each other from Taking Wing but now their friendships face extra challenges with a newcomer to their circle. #mglit #booksky #fantasy #adventure

🦔 Hello, little friend! 💚 #Caithness #Scotland #TrailCam #Wildlife

So, this day finally arrived 🤭 Here's today's #HistFicThursdays on older characters and why I'll be writing and editing a few more of them into my books from hereon!!! crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/hist... #HistoricalFiction #HistFic #BookBlog #SpecialDay

When life gives you sunshine (even at 4:45 in the morning), get out and make the most of it! 💚 #Sunrise #Caithness #Scotland

It's funny who you meet at Stempster in the wee small hours. 💚 #NaturePhotography #Caithness #Scotland #EarlyMorning #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography

After months of redrafting, editing and proofreading... www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/wick-te... #WritingCommunity #amreading

Today's #HistFicThursdays blog is one from @jayzedkay.bsky.social as she explores the inspiration behind another of her #GothicHorror short stories: The Curse of Heatherwell House aka Slugs crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/hist...

A great #FamilyTree weekend in Kirkintilloch! Now I have to get back into the present ahead of work tomorrow... Could be tricky!

#HistFicMay Day 31 Thank you so much to everyone who joined in this month - #HistoricalFiction writers are the best! Hopefully, I'll finally get Poisoned Pilgrimage finished, and pluck up the courage to actually publish another #HistFic book... time will tell 🤞

I think I'd quite like to go back to writing my YA historical fiction. Maybe something set a little later - I haven't attempted a historical one set after the 16th century. Thanks, @stompermcewan.com, for hosting #HistFicMay and forcing me to get my head back into writing 😂

My next Historical read is possibly going to be The Woman In Black, or possibly Witch Child. I really need to find a book for my S2 class to read 😂 #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 30 My next #HistFic book on the TBR pile is Loki's Daughter, which I was asked to review. It's not my usual time period, but the mythology slant looks quite intriguing. www.amazon.co.uk/Lokis-daught...

Time of day for writing? Well, after tasks are completed but before I get too tired! #WritingHabits #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 28 Music is my day job, so there's no wonder music's always playing when I write. We have an Inspiration Playlist on Spotify which is so varied I can't begin to explain it. Each character and each book has its own song. Here's Caledon's: aaronjones4.bandcamp.com/track/fortun...

The stories I'm writing at the moment don't actually have songs or playlists - I find spooky ambience on YouTube is a better match for writing Gothic Horror. But I have some wonderful playlists for stories I've written in the past. #HistFicMay #WritingHabits

When writing anything set in the Victorian period or later, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by objects from the time period. I was also very lucky to receive a coin from the time of Alexander the Great as a gift a few years ago. #HistFicMay #WritingHabits

#HistFicMay Day 26 I love writing by hand, but I hate writing things up, so these days I tend to write directly onto Scrivener. I love the full screen option and have personalised most of my backgrounds. A few years ago, I wrote a Savonarola journal by hand - it filled 13 notebooks! #WritingHabits

My preference is to write on a computer (well, laptop, anyway) but, if the muse descends, I will write on whatever is near at hand! I do make *terrible* typos when writing on my phone though! #WritingHabits #HistFicMay

My writing space is just anywhere in the house! I particularly like this picture of me writing Gothic Horror in the conservatory! #WritingHabits #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 25 My normal place to write is at the bay window in the drawing room. There's usually a dog or two around. I once wrote a scene from a hotel in Dresden, capturing the sounds of the old city as I heard them: paved streets, carts, buskers... not so much the people in the next room!

Absolutely to sequels and prequels! One of the stories I most enjoyed writing began as a standalone novel and then became a trilogy set over 64 years - each one with a different protagonist but with one central character running through them all. #HistFicMay

I love surprises in research - that's a big inspiration for my stories. Lately, I was surprised to find that there is a real uncertainty about the number of fatalities in the Tay Bridge Disaster. As many as 16 people who may or may not have died that night... #HistFicMay

My research words of wisdom would simply be, "Write what you love, because then the entire process from conception to completion will be a joy." #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 22 Write what you want to read and forget the money. The book market moves too quickly to try and keep up with it but, if you write for enjoyment, your enthusiasm will make your book a timeless read. Also, don't second guess who'll support you - you'd be surprised! #WordsOfWisdom

Today's #HistFicThursdays blog comes from @jayzedkay.bsky.social, and is all about #OurFlagMeansDeath. Read on to find out what she thought of it, and why it features in her inspirational #HistoricalFiction series of blogs... crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/hist... 🏴‍☠️ #Pirates #HistFic

When I was writing about Alexander the Great, I found a blog called The Second Achilles, which became my home from home. #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 21 I dip in and out of so many secondary sources when I'm researching, it would be impossible to make a reference to all the fantastic work out there. Having said that, this one stuck with me: discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14... 🦢

I'm just going to put it out there that this map is one big research gem! Also fabulous for planning holidays! www.stanfords.co.uk/st-g-s-great... #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 20 In a total curveball to the stories I've posted about, here's an accidental research object which led me to write the (as yet unpublished) book "The Stonemason's Crown", set 1300 years ago in the grounds of my home. Meet the Stempster Dragon. www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Th...

Ooh... a research trip? I tend to do things the other way round: visit a place and then be inspired to write about it. #HistFicMay

Historical accuracy definitely matters. A lot. That said, I think research should inspire a first draft, not hamper it, so I research the bits I'm super-interested in before/during the first draft production. Other things are caught during a redraft. #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 18 I have openly defied historical accuracy (The Year We Lived runs Jan-Dec, not Mar-Mar), but I have also been a pedant for the facts (clothing, technology etc). Writing at the edge of reality means using accuracy to draw in readers. But what happens over the edge..?

I did once write myself into a story. I thought the character was a pretty good reflection of me, but both @stompermcewan.com and @clemencycrow.bsky.social hated her. I still don't know how to take this. #HistFicMay

#HistFicMay Day 16 I love secondary characters, especially those who laugh in the face of adversity, and scorn those who put themselves before all else. Unsurprisingly, then, my favourite secondary character was The Fool in The Year We Lived. I got to be sharp, witty, and a little bit sly with him.

For writing a secondary character, you can't beat a sage old gardener. They know what's going on. #HistFicMay

I'm not really sure about one of my antagonists' ultimate goal... I suppose it would be "never get found out!" The other one is simple: he wants his bloodline to keep control of Nethercliffe Grange. #HistFicMay #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow

Today's #HistFicThursdays post is from @jayzedkay.bsky.social, as she explores the unnerving sense of threat in #GothicHorror... crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/hist... #BookSky #Gothic #HorrorBooks #HistoricalFiction

#WhatTheyKnowVSWhatTheyShow Both my protagonists' ultimate goal is freedom. From slightly different things, but freedom nonetheless. #HistFicMay

#WhatTheyKnowVSWhatTheyShow My antagonists' greatest fears? One's is losing control, and the other's is losing face. #HistFicMay

Well, Protagonist#1's greatesr fear would be her husband, currently serving abroad. Protagonist#2 is slightly harder to work out... I think her greatest fear is probably losing her sense of self. #WhatTheyKnowVSWhatTheyShow #HistFicMay

There's not really as much suspense as the #BBC is hoping for here.

#HistFicMay Day 10 #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Francesco's inner strengths far outweigh those he demonstrates. Outwardly, his patience is his greatest strength, but inwardly his greatest strength is his moral code which has turned him into a thoroughly decent person!

Greatest strengths? Both my protagonists are strong, independent women! Or, at least, the sort of woman who I believe is strong and independent. The WIPs find them discovering that about themselves, with drastic results. #WhatTheyKnowVSWhatTheyShow #HistFicMay

Well, I can't tell all about the antagonists, because that would give away a few secrets. Broad brush strokes... one of them is the uncle, and, in the other WIP, it's the husband. #HistFicMay

Both WIPs have female protagonists. The first is a woman fleeing an abusive relationship which saw her disinherited from her wealthy family. The second is a teenage girl, recently orphaned by the Tay Bridge Disaster, and moved from a seminary into her uncle's questionable care. #HistFicMay