Do we still like ‘Ruritania’?

Frontispiece to The Prisoner of Zenda, Charles Dana Gibson

Rudolf Rassendyll (Sigh) Princess Flavia (Aaah!) Duke Michael (Grrrr!) Rupert of Hentzau (Wow but grr!)

When I picked up The Prisoner of Zenda at age 12, I was enraptured. It was a torch under the bedclothes job. When it ended I cried, partly from […]

Lucienne Boyce – Love me, love my character

Lucienne Boyce has published two historical novels, To The Fair Land (2012) and Bloodie Bones: A Dan Foster Mystery (2015). She published The Bristol Suffragettes (non-fiction) in 2013. She is currently working on the second Dan Foster Mystery and the biography of a suffragette with Bristol connections. She is a steering committee member of the […]

Helen Hollick - Love me, love my character

Today’s honoured guest talking about her fascinating character is multi-published author and indie advocate, Helen Hollick. Helen lives on a 13 acre 18th century farm in North Devon, with a variety of pets and her family. She has been a published author for over twenty years and doubts she will ever find the time – […]

Ruth Downie - Love me, love my character

Today, I’m delighted to welcome Ruth Downie back to the Roma Nova writing world. She’s talked before about historic truth and donkey poo, and wrote a poignant account ‘from below’ at the court of Boudica as part of A Year of Ravens. Of course, Roma Novans know her as the name on the endorsement for […]

Derek Birks - Love me, love my character

Today I’m delighted to welcome historical fiction writer Derek Birks and his fearsome character Ned Elder. Derek was born in Hampshire, England but spent his teenage years in New Zealand, where he still has strong family ties. After many years teaching history he took early retirement to concentrate on writing. He also spends his time […]