"500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art" - Joan Lennon
Here is Philip Scott Johnson's marvelous, mesmerizing video, with Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach's Sarabande from the Suite for Cello No. 1 in G major.I hope you love this as much as I do!Joan Lennon's...
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In search of Babylon's dragons - Katherine Roberts
Over the past month, I've been painting the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (for the e-covers of my Seven Fabulous Wonders series, but that's just an excuse for some fun). In doing so, I unearthed...
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GREENWAY by Adèle Geras
In the middle of April, I spent five days at Greenway. This is the country home of Agatha Christie, on the banks of the River Dart, just across the water from the pretty village of Dittisham. Greenway...
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'Toad, Long Crippler and Snake' by Karen Maitland
Leechwells at Totnes, DevonIf this summer you find yourself in Devon, it is well-worth visiting the town of Totnes and following the sign up an ancient medieval lane to the 'leechwells' on the corner....
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Writing Historical Fiction for Dyslexic Readers
by Caroline LawrenceThe Roman poet VirgilIn 2013 I was approached by Barrington Stoke, a publisher who specialises in fiction for dyslexic readers. They ask established writers to write books in their...
View ArticleApril Competition Winners
The winners of the April competition are: LizMargaret SkeaGerry McCullough Please send your land addresses to:readers@maryhoffman.co.ukto claim your prizes. Congratulations!
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Hair in all the wrong places – Michelle Lovric
My forthcoming novel, The True & Splendid History of the Harristown Sisters, is about hair. Long, vigorous yet soft, feminine hair. Hair that flows in rich torrents from seven pretty heads. Hair...
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The Boy from Titchmarsh and the Queen's Tiara
I was delighted to see the Queen’s choice of tiara when she entertained President Michael D. Higgins at Windsor Castle last month. Not that I’m particularly a connoisseur of tiaras, but I happened to...
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Jack-in-the-Green and the living ritual, by H.M. Castor
Jack-in-the-Green, Bristol, 2014(Note the face above the yellow flower!)[All photos copyright H.M. Castor unless otherwise labelled][O]ne of my colleagues [was] asked by a friend about our...
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LADY CROOKBACK – on disability and invisibility in historical fiction. By...
Lady Mary GreyLady Mary Grey, youngest sister of the tragic Lady Jane was described by a contemporary ambassador as 'small, crookbacked and very ugly.' It is thought by some historians that she was...
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Strange Fruit, Ida B Wells (and Kate Beaton again) Catherine Johnson
In the 19th and the early part of the 20th centuries lynching was a not uncommon occurrence in the Southern States of America. Of course lynching is not unique to this part of the world. In every...
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Roads for Runaways
by Marie-Louise JensenResearching 18th century roads in England for my most recent book was a fascinating learning experience. I'd read of poorly maintained roads, of course, and of toll gates and pike...
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Writers' Houses 2: Lawrence of Clouds Hill - by Sue Purkiss
When I first saw Lawrence of Arabia, there was one particular scene that caught my attention. Lawrence (aka Peter O’Toole) was making a point about mind over matter. He lit a match, and he held his...
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TYPING A WAY TO THE TOP by Penny Dolan
How often does one understand something you should have known all along? While working on my Mary Wollstonecraft story for the Daughters of Time anthology, I started thinking about education for girls,...
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A Visit to Chatsworth - Celia Rees
A couple of weeks ago, I visited Chatsworth for the first time. I went with an old school friend. Neither of us had ever visited but we had always wanted to go. It was a mothers and daughters trip with...
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War Girl - War Artist WW1
byTheresa Breslin‘A moving collection of the untold stories of women in the First World War…’WAR GIRLS is an anthology of short stories exploring how the First World War changed and shaped the lives of...
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'The Odessa Massacre and why historians should study Ukraine' by A. L. Berridge
Warning: This is a longer, grimmer piece than usual, and if you’re looking for entertainment I’d strongly advise you to skip it! This is for those who like their history raw…People are being killed in...
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Tobias Pleasant by Imogen Robertson
So Theft of Life is published tomorrow and I wish it all the best. It’s had a good start. People I really like and admire have said kind things about it, and it’s been shortlisted for the CWA Endeavour...
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A Visit to Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum by Kate Lord Brown
Driving west of the city into the desert, I often passed a sign to 'Sheikh Faisal's Museum' on the way to Al-Samriya where you can ride Arabian ponies on the date farm, but it's only last month that a...
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Eglantyne Jebb, The Woman Who Saved the Children, by Clare Mulley
Ninety-five years ago this month, in May 1919, a remarkable woman called Eglantyne Jebb, and her sister, Dorothy Buxton, changed the world. Many years ago, I worked as a rather struggling corporate...
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