Stories Behind The Story

Rob's Blog

The Coming of the Saxons

The Landing of the Romans In the Iron Age, all of Britain south of the Firth of Forth, was inhabited by the Celtic people known as the Britons.  In AD 43 the Roman conquest of Britain began under Emperor Claudius, establishing headquarters at Richborough fort...

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The Abbess of Whitby

Whitby Harbour On The River Esk The Abbess of Whitby: A novel of Hild of Northumbria Author: Jill Dalladay First published: 21 Aug 2015 352 pages. Chosen as handmaid to Eostre, the Saxon goddess, Hild would spend a year serving the goddess before she was wed. Her...

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A Chinese New Year on the Dark Side of the Moon

Most of the globe has already celebrated New Year, but the traditional Chinese New Year in 2019 is February 5th.   HAVING FOUND ITS ORBIT, China and the world waited for the first landing on the Dark Side of the moon. News of a successful landing came on January...

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Change come from Within

A Tibetan monk found himself in exile on a main thoroughfare in New York, selling hotdogs from his mobile stall. As he busied himself setting up his stall for the day, he looked up and noticed his former abbot coming towards him on the sidewalk. The monk rushed to...

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Russian Priest in Old Russia

One evening at dusk, an elderly priest arrived at the town gates to meet with a few of their members. A solider on guard pointed his rifle and demanded, “Who are you? Where are you coming from? And where are you going?” The priest stopped in his tracks. Then he said...

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Your Father’s Bones

The famous conqueror of the ancient world, Alexander the Great, one day came across the philosopher, Diogenes. Diogenes was staring attentively at a heap of bones. “What are you looking for?” asked Alexander. “Something that I cannot find” replied Diogenes. “And what...

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Conspiracies of Rome

ROMAN FORUM and the Column of Emperor Phocas (left of centre) Conspiracies of Rome (Death of Rome Saga, Book 1) Author: Richard Blake (Richard Blake is a pseudonym for Sean Gabb. He is a writer, broadcaster and teacher, and lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.)...

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Hild

Whitby Abbey Hild   Author: Nicola Griffith First published: 12 Nov 2013 640 pages You are a prophet and seer with the brightest mind in an age. Your blood is that of the man who should have been king ...That's what the king and his lords see. And they will kill...

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Why I Love Historical Fiction?

I AM BOTH AN AUTHOR AND A READER OF HISTORICAL FICTION.  Reading tastes and preferences are shaped by many things; our personalities, early life experiences, motivational drives, and also more mature adult choices, our education, life and work experience, and so on....

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Change Comes From?

Change Comes From?   A Tibetan monk found himself in exile on a main thoroughfare in New York, selling hotdogs from his mobile stall. As he busied himself setting up his stall for the day, he looked up and noticed his former abbot coming towards him on the sidewalk....

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A New Year’s Resolution!

  IT’S NEVER TOO LATE to make a New Year’s Resolution! And one resolution we can all make is TO START! Here are a couple of encouraging stories to get us on track in 2018.   AN OLD PENCIL MAKER took his newest pencil aside, just before he was about to pack...

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A Healed Femur

A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization?” The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon. Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.” A femur is the longest...

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The Messiah is Among You

THERE WAS ONCE an old monastery tucked away in the middle of a forest. For many years people would make a significant effort required to seek out this monastery. The peaceful spirit of the place was healing for the soul. In recent years, however, fewer and fewer...

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Heaven or Hell?

A stranger arrived at the gate of a medieval town and called up to the gatekeeper who sat in a room above the archway. “Tell me, gatekeeper, what kind of town is this?” The gatekeeper looked down and said, “Well, what kind of people live in your town?” “Oh,” he said,...

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Two Monks

Two monks were returning to their monastery one evening when they came across a stream in full flood. A beautiful young woman stood on the edge, looking anxiously up and downstream, desperate to find a way across. As the monks approached the crossing, the older of the...

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IVANHOE – The Dawn Of Historical Fiction

Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe marked the beginning of what we now call ‘historical fiction’ First published in 1820 In three volumes (subtitled A Romance), Ivanhoe was an instant success. The entire first printing of 10,000 copies sold out in less than two weeks. In...

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The Name Of Rose

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WOLF HALL

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Authors of Historical Fiction I Recommend

‘Success rests on an effective combination of historical accuracy, breathing life into history, dramatic plots, emotional engagement, accessible writing and food for thought. The top 10 historical fiction authors have mastered each of these ingredients.’   The...

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