Gillian has been a friend and mentor for many years and I’m delighted that she’s agreed to answer some questions today about her life as a writer and as an expert on all things medieval. The recent publication of her book The Middle Ages Unlocked: a guide to life in Medieval England 1050-1300, co-authored with…
All you need to know about NaNoWriMo! Serene Conneeley’s fascination with history, travel, herbal healing, magic and myths comes through in all her novels and non-fiction, starting with one of my all-time favourites, Seven Sacred Sites: magical journeys that will change your life. Since then she’s written several other non-fiction books, including Witchy Magic, Faery…
I have recently returned from a three-month writers’ residency in the UK, thanks to Professor Di Yerbury, patron of the Society of Women Writers NSW who so generously offered her flat in Barnstaple, North Devon to members of the SWW NSW. And I am delighted to learn that this same opportunity is to be offered once more for the lucky recipient…
My new friend Sandra, at Barnstaple, suggested we go on an outing to Tintagel while I was in the UK – and how could I resist visiting the legendary birthplace of King Arthur? (Lest you forget, he is commemorated everywhere, including the pub!) These photos were taken at ‘King Arthur’s Great Hall’, once a private house…
Apologies for the long silence. I’ve been working hard on the first draft of my sequel to I, Morgana while on my 3-month writing residency in beautiful Barnstaple in Devon – surrounded by history, including this wonderful sign found in nearby Bideford. It’s been an incredibly productive time, and I have come home having achieved my…
I’m off to Glastonbury tomorrow so will be ‘off air’ for a week, but will share a few more photos before I go as my character, Marie, is still at Eleanor of Aquitaine’s palace at Poitiers – pictured left, and now the Palais de Justice. Eleanor occupied the Maubergeonne Tower – not open to tourists,…
So delighted that The Middle Ages Unlocked by Dr Gillian Polack and Katrin Kania has finally been published! Aka ‘the Beast’, this is a must-have for writers of historical fiction and non-fiction set in the middle ages. I can personally vouch for Gillian’s wide-ranging knowledge of all things medieval as she was my mentor while I was…
Far left: Church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande in Poitiers; left close up of the beautiful carvings around the doorway, which would also have been painted in the 11th-12th century. Below: inside Notre-Dame-la-Grande. Also a couple of pix of the pillars – each one was painted with a different geometric design and in different colours so the overall effect…
Now under the protection of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marie moves from the court of Angers to Poitiers, telling her stories about King Arthur and Camelot, and gaining renown throughout the medieval world. Far left: Shield of Marie de France in Angers Castle – but it’s the wrong date for ‘my’ Marie! Below: castle walls and formal garden…
Here are some more pix of this incredible tapestry relating to my blog below – pic far left gives you some idea of its size (with a bit missing unfortunately) but even so, that’s not all of it!