Over the span of nearly a decade I have written numerous blog posts about the research behind my books, in addition to travel and review posts. Because new readers who might be interested in my research would likely find it tedious to search through so many blog posts, I’ve put together this fairly comprehensive list of my historical research posts with links to each one.
BACKGROUND RESEARCH FOR THE STEEL BENEATH THE SILK
A STORY IN THREE PARTS: Why I chose to make Emma’s story a trilogy. Posted February 2018
11th CENTURY LONDON: London then and now; a virtual visit. Posted February 2021
APRIL 19 FEAST OF ST. ÆLFHEAH: In which I speculate about the capture and murder of Archbishop Ælfheah in 1012. Posted April 2013
SEARCHING FOR SWEIN: My husband and I journey to Gainsborough looking for the remains of the camp where the vikings wintered in 1013. Posted October 2012
ÆTHELRED II, THE HAUNTED KING: This novelist’s view of the king. Posted April 2015
THE DUKE’S WOMEN: Stories about Queen Emma’s parents, including a mildly salacious tale of how they met. Posted June 2013
WHAT HAPPENED AT BOSHAM CHURCH: Did Cnut have a daughter who drowned at age 8? Posted May 2016
OF RUNES AND REPETITION: When you have the same characters and the same settings in three consecutive books that tell a lengthy story, how do you keep from repeating yourself? Posted September 2017
THE GREAT SEA FLOOD: What caused the tidal wave in THE STEEL BENEATH THE SILK? Posted September 2017
THE DEATH OF SWEIN FORKBEARD: What is fact and what is myth. Posted February 2019
THE DEATH OF ÆTHELRED: What we know, and what I invented. Posted April 2018
THE BATTLE OF ASSANDUN: What’s in the historical record? Posted October 2018
CNUT THE GREAT: a brief bio. Posted November 2018
CNUT’S MUM: Who she was and who she wasn’t. Posted November 2020
EMMA OF NORMANDY, A LIFE: A brief bio that goes beyond the timeline of my trilogy. Posted March 2019
RESEARCH/HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR THE TRILOGY
WHAT HAPPENED AT CORFE IN 978? The murder of Edward the Martyr. Posted August 2015
ENGLAND’S FIRST CITY, CIRCA A.D. 1000: Winchester, the Royal City. Posted October 2015
THE RIDDLE OF THE STONES: The Rollright Stones…and a witch. Posted August 2015
QUEEN EMMA & ST. VALENTINE: the queen’s generosity included gifts of precious relics, even the heads of saints. Posted February 2019
THE QUEEN AT CHRISTMAS: The queen’s role at a high feast in Anglo-Saxon England. Posted December 2011
THE PICTURE BOOK: Musing on an illustrated version of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Posted February 2012
TELL ME A STORY: A look at the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, what it was and what it doesn’t tell us. Posted April 2012
WHITE CLIFFS: A journey to the coast of Normandy. Posted March 2012
ILLUMINATIONS: You’d be surprised at what there is to know about candles. Posted April 2012
THE GREAT HALL: A bit of history about the Anglo-Saxon great hall. Posted April 2012
THE EARLY ENGLISH PALACE: What did the king’s home look like? Posted July 2012
LATE ANGLO-SAXON LONDON: The first of several posts about London. Posted August 2012
RETURN TO WEST STOW VILLAGE: A visit to a 6th century Anglo-Saxon village. Posted November 2012
A VISIT TO FECAMP: Using my imagination to turn a ruin into a palace. Posted July 2013
FECAMP’S ABBEY CHURCH: An abbey, an angel, and the tombs of dukes. Posted August 2013
SPLENDOR IN THE DARK: About Anglo-Saxon art. Posted December 2013
THE BRIEF REIGN OF KING HAROLD I OF ENGLAND: All about Elgiva’s son. Posted March 2019
SHIPWRECK: a 12th century catastrophe; the sinking of The White Ship. Posted January 2012