Some Anglo-Saxon kings are famous, for either bei
Annie Whitehead
The Kingdom of the Hwicce
As you probably know, I love researching and writ
Ad Gefrin – Anglo-Saxon Museum
On Friday I had the opportunity to travel into ancient Northumbria to visit Ad Gefrin. A few…
When Research Means Leaving Well Enough Alone
My most recent novel is Book 2 of 2 in the Tales of the Iclingas series,…
Dial M for… Merewalh of the Magonsæte and all his little Ms…
A family featuring prominently in my writing, both fiction and nonfiction, is that of seventh-century Merewalh…
Great Escapes
It’s Women’s History Month so it seemed appropriate to put together some stories about courageous women…
2021 Round-up (and Æthelflæd’s Daughter) plus News!
We once again spent much of the year in lockdown but writerly things were still able…
Finding Stories in Legends: The Anglo-Saxon World
A royal son, in defiance of his frail and useless father, released the king’s prisoner from…
Adding some Atmosphere
I’ve had some lovely compliments recently about the world-building in my novels, so I thought I’d…
Tamworth – Ancient Mercian Royal Residence
Last time, I wrote about the site of Bamburgh Castle, which features in both of my…
The Early Fortress of Bamburgh
The ancient fortress at Bamburgh has featured heavily in my two-book Tales of the Iclingas series,…
Stepping Back into Saxon England and Other News
It’s been a while since I posted a new article here. There’s a good reason, honestly!…
When Monks go Off-message
History is a serious business, in the main. We look at documents, chronicles, diaries, in order…
Murder in Saxon England
There were laws against killing people in times of peace, of course there were, and the…
An A-Z (almost) of Anglo-Saxon Women
My new book details the lives of over 100 women, some of whom had their careers…
Many Ælfgifus – Some Anglo-Saxon Ladies who Shared a Name
I was recently interviewed on BBC Radio Northampton where we chatted about a lady known as…
Touching the Past
Recently I was asked about the problems of researching the lives of the women featured in…
Two Abbesses, Two Synods: Hild and Ælfflæd of Whitby
The oft-quoted ‘Get thee to a nunnery’ seems to suggest that in such an establishment there…
Finding Mercia
The Anglo-Saxons can feel very remote. It’s nearly 1000 years since that period ended with Harold’s…
A New Look for Alvar the Kingmaker
Alvar the Kingmaker has had a makeover. When my novel To Be A Queen underwent a…
Stepping Back into Saxon England – Blog Tour
From 1st-15th October, 2020, Helen Hollick and I went on tour, visiting authors and bloggers and…
In Conversation with Æthelflæd, the ‘Lady of the Mercians’ & Queen Emma of Normandy
Characters: Statue of Æthelflæd at Tamworth Æthelflæd, the ‘Lady of the Mercians’, (c. 870 – 12 June…
Women of Power – Blog Tour
I’d like to express my thanks to all at Pen & Sword Books, especially Rosie Crofts, and…
Anglo-Saxon Women with Attitude
Many of the women who feature in my books got rather a bad press from the…