Friday, February 17, 2023

Blog Tour: The Hartford Manor Series by Marcia Clayton




Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with…


The Hartford Manor Series

 Betsey
The Mazzard Tree
The Angel Maker
The Rabbit’s Foot

by Marcia Clayton



*Series Spotlight*

March 27th - 31st, 2023


Publication Date: November 18th, 2022 (series since 2016)
Publisher: Sunhillow Publishing
Pages: 334
Genre: Historical Fiction / Family Saga / Romance


Set in 1820, Betsey is the prequel to the much-loved Hartford Manor Series.

Betsey, a sadly neglected child, is shouldering responsibilities far beyond her years. As she does her best to care for her little brother, Norman, she is befriended by Gypsy Freda, an old woman whose family is camped nearby. Freda's granddaughter, Jane, is also fond of the little girl and is concerned about her.

Thomas, the second son of Lord Fellwood, happens across the gypsy camp and becomes besotted with Jane. However, Jasper Morris, the local miller, also has designs on the young gypsy, and inevitably, the two men do not see eye to eye. 

Betsey is drawn into their rivalry for the attention of the beautiful young woman, and she finds herself promising to keep a dangerous secret for many years to come.


Buy Links

The series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Betsey


The Mazzard Tree


The Angel Maker


The Rabbit’s Foot



The Hartford Manor Series Links:





The books can also be ordered in bookstores.



Marcia Clayton


Marcia Clayton was born in North Devon, a rural and picturesque area in the far South West of England. She is a farmer's daughter and often helped to milk the cows and clean out the shippens in her younger days.

When Marcia left school she worked in a bank for several years until she married her husband, Bryan, and then stayed at home for a few years to care for her three sons, Stuart, Paul and David. As the children grew older, Marcia worked as a Marie Curie nurse caring for the terminally ill, and later for the local authority managing school transport.

Now a grandmother, Marcia enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She’s a keen researcher of family history, and it was this hobby that inspired some of the characters in her books. A keen gardener, Marcia grows many of her own vegetables. She is also an avid reader and mainly enjoys historical fiction, romance and crime books.

Social Media Links:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram




Tour Schedule

March 27th 






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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Check out Mercedes Rochelle's fabulous novel – Godwine Kingmaker #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @authorrochelle @cathiedunn



Godwine Kingmaker

The Last Great Saxon Earls

by Mercedes Rochelle



Publication Date: April 4th, 2015
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Pages: 351
Genre: Historical Fiction


 THE LAST GREAT SAXON EARLS:

 GODWINE KINGMAKER
 THE SONS OF GODWINE
 FATAL RIVALRY

They showed so much promise. What happened to the Godwines? How did they lose their grip? Who was this Godwine anyway, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. 

He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine's best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. 

Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.




Death of Edward the Confessor, Jan. 5 1066

We think of King Edward as an old man by 1066, and I suppose by 11th century standards, 63 years of age was getting on there. However, his health declined so precipitously the previous month that Duke William of Normandy was caught unawares, and by the time the Normans got the news, Harold was crowned as a fait accompli.
 
Cambridge University Library MS. Ee.iii.59 CREDIT: Wikimedia

It was thought by many that Edward's sudden illness was caused by the revolt of the Northumbrians in October of 1065. This rebellion resulted in the enforced exile of his favorite, Tostig, and the King's realization that his commands were ineffectual.

Edward wanted to call up the fyrd and compel his rebellious subjects to capitulate and accept Tostig back. Alas, because of the lateness of the year and the general abhorrence for civil war, he couldn't gather enough support for this course of action. Even Harold was unwilling to cooperate, and Edward was obliged to accept the Northumbrians’ terms and acknowledge Morkere as their new Earl, even though their hastily called election was illegal. It was thought that Edward was so humiliated that he suffered a number of strokes as a result.

Whether or not this was the true cause of Edward’s decline, he was noticeably ill by Christmas Eve. He managed to stumble through the next couple of days but took to his bed on the 28th of December, unable to attend the consecration of his great Westminster Abbey. For the next week, he slipped in and out of unconsciousness, but rallied enough to give a long and drawn-out account of a dream he had, predicting the fall and misery of England. It was said that Archbishop Stigand whispered to Harold that this was the babbling of an old man worn out by sickness.

More to the point, the moment had come where Edward was to declare his heir. As with just about everything else, no one knows exactly what happened. If we take the Bayeux Tapestry literally, there were only four witnesses: Queen Editha, Harold, Archbishop Stigand, and Robert the Staller, Edward’s Norman friend who held the King in his arms. It is possible (and I think probable) that there were other witnesses. Nonetheless, the King was apparently  conscious and alert by now, and he addressed the Queen, who he compared to a beloved daughter. Then, according to the Vita Aedwardi Regis, he stretched his hand to Harold and said, “I commend this woman and all the kingdom to your protection.” He exhorted Harold to care for her and any Normans who chose to stay, or give safe conduct to those who decided to leave. Perhaps wisely, he also commanded that they announce his death at once, so the people could pray for him. Did he fear that Harold would keep his death a secret so he could properly arrange for the succession?

Death of Edward the Confessor, Bayeux Tapestry. Public domain.
 
Were his words really so ambiguous? It’s curious that the venerable Edward A. Freedom chose to interpret the statement as “To thee, Harold my brother, I commit my Kingdom” and justified his decision in a footnote. Edward could just as easily have been assigning the regency to Harold rather than the crown, but obviously Harold chose the latter. Interestingly enough, most contemporary documents—even those from Normandy—seem to accept that the King had declared Harold his heir.

It is possible that Harold brought the issue to the Witan that very night, since the following day saw both a funeral and a coronation at Westminster Abbey; I don’t see how there could have been time for a Witenagemot in between the two ceremonies. Without the Witan’s approval, Harold’s kingship would have been unlawful. King Edward’s wishes were secondary, and everybody knew it (except, perhaps, for Duke William). In times of trouble, the country needed a strong hand at the helm and Harold had proven himself a good administrator and a formidable warrior.



This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.





Mercedes Rochelle


Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. She believes that good Historical Fiction, or Faction as it’s coming to be known, is an excellent way to introduce the subject to curious readers. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. 

Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended! 

Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

Connect with Mercedes:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • BookBub 




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Blog Tour: Pagan King by MJ Porter


 


Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with…


Pagan King

The Seventh Century

by MJ Porter



*Book Spotlight Tour*

March 29th, 2023

Publication Date: April 21st, 2016
Publisher: MJ Publishing
Pages: 300
Genre: Historical Fiction / Action & Adventure
Audiobook: narrated by Matt Coles


From bestselling author, MJ Porter comes the tale of the mighty pagan king, Penda of Mercia.

The year is AD641, and the great Oswald of Northumbria, bretwalda over England, must battle against an alliance of the old Britons and the Saxons led by Penda of the Hwicce, the victor of Hæ∂feld nine years before, the only Saxon leader seemingly immune to Oswald's beguiling talk of the new Christianity spreading through England from both the north and the south.

Alliances will be made and broken, and the victory will go to the man most skilled in warcraft and statecraft.

The ebb and flow of battle will once more redraw the lines of the petty kingdoms stretching across the British Isles.

There will be another victor and another bloody loser.



Buy Links



iBooks • iTunes • Audio • Bookshop



M J Porter



MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, as well as three twentieth-century mysteries. Raised in the shadow of a building that was believed to house the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia, meant that the author’s writing destiny was set.


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Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Check out Sue Barnard's fabulous novel — The Ghostly Father #AlternativeHistoricalFiction #Valentine #BookSpotlight #CoffeePotBookClub @AuthorSusanB @cathiedunn



The Ghostly Father

A re-telling of Romeo and Juliet

by Sue Barnard



* Book Spotlight *

Publication Date: 2018 (revised version; originally published 2014)
Publisher: Ocelot Press
Pages: 254
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobook Narrators: Danielle Cohen and Philip Rose


Was this what really happened to Romeo & Juliet?

Think you know the world’s most famous love story? Think again.  What if the story of Romeo & Juliet really happened – but not quite in the way we’ve all been led to believe? 

This part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, told from the point of view of the Friar, tells how an ancient Italian manuscript reveals secrets and lies which have remained hidden for hundreds of years, and casts new doubts on the official story of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers. 

If you love the Romeo & Juliet story but are disappointed with the way it ended, this is the book for you.



NO MORE WOE FOR JULIET AND HER ROMEO?

"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

These two lines are the final words spoken in William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet – the iconic story of young love which goes so tragically wrong.

It’s now more than forty years since I first saw Franco Zeffirelli’s wonderful film of Romeo & Juliet, first released in 1968.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the cinema at the end, and I came away thinking: This is the world’s greatest love story – so why does it have to end so badly?

That question haunted me for decades.  Then, just over ten years ago, I chanced across one of those lists of Things You Must Do Before You Die.  The one which caught my attention was Write The Book You Want To Read.  The book I’ve always wanted to read is the alternative version of Romeo & Juliet – the one in which the star-crossed lovers don’t fall victim to a maddeningly preventable catastrophe.

Why, I asked myself, should there not be such a book?  And the answer came straight back: Why not indeed?  And if it doesn’t already exist, then go ahead and write it.


The premise is based on a simple idea: What if the story of Romeo & Juliet really did happen – but not quite how we’ve all been led to believe?  If just one of the events in the story had happened differently, how would that have affected what followed?

The eventual result was my debut novel The Ghostly Father.  The title is based on a quotation from the play (it’s how Romeo addresses the character of Friar Lawrence), and the story, which is a sort of part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, is told from the Friar’s point of view.  I’ve always been fascinated by the character of the Friar, and have often wondered why, in the play, he behaved as he did.  How did he know about the sleeping potion which brings about “the likeness of death”?  And why did he take such massive risks to help the young lovers?  By giving him what I hope is an interesting and thought-provoking backstory, I’ve tried to offer some possible answers.  Plus, of course, I wanted to reduce the overall body-count, and give the lovers themselves a rather less tragic outcome.

The Ghostly Father was first published by Crooked Cat Books on St Valentine’s Day 2014.  Following reversion of rights in 2018, a slightly revised edition was released that same year via Ocelot Press.  An audiobook version is also available, beautifully narrated by Danielle Cohen and Philip Rose.

In the nine years since the book’s first appearance, the number of people who have bought it, read it, and have been kind enough to say they’ve enjoyed it, suggests that I’m not by any means the only person who prefers the alternative version.  If you too love the story of Romeo & Juliet but find the ending frustrating, why not give The Ghostly Father a try?
 


The Ghostly Father is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.


___

Audiobook

Amazon UK



Sue Barnard


Sue Barnard is a British novelist and award-winning poet who was born in North Wales some time during the last millennium.  She speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad.  Her mind is so warped that she has appeared on BBC TV’s Only Connect quiz show, and she has also compiled questions for BBC Radio 4's fiendishly difficult Round Britain Quiz. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as "professionally weird”. The label has stuck.

She is also very interested in family history.  Her own family background is far stranger than any work of fiction.  She would write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.
Sue now lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.  

 



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Monday, February 13, 2023

Check out Micheál Cladáin's fabulous novel – Hammer #HistoricalFiction #IrishFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @cladain_m @Phil_Hughes_Nov @cathiedunn



HAMMER

The Iron Between

by Micheál Cladáin



Publication Date: January 31st, 2023
Publisher: PerchedCrowPress
Pages: 375
Genre: Historical Fiction


Genonn’s tired and dreams of a remote roundhouse in the Cuala Mountains.

However, sudden rebellion in Roman Britain destroys that dream because the Elder Council task him with delivering Lorg Mór, the hammer of the Gods, to the tribes across the straits of Pwll Ceris. Despite being torn between a waning sense of duty and his desire to become a hermit, Genonn finally agrees to help.

When his daughter follows him into danger, it tests his resolve. He wants to do everything he can to see her back to Druid Island and her mother. This new test of will means he is once again conflicted between duty and desire. Ultimately, his sense of duty wins; is it the right decision? Has he done the right thing by relegating his daughter’s safety below his commitment to the clans?



Provide the setting for Hammer

Hammer covers a wide area of land, from Ireland across the Irish Sea to Anglesey (Mona). And then across the Menai straits to Wales and England. When the Main Character, Genonn, reaches the mainland across the fords of Pwll Ceris, he goes to the stone fortress at Tre’r Ceiri before heading towards Colchester (Camulodunum) on the opposite coast of mainland Britain (Alba).

(c) Phil Hughes. All rights reserved.

Note: Mainland Britain was originally known as Alba (to the natives). It became synonymous with Scotland when Kenneth I united the Scots and the Picts in 843 CE, creating the kingdom of Alba.

(c) Phil Hughes. All rights reserved.

(c) Phil Hughes. All rights reserved.

But how does all that fit with historical events that occurred almost 2000 years ago in CE 60/61?

During the latter half of the first century, Ancient Celts believed in magical weapons, Faeries, the Tuatha De Danaan. They believed in a land of eternal youth, Tír nÓg, where King Áedh ruled. It was a time shortly after Christ’s crucifixion. A time when the words of the prophet were—not so much written on subway walls as starting to spread throughout Europe. It was a time when Rome finally managed to gain a foothold in Britain after the invasion of Claudius’s legions. It was a time when the druids might have sent a supposed Hammer of the Gods to support a queen in her efforts to throw off the Roman yoke. A time when the clans should have forgotten their internecine squabbling and used that symbology to help them unite in the face of a common enemy. Instead, when Boudica rebelled, she had the support of only one other clan, the Trinovantes. 

I am not one to complain. Bad judgement on the part of the Ancient Celts makes for great material. As a novelist, I need conflict. What better than Britain’s clans fighting among themselves, thereby allowing the wolves through the door? And when the conflict is external, there needs to be an antagonist. I found mine in one of the other clans, one that did not support Boudica’s rebellion, the Ordovices from what is now known as North Wales. And, of course, conflict is increased when a warrior suspected of murder is the bodyguard of the Main Character.

As well as conflict, I also need intrigue. What is more intriguing than Gaius Suetonius Paulinus ordering the Fourteenth Legion west when the east was about to erupt in rebellion?

Agricola was certainly intrigued—at least in my version of events, which is not much of a stretch. The young, banded tribune, was seconded to the staff of Suetonius at the time of the uprising. Tacitus tells us Agricola was a philosopher, a thinker, so he must have been suspicious about the invasion of Mona when the threat was evidently in the east. Tacitus also tells us Agricola had a sound military mind and was a man of honour. So, for my story, I have conflict, intrigue, and another POV to balance that of Genonn.

Hammer covers a wide area of land, from Leinster in Ireland to Colchester in the east of England, but it also covers a spectrum of themes and emotions: love; betrayal; heroism; cowardice; the effectiveness of symbolism; to name but a few. And, of course, slaughter. Lots and lots of slaughter.

(c) Phil Hughes. All rights reserved.

Londinium’s burning, Londinium’s burning.
Fetch the buckets, fetch the buckets.
Fire fire, fire fire!
Pour on water, pour on water.



Hammer is available on #KindleUnlimited.





Micheál Cladáin


Micheál has been an author for many years. He studied Classics and developed a love of Greek and Roman culture through those studies. In particular, he loved their mythologies. 

As well as a classical education, bedtime stories consisted of tales read from a great tome of Greek Mythology, and Micheál was destined to become a storyteller from those times.

Connect with Micheál:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram 




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