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I was first introduced to Tony Riches when I read his Tudor Trilogy, about the founding and growth of the Tudor family. With his latest series – the Elizabethans – he populates the Elizabethan court with some of the outstanding characters of the day. The first book had the reader sailing with Sir Francis Drake, the second in the middle of rebellion with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. In this book, the reader accompanies Sir Walter Raleigh (or Rawley as he was earlier called) from his days as an impoverished law student to the lively and glittering court of Elizabeth I. He doesn’t dance or joust, doesn’t come from a noble family, nor marry into one. He just has an overweening ambition to be a courtier, to wear the rich clothes, and to have the ear of the Queen. Raleigh is an adventurer from the start, taking part in the religious civil wars in France in his late teens, then in the suppression of a rebellion in Ireland. Raleigh proceeds to finish his education in the Inns of the Court and then is admitted to Middle Temple, which is one of the four Inns of the Court exclusively entitling him as a member of the English Bar as a barrister. He has absolutely no interest in the law and decides he can most easily attain his goals by adventure and piracy. With financial backing from his family – his cousin Sir Richard Grenville and a younger half-brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert – he opts for sea-going adventures to fill his coffers with Spain’s gold, along with those of the Queen, in an attempt to get her attention. He is successful enough to become one of the principal landowners and colonists in Munster, Ireland, for seventeen years. His Irish estates ran into difficulties that contributed to a decline in his fortunes, but he finally becomes a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I because of his efforts at increasing the Protestant Church in Ireland. In 1585, Raleigh is knighted by Queen Elizabeth, whose ear he did have from time to time. She grants Raleigh a royal charter authorizing him to explore, colonize and rule any heathen lands in the New World, in return for one-fifth of all the gold and silver that might be mined there Most of us know the story of Raleigh in the New World and the lost colonists of Roanoke. No gold and silver are found by the expeditions he funded, but he himself leads expeditions to the Orinoco river basin in South America in search of the golden city of El Dorado, which he never finds. The author has done an amazing amount of research to bring the people in Raleigh’s circle to life and to let the reader experience the highs and lows of his time at court, and his longer time away from it. Raleigh loved Queen Elizabeth and his choice of his life’s paths are always made with her in mind, to the detriment of himself and his family. Riches introduces such notable nobles as Sir Francis Walsingham and the poet Edmund Spenser, and sets the years of Raleigh’s life against an authentic backdrop of the Court, its unending intrigues, and the history of the time. The clothing, food, and customs do not elude the author’s attention, so the reader becomes embedded in the times. The book ends with the death of Elizabeth, and perhaps that is for the best because the remaining years of Raleigh’s life under the rule of James I were unfortunate. The reader is left with the image of a man who seeks adventure – who, despite or perhaps because of his lowly origins, is determined and focused in his pursuit of wealth and a courtier’s life – and who is also in love with his Queen. I highly recommend yet another well-written and richly ornamented book by Tony Riches. About the author: Tony Riches was born in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, and spent part of his childhood in Kenya. He gained a BA degree in Psychology and an MBA from Cardiff University and worked as a Management Consultant, followed by senior roles in the Welsh NHS and Local Government. After writing several successful non-fiction books, Tony decided to turn to novel writing. His real interest is in the history of the fifteenth century, and now his focus is on writing historical fiction about the lives of key figures of the period. Today Tony lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, an area full of inspiration for his writing. He is a specialist in the lives of the Tudors. He also runs the popular ‘Stories of the Tudors’ podcast, and posts book reviews, author interviews, and guest posts at his blog, ‘The Writing Desk’.  In his spare time, he enjoys sailing and sea kayaking. Visit Tony At his website: www.tonyriches.co.uk, On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.riches.9 And on Twitter: @tonyriches. You can find Raleigh – Tudor Adventurer on Amazon 0 0

Memorial Day 2021 – By John Darkow I know this link contains an ad for the publication (Imprimus) from Hillsdale College but the included video captures my thoughts on Memorial Day. Being an 82nd Airborn Army Mom makes this personal, and I thank God every day that my son came home. https://lp.hillsdale.edu/memorial-day/?utm_source=housefile&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=memorial_day_22&sc=00073&utm_content=memorial_day_22 0 0

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I’ve been following Shelley Wilson via her blog for a number of years now, and I am delighted to be able to introduce her latest book, The Last Princess, which will be out on the 24th of May, published by BHC Press Books, so you have time to order an early copy! Shelley is a multi-genre author who has written nine young adult/middle-grade supernatural, fantasy, and sword and sorcery novels, a children’s meditation book, and six motivational self-help titles for adults. She lives in the West Midlands, UK and is the proud mum of three. Shelley loves travelling in her VW camper (called Snoopy) searching for stories, and also enjoys paddle boarding, reading about Tudor and Viking history, supporting Leeds United, and obsessing over to-do lists! So what is The Last Princess about? It is a non-stop epic adventure filled with exciting battles, Vikings, pirates, and characters you can’t help but fall in love with.  Here is The Last Princess blurb: Edith still has much to learn about the art of ruling a kingdom, but when her family is murdered, she’s faced with the challenge of staying alive. As a young woman in Anglo-Saxon England, Edith finds it hard to be heard above the Eldermen who are ripping the kingdom to pieces, but nothing can prepare her for the arrival of the pirates and the Vikings. Torn from her homeland and sold into slavery, she’s determined to survive at any cost. Finding allies in the unexpected and enemies closer to home, Edith clings to her dream of returning home one day to reclaim her throne and to exact revenge on those who harmed her family. Here’s a sneak peek at the prologue of The Last Princess: Hundreds of bodies littered the grassland as their lifeblood soaked into the earth. Warriors in mid–battle cry lay facedown in muddy puddles, still clinging to their axe and shield, and the sound of conflict floated across the grey English sky like one of the king’s banners. In the eyes of the great warriors who had travelled across the sea, the king’s army was outnumbered and weak. These foreigners didn’t shy away from war; they embraced it with determination and passion. Like a plague, they swept across all England taking what they wanted, killing, and plundering. Nobody was safe from their wrath. Kings and peasants were treated as equals as these warriors from the North defiled the land. High up on the hilltop, a man sat on his horse watching the battle unfold. His eyes scanned the valley as he witnessed soldier after soldier cut down by the vicious army that advanced on his home. He’d sent all his best men to their deaths. No amount of manipulation, silver, or corruption could stop this curse upon his land. The crown on his head weighed heavy as he glanced first left then right at the remainder of his army. Young men who stood on the brink of annihilation. The king knew all was lost, he knew the great warriors would never stop, and he knew why. Deep within the battlefield, at the heart of the fighting, he had seen her. A sword in her hand, blood smeared across her tunic, and warpaint decorating her face. It had been many moons, but he would have recognised her anywhere. The end of their story was playing out in front of them, but the king wasn’t quite ready to give up just yet. Failure had never been an option. He sat a little straighter in his saddle and addressed the young army at his side. ‘To the death!’ he cried. Are you hooked? You have to get this book to find out what happens!  Early Praise for The Last Princess: “This fast-paced historical novel builds on an obscure Anglo-Saxon king’s life to tell an empowering tale of a girl’s journey to fully embrace a new world, a new culture…as she grows into her own as a warrior. Edith’s fierce and often violent quest for revenge is juxtaposed with lovely, life-affirming moments of friendship and love in an engaging first-person narrative.” – Kirkus Reviews “I LOVED this quick fantasy read. I can’t wait to share with my students once I get a copy.” – Dawn, Teacher & Goodreads Reviewer “WOW! I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it! This story is absolutely amazing.” – Rebecca, Goodreads Reviewer  “a great fast-paced historical fiction read with a pinch of romance and plenty of cut-throats. And Vikings. There were loads of them.” – Eugenia, Goodreads Reviewer   You can buy your copy of The Last Princess from: BHC Press – https://www.bhcpress.com/Books_Wilson_The_Last_Princess.html Amazon UK Amazon US Barnes & Noble Waterstones Google Play Kobo Apple Books Find Shelley: At her author website: https://shelleywilsonauthor.com/ At her publisher: https://www.bhcpress.com/Author_SL_Wilson.html On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShelleyWilson72 On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FantasyAuthorSLWilson And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorslwilson/ 0 0

With apologies to Barb Taub, who would make this tale a really funny story. A lot of my friends have been asking me what it’s like to live in an over-55 community. We moved here about a year and a half ago and were the first people to move in. The houses are very close together and look pretty much the same, which is standard for such communities. Reminded us of Pete Seegar’s song about Little Boxes: Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of ticky-tacky Little boxes, little boxes Little boxes all the same We chose our lot next to a patch of trees (not on our property) so we would have some greenery around us for the birds. And the first lot coming in so we have neighbors on only one side. Keeps us from being claustrophobic. The rest of the community, like us, has no trees in the yards. And thus no shade! Hubs and I countered our lack of trees by planting an olive, a sunset maple, and a camellia in our tiny backyard and are contemplating what else we might add to help our bird neighbors. Our backyard is full sun almost all the time, so we have to be careful in our choices. In our front yard, we have a pink and green Japanese maple. and another red one just outside my window — they are both dwarfs so they were approved. Still no shade. Everything we plant has to be approved by the construction company’s HOA. We’ve been told they will cede responsibility for running the community to the homeowners in 3-4 years when the additional community they plan to build behind us is complete. This is our Ghost tree, permitted, and this is our sunset maple. In the meantime, aside from the approvals necessary for plantings, no one is permitted to 1) Walk on the common areas (large swathes of grass scattered around the community) or use them for gatherings 2. Have more than one wreath and no front yard decorations at Christmas (a rule which everyone broke last year) 3. Have perennial flowers (a rule also broken by some, which I noticed on my daily walks, much to my delight) 4. Keep our humongous, city-issued garbage containers outside of the garage (even if there are decorative plantings outside to hide them (which we did have until we were ‘caught’), and I can tell you the garbage in our garage stinks by the end of the week, especially in hot weather. 5. Have patios in the backyard, so no hot tubs or fire pits. And so on. 6. Initially, there was a rule against having bird feeders and birdbaths, but we countered by putting them on our patios, which are the only outside areas over which we have control (except for fencing and umbrellas). The minute we take over the Homeowners Association, things are gonna change! I lived in the Czech Republic when it was under Communist control, and that was a breeze compared to this. Except all our Christmas decorations there were stolen. Luckily we have a great community, people-wise, and we spend a lot of time figuring out how to subvert all the rules. Which is a lot of fun. And we have regular get-togethers (Happy Hour once a month), a wading pool (which we were told would be a swimming pool) for your grandkids, and various clubs (book, whiskey, outreach activities, etc.). I do love getting cool by the pool (as they advertised) up to my knees. The rest of me stays hot. You might ask why we stay here. It’s a logical question. Right now it’s impossible to move because of the housing market, and we now have an extra reason to stay because my daughter and her family are moving to a bigger house about 5 min away by car. Our house is indeed quite nice and roomy inside, with enough space for both me and Hubs and our activities, and it has a workable galley kitchen with new appliances. That’s it in the background. We do end up walking around and around the island because there’s not enough space for the two of us to pass each other when we are working. We are convenient to shopping and doctors’ offices. Joining a local country club has provided me with a real pool for laps in the summer. Ka-ching. So despite all the rules, our community is managing to find (nefarious) ways around some of them and we expect to survive together until the Great Takeover. Can’t wait. There are not a lot of flowers and colors in the community yet. So Hubs has been on a crusade. We have a ton of pansies, roses, and azaleas in our front yard and azaleas along the side of the house. Everything is in bloom now so we have color! Here is a sampling, none of which can even hope to compare with Geoff LePard’s backyard, but we are small scale. I’ll have a follow-up for all y’all when we take over the HOA. It’s going to get interesting. 0 0

The upbringing of a Separatist child was harsh, as you might suspect. Adults believed that children were to be humble and submissive. They believed that children were born with a sinful nature that must be broken. Parents and other adults began to “break the child’s will” beginning somewhere around the two. Not surprising given the ‘terrible twos!’ While eating the children could not sit down, although babies sat in high chairs. They stood at the end of the table and would serve the food. During a meal, children were not allowed to speak unless spoken to. Corporal punishment was considered necessary for the proper upbringing of children. Children were expected to both love and fear their parents, to be obedient in all things, to be submissive equally to mother and father, and to speak in a restrained and proper manner. After age eight it was not uncommon for a child to be “put out” or placed in the foster care of another family. Some children were placed into households to learn a trade, others to be taught to read and write. I had Mary Allerton put out to live with the Bradfords, reasoning that there was no one in her family to teach her how to be a proper Pilgrim woman. Her mother died the first winter and her sister was only two years old and busy keeping the home for her brother and father. Did the children have time to play? Yes, they did when their work for the day was finished and their parents gave them permission. They could play games that improved their body and mind. Outside, they would play leapfrog, “ball and cup,” lummelin (keep away), all hid (hide and seek), or blow bubbles, and have foot races. There were also board games, like draughts (checkers), Nine Men’s Morris (a strategy board game) and Naughts and Crosses (tic tac toe), or marbles. Girls had cloth dolls called poppets. Older children might exchange riddles or jests (jokes). They particularly liked tongue twisters or  “giffes,”  or what we call tongue twisters. Here is a sample I used in The Last Pilgrim: “Dick drunk drink in a dish. Where’s the dish Dick drunk drink in?” What did babies wear? Did they have baby toys? Children wore shifts and ‘leading strings’ were attached to the shoulders of the shift so parents could hold the children upright when they began to walk. Walking was encouraged as early as possible since crawling on the floor was considered close to the devil. Because these little ones often fell, toddlers wore something called a “pudding’ around their heads. Thus when they fell, their heads were padded. Surprising modern, children also had walkers with trays for toys, and they sat in high chairs. Their toys would be wooden blocks, carved animals, or small poppets. What did older children wear? When children reached the age of 4-5, they were old enough to wear clothing similar to their parents. This was called breeching for the boys. If you were a girl, you would wear: a coif or hat on the head, a smock or shift under everything, petticoats, tied-on pockets, a skirt, an apron, a waistcoat, a neckerchief, knitted stockings, and latchet shoes. An older girl might wear stays and of course, the children would go barefoot in warm weather. If you were a boy, you would wear: a hat, a linen shirt, a wool jacket or doublet, woolen breeches, knitted stockings, and latchet shoes Were the children educated in addition to life skills? Many children were not book-educated unless their parents were. In those households, boys would be taught to read – the Bible being the only book in most cases – and write and do sums. Girls might be taught to read. And of course, they were educated in religious precepts. I doubt if the children of today would manage if they were suddenly sent back in time to 1621! I’m not at all sure I would! What about you?   0 0

I do love a good historical mystery, and Fiona Watson has written an atmospheric and compelling one, set in the city of Berwick-upon-Tweed in the early 14th century. In the year 1317, a young and pious squire named Benedict Russell is sent to the English-held garrison of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town sitting on the border between Scotland and England. The town’s strategic position and relative wealth had previously resulted in a succession of raids, sieges and takeovers during centuries of war between these two countries. Three years earlier to Benedict’s arrival, the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, had won a massive victory at the battle of Bannockburn and were raiding over the border. Edward II decided to send reinforcements to Berwick in case of an attack. Benedict is learned – he can read and write – and is belittled by his fellow squires, who are more trained in the art of swordplay and warfare. He discovers through keen observation and a little diversion that the knight supplying food to the garrison is diverting money into his own accounts. Recognition of his ability gets him the task of discovering who murdered a beautiful young girl, one whom Benedict lusted after, and left her mutilated body outside the city’s walls.  Benedict must decide if the murder was a crime of passion or one which involves a traitor or spy for the Scots. The pace of discovery as Benedict works through various clues is deliberate, as would be for a sleuth of that time, but introduces the reader to the realities of life in the 14th century: the poverty and squalor set against the wealth of the ruling class, the hierarchy amongst the knights and their treatment of servants, and women as chattel to be used as pawns. The author draws on her knowledge of conditions of daily life, religious practices, practices of medieval punishment, food, drink, clothes, weapons, and social distinctions to put the reader firmly inside a city awaiting a siege, with all of the tension exacerbated by the murder. This is also a coming-of-age story as Benedict slowly becomes a man and discovers his own reserves of strength and ability to love.  The secondary characters are very well-drawn, from the knights and squires to the various townspeople Benedict comes to know, from apprentices to paupers. I was especially drawn to the murdered girl’s sister, who becomes a valuable companion to Benedict. She is afflicted with something I interpret as scoliosis, which makes her the butt of derision, but she has an intelligent and unusually perceptive mind trapped in her twisted body. I very much appreciate that the author did not attempt to make the language of the day mock-medieval. She did write the story in the present tense, however, as is becoming common more recently. As a reader, I find it makes the story-telling more immediate but slows the pace of the story. This is an excellent first fictional outing for a medieval scholar and I highly recommend this to mystery and historical fiction aficionados. About the author: Fiona Watson is a medieval historian and writer specializing in medieval warfare in particular, and Scottish history more generally. A former senior lecturer at the University of Stirling, she fronted a ten-part BBC television history of Scotland in 2001 and has made numerous radio programs, including a series on The Enlightenment and another using original sources to highlight the experience of war across the ages entitled Voices from the Front. She is currently a presenter of Making History on BBC Radio 4. Her books include Under the Hammer: Edward I and Scotland, 1286-1307 (1997), Scotland: A History 8000 BC – AD 2000 (2001) and Macbeth: A True Story (2010). You can find Fiona Watson on her website: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/fiona-watson/ Dark Hunter can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Hunter-seige-killer-within/dp/1846976111/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31LMNJCOEVXYY&keywords=Dark+Hunter+by+FJ+Watson&qid=1650395810&sprefix=dark+hunter+by+fj+watson%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-1 0 0

I learned a lot of very interesting information about the lives of children in the 17th century when I was researching for The Last Pilgrim. First of all, there were quite a number of children who sailed aboard the Mayflower: 24, in fact, but 26, if you count Peregrine White and Oceanus Hopkins who were born on the ship. These children shared the small space between decks with 78 adults, chickens, possibly pigs, a 33-foot long boat called the shallop, and perhaps one piece of furniture per family. They ate what the adults ate: salted (dried) beef, salted ling or codfish, oats, peas and some ground wheat, pickled food, dried fruit, cheese until it became too moldy, and hard biscuits (hardtack). They drank water until it became fouled, then they drank beer. Half of the original 102 passengers, plus half the crew of the Mayflower died during the first winter and early spring. Among these were only six children, even though they were confined to the ship. Boys, perhaps as young as nine, went ashore to help their fathers with building houses. Food was more often than not rationed for the first two years, even for the children. It was several years before the harvests and food acquired by trade from the Wampanoags and other tribes became adequate to feed everyone. However, once this happened, the children’s diet was a healthy one: Beans, squash, pumpkin, sunchokes, cornbread and corn porridge, wild greens (watercress). fowl (duck, swan, goose, turkey), venison, fish, lobsters, clams and eels, nuts (walnuts, chestnuts, beechnuts), and wild berries such as cranberries and currants. And of course, eggs, since the Pilgrims brought chickens. But no chicken to eat until the number of chickens had increased sufficiently. Once gardens were established many different kinds of herbs, onions, garlic,  and vegetables like parsley, lettuce, spinach, carrots, and turnips became available. The younger children continued to drink water. The older children drank a weak beer made from corn. Things were different from today because the children had to be taught to survive in a harsh and challenging environment. A large part of their day was filled with work. Children as young as five could run errands, fetch wood and water, dig worms for the chickens to eat (before there was corn), herd chickens to keep them safe, and mind the younger children. Older boys helped their fathers prepare the fields for planting, sow seeds, weed the fields, and harvest the crops. They learned to tend livestock, hunt, fish, and do woodworking – in other words, they were trained to be the head of a household. Girls trained in household chores, and there were plenty of those: they planted and weeded the garden; helped prepare all the meals; worked in the fields during planting time; helped make soap and candles; learned to spin, dye, and weave wool; learned to harvest flax and weave linen; sewed clothing from the linen and wool; mended and washed clothes, learned to knit mittens, socks, scarves; churned butter; ground corn into meal; and learned to make cheese. Women and girls also slaughtered smaller animals for food and preserved meat and fish. When girls were older, they learned how to make beer. I personally think the girls worked harder. In my next post, I will tell you about children’s clothing, upbringing, schooling, and playtime (yes, they had some). 23 8

I received an email a month or so ago from Ben Shepherd, founder of the SHepherd.com website. Ben shepherd invited authors to share their favorite books around topics and themes they are passionate about and to tell readers why they recommend each book. This website creates an experience like wandering around your favorite bookstore but reimagined for the online world. https://shepherd.com So I created a page for The Last Pilgrim with the books I recommend from my research and writing. You need to visit shepherd.com. It is indeed like a bookstore online, and a site I will use for choosing books to read in the future. Here’s my page: https://shepherd.com/best-books/colonial-plymouth Have fun exploring this site. Make yourself a cup of coffee and browse! 0 0

I had never read any of Alex Craigie’s books, the premise of this one was enticing. I was not disappointed – what I read stuck with me long after I read the last page. The author is a compelling author. She wrote the book in response to her experience with care homes – what we call retirement homes here in the US. Megan Youngblood’s family is dysfunctional. Her mother is a grasping, ambitious and manipulative person. When Megan becomes an international star as a pianist, she takes over her life, including removing Megan’s best friend and soulmate, Gideon, from her life. Then she forces Megan to marry an abusive but popular actor. The final blow occurs when she suffers a stroke and her children banish her to a horrific care home, where she is unable to communicate her needs. Totally dependent on others, she experiences institutional neglect. And then she faces her greatest enemy – Annie, a sadistic nurse with a reason to hate her. How far will Annie go? Can anyone rescue Megan? I can’t say enough about this book. It may reflect the care home situation in the UK but it could just as easily be set in the US. The characters are so beautifully drawn and reflect the best and the most venal of human nature. And the mixing of romance (will Megan and Gideon ever reunite?), suspense (who else will Annie hurt of kill before she is stopped), and social commentary is compelling. I highly recommend this book – it was a page-turner – and look forward to reading more of this author’s books. About the Author: Alex Craigie is the pen name of Trish Power. She has lived for many years in a peaceful village between Pembroke and Tenby in southwest Wales, with a wonderful family all living locally.  She was ten when her first play was performed at school. It was in rhyming couplets and written in pencil in a book with imperial weights and measures printed on the back. When her children were young, she wrote short stories for magazines before returning to the teaching job that she loved. Trish has had three books published under the pen name of Alex Craigie. The first two books cross genre boundaries and feature elements of romance, thriller, and suspense against a backdrop of social issues psychological thriller. She wrote Someone Close to Home because she was angry and distressed by the institutional neglect that goes on in far too many care homes. Someone Close to Home has won a Chill with a Book award and a Chill with the Book of the Month award. You can find Alex Craigie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012230628350 Close to Home and the author’s other books can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alex-Craigie/e/B01GACW5IG?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1645981603&sr=1-1 0 0