Cathie Dunn writes...

I'm so thrilled to share my latest release with my followers: Ascent , the story of Poppa of Bayeux. Set in the early days of the new county of Normandy, it's a tale of danger, adversity, and love. Ascent is the first in a new series, House of Normandy , detailing the lives of the women behind the famous men who forged Normandy. Little is known about them, so I made it my task to bring them back to life. Whilst the series is fictional, I include real events, which they likely witnessed or heard of.  Poppa of Bayeux is a fascinating woman. Following a Viking raid on Bayeux by the (in)famous Rollo, she is wed to him in the Danish custom – by handfasting outside Church grounds. She must have been very young – too young to bear children, as their son and daughter were both born years later. Statue of Poppa of Bayeux, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain The Catholic Church had little to do with it, and although priests were not happy, they still accepted it in the early days. That did...

I'm over the moon!  After nearly ten years in the field, Dark Deceit has become a paid #1 bestseller in the Literary Medieval Criticism Amazon UK charts. I'm so thrilled about it. The idea of Dark Deceit was conceived at a small train station in south Wales, on my way to work at a local university. As I did medieval reenactment in those days, I thought to add my experiences to a novel, and Dark Deceit – a medieval romantic adventure – was born!  It's set in one of my favourite historical period, called The Anarchy by chroniclers. The name describes the period following the death of King Henry I of England in 1135 and the ascension of Henry II to the throne in 1154. The king's designated heir to the throne, his daughter, Matilda, young widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, did not leave her home in Normandy in a hurry to claim her inheritance.  This left her cousin Stephen of Blois to claim the title, as the nearest legitimate male in the royal line, and the support of man...

Today, I'm sharing an intriguing excerpt from The Devil's Crossing by Hana Cole as part of her blog tour with the  Coffee Pot Book Club .  We're heading to medieval France. There's just so much history! And this one looks very interesting. I'm going to look it up. I hope you enjoy the enticing excerpt from  The Devil’s Crossing ! Excerpt:   Prologue   That evening, drawn by the noise from the streets below, Gui laid aside his manuscript and peered over the balcony. Three men shuffled in irons behind a plough horse. The prisoners had been sentenced to suffer for their own good. The purifying flame would cleanse their souls, and bestow a last chance of salvation before the fires of Hell. Although he had been clerk to the inquisitor for weeks now, this was the first time that he had witnessed a blood punishment and seen the faces of the convicts; faces just like any other. Among them, he knew, was Estève Le Coudray. A salt merchant from the Languedoc with a kind ...

I'm delighted to share my review for Nicole Locke ’s latest title Warstones saga: Captured by Her Enemy Knight ! This isn't the first novel in the series that I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed this as much as previous titles, even though this has a very different slant. Cressida is no ordinary woman: she is an archer, trained by her father to do only one thing: kill. Over the years, she follows his orders, getting rid of his enemies without blinking. But when he sends her to kill Eldric of Hawksmoor, she disobeys her father for the first time – and becomes the aim of his wrath. How could she tell him that she could not possibly kill the one man she has admired, at a distance, for years. Missing her aim intentionally, Eldric’s friends are killed, and Cressida is full of guilt.  When Eldric catches her unawares, he takes her hostage, intent to handing her over to King Edward, and to see her executed. But something about her stirs unknown feelings in him; her vulnerability, so a...

I’m so thrilled to share my new cover and the title of the first Loup de Foix Mystery with you: The Monk’s Secret Historical background: Loup de Foix was the illegitimate son of Raymond-Roger, count of Foix. The town of Foix lies in the south-west of France, and the counts held some sway, politically. Raymond-Roger in particular was known to be a flamboyant character, with an outrageous dress sense (for his time) and a glib tongue. He was a great orator, and his speeches are well-recorded. Raymond-Roger (’Roger’ in the novel, to avoid confusion with other Raymonds – a popular name at the time!) had at least four children: Roger-Bernard (’Bernard’ in the novel, for obvious reasons) and Cécile were legitimate. Amongst his illegitimate children were Loup and Esclarmonde (named after her famous aunt).  The count’s sister, Esclarmonde de Foix, was a well known Perfect in the Bon Chrétien  religious movement, now known as the Cathars. And his wife, Philippa, ran a h...

Today, I’m delighted to share another treat for readers: historical fiction author  Mary Ann Bernal ’s new novel, Crusader’s Path ! I’m very much looking forward to reading it. In the meantime, find the blurb and an intriguing teaser from Crusader’s Path below. Enjoy! Book Blurb: From the sweeping hills of Argences to the port city of Cologne overlooking the River Rhine, Etienne  and Avielle find themselves drawn by the need for redemption against the backdrop of the First Crusade. Heeding the call of His Holiness, Urban II, to free the Holy Land from the infidel, Etienne follows Duke Robert of Normandy across the treacherous miles, braving sweltering heat and snow-covered mountain passes while en route to the Byzantine Empire. Moved by Peter of Amiens’ charismatic rhetoric in the streets of the Holy Roman Empire, Avielle joins the humble army of pilgrims. Upon arrival in Mentz, the peasant Crusaders do the unthinkable, destroying the Jewish Community. C...

I'm so thrilled to share that I brought Dark Deceit across to Ocelot Press . “Layered with authentic detail that will delight any historian, Dark Deceit is a well-written tale of romance, intrigue and dastardly machinations.” ~ 5* review, Suzanne Rogers, author   The novel began life at a small train station in south Wales where I lived at the time. In early 2012, it was published through  Crooked Cat  where it stayed until late 2019.  The sequel is as yet unfinished (I know – and I apologise for the continuing delay), but I hope to get it done (yesss!) by the summer. This coming summer, 2020, to be precise. Watch this space! “Ms Dunn brings the era to life.” ~ 5* review, Sue Barnard, author But in the meantime, if you haven't yet read Dark Deceit , maybe I can entice you to do so. Find the blurb and a teaser below!  A blend of murder mystery and romance, Dark Deceit takes you to medieval England and Normandy. The time was called the...

I'm so thrilled to celebrate my new release today: Love Lost in Time ! I'm out of bubbly, but a nice G&T with blueberries will suffice! Later, of course...  A dual-timeline mystery, Love Lost in Time takes you to sunny Carcassonne, in the south-west of France.  For the historical part of the story, I chose the late 8th century – a time when the Franks under Charlemagne expanded and solidified their presence in Septimania (today's Languedoc-Roussillon) on the Mediterranean Coast. The locals were a mix of Visigoths, Merovingians and descendants of the Romans. After decades of upheaval, the Franks brought some stability into the region, and fortifications like Carcassonne helped to beat back any Saracen incursions.  But not all dangers came from the enemies. Some lay much closer to home... A tale of love, death and redemption… AD 2018 Languedoc, south-west France Madeleine Winters discovers ancient female bones under her kitchen floor. How did t...