Cathie Dunn writes...

Today, I'm delighted to welcome author Alex Marchant , author of The Order of the White Boar and The King's Man . As a fan of Richard III, I found Alex's article on Middleham Castle and its surrounding area very interesting. I'm sure you will, too. :-)  Over to Alex... ~~~ Middleham, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire The name ‘Middleham’ likely means one thing and one thing only to most people. There is of course its racing connection – Middleham is the ‘Newmarket of the North’, with some fifteen racing stables in and around this large Yorkshire Dales village – but to anyone with an interest in history, especially of the medieval period, the fact that it was the primary home to the future King Richard III will always overshadow that. The gatehouse of Middleham Castle Middleham Castle has been a brooding presence in the area for more than 800 years. The remains of an early earth-and-timber castle can just be discerned on the slope of the hill to the south...

Today, I have another fascinating place to show you: historical fiction author D.K. Marley follows Shakespeare's trail in Stratford-upon-Avon! I've not been there, so I was intrigued. So without much further ado, here's what she has to say... ~~~ (c) D.K. Marley Stratford-upon-Avon I held my breath as the train pulled up the station in Stratford-upon-Avon. I looked out the window and my eye fixed on the sign above the station door. No mistaking, I was here, about to walk in the footsteps of Shakespeare. I am sure I looked the ordinary tourist-type with wide eyes looking around every tree and brushing my fingertips through bushes as I walked up toward the town center from the train, almost as if anticipating meeting the very man himself. Which was fine with me and I freely admit to the giddy swirling in my stomach, especially as I reached the streets where Shakespeare might have actually walked. Well, where he did walk! My first thoughts – I wanted ...

Today, we have a special treat in store for you at My Place: Wuthering Heights , the dark, weather-beaten setting for Emily Brontë ’s classic novel of the same name. My author friend Sue Barnard has recently published a beautiful novel, Heathcliff – The Unanswered Questions Finally Answered? , in which she explores the years of young Heathcliff’s absence from Wuthering Heights, and his subsequent return. Well worth a read! So off to Wuthering Heights we go. Over to Sue... ~~~ WITHERING TOPS? “Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr Heathcliff’s dwelling, ‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed; one may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if ...

I'm delighted to welcome back bestselling author Nancy Jardine from her home in modern-day north-east Scotland to tell us about the area under Roman control, well, or at least their attempt to keep control over the vast, often wide-spread settlements of the ancient tribes. I've been a keen reader of Nancy's novels, especially her Celtic Fervour series, and her latest instalment will be released soon. If you love ancient history, make sure to check them out! Now, over to Nancy... North-east Britannia A.D. 84 The Late Iron Age tribes of north-east ‘Scotland’ left no writing for study. There are no descriptions of the landscape they inhabited, the food they ate, their thoughts on the climate or about their neighbours. So how do I create a credible setting for my characters in  Agricola’s Bane,  Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series? (due Autumn 2018) The main text I can refer to comes with an Ancient Roman perspective since Cornelius Tacitus wrote about the milita...