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Category Archives: Essay

Reflections on the Dark

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Patricia

I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars Did wander darkling in the eternal space… ………from DARKNESS, by Lord Byron I live in California where massive fires fanned by high … Read More →

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Emma of Normandy Through Time

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Patricia

Emma, a gem more splendid through the splendors of her merits… So begins the epigram written late in the 11th century by Godfrey, prior of Winchester, commemorating Emma, Queen of England. Queen Emma died on 6 March, 1052, and was … Read More →

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A Story in Three Parts

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Patricia

My current work in progress is the third book of a trilogy about the 11th century queen of England, Emma of Normandy. Why write a trilogy, you may wonder. Why not put the entire story into one book? Maybe, you … Read More →

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Æthelred II – the Haunted King

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Patricia

On 23 April 1016, King Æthelred II died in London. He was about 50 years old, and he’d ruled England for 38 years. At his death he’d not yet been given the byname, Unræd, (ill-counseled, a play on the Old … Read More →

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The Greatest Gift I Ever Gave

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Patricia

Some months ago, the editor of my university’s alumni magazine called with a request: “Could you write an essay for us on the theme of ‘The Greatest Gift I Ever Gave’? Is there a story like that in your past?”

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