Writing advice can help you change your process, develop your characters, improve your prose, and give you the confidence to submit your work. You never know which piece of advice might change everything.
We have gathered ten pieces of writing advice from our Sapere Books authors, ordered alphabetically, straight from them to you, to help you take your writing further.
D.R. Bailey
“The most useful thing I’ve done with my writing is to adopt a particular discipline. It’s inspired by the Pomodoro technique. I have a tomato timer app on my desktop, which I use to time 25-minute writing stints. So I sit down to write, and I hit the start button. For twenty-five minutes, I have to write and do nothing else but get words down. I may also edit the scene as I go, but focusing for 25 minutes at a time is what works. I can do two or three tomatoes (as I call them) a day, or sometimes more, but by this method, I get my books written. I also keep writing stats, word counts, number of tomatoes, how many words to go, things like that. I’ve been doing this for years now, and that’s how I have maintained my production record. PS – during a tomato nobody is supposed to bother me, but apparently my cat doesn’t understand the rules!”
Discover more from D.R. Bailey here.
David Clensy
“You need to read a lot of other peoples’ work. Writing novels isn’t something you can do in cultural isolation. Storytelling is a cumulative process that builds over generations. When it’s finally your turn to sit down and start writing your novel, you’re standing on the shoulders of lots of other writers who came before you.
Once you do start writing, my simple piece of advice is to keep writing. Creating a novel can seem intimidating at first. But it’s a bit like climbing a mountain. Don’t stand there looking at the mountain – work out how you get up the next few steps. If you can find the discipline to get a certain amount written each day and stick to it, you will get there eventually. I am fairly strict with myself when I’m working on a novel. I have to write 5,000 words a week. But when you break that down to a daily figure, it’s perfectly manageable. Within just a few months, as if by magic, you have a full first draft manuscript. It’s important to battle on, even if you don’t feel like writing that day. If you wait for some magical muse to work her magic, your book will forever remain a pipe dream.”
David’s other piece of advice focuses specifically on writing historical fiction.
“My novels always contain a combination of real historical characters alongside entirely fictional characters. I am creating fiction, but I’m always conscious of the responsibility that comes with a literary resurrection of real people. I always approach this process with a sense of respect for the dignity of their memory. They do, of course, become “fictionalised” characters, but it’s vital to always keep front of mind that they lived and breathed – they were people with real lives and emotions. The fact that they’re no longer alive does not negate the importance of remembering this at all times when you’re briefly writing them back into existence.
As a writer, you have to make constant judgements as you fictionalise them – assessing what their reactions would have been. So you build up a real sense of understanding of their nature and it’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that by the end, you do feel as if you know them, as you might know a real person. There’s a kind of writer-character relationship that builds up in your mind.”
Consequently, David feels it’s important to go through a process of “getting to know” his characters. Wherever possible, this involves researching – not just plain “facts” about their lives – but visiting places they would have experienced and walking in their footsteps. He has recently travelled around northern Germany to build a picture of the locations his characters will inhabit in his forthcoming U-boat Aces series. You can watch a short film about his experience on his website at www.davidclensy.com
“It adds so much, if you can get out and invest a bit of time in doing that. You’re creating something that is as authentic as possible and when you get that right and come to read it back, as a writer you can feel that. It’s very rewarding to have that sense of having crafted something from nothing.”
David Clensy writes the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure Series, which follows the story of twin brothers serving in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy during the Second World War and is currently working on a new historical fiction series based on the German U-boat aces of the two world wars.
You can keep track of what David is currently working on by signing up for his newsletter or following him on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, X, Threads, and Substack.
Daniel Colter
“Readers often ask how much time I spend in research. The answer is both confusing and confounding — more than I should but never enough.
By that I mean research rabbit holes are fun to explore but can waste hours (days?) better spent writing. An author can’t know too much about the period in which they work, though, and that requires time. Knowledge allows one to write authentically and to show a period as it likely was — I say ‘likely’ because uncertainties increase the further back in history we travel.
I don’t create detailed outlines and rarely know how a book will end when I begin writing (the few times I knew, I later proved myself wrong). So how do I use arguable history to craft a half-formed story?
The ‘large history’ is fleshed out at the start, of course. This can take weeks. I recently crafted The Eagle and the Serpent, a story set within the Great Illyrian Revolt of A.D. 7 to 9, one of Rome’s lesser-known wars. I began by researching the historical players, the setting (geography, cultures, etc.), and the major events. In the process I purposely sought the holes and contradictions.
History provided many of both, fortunately, because these grey areas are where historical novelists run and play. They’re where we plant fictional stories; invent characters, wants, conflicts; where we weave events that might have happened with what history says happened.
As the story grew, my research became fine-grained, done in small batches, multiple times a day. What would a Roman legionary eat, for example? Learn that, then the issue becomes one of application — meaning, how to weave diet into story, to provide ‘flavour,’ while not making the reader drowsy?
Carve away the minutiae that distract from the story, for one. Another tool is to tuck details into the character’s interactions with their world, make the history bits relevant to the story, so the two flow together. Describing what a legionary carried is a bit flat. Better to show how heavy the character’s kit is, that it slows him, that it blisters his palms, that he arrives to the battle late, tired, and sore.
At the end of the journey, readers want to be entertained without being bored by overexplaining, or offended by egregious anachronisms. Details matter, knowing which to include is a fine balance, but crafting a believable, well-flavoured story is what matters.”
You can find Daniel’s book, The Eagle and the Serpent, or find Daniel on Facebook.
Claire Dunn
“If I have one thing that I come back to time and again it is a personal mantra that goes something like this:
Always try to remain true:
– to the subject of your novels and the characters within,
– to your readers who invest time, money and themselves in your books,
– to your publisher who believes in you, and
– to yourself, the author, who sees the world through a different lens and must never lose sight of the vision that drove you to pick up the pen in the first place.”
Claire can be found on her website, Facebook, and on Linktree.
Rozsa Gaston
“Do not let anyone get in your way during your writing hours. Mine are 8:30 am – 3 pm, Mon. – Fri.
If a family member needs something from you, answer in monosyllables, then shut the door of your writing room once they leave, so they understand that you are WORKING.
If someone texts or emails, DO NOT look at the message until you have finished the scene you are working on.
If someone calls, answer with a terse “Hi, I’m on deadline.” If there’s follow up, tell them to text or email you, rather than call so you’re not interrupted.
Compliment your family member every time one of them solves a problem for themselves instead of asking you for something. Say you are proud of them for taking care of it themselves during your WORK HOURS, so you can get your manuscript done by its due date. Your children will understand because they have school assignment deadlines. Your husband will be a harder nut to crack, but he will enjoy being complimented, so keep buttering him up when he figures out how to do something on his own.”
Rosza Gaston’s work can be found on Amazon.
Jeff Jones
1.“One piece of advice you will often hear from people within the publishing industry is to conduct research on what is selling well and write a book that fits in with that current trend. I tried it once and by the time I had spent the best part of a year writing and polishing the manuscript, tastes had moved on and the book subject was no longer in vogue. So my tip for any aspiring writer would be to write the book you want to write and that you’d enjoy reading and worry about its place in the market later. Who knows, you might start your own sub-genre.
2. When I am not writing I am usually working as a proofreader or copy editor and the best piece of advice I was ever given and that I try to impart to my clients, is to keep it simple. Don’t use a word that is so obtuse that it has people reaching for a dictionary – nobody likes that – use simple everyday words. Impress your readers with a great plot and characters, not your vocabulary.
3. One piece of good writing advice I was given over the years was just to get the novel written. Don’t worry about crafting the perfect page or chapter – that’s what the editing process is for – write your book as it comes to you, you can worry about smoothing those edges off later.”
Discover more from Jeff Jones here.
Richard Kurti
“Be Kind … then be Cruel!
“How do I know if what I’m writing is any good?”
It’s the question which plagues everyone who puts pen to paper. You may think it’s a work of genius, only to have your best friend read it and go, “Meh. It’s alright. A bit slow.”
Which is why you always try to be your own critic, questioning every sentence and every plot twist, constantly asking if something could be improved.
But then you end up so full of self-doubt, it becomes impossible to put any words on paper at all. “If it’s not perfect, it must not be typed!” is the quickest route to writer’s block.
Over the years, I’ve developed a method to square this circle by leaning into Multiple Personality Syndrome. So, when I’m actually typing words, laying down the first draft, I am full of encouragement. “Great line!” I enthuse to myself. “Nice twist! Lovely rich thematics!”
I live in this cloud of self-congratulatory enthusiasm until I have completed the first draft. Then I put it aside for a few days, and when my mind has cleared, I switch into Grumpy Reader Mode. Then I pick up the Kindle and imagine that I’ve paid hard-earned cash for this book. I picture myself on a train after a gruelling day in the office, wanting to be entertained/thrilled/intrigued/hooked by the time the train rolls into Sevenoaks.
And reading with the eyes of a stern consumer, I pick holes in my draft. “Too wordy. Too long to get going. Cliché. Confusing. Why should I care about any of this?” get scribbled across the draft in an outpouring of discontent.
When I get to the end, I switch mindset again and become Conciliatory Writer: “Okay, the reader wasn’t happy, and I don’t want to get any one-star reviews, so let’s see if I can sort this out…”
And so it goes on, back and forth, alternating between being my greatest fan and my cruellest critic, until I’m at my wits’ end. Only then do I submit to the publisher!”
Find Richard Kurti at www.richardkurti.com.
Patrick Larsimont
“When writing historical fiction, I think you need to do at least some plotting. If nothing else, to ensure your character’s story fits with the sequence of historical events. Typically, I write about three sentences per chapter, to clarify to myself what I need to cover in the 2K-3K of my chapter. I don’t have to have the whole novel laid out, just the start and endpoint, then about the first two thirds of the story before I start writing.
I’ve heard the analogy that writing a novel is a bit like knowing your destination is say Edinburgh and you are driving from London. You know where you are and where you need to get to. It’s a dark, stormy night, you have no map, just know you must head north and that you can only see as far ahead as far as your headlights. You set off, full of fear, trepidation, hope and anticipation. You’re excited, a little scared, but you’ll get there.
One other technique I use, I call the ‘sling shot.’ It involves knowing where a scene needs to get to, but ending my writing for the day, leaving it uncompleted. The next day, I review what I wrote yesterday, tweak it once and then get catapulted forward into finishing the scene / chapter. This helps avoid the ‘tyranny of the blank page’, staring at the screen, thinking, now what do I write? The ‘slingshot’ helps me hit the ground running.”
Explore Patrick’s website and Patrick’s Linktree.
Ros Rendle
“When I was a new writer, one of the best pieces of advice I was given was ‘go deeper, not wider’.
To illustrate this – it’s not the kiss, but the build up to it. The scent, the sensations of touch, the pauses which involve deep emotions. There may be anticipation or nervousness; perhaps willingness; a complex mix of emotions.
The lead in to a battle will ensure the reader is engaged. It will be the subtle sounds in the distance, the smells of fabric or armour. Clothing may itch or feel too hot and scratchy. There will be other sensations of touch that may result from apprehension, fear or excitement, that build before the moment of fighting and gore. Sight will play its part in the anticipation of what is to follow.
Exploration and use of the five senses, and ensuring powerful verbs are in play, will create strong writing and a vivid, emotional experience for the reader.”
Find Ros Rendle on her website.
Linda Stratmann
“Writing methods are individual and deeply personal. Approach your writing in the way that feels natural to you. Don’t try and fit in with another person’s approach, it might not suit you. Find your own style and method.
This is one rule I always follow: the characters in a book should drive the development of the plot, so events flow naturally and believably. The story will be convincing and the characters relatable.”
For more from Linda, explore her website and Facebook.
Sapere Books
Be sure to follow Sapere Books on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky to stay up to date with our upcoming novels and new releases.
If the advice of some of our Sapere authors makes you want to give back, read our blog ‘9 Easy Ways A Reader Can Support Their Favourite Author’ for examples of quick, simple, and free ways that you can make a difference.
From wartime action in the skies to a brand new Age of Sail adventure, there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
July’s Fiction Releases
Come Fly With Me by Natalie Kleinman is a feelgood contemporary romance about family ties, second chances and unexpected love. Will Olivia find the courage to embrace her newfound family and the future she never planned?
The Stealth Hunters by D. R. Bailey is the third book in the Cooper’s Renegades Aviation Thrillers, set during the Second World War and featuring a squadron of American and British fighter pilots. Cooper Donahue and his Renegades are sent on a top-secret mission — one that could change the outcome of the war.
The Eagle and the Serpent by Daniel Colter is the first book in The Legionary of Rome Military Thrillers series: historical adventures set in Ancient Rome. When Roman citizen Lucius Virius Sura is conscripted into the legions to help quell the Illyrian revolt, he finds himself thrown into the cauldron of war. With no experience and little training, he must learn to fight — or die.
Absolute Honour by C. C. Humphreys is the second book in the Jack Absolute Military Adventure series: a swashbuckling historical saga set in the 18th century. Jack Absolute is returning to England. On the voyage home, he helps in the defeat of a privateer, gaining a new friend, a large share of the prize money, and a nasty dose of cholera. Jack convalesces in Bath, where he falls in love with his friend’s beautiful cousin. But things are not as they seem, and when tragedy strikes, Jack escapes with his life but loses something more important to him: his honour.
First Voyage by Anthony Palmiotti is the first book in the Patrick Welch Naval Thriller series: page-turning nautical adventures set at the outbreak of the Second World War. Patrick Welch, a young American seaman, manages to find a job as third mate aboard an old tramp freighter, the Arrow. He works hard to win the respect of the rough and ready crew, but the reality of the Nazi Germany that awaits them in Hamburg is worse than any of them could have imagined…
The Veiled Bride by Elizabeth Bailey is a compelling Georgian romance with a dramatic secret at its heart. An orphan without means, Rosina Charlton answers an unusual advertisement. But what kind of man advertises for a wife in the local newspaper? Desperate to find refuge, Rosina has few choices in life — but a shock awaits her at the altar…
The Burning of the Ships by Douglas Scott is an action-packed thriller set during the Second World War. When merchant seaman John Rennie is betrayed whilst attempting to escape a French prison camp, he determines to find out who the traitor is. But could he also hold the key to unmasking a Nazi spy?
The Privateer by Dan Donato is the first book in the Gideon Locke Naval Adventures: action-packed maritime adventures set in the 18th century. When Gideon Locke is recruited aboard a privateer, he hopes his luck is about to change for the better. But Gideon soon realises the captain is hiding a dark secret, and his fortunes looks to be once more on a downward spiral. Can Gideon rebuild his reputation? Or will his first foray into privateering be his last…?
Bouncer’s Buzz Bomb by Tony Rea is the fifth book in the Gus Beaumont Aviation Thrillers, military adventures set during the Second World War. Recovering in an RAF convalescent hospital in South Devon, pilot Gus ‘Bouncer’ Beaumont is caught up in a deadly attack by German FW 190 tip and run bombers. Vowing vengeance, Gus asks to be posted to a Typhoon squadron, as these are the only fighters that can catch the German fighter-bombers. But with D-Day on the horizon, can Gus survive another epic battle…?
Caged Eagle by Richard Rohmer is a classic thriller covering the end of the Second World War and the turn of the century. Fighter pilot Garth Peters is training with the Royal Canadian Airforce when he falls in love on a night out. But when the woman of his dreams marries a rival pilot and member of his squadron, Peters vows to take his revenge.
July’s Audio Releases
Lose yourself in a great audiobook this month!
The Bad Popes by E. R. Chamberlin is a dramatic account of some of the most notorious figures of medieval and Renaissance history who ruled from the Eternal City.
In Danger’s Hour by David Clensy is the second book in the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure series: historical adventures following twin brothers fighting with the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy during World War Two.
Don’t miss one of the finest SOE memoirs to come out of the Second World War in Albanian Assignment by David Smiley.
County Bailiff Edward Mountsorrel fights to clear his colleague’s name in Tudor mystery The Slaughtered Widow by David Field.
July’s Non-Fiction Releases
The March on London by Charles Whiting uncovers one of the last great secrets of the Second World War — a clandestine German plan to spark a mass prisoner-of-war uprising. This thoroughly researched account — based on interviews and writings from German POWs and British guards — uncovers the true story behind this remarkably bold plan: who was involved, what was intended, why it was ultimately abandoned, and the brutal repercussions that followed. This little-known episode of the Second World War makes for a gripping read.
Epic Naval Fights of World War Two by Captain Frank H. Shaw is essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about some of the most important but often forgotten battles of the Second World War. From the Arctic to the South Atlantic, Shaw provides a fresh perspective on World War Two at sea and shows just how close the Allies came to losing the war in its early years. From the sinking of HMS Rawalpindi by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau just two months into the war, to the Battle of the River Plate on the other side of the world, Shaw takes us on a journey across the world’s oceans, exploring how the Allies overcame the aggressive Kriegsmarine and gained control of the seas.
The Big Drop by John Golley tells the dramatic, bloody story of how the 9th Parachute Battalion fought to capture and neutralise the Merville Battery. The destruction of this formidable coastal stronghold became one of the most daring and crucial missions of D-Day. Drawing on original wartime documents and first-hand accounts from British and French survivors, Golley vividly reconstructs one of the most daring and decisive raids of the Second World War.
Anzio by war correspondent Wynford Vaughan-Thomas brings one of the Second World War’s most dramatic campaigns to life. Drawing on first-hand experience, interviews with senior commanders, and extensive documentary sources, Vaughan-Thomas captures the brutal reality of life on the front line, while also revealing the tensions and misjudgements within the Allied High Command that contributed to the heavy loss of life. This is the definitive story of Anzio — from bold ambition to bitter struggle, and ultimately to hard-won victory.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
Vibrant Voices. Sensational Stories. Beautiful Books.
From leaving book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads to pre-ordering new releases and recommending books, there are so many simple ways readers can support authors and improve book discoverability. If you’re a reader who wants to support authors, independent publishers, and improve book discoverability, these simple actions can make a real difference.
Why Supporting Authors Matters
Reader recommendations, social media engagement, and reviews can significantly impact a book’s success by increasing visibility and helping new readers find it. While a single review may have little effect on a bestselling title, it can make a meaningful difference for an independent author.
Many successful indie books gain traction through reader enthusiasm and word-of-mouth marketing. If you’d like to support independent authors and smaller publishers, here are some of the most effective ways to do so.
How to Support Your Favourite Authors
1. Buy Their Books
The most direct way to support an author is to purchase their work. Every sale contributes to the author’s success. Sales figures can influence retailer recommendations, future publishing opportunities, advertising budgets, and overall visibility.
2. Follow Authors on Social Media
Following an author on social media is a simple but powerful way to show support.
Social media platforms use engagement signals to determine which content gets shown to larger audiences. When readers like, comment on, save, or share an author’s posts, it increases the likelihood of those posts reaching potential new readers.
3. Subscribe to Author Newsletters
Email newsletters remain one of the most effective marketing tools available to authors.
Unlike social media platforms, where visibility depends on constantly changing algorithms, newsletters allow authors to communicate directly with readers who are genuinely interested in their work. For authors, every subscriber represents a reader who wants to stay connected and support their journey. Plus, it can be a fantastic way to stay up to date and see more behind the scenes.
4. Recommend Books to Friends and Book Clubs
Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most powerful forms of book promotion. When readers recommend books to friends, family members, book clubs, online communities, or fellow readers, those recommendations often carry more weight than traditional advertising. A genuine recommendation from a passionate reader can introduce an author to an entirely new audience.
5. Share Book Posts and Announcements
Sharing a cover reveal, release announcement, review, or author update can help introduce a book to new readers. Even a single share may reach someone who becomes a lifelong fan!
6. Attend Author Events and Signings
Book launches, signings, conventions, and literary festivals provide valuable opportunities for authors to connect with readers. Attendance and engagement help make these events successful and encourage organisers to host similar events in the future.
7. Request Books at Your Local Library
Library requests can have a surprisingly large impact on an author’s success. Many libraries purchase books based on reader demand, meaning a single request can result in a book being added to a collection. This not only supports the author financially, but also introduces their work to new readers who may later purchase other books in the series.
8. Pre-Order
Buying a book before release day can make a big difference. Penguin Random House in their article ‘All About Pre-Orders’ says:
‘For an author, pre-orders can alert retailers and consumers that they should pay attention to your book. From the bookseller perspective, the pre-order quantity is a good early indicator of a book’s success, and can lead to retailers increasing their initial orders.’
Book launches are often driven by momentum. Early support can encourage retailers, reviewers, influencers, bloggers, and other readers to pay attention. The more momentum a book builds before launch day, the greater its chances of reaching a wider audience after publication.
Many retailers count pre-orders toward a book’s launch-week sales performance. As these sales are concentrated around release day, they can help improve chart rankings and visibility during a crucial period. A strong launch can create additional opportunities for discovery, recommendations, and media coverage.
9. Leave A Review
Corrin Foster, Sr. Director of Book Marketing & Promotions at Forbes Books, says on her guest post, The Benefit of Reader Reviews on NetGalley, that:
“Reader reviews are the social proof that helps to convert browsers into buyers.”
Reviews don’t just help authors; they help future readers make informed purchasing decisions. Seeing positive reviews can reassure potential buyers that a book is worth their time and money. In many cases, readers discover new books specifically because they were intrigued by another reader’s review.
Reviews also play an important role in how books are displayed on major retail and discovery platforms. While no platform publicly reveals its exact algorithm, books with higher levels of reader engagement are generally more likely to appear in recommendation feeds, search results, and “customers also bought” sections. More reviews can therefore increase a book’s visibility, helping it reach readers who may never have found it otherwise.
There are several places where readers can leave book reviews, including:
You can also share reviews through:
- Personal blogs
- Instagram posts
- Facebook recommendations
- Threads and Bluesky posts
If you post reviews on social media, tag the author. Not only does this allow them to see your review, but it can help introduce their work to your followers!
How Can You Support Sapere Books Authors?
Whether you enjoy historical fiction, crime fiction, thrillers, mysteries, romance, or non-fiction, every action you take can make a meaningful difference to an author’s success.
You can help Sapere Books authors by:
- Leaving a review
- Pre-ordering upcoming book releases
- Recommending books to friends, family, and book clubs
- Sharing your favourite titles on social media
- Following authors on social media
- Following Sapere Books on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky
- Subscribing to author newsletters
- Subscribing to the Sapere Books mailing list
What may seem like a small gesture can have a lasting impact on an author’s career and help ensure more great books are published in the future. Browse our latest releases, discover new authors, and join our growing community of readers who help support independent publishing every day.
As we celebrate National Crime Reading Month, an annual initiative spearheaded and developed by the Crime Writers’ Association which runs throughout the month of June, we asked C. V. Chauhan, author of the Inspector Sharma Thrillers set in Leicester, to tell us what crime fiction means to him and how it has influenced his own writing.
“I was born and brought up in a small town in the Rift Valley in Kenya. Despite the breathtaking natural beauty of the location, my childhood was highly deprived. My local school had ninety-seven pupils, but no resources and no library. At home, my six siblings and I shared three books. I still remember them vividly, because they kickstarted my love affair with reading. Two featured European fairy tales: Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Rapunzel. The third book was about Greek myths and legends. They were probably given to my father, a cobbler, by an ex-pat British customer. I read and re-read those books by the light of a hurricane lamp in the evening, fascinated by the magical world of fairy tales and the adventures of Perseus and Medusa, Theseus and the Minotaur. This is where my fascination with heroes tussling with dark forces and sinister figures began.
“At the age of eleven I moved with my family to a Victorian terraced house in Leicester and joined a small secondary school without any playing fields. For all its faults, it did have a library, from which I borrowed copious books, and a good English teacher who introduced us to Shakespeare — I loved the themes of passion, greed, power and corruption in Macbeth, Hamlet and Julius Caesar. The battle between good and evil was a constant theme in many of the books I read.
“As an undergraduate at the University of York, my reading became turbocharged. I suddenly had access to thousands of books and met many like-minded people who were hungry for knowledge. In addition to reading the core textbooks for history and economics, I started reading more widely: Graham Greene, Agatha Christie, Aldous Huxley, James Baldwin, George Orwell. I was such a voracious reader that I often read three books simultaneously — a few chapters from one, a few from another, and so on until I went back to the first. My contemporaries thought I was mad, but I was happily lost in the many different worlds and characters created by these fabulous writers.
“Immersing myself properly in crime fiction came not long after. I trained to be a teacher and taught history in some challenging secondary schools in London and Birmingham. At one of these schools, I became good friends with an English teacher called Jim MacLachlan. He introduced me to a wonderful range of crime fiction authors, many of whom I wasn’t previously aware. I soon became embroiled in the lives of the characters in the 87th Precinct series of police procedural novels by Ed McBain, as well as the thrilling plots created by Elmore Leonard, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Raymond Chandler, Lawrence Block, Donald E. Westlake, Patricia Cornwell and Joseph Hansen. Like Shakespeare, the genre delved into complex human behaviours, grappling with morality and justice whilst immersing the reader into danger from a safe distance. I was hooked.
“As a writer, I continue to read widely in all genres. Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain are perennial favourites, as are Lee Child, Stephen King, Jeffery Deaver and James Lee Burke. The Laidlaw books by the late William McIlvanney are fabulous. I also love historical fiction with a criminal element and, more recently, have discovered the many wonderful Japanese writers of crime fiction.
“I gave up full-time work a few years ago to focus on writing crime-fiction. My thrillers are set in Leicester and feature Inspector Rohan Sharma and his idiosyncratic African Grey parrot, Fernando. I have drawn upon my love of detective fiction and police procedurals to write about the city I live in, whilst exploring contemporary themes of diversity, organised crime and human trafficking.
“As we celebrate Crime Fiction Month this June, I often reflect on the fact that crime fiction is a wonderful vehicle through which to examine social and moral dilemmas. I try to bring that to the forefront in my writing and if a reader reflects on something they have read in one of my books, then I’m happy. It’s how I remember the books that have made an impression on me. Even today, I still remember the stories of Perseus and Medusa, Theseus and the Minotaur.”
Visit C. V. Chauhan’s website for all his latest news.
For more information on National Crime Reading Month, visit: https://crimereading.com/
From historical sagas and legal thrillers to a pilgrim’s journey across France and Spain, there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
May’s Fiction Releases
The Crowned Viper by Amy Licence is the sixth book in the Marwood Family Tudor Saga Series, set at Henry VIII’s court. When her uncle dies, newly-married Thomasin travels to London to settle his estate, and once more finds herself at the centre of court intrigue.
Shadows at the Manor by Cara Clayton is the third book in the Tapestry Tales Medieval Sagas. After a spate of robberies occur on the roads around the manor, seventeen-year-old Grace Amundeville d’Albert is determined to work out who is behind them. But could the culprit be close to home?
The Hunt for Boudica by Jeff Jones is the fourth instalment in the Legion of The Damned Roman Thrillers. Centurion Marcus Corvo and his Legion of The Damned are given a choice: face execution or accept another suicide mission — hunt down and capture Queen Boudica.
House of the Dancing Dead by Aola Vandergriff is an atmospheric Gothic mystery set in New Mexico. Abandoned by her partner and grieving the death of her mother, Christie Lynne agrees when her boss offers a year’s paid vacation in the mountains. But regrets are swift to follow when she arrives at the remote Harper abode, whose strange inhabitants sleep all day and dance all night. And when a horrifying discovery is made, everything around her is thrown into question.
The French Vendetta by Simon Michael is the eleventh novel in the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers. When a rare gap opens in barrister Charles Holborne’s court diary, he and Sally seize the chance for their long-postponed honeymoon. But deep in the heart of rural Gascony Charles discovers a community still fighting the Second World War, where old crimes refuse to stay buried.
The Restless Wave by David Clancy is the fourth book in the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventures, set during the Second World War. While Romulus sees action in the Mediterranean for the Allied landings at Sicily and Salerno, as well as helping to lift the siege of Malta as part of Operation Pedestal, his twin brother Remus is once again unlucky enough to experience the wrong end of a torpedo strike.
The Scattering Murders by Keith Moray is the eighth crime thriller in the Inspector Torquil McKinnon Mystery Series, set on a remote Scottish island. When a well-liked farmer is found dead, Detective Inspector McKinnon soon finds himself with more than one mystery to solve.
An Angel’s Touch by Elizabeth Bailey is a touching Georgian romance featuring a spirited and passionate heroine. Can a young woman’s love bring a grieving recluse back into the world?
May’s Audio Releases
Lose yourself in a great audiobook this month!
Professor, friend, Soviet spy; who was the real Hugh Hambleton? Find out in Hugh Hambleton, Spy by Leo Heaps.
Two brothers are keen to start their naval careers. But could it all be over before they’ve barely begun? Find out in For Those in Peril by David Clensy.
Don’t miss this unique account of the Battle of the Atlantic from the perspective of a British destroyer captain in U-Boat Killer by Donald Macintyre.
Discover the unforgettable history of French intelligence agents and courageous British pilots who risked everything in the fight against Hitler in A House for Spies: SIS Operations into Occupied France from a Sussex Farmhouse by Edward Wake-Walker.
May’s Non-Fiction Releases
Hurricanes over Murmansk by John Golley tells the remarkable story of the RAF’s daring defence of the Soviet Union against the brutal Nazi onslaught of 1941. Drawing on first-hand accounts from RAF pilots as well as senior Soviet officials, Golley has crafted a thoroughly researched, vividly told account of bravery, sacrifice, and wartime ingenuity.
The Battle for European Skies by Chaz Bowyer is a comprehensive account of the savage aerial war fought over Europe during the Second World War. This book stands as a poignant tribute to the bravery and dedication of the men on both sides who took to the skies time and again, uncertain of their fate, in the service of their country.
To Drive the Enemy from Southern Soil by Michael W. Taylor draws upon the personal correspondence of Confederate Colonel Francis Marion Parker to recount the history of the brave men of the 30th Regiment North Carolina Troops, from its inception in September 1861 to its final surrender at Appomattox in 1865. The result is a deeply personal record of the daily life and cares of a Civil War soldier.
The Field of the Star is a searingly honest account of author Nicholas Luard’s pilgrimage along the Camino de Compostela, undertaken after the devastating illness and death of his eldest daughter.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
Vibrant Voices. Sensational Stories. Beautiful Books.
We are delighted to announce that we have signed the eighth book in D. R. Bailey’s Spitfire Mavericks Thrillers series: action-packed aviation adventures set during the Second World War and featuring a team of vigilante pilots.
Additionally, we have signed the fourth book in the Secret Sirens Aviation Thrillers series: heart-pounding World War Two escapades with strong female leads.
In D. R. Bailey’s words:
“I’m very happy to be able to continue the journey of the Mavericks and the Sirens. I am grateful for the support and continuous care that Sapere Books has offered me as an author. Through Sapere, my fiction has had a chance to reach a wider audience, which is something every author desires.
“The eighth Spitfire Mavericks book will focus on the squadron’s role as part of D-Day and beyond, protecting the skies over Britain as Hitler unleashes his latest weapon on an unsuspecting populace. The fourth Secret Sirens novel will continue their adventures with dangerous stealth missions. Meanwhile, the banter, humour and general mayhem surrounding the respective characters will, of course, carry on unabated.”
We are delighted to announce that we have signed the fourth book in C V Chauhan’s Inspector Sharma Thrillers: page-turning police procedurals set in Leicester and packed full of suspense.
Here, C V Chauhan tells us what to expect from the latest instalment:
“The plot for the fourth book in the series, A Grave Mistake, is set in motion when a young South Asian man’s body is discovered in Leicester’s historic Welford Road Cemetery, laid out on the grave of Thomas Cook, the travel agent. The body shows signs of surgical intervention: a long scar, expertly stitched. When pathologist Dr Nasreen Khan performs the post-mortem, she discovers a syringe containing a cryptic note addressed to Detective Inspector Sharma inside the body.
“So starts a fast-paced thriller which takes DI Sharma and his team across Leicestershire and further afield as they delve into the sinister world of organised crime and human trafficking.
“A Grave Mistake is more than a police procedural; it is about contemporary British society. It explores issues of immigration, racism, the exploitation of vulnerable people, and the challenges of policing in a diverse, urban environment. The novel also delves into the personal cost of police work, the importance of family, and the resilience required to confront both external and internal demons. This book, as with the previous three in the series, reflects my deep affection for the city of Leicester and its diverse communities.
“I am delighted that Sapere Books have offered me the opportunity to continue writing the DI Sharma series. I couldn’t have done it without their support and encouragement, as well as all the people who enjoy reading my books.”
Visit C V Chauhan’s website for all his latest news.
From medieval intrigues and Tudor mysteries to absorbing accounts of momentous battles, there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
March’s Fiction Releases
Malta Inferno by Justin Fox is the fourth book in the Jack Pembroke Naval Thrillers series. In this instalment, Lieutenant Jack Pembroke and his small escort ship, HMSAS Southern Gannet, join a secret convoy from Egypt to relieve the beleaguered island of Malta.
Tyranny of Indulgence by Richard Kurti is the fifth book in the Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries series. Determined to accelerate the building of St Peter’s Basilica, the new Pope, Leo X, initiates the selling of indulgences, whereby the rich can buy forgiveness for their sins.
Matrons of Dishonour by David Field is the thirteenth book in the Esther & Jack Enright Mysteries series. Jack is tasked with assuring his superiors that rumours of unlawful assaults on suffragettes in police custody are baseless. But when he learns otherwise, he is obliged to reassess his loyalties.
A Parisian Intrigue by Suzanne Parsons is the first book in the WWII Aviatrix Adventures series. Miriam Nugent and her fiancé, Archie Bowater, are both doing their bit for the war effort. While Archie struggles to get to grips with flying Spitfires, at Bletchley Park Miriam quickly makes her mark fixing the machines that will decode enemy messages.
Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson is the third book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery series. It’s Christmas at Whitehall Palace, but Lady Catrin Surovell cannot find her celebratory spirit. The queen has asked her to stop a brute who has forced the waifs of London to work for him. And it seems the culprit may be someone at court…
A Valiant Endeavour by D. R. Bailey is the second book in the Cooper’s Renegades Aviation Thrillers series. American pilot Cooper Donahue has been sent to the RAF base at Banley to train with the British Mavericks Squadron. Before long, he finds himself flying sorties along the Sussex coast, where the threat of dogfights with the Germans lurks around every corner.
A Lady in Name by Elizabeth Bailey is a heart-warming Georgian romance. When Lucinda Graydene’s father imparts a shattering secret on his deathbed, her world is turned upside down. Bereft, she confronts the author of her unorthodox origins — but instead she finds his heir. And the autocratic Stefan Ankerville, Earl of Pennington, takes charge of her life, despite her protests.
March’s Fiction Backlist Releases
We are pleased to announce that the fourth, fifth and sixth instalments of H. Jay Riker’s gripping SEALS: The Warrior Breed series are out now. Don’t miss these action-packed military adventures, following the U.S. Navy’s elite commando demolition unit.
March’s Non-Fiction Releases
Fighter Pilots of the RAF by Chaz Bowyer is a powerful and deeply human portrait of the men who risked everything in the skies over Europe. Drawing on meticulous research, Bowyer goes beyond the famous names to uncover the untold stories of twenty pilots — many of whom received little public recognition, yet were crucial in the fight against the Luftwaffe.
The Burnside Expedition in North Carolina by Richard A. Sauers is a definitive account of Union General Ambrose E. Burnside’s North Carolina Campaign — a pivotal moment in the American Civil War.
A Short History of the Arab Peoples by Sir John Bagot Glubb draws on the author’s considerable knowledge of the Arab world gleaned from his time spent living and working in the region to explore its history, culture and politics. Spanning from the seventh century to the mid-twentieth century, this book brings to life several tumultuous and extraordinary periods of history.
Hunters From the Sky by Charles Whiting tells the fascinating true story of the Fallschirmjäger — the elite German Parachute Corps — and their role during the Second World War, 1940–1945.
Trafalgar: Nelson’s Great Victory by Donald Macintyre charts the dramatic prelude to the momentous battle — from Horatio Nelson’s rise to fame at the battles of the Nile and Copenhagen, to Pierre-Charles Villeneuve’s bold attempt to unite French naval forces in the Caribbean, before slipping past the British blockade to challenge their command of the seas.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed the next three books in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles by Rozsa Gaston.
Set during Anne Boleyn’s formative years, the series follows Anne through the Habsburg Netherlands to France, then back to England before rising to become one of England’s most legendary queens.
In Rozsa’s words:
“The adventure of chronicling Anne Boleyn’s teenage years in Europe has catapulted me far beyond my original plan for a three-book series. Anne’s story deepened as I researched the historically significant figures who shaped her, both psychologically and politically, including Margaret of Austria, the future Charles V, Erasmus, Francis I of France, Mary Tudor, Louise of Savoy, Diane de Poitiers, Clément Marot, and Leonardo da Vinci.
“The next three books in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles see Anne at the 1520 Field of the Cloth of Gold, where her unique advantage as an Englishwoman with French sensibilities allow her to stand out. Her final year in France, however, is fraught with rumblings of religious reformation spurred by Martin Luther, and the coming war with England.
“In 1521 Anne is summoned home to England, where she shines after eight years spent at two of the most powerful courts in Europe. Her father is determined to see Anne marry well. But Anne’s sights are set even higher than her father’s. In book six we shall see how high she soars following her extraordinary years abroad.”
Queen of Diamonds is available to pre-order now.
From Georgian romance and Tudor espionage to compelling tales of wartime bravery — there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
February’s Fiction Releases
The Queen’s Maid by Rozsa Gaston is the second book in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles: historical novels set in sixteenth-century Europe. In this instalment, Anne arrives at the Palace of Tournelles, only to learn that not everyone is pleased about the union between the ageing French king and his young English queen.
A Fragile Mask by Elizabeth Bailey is a touching historical love story set in Georgian England with a courageous heroine at its heart.
Death at Home by C. P. Giuliani is the eighth book in the Tom Walsingham Mystery series: page-turning espionage adventures set during the Elizabethan era. When his older brother dies suddenly, Tom Walsingham finds himself a suspect in a murder investigation.
The Mighty Ocean by David Clensy is the third book in the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure series: action-packed adventures set during the Second World War. As the twins’ ships cut through the Arctic seas, will the brothers survive the gauntlet of U-Boats, icebergs and icy seas?
The King’s Stolen Jewels by Adele Jordan is the fourth book in the Shadow Cutpurses Tudor Thrillers, set during the reign of King Henry VIII. When her mother returns to Whitehall Palace during the Christmas festivities, thief-turned-espionage-agent Gwynnie Wightham must decide whether to help her once more or renounce the Shadow Cutpurses for good.
February’s Non-Fiction Releases
They Died to Make Men Free by William M. Anderson tells the gripping story of the 19th Michigan Infantry Regiment, fighting for the Union in the American Civil War. Drawing on more than 800 preserved letters and diaries, it is essential reading for everyone interested in the American Civil War, military history, and the enduring sacrifice of ordinary soldiers.
Britain and the Arabs by John Glubb is a comprehensive history of British–Arab relations over fifty years, spanning two world wars and the struggle for independence — and offering vital insight into the roots of today’s Middle East conflicts.
Hitler’s Werewolves by Charles Whiting is the terrifying true story of how a secret guerrilla force were recruited and trained by SS General Gutenberger to terrorize and murder not only the Allies but fellow Germans who might collaborate with the enemy.
Sea Power in the Pacific by Donald Macintyre charts the fierce struggle for supremacy over the world’s greatest ocean — the Pacific — from the sixteenth century to the Korean War.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
We are pleased to announce that we have signed an exciting new series of Tudor mysteries by Paul Walker.
In Paul’s words:
“History, in pictures, books or old buildings, has always prompted my imagining of what it must have been like all those years ago. The sixteenth century was filled with intrigue, politicking and socio-religious turmoil, and that is where I’ve put my protagonist, Doctor William Constable.
“Constable is a physician and mathematician of the stars, with a house in West Cheap, central London. He becomes involved (unwillingly, at first) in foiling plots against Queen Elizabeth, under the watchful eye of Sir Francis Walsingham.
“I am delighted to have the first four books in the series scheduled for publication by one of the most prized names in historical fiction, Sapere Books. These books cover the years 1578 to 1585 and include some well-known events and names. Work is underway on books five and six.”
Visit Paul’s website to stay up to date with his news and latest releases.
Richard Kurti is the author of the Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries: historical thrillers set in fifteenth-century Rome and featuring a brother and sister investigative duo. The fifth book in the series, Tyranny of Indulgence, is now available to pre-order.
I can write pretty much anywhere. As long as I have headphones and Spotify on my mobile, the words will flow. Particular favourites are writing on trains and in coffee shops, as the continual bustle of people always fires my imagination.
But it’s important to have a base, especially when writing historical fiction, as I need a place where I’m surrounded by all my notes and reference books.
When we moved to Ely in Cambridgeshire three years ago, I snapped up one of the front rooms, as it has sunlight all day and a big window to watch the world go by. The only downside is that it’s the closest room to the front door, so whenever the Amazon driver rings the bell, it’s always me who has to get up and answer it.
The room to the left of this one is lined with shelves groaning under the weight of reference books, but this room is dedicated to putting words on the page. As you can see, a pair of loudspeakers is in prime position, so that I can listen to music all day.
Incidentally, the folders on top of the printer are where I indulge my only writing superstition. When I finish a chapter, I always print it out and put it in a large file. This is because my secret fear is that one day there will be a massive solar flare that will knock out the Google Drive and OneDrive servers and wipe the discs of all my computers … so I like to have a paper copy as well, just in case!
We are delighted to announce that we have signed two new books in Angela Ranson’s Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery series: exciting historical thrillers set at the court of Elizabeth I.
Here, Angela tells us more about the series and what to expect from the latest instalments:
“I started working with Sapere Books in March 2022, when I was named as a runner-up in their first writing competition. From the very first, the people at Sapere have brought light and positivity to my writing life. They have offered real help and support, and their editing process has improved my writing enormously. Sapere has helped me understand and appreciate the many stages of writing a book.
“Or, as it has turned out, a series of books. We started out with three Catrin Surovell Tudor mysteries, and then it grew to five, and just last month it grew to seven. I was so excited to receive the latest contracts and know that I could continue to explore the character of Lady Catrin, Countess of Ashbourne and favoured lady of the bedchamber for Queen Elizabeth I. Lady Catrin is a clever and courageous woman in a dangerous world — much as Elizabeth’s real ladies of the bedchamber would have been. It was not all music, gossip, fine clothes and embroidery for these women, despite the way they are portrayed in modern movies. In real life, they had difficult battles to fight.
“Thus far, Lady Catrin has remained close to her queen at court. She has battled many villains who have tried to remove Elizabeth from her throne, or destroy the reforms the queen has put in place. She has fought against religious zealots, royal traitors and court conspirators, all with the help of her close friend Lady Lucy and a collection of people as dedicated to the queen’s service as she is. In the fourth book, Grave Merriment (which will be released in March 2026), Lady Catrin will battle two villains, each with a specific goal but one area of common ground: the desire to destroy all the queen holds dear, at the most festive time of the year.
“It is important to me that Lady Catrin’s adventures could have happened and that Lady Catrin herself could have investigated and unmasked the villains. I try very hard not to change history or give Lady Catrin more power than she would have had. I do, however, often answer historical questions that have never been answered, or create fictional scenarios that take place in parallel with a known event. That is why the fifth book in the series will focus on an event that never took place: a meeting between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. This meeting has been included in many fictional accounts of these two queens. Usually, the wise queen of England grows frustrated with how the reckless and impulsive Queen of Scots always ‘feeds her with fair words’ that mean nothing.
“Instead of following this trend, the fifth Catrin Surovell mystery will follow history more closely, and focus instead on why that meeting didn’t happen. Lady Catrin will be the one who learns the secret that keeps these ‘fair cousins’ apart … just in time to save their lives.”
Grave Merriment is available to pre-order now.
Visit Angela’s website to stay up to date with her news and latest releases.
From Tudor adventures and World War Two thrillers to fascinating accounts of historical battles — there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
November’s Fiction Releases
The Queen’s Game by Raymond Wemmlinger is a thrilling novel of succession set at the Tudor Court. Will Lady Mary Grey see her family name rise to victory, or tumble into obscurity…?
Despair and Triumph by David Mackenzie is the third book in the John Noble Fighter Ace Thrillers series. In this instalment, John finds himself sent on a mission halfway around the world.
The April King by Isolde Martyn is a compelling and romantic biographical historical mystery novel set in Tudor Elizabethan England.
The Man from Morocco by C. P. Giuliani is the seventh book in The Tom Walsingham Mysteries series: page-turning espionage adventures set during the Elizabethan era.
In Danger’s Hour by David Clensy is the second book in the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure series: authentic historical adventures following twin brothers fighting with the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. With Operation Dynamo around the corner, will the Hutchinson brothers both make it out alive…?
November’s Fiction Backlist Releases
The Starling by Doris Leslie is a compelling historical novel of passion, new beginnings and the nature of true love, set in London and Florence, Italy.
November’s Non-Fiction Releases
Patton’s Last Battle by Charles Whiting tells the dramatic story of American General George Patton’s final months of command in World War Two.
Jutland by Donald Macintyre uncovers the dramatic, in-depth story of the Battle of Jutland, the most significant naval clash of World War One.
Soldiers of Fortune John Bagot Glubb explores the captivating history of the Mamluk Empire, one of the Middle East’s most powerful forces from 1250 to 1517.
Men of the Desert Air Force by Chaz Bowyer is a gripping, real-life account of the brave pilots who flew over the deserts of North Africa and the Mediterranean during World War Two.
Happy reading! Team Sapere
Following the success of his standalone historical novels, Stephen Taylor is now writing the Augustus Swift Investigations: a new detective series set in Georgian England.
The first instalment — Brotherhood of Death — will be released at the end of October, and we are thrilled to have signed the third book in the series.
In Stephen’s words:
“My new series is set in the 1790s, thirty years before the first Metropolitan Police force and fifty years before the first Criminal Investigation Department was founded. The detective I have created is Augustus Swift: a physician and apothecary who has studied modern medicine and logic at Edinburgh University. But he has also travelled to Egypt to study Islamic philosophy and doctoring. He is a humanist who looks to science to explain the world rather than religious beliefs.
“It is the age of the Enlightenment, yet political control is still firmly in the hands of the aristocratic landowners, as it has been for centuries. Dr Swift, however, is a man of the Enlightenment.
“Yet fate raises a capricious eyebrow in his direction when he is recruited by the Home Department to advise on poisons. His life is dedicated to upholding the physician’s ethical principles, but now, by working for the government, his actions perpetuate the injustices of those in power.”
Keep up with Stephen’s latest news via his website.
As a historical novelist, I’d say that what resides in the details is a sense of place and time. Whether found by accurate research, by educated guesswork or by extrapolation, details endow fiction with a near-tangible quality that lets both the writer and the reader experience a measure of truth behind it. We ‘hear’ a long dead spy’s voice in the clipped sentences and spelling quirks of his reports, or we find a mindset in a statesman’s liking for trees and Italy.
Details are also highly addictive.
I usually begin by wanting to know something innocent — say, what fine Moroccan jewellery would have looked like five and a half centuries ago. And at four in the morning, I’m still browsing the web, and writing to friends whose spouses work in museums, or to complete strangers who happen to be historians. In the end, the (broken) Moroccan necklace will make one brief appearance — but it will look like an actual sixteenth-century one.
Once, a few books ago, I spent a happy hour in an antiquary’s shop in Venice, peppering the owner with questions about just what kind of blade a certain kind of Venetian citizen would have bought and worn, so that, in The Road to Murder, Paolo Citolini’s Venetian dagger was not just an element of the plot, but also something that his grandfather could have bought, and his father brought with him in his English exile as a piece of home.
And then there was the session of theatre rehearsals I hijacked into a demonstration of the different styles in Renaissance fencing, to see just what my protagonist, Tom Walsingham, would learn from an Italian swordsmaster. Or the museum curator who asked his mayor for leave in orderpermission to scan old cadastral maps for me. Or the kind librarian at the diocese of Paris’ archives whom I sent on a quest for the name of the bishop’s coadjutor in 1587. Most diocesan records were lost during the Revolution, and the name I wanted couldn’t be found — and yet I became fascinated with the idea of this nameless coadjutor: can he truly be only clinging to the cliff of history by a brief mention in an English diplomatic report? Someday this will be a story, too.
And what would the inn have been called in this village? And where would the great stairs have been in that long-destroyed manor house? Details — often quite small — to be happily hunted down rabbit-holes. They don’t even all necessarily end up on the page: what goes there thickens the atmosphere; what doesn’t still serves to add depth and texture and colour to the story.
Visit C. P. Giuliani’s website to stay up to date with her news and latest releases.
Following the success of her Medieval Ladies Series, we are delighted to have signed a new Thomas Middleton series by Coirle Mooney.
In Coirle’s words:
“While studying for my PhD, I became intrigued by Thomas Middleton. Who was this lesser known, younger, more dashing contemporary of Shakespeare who preferred to be called ‘Plain Tom’?
“In the first book of my new series, schoolboy Tom dreams of becoming a great poet like Kit Marlowe or William Shakespeare and draws inspiration from the daily crime pamphlets sold around St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as the preachers’ passionate sermons on vice and evil-doers. His essay wins the grand prize of a season ticket to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, but his plan (and childhood) is derailed when his charismatic stepfather attempts to poison his beloved mother, forcing him to give up the precious prize to help pay for the lawsuit that ensues. Alongside his poetic aspiration, Tom develops a lifelong distrust of appearances and an obsession with rooting out poisoners.
“The series follows Tom down the dark alleyways of Southwarke’s lawless baiting dens, taverns, brothels, the Rose and the (newly built) rival Globe theatre, where he meets like-minded playwrights and actors who move easily between all social ranks in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean London. Tom and his fellow artisan dissidents are well placed to root out corruption in the shape of poisoners, like his stepfather, who destroy innocent lives in the pursuit of wealth, status and power.
“All three books reimagine poisonings of the time, with Tom’s character central to discovering the murderers. Book three culminates in the Overbury murder scandal, where members of the Jacobean court and their citizen accomplices were famously put on trial for the poisoning of Sir Thomas Overbury.
“I am thrilled to be working with the marvellous team at Sapere once more and grateful to have a platform worthy of plain Tom!”
We are delighted to announce that we have signed the eleventh book in the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers series: gritty, hard-boiled mysteries featuring maverick barrister Charles Holborne.
In Simon’s words:
“As regular readers of the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers will be aware, every book has been set in a different year, tracking the corrupt Metropolitan Police force and the gangs like the Krays’ ‘Firm’ through the 1960s. I’m afraid I’ve never had much patience with writers whose formulaic books never allow their characters to grow up (or old). There’s one particular tough guy (you may remember him being portrayed on film by a certain very famous diminutive actor) who, thirty books in, should now be approaching the ripe old age of sixty-six. Yet, chained to a steel table with a broken wrist, he is still capable of choking a big guard into unconsciousness.
“I prefer realism. If the Charles Holborne books are based on real cases, real political events and real people, my hero barrister should also be real: he must get older and, one hopes, wiser. In The Brief, set in 1960, he was thirty-five years of age. By the time we get to book 11, he’s a decade older. And what did most good looking, easy-going, solvent professional men do in 1970? They got married, maybe started a family and … went on holiday.
“The playful title I had in my head as I wrote the book was ‘Charlie Holborne Goes to France’. Sapere Books have been wonderful publishers (evidence: this will be my eleventh book with them) but even I knew their patience might be stretched by such a title. Wrong vibe altogether. In any case, this holiday turns nasty. Charles and Sally find themselves embroiled in a vendetta in the heart of stunning rural Gascony, a vendetta with its roots in the war between those who resisted and those who collaborated with Vichy. Their Gascon idyll turns dark, putting their lives and that of their daughter at risk. And, because no Charles Holborne novel can omit a courtroom drama, Charles finds himself on a busman’s holiday, fighting the good fight as always.
“I have enjoyed writing this book because it is set in a beautiful part of the world that I know and love well. In addition to action, mystery and courtroom drama, there’s magnificent countryside and wonderful food to go with the true historical facts. I can’t wait for you to read it.”
Visit Simon’s website to stay up to date with his news, events and latest releases.
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a Viking trilogy and Medieval Templar series by Michael Burr.
In Michael’s words:
“I’m thrilled about joining the Sapere family of authors, because not only is that how the company has been represented to me, but it’s also the impression created by my first contact with Amy, Caoimhe and Natalie. I care a great deal about historical fiction and I believe that readers of that genre really tend to know their stuff, so Sapere’s reputation for excellence in matters editorial, cover design and marketing certainly lives up to that standard.
“As someone who made a career out of teaching History, I’m fussy about the twin imperatives of telling interesting stories and telling them properly. Central to this is keeping real people and their motivations as the focus, because those tend not to change, whatever else does. In fact, that’s the central premise of my trilogy, Chronicles of the Scraeling, in which a disabled teenager is snatched as a trophy from a French convent devastated by a band of marauding Vikings. His initial and derisory nickname of ‘scraeling’ becomes a badge of acknowledgement and respect among his gung-ho pagan companions through his ability to manipulate and outmanoeuvre acquaintances, enemies, and the occasional friend using an outrageous mixture of intelligence, cheek, bluff and superb man-management.
“His story rollicks in three volumes through most of the eleventh century and any number of unscrupulous kings, scheming empresses and demented eunuchs. The books encompass genuine history, graphic violence, outright comedy and even bits of down-home ordinariness.
“Similarly, I was prompted to write my Medieval Templar series by my fascination with the legendary appearance of a phalanx of Templar knights on the battlefield of Bannockburn. Where did these elite and terrible warriors of the medieval period come from? Why were they there, especially since they were supposedly dispersed, proscribed and persecuted years before? And what happened to the fabled and fabulous treasure of an Order that produced history’s first capitalists?
“So many questions, and my story of the life of the first, secret Master of the Temple after it was driven underground, is sort of an answer to them.”
Visit Michael’s website to stay up to date with his news and latest releases.
Jeremy Howard-Williams DFC (1922–1995), author of Night Intruder, had a distinguished career in the RAF as a night-fighter pilot during the Second World War and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry. To commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Jeremy’s son, Anthony Inglis Howard-Williams, reflects on the arrival of peace in 1945 and how it influenced his father’s life.
Jeremy Howard-Williams warming up the engines of a clipped wing Spitfire
When peace came to Europe in May 1945, Flight Lieutenant Jeremy Howard-Williams DFC was stationed at HQ, 11 Group Uxbridge. Three days before Germany’s unconditional surrender, a party was held to celebrate peace. Jeremy and his brother Peter did so by marching a guest — Flight Lieutenant Andrew from RAF Intelligence — between them up and down an anteroom. The junior flight lieutenant just happened to have been their pre-war boarding school housemaster, and the brothers had found it too good an opportunity to miss. When, years later, he was asked how the lieutenant had taken the ribbing, Jeremy replied, “with remarkable good humour!”
Jeremy at his wedding in 1951
Like so many in 1945, Jeremy was headed for an uncertain future. With peace came the pressing question: what happens now? For most, life outside of the forces beckoned. With millions demobilising, the assimilation of those who had been at war back into civilian society became one of the new post-war government’s biggest challenges. For those who did not want to leave the forces came a different challenge. With Jeremy’s father a retired RAF pilot, Peter a Battle of Britain day-fighter pilot and Jeremy a night-fighter pilot with the Fighter Interception Unit — an elite force at the forefront of the RAF’s early experiments with radar equipment — both brothers understandably wished to remain serving.
With the Royal Air Force downsizing, deployment meant less flying — not a very exciting prospect for a twenty-three-year-old war veteran. Jeremy had specifically joined the RAF in order to fly when the Nazis had tried to seize control of Western Europe. However, in the new modern era of the jet engine, aircraft were flying ever faster and higher. Now that was exciting!
In the end, both brothers remained in the RAF. Jeremy was first posted in an admin job to Singapore during the Malayan Emergency, where he met his wife, uniting two distinguished RAF families. He later worked as an assistant air attaché in the Paris and Berlin embassies. He did fly during these postings, but mainly a desk. He resigned in 1957.
Ultimately, Jeremy’s parents divorced and his father remarried into the Ratsey family, where Jeremy became sales manager for the famous sail-making firm Ratsey & Lapthorn in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. After leaving the company, he wrote many authoritative books on sailing, as well as Night Intruder, republished by Sapere Books, a personal account of his wartime service as a pilot and the radar war between the RAF and Luftwaffe night-fighter forces.
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed a new historical mystery series set in eighteenth-century France by Cheryl Sawyer.
Cheryl Sawyer at the Château de Breteuil with a contemporary portrait of Émilie du Châtelet
In Cheryl’s words:
A cavalier of the Maréchaussée, the French military police, in the early 1700s
“It’s 1735 in the remote Champagne province and a cavalier in France’s mounted police force must investigate a murder at the chateau of Cirey, where the scandalous Marquise du Châtelet is sheltering Voltaire. How could a lower-class gendarme solve major crime in a society where aristocrats held all the power?
“That very question sprang to mind when I visited beautiful, secluded Cirey during my research into Émilie du Châtelet, a brilliant physicist of the Enlightenment. A lone military policeman would struggle to do his duty in this privileged locale, even if Voltaire himself were a likely suspect.
“That is how Victor Constant and his first challenging investigation came to life. I had eight historical novels published in several languages, but this was my first crime story and I sought seasoned opinion. Peter Lovesey wrote to me: ‘Marvellous tensions between the great free-thinker and Victor Constant, the book’s hero. The story dazzles and beguiles and the setting is pitch-perfect.’ The novel went on to be longlisted for awards by the Historical Novel Society and the American Library in Paris, and readers have since called Victor ‘the Jack Reacher of the eighteenth century’.
“I am delighted that Sapere Books have chosen Murder at Cirey to lead this series and thrilled that Victor Constant persists in battling injustice within the rigid society of the Champagne. The new titles are Death in Champagne and Murder on High. A huge thank you to the Sapere team for launching this adventurous series!”
Congratulations to David Field, whose twisty Victorian thriller, The Retirement Murder, is out now!
The Retirement Murder is the ninth instalment in the Esther and Jack Enright Mystery Series – a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London and packed full of suspense.
London, 1898
The time has finally come for Percy Enright to retire from Scotland Yard. His nephew, Jack, is sad to lose a partner in the force, but Jack’s wife Esther is glad Percy won’t be getting her husband into any further scrapes.
It seems Esther’s relief might be short lived, though, when a senior officer collapses at Percy’s farewell ceremony.
It soon becomes clear that the officer was poisoned, and Percy delays retirement to help Jack track down the culprit.
It’s a daunting task that involves trawling through all the murdered officer’s recent cases in the search for someone who may still bear him a grudge.
But when it becomes clear the dead man may not have been the intended target, the investigation suddenly turns in a new direction.
Why are the police being targeted? Can Percy make one final arrest before he retires?
Or will the murderer outwit the Enrights in their latest case…?
Following the success of his many historical series, including the Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers and Inspector Torquil McKinnon Mystery Series, we are delighted to announce that we have signed a new supernatural series set in Victorian London by Keith Moray.
In Keith’s words:
“The first book in the series is set in London in 1854. Jack Moon is a foundling, brought up in an orphanage and then a workhouse, where he and his best friend Danny are subject to regular beatings. Together they escape, but when Danny dies in tragic circumstances, Jack secretly buries his friend in a cemetery at night.
“Alone and living in a deserted and rat-infested warehouse, Jack starts seeing Danny’s ghost, who warns him that someone is out to kill him and worse, the girl he loves, too. This is Victorian London, with its criminal underworld, body-snatchers, phrenologists, séances, ghosts and ghouls.
“I am delighted to be writing another historical series with Sapere Books, who have permitted me to set my stories in a variety of times and places, from ancient Egypt and medieval England to a contemporary Scottish island. My new mystery series delves into the occult and the psyche of the Victorian mind. It is murky, sinister and just a little bit scary.
“And one of the main characters is a ghost.”
Congratulations to D. R. Bailey, whose thrilling aviation novel, The Night Angels, is published today!
The Night Angels is the second novel in the Secret Sirens Aviation Thrillers Series, heart-pounding Second World War escapades with strong female leads.
1943
Sisters Anna and Jennifer Nightingale are recruits in the top-secret Siren Squadron: a group of women trained in the RAF to fight against the enemy.
The Sirens are tasked with flying a series of night stealth missions as part of Operation Scorpion. The first mission is successful, and on returning to base they are told that new members will be joining their ranks.
Hopeful that this means the all-female squadron has been deemed a success, the sisters welcome the new recruits and start training them on the Mosquitos.
They head out on another night mission. But this time not everyone returns.
With a downed plane found empty off the English coast, fears grow that one of the Sirens hasn’t survived.
But the show must go on. And Anna Nightingale has to destroy the crashed plane so the Sirens can remain classified.
As their night missions continue, increased skirmishes with enemy pilots suggest someone may be leaking information to the Germans.
Have the Sirens been compromised? Can they find the mole?
Or will these daring female agents be forced out of the war…?
Congratulations to Angela Ranson, whose gripping Tudor mystery, A Glittering Peril, is out now!
A Glittering Peril is the third book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mysteries Series: exciting historical thrillers set at the court of Elizabeth I.
1561
Every summer, Queen Elizabeth takes a journey around her kingdom. It is a time of revels and celebration, full of pleasure and extravagance.
But in July 1561, the trip begins badly when the corpse of an unknown man is left in her path.
The nervous queen asks Catrin Surovell, her trusted favourite lady-in-waiting, to find out who is trying to sabotage her journey.
But Catrin soon discovers that the queen’s nervousness stems from something greater than the mysterious death.
Someone has been leaving reminders of the queen’s mother, Anne Boleyn, in strange places. A woman appears in the distance who looks like her; the scent of Anne’s perfume is left in the queen’s chamber, and Anne’s favourite French ballads are sung by a disembodied voice as the queen is travelling.
Worst of all, Anne Boleyn’s famous gold-and-pearl necklace with teardrop pearls hanging from a letter ‘B’ is taken from the queen’s bedchamber. The queen is devastated by the loss, for the necklace was one of very few mementos she had of her mother.
The queen begins to suspect one of her courtiers, so Catrin visits his home to conduct a secret investigation into his actions. And that’s when she discovers this is the most difficult mystery she has ever had to solve.
Is Queen Elizabeth being haunted by her ill-fated mother? Or is someone trying to drive her insane?
And can Catrin find the connection between the missing jewels and the unknown corpse…?
We are delighted to announce that we have signed the ‘Anne Boleyn Chronicles’ by Rozsa Gaston.
Rozsa is the author of the Anne of Brittany series — an enthralling historical series set during the French Renaissance.
In Rozsa’s words:
“My new series tells the tale of Anne Boleyn’s years abroad before joining Henry VIII’s Tudor court. Set in the years 1513–1522, the story begins in the Netherlands at Margaret of Austria’s Burgundian-Habsburg imperial court.
“We see Anne grow from girlhood to womanhood as one of Margaret’s eighteen maids of honour. Facing the challenges of cliques and envy, she navigates court life by learning to fit in even as she longs to stand out.
“We then follow Anne to France, where she serves first Mary Tudor, then French queen, Claude of France, and finally, the French king’s sister, Marguerite d’Angoulême.
“After six years in France, Anne attends the summit of the Field of the Cloth of Gold where she realises the advantages that might await her at the Tudor court as an Englishwoman with French sensibilities. The series culminates in Anne’s return to England in the first months of 1522, fully armed with Continental flair, Reformist ideals, and a drive for self-determination fuelled by the new learning of Renaissance humanism.
“I am delighted to work with Sapere Books, with their strong commitment to historical fiction and historical biography. The team comes highly recommended for their personal touch, and I look forward to working with them to bring to readers Anne Boleyn’s formative years in a series that both informs and entertains.”
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed three new instalments in the Tom Walsingham Mysteries Series by C.P. Giuliani.
The series follows the espionage adventures of Tom Walsingham during the Elizabethan era in Tudor England.
In C.P. Giuliani’s words:
“Tom Walsingham sleuths on! I’m thrilled to have signed up three more adventures featuring my Elizabethan detective and spy with Sapere Books. I have great plans for Tom. He will be tasked with recovering a misplaced foreign ambassador — whose mission could change the course of Anglo-Spanish relations; he’ll become involved in a personal investigation when death strikes at his family home, Scadbury Manor; and poor Tom will find himself in prison when his money troubles and Sir Francis Walsingham’s plans collide. Plenty of mysteries and dangers lie ahead for Tom!
“I’m really happy to be working with Sapere, whose welcoming and stimulating atmosphere and competent, friendly and helpful team have made (and are making) my publishing journey a truly lovely adventure.”
Following the success of his DS Hunter Kerr Investigations and Dr Hamlet Mottrell Investigations, we are delighted to announce that we have signed a new historical police procedural series by Michael Fowler.
In Michael’s words:
“My new series features Detective Winter Cooper of Scotland Yard and is set in the 1950s.
“Detective Cooper’s first case is based upon a real event, the Eastcastle Street robbery — Britain’s biggest cash-in-transit hold-up at the time. In May 1952, robbers used two cars to sandwich a Post Office van in London and escaped with mailbags containing £287,000 (estimated to be worth approximately £8,500,000 today). It was a case that shocked the nation and embarrassed the Government, with Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanding daily updates from the Police Commissioner. Despite the involvement of over a thousand police officers, and the offer of a £25,000 reward, no one was ever caught.
“This is my take on that case, and while it is a deviation from my contemporary novels, I hope readers will embrace Winter Cooper with the same enthusiasm that I have put into creating him and this new series.
“Working with Sapere Books again was an easy decision to make. Over the past five years, they have given me so much support as a writer and I cannot thank them enough. When I ran the idea of this new series past them, their backing was unflinching.”
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight Valerie Holmes, author of the Yorkshire Saga Series.
Valerie’s study.
Staring out of my study window I see a brick wall. Not a theoretical one that means I have writer’s block, which I do not actually believe in as a professional writer, but a literal brick wall.
This may not appear to be the most inspirational of vistas, but I am fine with it.
Inside my study I am surrounded by my writing workspace; my research books, my trusty printer and personal items that make me smile.
Centre stage is my lovely laptop with its two screens. One is usually displaying research sites and email tabs, the other Word documents — my current WIP.
Castleton Walk, Commondale.
The brick wall rarely gets a glance because, once my laptop is on, I dive into my inner vistas. The beautiful scenery of North Yorkshire’s open moorland and coastline with its sweeping bays and rugged headlands. These are the settings against which my romantic adventures play out. Hence the Yorkshire Saga Series and my many novellas.
It is a world I am familiar with because I grew up in a bay town on the northeast coast and have happy memories of running with my dog along the open expanses of fine sandy beach, climbing the dunes which were covered with needle-sharp marram grass.
Gisborough Priory.
The area is steeped in history, from the old abbeys and market towns to the beautiful city of York. I still return regularly to explore the area: the monk’s trods that cross the moorland, the fishermen’s cottages that line the harbours and the old inns of the bay towns such as Whitby, Staithes and Robin Hood’s Bay. Then there are the manor houses and halls, each with a story to tell — inspiration for my next adventure is found in all. The darker era of smuggling provides further scope to add drama and menace.
The beauty of having a laptop is that it is mobile. I have written in cafés, on trains, on picnic tables by the sea, and in hotels — but the real work, the editing, polishing and research, happens at my desk, ignoring the blank brick wall.
I have a flexible routine, writing every day. Life happens, events happen, but the one thing that is constant is the desire to write, which never goes away — or not yet — and I hope never will so long as readers enjoy my adventures.
What better motivation is there for an author to continue to write?
Alistair Forrest is the author of the action-packed Roman adventures Sea of Flames, Libertas and Vipers of Rome. He is currently working on a new series, The Britannia Conspiracy, set in the period during Caesar’s invasion of Gaul.
A 3,000-year-old skeleton. Photo: David Nash
Every year I climb into old jeans, don an Indiana Jones-style hat, and dash a hundred yards down the road to assist in an archaeological dig.
I live on the island of Alderney, which just happens to have an ancient Iron Age settlement, on top of which is a Roman village. Next to this is one of Europe’s best-preserved Roman forts, which was built to protect trade routes between Europe and Britain.
I’ve got to know both of the lead archaeologists — Dr Phil de Jersey and Dr Jason Monaghan — and confess that I’d like to know what they know, as long as it fits my ideas for a new historical fiction series.
So far I’ve struck lucky.
We know for sure that Iron Age folk lived and loved on this tiny island a few miles off the Normandy coast. We’ve found the skeletons, complete with bronze torcs and jewellery.
Our team, Dig Alderney, is bent (both literally and figuratively) on scraping away aeons of history to find the story behind these settlements. And at every layer we have been able to confirm that the Romans first came to this Channel Island in around 56 or 55BC when Julius Caesar was conquering Gaul and had set his sights on Britain, just across the English Channel.
Artist Doug Hamon’s impression of the Roman fort.
Later, the Romans built a fort which has stood intact since the 4th century. Sadly, the huge central tower has long gone, its stonework no doubt used to build medieval houses in the vicinity, and part of the south wall tumbled onto my local beach who knows when, where its parts can still be seen to this day.
The area is crowded with archaeological features. Some relate to German activity (Alderney was occupied during the Second World War) or Victorian fortifications inside and around the fort. Modern roads partly conceal what we know is an Iron Age cemetery discovered in 2019.
Two skeletons were discovered back then. That’s when I got involved after arriving on the island to write, and I was given backroom jobs like pot-washing, shovelling and making sandwiches. Just to be there was a privilege!
This is now a long-term project to learn more about the Roman and Iron Age settlement on Longis Common, a few yards from my home. How extensive is the Iron Age cemetery, and where was the village in which these people lived?
We hope to discover how far the Roman buildings extend, and if this was the site of an earlier Roman fort that predated the 4th century one, or the vicus municipal administration settlement that grew up close to a fort, or a purely civilian village?
Of course, I already know the answers because they’re in my head, as you would expect from an adventurous historical fiction author.
Alderney’s Roman fort today. Photo: Alan Perks
I know I’m on to a winner. Take this exuberant comment by Dr Monaghan: “Finds include pottery, metalwork, glass, building materials, human bones and food remains including animal bones. The finds need to uncover more about the people who lived and were buried there. We want to learn about their lifestyle and how ancient Alderney was connected to the wider world.”
I’d call it making the facts fit a good story, and I’m already well into book two of The Britannia Conspiracy series. This series begins with coded messages from Julius Caesar to attend a secret conference on this island to plan his expeditions to Britain.
Should it be a full-on invasion, or a trade expedition? Either way, he’s in for some surprises, especially as far as the local Celts are concerned!
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight Daniel Colter, author of the Knights Templar Thriller Series.
Writers are a strange breed.
The view from Daniel’s window
We invent friends in our heads, decide how they speak, what they wear, where they go, then spend countless hours conversing with them. No two writers share the same head-friends, oddly, despite running in the same social circles. Neither do any two writers develop a story the same way.
Specific routines keep us on track, or don’t (looking at you, internet), and each work proceeds at its own pace. Most writers are one of two species: a plotter or a pantser. A plotter maps out each scene, chapter, and verse before putting fingers to keyboard. Pantsers fly by the seat of their pants, beginning with an idea, then writing towards a vaguely defined ending. I mapped out my first novel, Brotherhood of Wolves, but tossed the map aside by chapter 3. I found pantsing more rewarding, and still do, because much of the fun (and frustration) is writing myself into a corner and finding a path out.
My novels are historical fiction, where history provides setting, culture, and place. History can also frame the plot. Story is given precedent over history, however, because the goal is to entertain, not to educate. One or more characters are historical persons and the fictional protagonist lives within their orbit. Historical fiction should stay true to history and the fiction takes flight where history grows murky — which it usually does, especially the further back in time one travels. The murk is where the fun begins, in my opinion, and its where the what if fleshes out the story, where the pantser finds out what happens to his head-friends.
Writers are also strange creatures.
Some writers have habits, like a dog that circles exactly three and a half times before lying down, and these rituals are intended to fuel creativity. Isabel Allende started her first novel on January 8, 1981, and that day became a ceremonial start date for all her subsequent works. The poet Friedrich Schiller kept rotten apples in his desk and, when his mind needed a jolt, he would give one a sniff.
My writing rituals are more mundane and less … smelly. I start with two (not one, not three) cups of coffee. I keep a stuffie of Curious George on my desk, in honour of Curious George Rides a Bike, the first book I read cover-to-cover. I say hello to George each morning.
Ritual also comes from my father. He was a painter and writer and used a second-hand desk as his art space. I acquired that desk, set to rehabbing it, but foolishly sanded the top to expose wood veneer over composite. I left his dried paint splashes along the edges, though, and I touch them when I write. They make me think of him, and thinking of him puts me in a creative mood. I told him I had begun writing historical fiction, his favourite genre, but he passed away before reading Brotherhood of Wolves. I often wonder what he would think of my series, and suspect he would be pleased (except for the part where I ruined his desk).
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight contemporary romance author Patricia Caliskan.
I wrote my third novel, When We Were Us, at my bureau, which has become my writing enclave. Something about opening the bureau desktop gives me a sense of immediacy which speeds the writing along. I write upstairs, free from distractions, except for my dogs who stop by to visit, but basically closed off from everything except the world I’m creating.
Patricia’s bureau
I never thought I had any writing rituals until people began asking the question. I realised that I have rituals in general. All three of my novels were largely written at night. Once the demands of the day are over, night-time is not only the perfect fit in a practical sense but allows me the space I need to daydream on behalf of my characters, and fully immerse my thoughts in the world of the book.
I’m a huge advocate of those tiny details which promote wellbeing, even when I’m not writing. So, before I get back to my latest manuscript, I mix essential oils for my diffuser, which works like magic for changing up the mood, and I set a timer to monitor my working hours.
I find having scheduled time slots super helpful. I can show up and do the work and know exactly how much time I’ve spent on the novel, which is reassuring when I’m trying to find enough time to work on a project.
I switch on my moon light, as I call it, a perfect orb of white light, and always freshen up my perfume before I write. I think of perfume as a superpower. A favourite scent signals that we’ve got work to do and someplace else to be.
I usually start by reading over where I left off to reacclimatise. I try not to spend too much time agonising over a word choice or a sentence formation until I’m at the editing stage. I have a natural tendency to edit as I go, wanting the work to be as close to the final manuscript as possible, which can hinder the drafting process.
When it comes to first drafts, I remind myself of my own advice: to just get it all down. I need solitude to do that, and sitting at my bureau, I feel enclosed in the world of the book. When it comes to editing, I usually end up inadvertently making a playlist to score parts of the novel or characters, which I find helpful with tone and pace. Once I have a completed manuscript, I print the work out and read it aloud, because if the writing doesn’t sound right, it isn’t right, and needs reworking.
Writing fiction requires both discipline and detachment, and my little bureau space provides just that!
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight C.P. Giuliani, author of the Tom Walsingham Mysteries Series.
C.P Giuliani’s garden house
Every year, as soon as summer comes, I move my writing to the garden house. It’s not really cooler, as temperature goes, but it feels summery and pleasant. I love the tall ceiling, the terracotta floor, the desk that used to belong to my great-grandfather, and the view onto the garden. There’s a little pond outside the French windows, and the birds bathing or drinking are, I confess, something of a distraction — but they also provide a cheerful break whenever I find myself stuck. A paragraph refusing to take the right shape? A character mutinying? A dull passage? I step away from the desk and watch while the blackbirds play in the water — and, more often than not, a solution will suggest itself.
For all its rustic pleasantness, the garden house has decent Wi-Fi — which is rather essential when my pile of reference books is not enough to confirm some detail — and is equipped with an electric kettle to make cup after cup of tea, which is a fundamental of my writing method.
In truth, beyond the insane amounts of tea, I have little in the way of a writing routine. Working in theatre means that my hours are flexible. Sometimes I write in the morning, sometimes very late at night, sometimes both; sometimes I must snatch the odd hour here and there, between a rehearsal session and a meeting with the techs. One thing I do is to always keep a notebook with me. Through the years, I’ve learnt to keep a dedicated notebook for each project, beside a general one for everything and anything: notes, stray ideas, snatches of dialogue overheard or imagined, lists, questions… It’s the general notebook that I carry around, so I can jot down anything that occurs to me — to be transferred to the relevant one later. This means that I do some of my writing at the theatre, at the vet’s, as I stand in a queue at the Post Office…
My family, friends and colleagues have developed a high degree of amused tolerance for my ‘Notebook Moments’, when I drop whatever I’m doing to take a note; strangers are occasionally a little put out until I explain that, for one thing, I’m prone to forgetting what I don’t write down and, for another, sometimes an idea will present itself in a very iridescent shape, little more than a flicker of colour under the surface of the water — and will need to be recorded quickly and thought through in writing, at least a little, if it’s to be of any use.
So to recap, I’m absent-minded, easily distracted, forgetful, and can’t keep a routine… I suppose it’s no wonder that a quiet, pleasant place like the garden house is important to my writing process.
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight David Field, author of numerous historical series including the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series and the New World Nautical Saga Series.
I’ve always written stories, even as a child, then I progressed from childhood scribbles to more serious attempts at literary glory on an old upright Olivetti typewriter (one of those with a red and black ribbon, if you’re old enough to remember) when my handwriting graduated from ‘untidy’ to ‘execrable’.
Reluctantly I then honoured my mother’s wish, and my father’s insistence, and got a ‘real job’ as a criminal trial lawyer, which was about as relaxing as standing on one leg on the top outer ledge of The Shard in London, without the reassurance of a safety harness. To relieve the stress I decided to start working on a novel — but what should I choose for a genre?
A good friend of mine who already earned a precarious living as a novelist was insistent that one should always write about things that one knows, and by this stage I knew two things outside my professional straightjacket — some history from my schooldays, and the streets of my home town, Nottingham. During the final years of my working life I spent stolen moments imagining the lives of those living in Nottingham during the Luddite Riots, and In Ludd’s Name was eventually published by a boutique publishing house owned by an old school friend.
Bitten by the bug, and buoyed up by having finally been published, I grew ambitious, and searched the history books for possible storylines, most notably from that most colourful of periods of English history, the Tudor era. The literary world seemed to be awash with Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and even ‘Bloody Mary’, but two seminal characters from that era seemed never to have received much attention from novelists.
First was the progenitor of the Tudors, the boy from Wales, Henry VII, and I climbed inside his head to bring to the pages that followed his boyhood imprisonment in a bleak castle in South Wales, his youthful exile in Brittany, his triumphant return at the head of a ramshackle army that deposed Richard III at Bosworth, and his love match with Elizabeth of York that brought the Wars of the Roses to an end in the nursery rather than on the battlefield. To my delight, and secret surprise, I found a publisher — Sapere Books — and Tudor Dawn was launched.
Then — unbounded joy and amazement! — Sapere wanted another one, so this time I focused on a butcher’s son from Ipswich who rose from obscurity to become Archbishop of York, Papal Legate for life, Lord Chancellor and the diplomacy coach of choice of Henry VIII. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s spectacular downfall was just as dramatic, and The King’s Commoner was published, as testament to the fact that I had a second novel in me.
Dozens of titles have since been published, all by Sapere Books, and all ‘historical’ in genre. As one of the characters in Alan Bennett’s delightful creation, The History Boys, says of history — ‘It’s just one ******* thing after another’, and so it has been for me.
Congratulations to David Field, whose thrilling Medieval saga, Conquest, is published today!
It’s 1065 and the Saxon kingdom is under threat of invasion at both ends. From the north comes Harald Hardrada of Norway intent on pillage, while across the Channel, Duke William of Normandy is about to enforce his claim to the throne.
Between the two lie the villages and townships defended only by part-time armies maintained by the Earls of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria, barely united under King Harold Godwineson.
It falls to brave and determined young men like Will Riveracre and Selwyn Astenmede to stand firm against whichever marauding invader reaches them first.
But the initial battle could be the least of their worries as a new king ascends the throne – threatening to annihilate their traditions and customs forever…
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a new Leicester-based crime series by C V Chauhan.
C V Chauhan
The series follows Detective Rohan Sharma as he unravels a succession of dark and thrilling mysteries.
In C V Chauhan’s words:
“I’m absolutely delighted to have been signed by Amy and her team at Sapere for my new, three-book series which breaks new ground in the genre. I’ve been made most welcome by all members of the team and by my fellow authors. It’s a very friendly and supportive community, and I feel privileged to be part of it.
“If you like your crime fiction with added spice, then you’ve come to the right place. THE DANCE OF DEATH, my debut novel, introduces you to Rohan Sharma, an able, erudite detective who lives in the heart of the Asian community in Leicester and who has a talkative, African grey parrot for company. Recently divorced, he is the father of two children.
“In the first instalment in the series, Rohan Sharma and his team hunt for a psychopathic killer while dark forces undermine his work and put others in danger.
“THE DANCE OF DEATH will be published in the near future, and I’m currently working on the next Rohan Sharma novel. I’m not going to give away too much at the moment, but suffice to say it’ll have an international dimension. More on this later…”
Stephen Taylor is the author of A CANOPY OF STARS, a thrilling historical 19th century saga stretching from the legal courts of Georgian London to the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt.
Hi Stephen! Welcome to the Sapere Books blog. Could you tell us a bit about what first got you into writing?
My addiction has been with me for over twenty years now. When I was younger, if somebody told me a good joke, when I retold it it was twice as long, embellished, the story enhanced, the characters fleshed out. With me, it was never just about and Englishmen, an Irishman, and a Scotsman. It was an Englishman in a bowler hat with a monocle, an Irishman in a donkey jacket with a pint of Guinness and a Scotsman in a kilt with a set of bagpipes (and yes I know that this is stereotypical).
Tell us about where you write and your writing habits.
I started by writing during my lunchtime at work, but now I write in my home office. I keep a working week, Monday to Friday and write for two and a half hours a day. I seem to need that discipline.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult?
Probably research: it’s a double edged sword — part good, part tiresome. The rewrites are also tricky, as you can edit forever, endlessly trying to improve what you have written. I aim to stop after five rewrites.
Do your characters ever seem to control their own storyline?
The received wisdom is that you determine your storyline and not let your characters deviate from that. However, after I develop my characters, they tell me where they want to go, what they want to do. I follow them, and my stories are character led. I still have a structure in my mind — A to B, but the characters say how I get there.
Do you find it hard to know when to end a story?
Not usually. I have a prompt to myself that sits just below the line I am typing. It reminds me to keep some control over the characters. It says: INTRIGUE — CONFLICT — CLIMAX — RESOLUTION. i.e:
Open with a big question or hook: INTRIGUE. Then you have the problems your hero is up against: CONFLICT. This builds to a CLIMAX. This is followed by the RESOLUTION.
What is your favourite book?
If you ask me this next week, you may get a different answer. I would say my favourite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. My favourite character is Uriah Heep, from David Copperfield. Dickens’ image of him is wonderfully unpleasant — he’s so slimy.
What book do you wish you had written?
Anything by Norman Mailer. As a writer, he is so far above me. He’s much more than a storyteller.
Tell us something surprising about you.
I was brought up in Manchester, but I was born in Yorkshire. My mother traveled back to Yorkshire so that my birth there would give me residential status to play cricket for Yorkshire — nobody ever believes that, but I promise that it’s true. Unfortunately, it was a feat that I never achieved, the White Rose County being unappreciative of my cricketing skills.
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We recently had a digital meet-up with some of our authors to catch up on current projects and find out how lockdown has impacted their writing. Read on to find out more about their creative news and practices:
Elizabeth Bailey has published six Lady Fan Mysteries, four Brides By Chance Regency Adventures, and two more historical romances. She is working on her seventh Lady Fan book. Elizabeth has also been taking daily walks, giving digital readings, and maintaining her weekly newsletter, which is filled with writing updates and giveaways.
Graham Brack has published six Josef Slonský Investigations and two Master Mercurius Mysteries. He is working on the next books in both series. Graham finds that working on two series simultaneously helps prevent him developing writers’ block with either one.
Jane Cable has published one contemporary romantic saga drawing on World War II, and her second – Endless Skies – is forthcoming. Jane has been developing a new website, editing Endless Skies, and working on a new contemporary romance novel.
Tim Chant has a Russian-Japanese naval novel forthcoming and has started the next one. He is also writing and self-publishing science-fiction and steampunk novellas.
Michael Fowler has published five DS Hunter Kerr Investigations. He is currently working on a new series, developing a character who is a forensic psychologist. As part of this, Michael is researching various forensic technologies and has spoken to an expert in the field.
Justin Fox has two nautical novels forthcoming with Sapere Books. These are also being published in South Africa by Penguin Random House and are currently being edited.
Anthony Galvin (who also writes as Dean Carson) is the author of historical non-fiction book Death and Destruction on the Thames in London. He is working on a series of thrillers. As a mature student, Anthony has also been finishing up assignments and exams.
Sean Gibbons’ gritty crime series – following taxi driver Ben Miller – will be published in 2021. He is currently writing the fourth book in the series and has just finished a World War II espionage thriller.
Gillian Jackson has published three psychological thrillers. She is now editing old and self-published work, finding ways to re-purpose old characters. Gillian is particularly interested in developing more contemporary women’s fiction with a psychological element.
Natalie Kleinman has four Regency romances signed up and has written two more. She has recently made a start on a new romantic novel.
Simon Michael has published five Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers, and he has a sixth one lined up. Aside from writing, he has recently been busy with building work.
Ros Rendle has six romance novels forthcoming with Sapere Books, including her Strong Sisters trilogy. Ros has recently finished a new novel, and she has found her Chapter writing group (regional groups of romance writers affiliated with the Romantic Novelists Association) a great source of support.
Linda Stratmann has published five Mina Scarletti Mysteries and is writing the sixth. To help with this, she has been researching Victorian spirit photography using Archive.org. Linda has also been gardening, cooking, baking, and holding digital meetings with the Crime Writers’ Association, of which she is the chair.
Deborah Swift has published two romantic World War II sagas and is working on the third, which will be set in Shetland and Norway. She has been researching nautical terminology and walking a lot, which she finds is a great time to think about plot.
Alexandra Walsh has published three timeshift conspiracy thrillers; the last one, The Arbella Stuart Conspiracy, came out in May. She is now writing a Victorian dual-timeline novel and is planning to start a newsletter.
This summer, settle down with a charming, classic love story by Lewis Cox – a master of the genre!
ONE SPRING IN PARIS follows Caroline May, a young artist studying her craft in the city of love. When her money runs out, she resolves to find a way to remain in the place that inspires her most. Through friends, she finds work with melancholy restauranteur Raoul Pierre. As soon as they meet, Caroline finds herself irresistibly drawn to her new employer. But knowing that Raoul is a determined bachelor, she vows to hide her feelings to protect her heart…
Click here to order ONE SPRING IN PARIS
THE WAYWARD WIND is a fun and flirty summer romance set in sunny Madeira. Fleeing a London scandal that has damaged her reputation, the capricious Ann Thrail arrives at her aunt and uncle’s idyllic home in Portugal for a long stay. But her aunt, Kate, soon begins to worry that Ann will lead her son astray. With no wish to return home, Ann must learn to rein in her chaotic nature and win over her anxious relatives…
Click here to order THE WAYWARD WIND
WHILE STARS GAZE DOWN is a beautiful story of healing and new beginnings. Nursing a recently broken heart, Diana
Gregg attempts to move on by immersing herself in the delights of Parisian society. But when she crosses paths with John Fanshawe — who reminds her of her ex-boyfriend — she decides to protect herself from further pain by maintaining a distance between them. Confused by Diana’s reserved attitude, John is determined to overcome her apparent dislike…
Click here to order WHILE STARS GAZE DOWN
To further celebrate her work, we asked Lewis Cox’s granddaughter, Priscilla Playford, to say a few words about her life and achievements:
“My grandmother wrote over 250 novels all in longhand; she started her career in the late 1920s and continued writing well into her 80s. She wrote under the names of Lewis Cox, Bridget Parsons and Mary Blair, and her books were published, primarily, by Hutchinson, Mills & Boon and later, Robert Hale. They were available in many countries and translated into several languages, including Japanese and Dutch.
In her writing, as in life, my grandmother was very disciplined and forthright with a strong will and high standards. Not outgoing, she did not seek publicity but enjoyed her success and, whilst not a traveller, it is perhaps true that she lived through her imagination. She loved antiques and enjoyed collecting furniture and pictures.
One cannot help but admire all that she achieved, particularly at a time when women were expected to be in the background — hence her using the name ‘Lewis Cox’ — and during the war; judging by the cuttings, she was very highly thought of and had good reviews and billing.”
We had very sad news back in April that one of our authors, Alan Williams, fell victim to COVID-19. He passed away in a care home, aged 84.
Alan with his daughter, Sophie
Williams graduated from King’s College, Cambridge, in 1957 with a BA in Modern Languages. He then led a rich and varied life as a journalist and foreign correspondent, working for publications such as the Cardiff Western Mail and the Manchester Guardian. He reported on a number of world events, including the Hungarian Revolution, the Algerian War and the Vietnam War.
His experiences as a reporter later influenced his novel writing. Barbouze – the first instalment of Williams’ Charles Pol Espionage Thriller series – follows a British journalist who accompanies a French spy on a mission in North Africa. A later novel in the series, The Tale of the Lazy Dog, is a heist story set in Southeast Asia. Williams’ writing won him much acclaim: he has been described as “the natural heir to Ian Fleming” and “one of the important figures in the change and development of the espionage novel”.
Williams has three children – Sophie, Owen and Laura – and three grandchildren, Roxy, Willow and Fox. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.
You can read Alan Williams’ full obituary in the Guardian.
Photographs courtesy of Sophie and Laura.
We are thrilled to announce that we have recently welcomed three brilliant new authors to our contemporary romance and historical fiction lists. We look forward to sharing their wonderful work with the world!
Tim Chant is working on an exciting historical naval thriller series. The first instalment – THE STRAITS OF TSUSHIMA – is set in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese war and follows the daring exploits of Marcus Baxter, a British Royal Navy officer turned spy.
THE STRAITS OF TSUSHIMA is due out in 2021.
Teresa F Morgan is working on a fabulous three-book contemporary romance series. Set in Cornwall, her novels have a strong sense of place and a unique sunny charm. Her first book, COCKTAILS AT KITTIWAKE COVE, sees ambitious restauranteur Rhianna Price arrive in the area looking for a fresh start. But when she runs into her holiday fling, Rhianna’s focus is put to the test…
COCKTAILS AT KITTIWAKE COVE is due out in 2021.
Tanya Jean Russell writes heart-warming romantic fiction. Her first book will be a seasonal novel called AN IMPERFECT 
CHRISTMAS, a moving and uplifting tale that follows Maggie Green, a young accountant who returns to her hometown and is forced to face her first love.
AN IMPERFECT CHRISTMAS will be published in late 2020.
Linda Stratmann is the author of the MINA SCARLETTI INVESTIGATIONS, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian Brighton.
More than a year ago, I determined to write a book in which Mina Scarletti, disabled by the scoliosis that twists her spine and cramps her lungs, is taken ill and solves a mystery while confined to bed. It is not a new concept. In The Wench is Dead, Inspector Morse solves a Victorian murder while in hospital, and in Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, Inspector Alan Grant, hospitalised with a broken leg, explores the fate of the Princes in the Tower.
But these are historical puzzles, and therefore considered suitable to engage the mind of a bored invalid. In His Father’s Ghost, Mina has additional challenges. She is intrigued by a current conundrum, the disappearance of a local man while out sailing, declared legally dead, but his actual fate unknown. Her doctor, however, has advised her against any activity that might tax her delicate health, and that includes solving mysteries. She has to use all her ingenuity to gather the information she needs. In doing so, she finds that she has uncovered evidence of past crimes and scandals. Her enquiries are a catalyst that set off a train of events that ultimately have dramatic and life-changing consequences for several prominent citizens of Brighton.
One of the themes which I explore in this book is hallucination. Mina, when stricken by a fever, sees and hears things that reveal what is troubling her. The son of the vanished man, disturbed by significant events, has terrifying visions in those dark hours that lie between sleeping and waking.
I really enjoyed my research for this book. I visited the fascinating Police Cells Museum of Brighton, and read about the curious spiritoscope, an apparatus designed to prove that it was spirits and not the medium who cause the movement of the divination table.
It was my real pleasure to include two characters who have appeared in previous books, the flamboyant actor Marcus Merridew, fresh from his acclaimed season as Hamlet, and the creepy young photographer Mr Beckler.
While editing the manuscript, which was completed at the end of 2019, I was struck by how Mina’s plight echoes our current time. She is ill with a lung infection, and effectively on lockdown. But when she scents a puzzle, it gives her strength. She needs not only warmth and air and nourishment, but material to keep her busy mind alive.
Click here to pre-order HIS FATHER’S GHOST
Jane Cable is the author of ANOTHER YOU and ENDLESS SKIES, modern romantic sagas that draw on the Second World War.
Although I hated history at school, in my adult life I have become a total history buff. Not history about royalty, wars and politicians though – the history of ordinary, everyday people. A history I feel connected to and is more often than not local.
For my contemporary romances the history I choose is sharply focussed, linked to the setting. For Another You, the most gripping part of Studland’s past was its role in the practices for D-Day, and for Endless Skies I decided to stay with World War Two. The book is set in Lincolnshire, so to my mind is inextricably linked with Bomber Command.
The wartime setting for Endless Skies is RAF Hemswell, now an industrial estate best known for its antiques centres and markets. In fact, that was the reason I went there in the first place. But wandering around the old barrack buildings, I could almost see the airmen on the stairs and hear the stamp of their boots in the parade ground. This had to be the place.
The staff at Hemswell Antique Centres were able to give me a leaflet with a short history of the base, and that set me off on my research. While we were in Lincolnshire I walked its buildings and roads then drove around the area, so I was totally familiar with the terrain, and once we were back at home I started to dig deeper.
Here the internet is invaluable, and there are a number of websites giving the history of RAF bases. Hemswell was one of the first to be operational right at the beginning of the war, but as I dug deeper I found two Polish squadrons had been based there in 1942-3 and had suffered huge losses. I knew exactly where to focus my research.
This is where local history becomes exceptionally localised for me: one place at one point in time. In Endless Skies my protagonist, Dr Rachel Ward, is an archaeologist and my own work made me think of hers: researching a site, carrying out a survey, opening a trench, trowelling into every corner then digging out a single artefact. She finds … well, it would be spoiling the story to tell you. I find words.
Hemswell War Memorial
But sometimes before you focus down you need to pan out, so I read around the subject: first-hand accounts from wartime bomber crews; memoirs of civilian life on RAF bases. For background on Hemswell itself I was very lucky – it was where The Dam Busters was filmed in the 1950s, and there was both a book and documentary about making the movie so I could watch almost contemporary footage.
There was also a treasure trove on the internet about the Polish airmen who crewed the station, and seeing photographs of them was quite an eerie experience. In fact, I ended up with far more information than I could possibly – or would want to – use in the book. But the level of detail gives me confidence my historical details are correct.
But equally interesting to me were the ghost stories associated with Hemswell: a pilot in flames on the runway, the echoes of 1940s music and the sounds of bombers taking off and landing. And having researched them, it would have been such a shame not to use at least one of them as well. Although my ghosts, of course, are completely fictional.
Click here to order ANOTHER YOU.
Click here to pre-order ENDLESS SKIES.
Keith Moray is the author of the SANDAL CASTLE MEDIEVAL THRILLERS, historical murder mysteries set in Yorkshire. The first two books in the series, THE PARDONER’S CRIME and THE FOOL’S FOLLY, are available to pre-order.
I live within arrowshot of the ruins of Sandal Castle. As a family doctor in Yorkshire, for thirty years I saw it most days while driving around the area on my morning visits. Nowadays, in semi-retirement I go running around the old battlefield where thousands of knights and soldiers once fought and died during the Wars of the Roses.
I plot and daydream when I run. Happily, a short story entitled The Villain’s Tale about a miscreant in a rat-infested dungeon in Sandal Castle won a Fish Award. It spurred me on to start plotting the Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers.
Sandal Castle
The fine old motte and bailey was built in the 12th century by the De Warenne family during the reign of Henry I. From the 14th century it passed into royal ownership and is best known for its involvement in the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, when Richard, Duke of York was mortally wounded. His son, King Edward IV established it as one of the two bases for the Council of the North in 1472. Effectively, this was the government for the North of England. After he died, his younger brother, King Richard III began rebuilding the castle in 1483. The work stopped when he lost his life at Bosworth Field in 1485.
Robin Hood
Thanks to television and movies, most people associate the outlaw Robin Hood with Sherwood Forest and Nottingham. However, the medieval ballads say that his stomping ground was actually Barnsdale Forest, which once covered a vast swathe of Yorkshire. The ballads also mention King Edward and various Yorkshire characters, such as George-a-Green the Pinder of Wakefield, and many actual locations in Wakefield are referred to.
The Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield
In medieval times, The Manor of Wakefield was the largest in Yorkshire and one of the largest in England, covering some 150 square miles. The Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield are a national treasure, consisting of a continuous recording of court proceedings from the late thirteenth century until the 1920s.
The outlaw and bowman Robert Hode, a sure candidate for being the historical Robin Hood, is mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1316.
The Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers
If you look at the picture of Sandal Castle today you will see exactly where I had the germ of the idea for The Pardoner’s Crime, the first novel in this series. It is a view of the castle from under what I fancifully call Robin Hood’s tree. I blended historical facts, medieval ballads and a good deal of imagination to come up with a historical whodunit.
There are three completed novels and a fourth in the pipeline. They are not all about the same characters; indeed they are set at different times, because Sandal Castle with its fascinating history is the historical backdrop to them. They are all inspired by Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and some of the characters that he described so beautifully. The Pardoner’s Crime fuses The Canterbury Tales with the Robin Hood legends. The reader is challenged to uncover the true villain in each novel.
Click here to pre-order THE PARDONER’S CRIME.
Click here to pre-order THE FOOL’S FOLLY.
Sandal Castle image credit: Keith Moray
David Field is the author of the Carlyle & West Victorian Mysteries.
As a historical novelist in search of bygone eras to recreate, I’ve always been fascinated by the late Victorian period. It was a time of contrasts, with vast scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs coming at a time when ordinary folk were obsessed with communicating with the dead. Victoria seemed destined to rule forever over a rich empire, while her subjects in its industrial cities, and most notably in its London capital, were existing in conditions of abject poverty.
Following the success of my Esther & Jack Enright mystery series, which began with the search for Jack the Ripper and ended just as the nineteenth century was about to, I was urged to return to this rich seam of inspiration, and there was – for me, at least – one obvious place to start.
When Arthur Conan Doyle abandoned medical practice and created his fascinating character Sherlock Holmes, he was inspired by his memory of a real life Sherlock. His name was Dr Joseph Bell, and he had taught anatomy to his classes of medical students at Edinburgh University, one of whom had been Doyle himself. Bell had what was then a unique approach to his analysis of the cadavers that were to be found on his mortuary slab, something that is second nature to modern forensic examiners, but was revolutionary in its day. He approached ‘cause of death’ by examining, not just insides of the bodies, but the clothing and personal possessions with which they arrived, and telltale indications on the skin, such as needle marks, abrasions, rough working hands and suchlike. From this he made logical deductions that were of value to police in unexplained death enquiries, and he taught his students to apply the same techniques when they went out into the world.
There must have been several generations of medical graduates from Edinburgh who were taught ‘the Bell method’, and it was no great stretch of the imagination for me to create Dr James Carlyle, anatomist and general surgeon at Whitechapel’s London Hospital – a medical doctor with the same professional training as Conan Doyle and the same inquisitive, logical mind as Joseph Bell.
His first challenge – described in the first novel in my new series, INTERVIEWING THE DEAD – is to debunk the panicked belief among the populace of the East End that the spirits of those buried in a Plague Pit in Aldgate have returned to take their revenge for the disturbance of their resting place. That belief has taken hold easily, given the obsession with Spiritualism that gripped the country during this period.
But there were also other ‘spirits’ abroad, and they were advocating for great social change. Chief among these were the Suffragists, who campaigned for ‘votes for women’ and Suffragettes who took on entire police forces in public demonstrations. There were also other groups of feminists, as we would call them today, who advocated for equality of admission to professions such as medicine and the law. This was how Dr James Carlyle’s daughter, Adelaide, was created, as a young woman whose opinion of men and their dominance of society could not have been any lower – until she meets my third new character, Matthew West.
Although the Anglican Church was ahead of all other Protestant movements in the 1890s, it was demonstrating a social elitism that drove away ordinary working folk, and left the pastoral door open for more working-class religious initiatives and crusades among the poor. ‘Methodism’ had become a religious movement of its own, with its own hierarchy, but its progenitor, ‘Wesleyism’, still had its head above the parapet, and Wesleyan street preachers such as Matthew West might be found on corners, in market places, and outside factory and dockside gates.
Matthew has his own reasons for wishing to hose down any belief in the return of vengeful spirits of the dead, and when he finds himself associated with Dr Carlyle in the search for the truth, he comes up against the fiery Adelaide, who works as her father’s assistant. They influence each other’s views on life as they are drawn imperceptibly into a mutual attraction.
The stage is set for my next series. I hope you’ll join me in following the exploits of this unlikely trio, and I look forward to learning your reaction to them.
Click here to pre-order INTERVIEWING THE DEAD!
Sapere Books has reached its second birthday!
We now have a family of over 50 authors and plenty of chart successes under our belt.
To celebrate our first two years as a company, we threw a party in London and caught up with our fabulous authors over drinks and nibbles. All have exciting new projects brewing. Here is a taster of what to expect from our authors in 2020.
Alexandra Walsh and Graham Brack
Graham Brack is working on a historical fiction series, the Master Mercurius Mysteries, set in the 17th century. The first book, Death in Delft is already available to pre-order, and more will follow later this year.
Keith Moray has written the Sandal Castle Medieval Thriller series, historical murder mysteries set in Yorkshire. The first book, The Pardoner’s Crime, is available to pre-order, and more are soon to follow.
Alis Hawkins’ brand-new Medieval novel The Black and The White will be published later this month.
David Field is working on a brand-new Victorian mystery series, the Carlyle & West Mysteries, which will launch very soon.
Jane Cable has another thought-provoking romance with echoes of the past launching soon.
Stephen Taylor, Caoimhe O’Brien, and Keith Moray
Gillian Jackson has written a new psychological thriller, which will be released this summer.
Natalie Kleinman will be joining our excellent Regency Romance authors with her sparkling new books, which will feature strong and resourceful heroines.
Ros Rendle will be launching her Strong Sisters series this year – sweeping sagas that will explore family relationships and rivalries.
Seán Gibbons’ gritty urban crime series set in Galway will launch later this year.
J. C. Briggs and Linda Stratmann
Stephen Taylor has a series of 18th century novels coming out soon.
And there are new books coming out soon from fan-favourite series, such as Alexandra Walsh’s Marquess House Trilogy, Elizabeth Bailey’s Lady Fan series, J C Briggs’ Charles Dickens Investigations series, Gaynor Torrance’s DI Jemima Huxley series, Charlie Garratt’s Inspector Given series, Michael Fowler’s DS Hunter Kerr series, Valerie Holmes’ Yorkshire Saga series, Marilyn Todd’s Julia McAllister series, Simon Michael’s Charles Holborne series, John Matthews’ Jameson & Argenti series and Linda Stratmann’s Mina Scarletti series.
For more information on our latest releases and ebook deals sign up to the Sapere Books newsletter.
DEATH IN DELFT by Graham Brack is the first historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe. Click here to pre-order.
Most crime writers have a keen sense of place. Something about a setting grabs them and tells them there is a story here.
So it was with me. When you live in Cornwall, the quickest place to get to on the continent is Amsterdam, because there is a flight from Exeter, so over the years my wife and I have been frequent visitors to the Netherlands.
The first place we went was Delft. As is well known, Delft is the city of Vermeer; but it is also the city of Antony van Leeuwenhoek, the father of modern microscopy. Not only did they live within around 250 metres of each other, they were born within a few days of October 1632. Can you imagine being a schoolteacher who had two such boys in their class?
I was turning this around in my mind when the idea came to me that people often ask whether detection is an art or a science. Well, if these two could not tell you, who could? Making them into detectives in their own right would be a bit of a stretch, but they could vie to assist a third person, and that’s how my Dutch series was born.
In the year 1671, three young girls disappear from their homes in Delft. Two come from poor families, but one is the daughter of a local dignitary. The mayor recognises that he needs help to find these girls, and writes to the nearby University of Leiden, asking the Rector to send the cleverest man he can spare.
Master Mercurius is undoubtedly clever. He is, in effect, an Oxbridge don transported to another time and country, but like many an academic he is completely wrapped up in his subject – moral philosophy – and has very little experience of the world. He does not want to let the Rector and the University down, but he is acutely aware that brains alone will not solve this mystery. Fortunately, he has Vermeer and Van Leeuwenhoek to help, and together they set out to retrieve the girls and discover the culprit. In a nutshell, that is how I came to write Death in Delft, in which Mercurius narrates – very frankly – his experiences.
I don’t think it counts as a spoiler if I say that he is successful and returns to his study with something of a reputation. Unfortunately for him, in 1674 the Stadhouder – the man we know as King William III – needs some assistance in putting down a conspiracy which seeks to remove him from power. It seems likely that someone in high places is pulling the strings, so William needs an intelligent outsider to look into the matter, and his gaze falls upon Mercurius, who is summoned from Leiden. In Untrue till Death Mercurius will find himself personally threatened – and since he is no man of action, he does not enjoy it at all.
However, success in unravelling this mystery only means that when William next needs help he thinks once more of Mercurius, so in 1676 our hero is packed off on a boat to London as part of the embassy negotiating the marriage of William III and Princess Mary. The trouble is that somebody does not want the wedding to go ahead, so in Dishonour and Obey Mercurius finds that there is more to marriage preparation than sitting down with the young couple to talk them through their vows.
Mercurius is a very reluctant detective, as he never tires of telling us. He likes nothing better than sitting quietly reading a book, ideally in a tavern where people leave him alone. As a man of the cloth, he has a strong moral sense but he is a bit squeamish about the punishments of the day. Of course, he knows that a couple of hours of misery on a scaffold are nothing compared with what awaits an unrepentant criminal in the next life, but he feels responsible for one and not for the other.
He also has no idea at all about women. He is not immune to their charms; in fact, he spends much of his time under the spell of young women, but Mercurius has a little secret.
And no, I’m not going to tell you what it is. You’ll have to read the books to find out.
Jean Stubbs is the author of the INSPECTOR LINTOTT INVESTIGATIONS series and the BRIEF CHRONICLES series. In celebration of her life and work, we asked her daughter, Gretel McEwen, to share her memories of Jean and her writing.
We lived in a world of stories, the line between reality and fiction often blurred. As a child, my mother had always made up plays and stories — her brother an unwilling but worshipful bit part player. A generation later, my mother made up fictional characters for my brother and I — she brought them to life with special voices and we talked to them. Alfred was a gentle and not very bright giant whose answer to any question was 29!
My mother had her first novel, The Rose Grower, published at the age of 35 and from that moment our house was filled with a whole cast of characters. I came home from school one day to find her weeping over the death of Hanrahan (Hanrahan’s Colony). And the hanging of Mary Blandy (My Grand Enemy) brought very dark clouds into our house.
As my mother surfed her way through this creative theatre, we learned to read the signs — coffee cups on every surface, a sink full of dishes and no plans for supper meant a good and productive writing day. A house full of the smell of baking, a gleaming kitchen and rice pudding in the oven either meant the dreaded writer’s block or a completed first draft. So we too surfed, adjusted and gloried in the passing show. My mother always wrote on our vast Edwardian dining table, and her writing companion was always the current much-loved cat. They had their own specially typed title page upon which to sit, since she had learned the hard way that cats like to sit on the top copy with muddy paws! The mystery cat was the black one who sat on a certain stair — but when you went to stroke him he was not there … another blurred line…
I felt closely involved with each novel as it progressed. At the end of a good writing day, my mother would read aloud to me the latest chapter — a fine reader with a different voice for each character, once more bringing it all to life. She wrote in long hand at first, then, as the book grew, she typed chapters then full copies and carbon copies for her publisher, Macmillan. Later, she was one of the early authors to use a word processor. When the first print draft came from the publisher, we would sit at each end of the dining room table and proofread — calling out corrections to each other and marking them on the manuscript.
Publication day was a celebration, shopping an occasion, dinner parties a reason for more excellent cooking, and royalty cheques a relief! When I left home, I greatly missed being a bit part player in this imaginative and unpredictable life of stories — and I missed the ghostly companions.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE INSPECTOR LINTOTT INVESTIGATIONS
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BRIEF CHRONICLES
Deborah Swift is the author of PAST ENCOUNTERS and THE OCCUPATION.
During World War Two, the Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Germans. I saw a picture online of a British ‘bobby’ or policeman talking to a Nazi soldier, and it sparked my interest. Jersey is a tiny island, only eight miles long, so I was fascinated to find out how the population managed to keep up their morale, when as many as fifteen thousand (yes, you read that right) Germans had taken over. What happened to the Jews on the island, or to the other groups that the Nazis considered ‘undesirable’? How did it feel to be invaded by a foreign army?
The story became much more interesting and involved the more I uncovered. At the beginning of the war, Jersey had been ‘stood down’ for military action, as nobody believed the Germans would want such a small territory. Men of fighting age had been sent elsewhere, so it was a population of women and farmers. When the invasion came, it was a total surprise and there were no defences in place. After a brief bombing campaign, the German army just walked in. Before long, white ‘surrender’ flags were fluttering from Jersey houses.
German soldiers standing in King Street, St Helier, Jersey
This was the beginning of Nazi rule on the islands, which was supposed to be a ‘peaceful’ occupation. Of course, when you are invaded it might look peaceful, but underneath the tensions soon began to show. The oppressive Nazi force vastly outnumbered the British people left on the island. Those that remained had to find ways to resist, and ways to outwit the unwanted intruders in their traditional way of life. German rule took over – people had to speak German, cars had to drive on the right, many things that had been allowed before, such as owning a car or a radio, were ‘verboten’ – forbidden. The Germans began a vast building programme to fortify the island, which they intended to use at a military base to attack England. The vast concrete fortifications were built by slave labour.
My story is based on several true accounts, although I have welded them together and compressed them into a fictional narrative. Céline and Rachel’s story was inspired by the true Jersey story of Dorothea Weber, who hid her Jewish friend Hedwig Bercu from the Germans. More on this surprising real life story can be found here.
Fred’s story in The Occupation is based on a number of accounts of life in the Germany army, and in the French Resistance. I was interested to examine the idea of occupation from the point of view of both the occupier, and the occupied. What always interests me in fiction is the conflicts that arise because of the circumstances of war, where one nation is pitted against another, and people who might have been quite amicable before the conflict are forced to swear allegiance to a sharp division between one side and another, when in reality, and in people, many shades of grey exist.
For an overview on the occupation of Jersey, the BBC history site has several pages on this topic. For more on Deborah’s books, find her at www.deborahswift.com or on Twitter @swiftstory.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE OCCUPATION
Image Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-228-0326-34A / Dey / CC-BY-SA 3.0. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons.
David Field is the author of The Tudor Saga Series. The Queen In Waiting is the fifth book in the series.
There were many victims during that turbulent period in English history that we call the Tudor era, and not all of them were obvious. ‘Popular’ history has a habit of creating fixed mental images of those who lived their lives in the maelstrom of Tudor Court politics, and it’s only when you examine the actual facts that the doubts begin to creep in. A prime example of a Tudor ‘identity’ whose place in the ‘fake news’ of the period has set her character in concrete is Mary Tudor, the only child of Henry VIII and his first – and longest lasting – Queen, Katherine of Aragon. Mention Mary and the word ‘Bloody’ appears like magic before her name, conjured up by usage and with little regard to the circumstances that led her to burn Protestants at the stake.
Mary was born in February 1516, the only surviving child from her mother Katherine’s long and miserable litany of stillbirths and miscarriages. Katherine may well have suffered from gynaecological problems that Mary inherited, because Mary is recorded as having endured menstrual disorders as a young woman. These were no doubt the early warnings of the phantom pregnancies and uterine blockages that would deny her issue of her own, and lead ultimately to her death.
But in her very early years we are given a picture of a rosy-cheeked, chuckling little infant with her father’s distinctive red hair being bounced gleefully on Henry’s knee as he resolutely hid from the world his inner torment that Mary was not a boy. His obsession with begetting a male heir, more perhaps than any natural lust for Anne Boleyn, led to Katherine’s eclipse, and as she entered puberty Mary was forced to watch from very distant sidelines as her beloved mother suffered the public humiliation of the annulment of her marriage to Henry, and her replacement on the throne by ‘the night crow’ Anne Boleyn. Anne completed the insult by giving birth, in almost indecent haste, to Mary’s half-sister Elizabeth.
Mary Tudor
Humiliation was piled on humiliation as Mary was declared a bastard, and her place in the succession was taken by Elizabeth. The newly demoted ‘Lady Mary’ was stripped of her own former household and sent to live with Elizabeth in Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, denied access to her mother Katherine, who pined her way to a heartbroken death in a remote castle in Cambridgeshire. Mary was reported to have been ‘inconsolable’ at her mother’s death, and suffered from unspecified illnesses for several years during which she was estranged from her father.
The execution of Anne Boleyn and the bastardisation of Elizabeth would have been of little comfort to Mary once Henry’s new wife Jane Seymour gave birth to the heir apparent Edward, who, under the baleful influence of the Seymours who governed the nation as part of his Regency Council, proved to be far more aggressively Protestant than his late father, while Mary was equally determined to both pursue and promote the Catholic religion of her late mother. The two never saw eye to eye, and during a disastrous attempt at reconciliation during the Christmas of 1550, the thirty-four year old Mary was reduced to tears when rebuked by her thirteen year old half-brother, in front of the entire Court, for her fervent adherence to her faith.
The death of Edward was probably the greatest catalyst for Mary’s subsequent actions. It was learned that in his fear that England would slide back into Catholicism should Mary become Queen, Edward had bequeathed the throne to their distant cousin Jane Grey, from an obscure Leicestershire offshoot of the wider Tudor family. Not only that, but the Council of State initially supported Jane, and Mary was obliged to claim her throne by superior force of arms.
She was now 37, beyond the customary ‘sell by’ date of Tudor women, unmarried, childless, and suffering from gynaecological issues. She was probably both flattered and relieved to receive an offer of marriage from her second cousin Philip of Spain. There seems to be little doubt that for him it was a marriage of greed, furthering his ambition to rule most of Europe, but for Mary it seems to have been a love match. Then history repeated itself through a phantom pregnancy and a terrible slow decline with what may well have been ovarian cancer. One can only feel desperately sorry for the lonely old woman on her death bed when one reads that, on learning of Mary’s demise, Philip wrote to his sister that “I felt a reasonable regret for her death.”
Is it surprising that Mary Tudor was hardly a bundle of laughs during her lifetime? Her mother was publicly humiliated, she herself was bastardised by her loving father, her half brother ridiculed her faith, her Council of State preferred a country girl over her as Queen, and her younger sister was prettier, more socially accomplished, and more loved by the people, while her husband regarded sexual relations between them as some sort of public duty. Add to that her almost permanent ill-health, and it is difficult not to reach behind the public persona she left behind in order to give her a consoling cuddle.
In the latest novel in my Tudor series, The Queen in Waiting, I chose to depict the reign of Mary through the eyes of Elizabeth, another victim of their times. I could only describe the events of Elizabeth’s life through the actions of Mary, and they were harsh when considered without regard to the events that forged them. Sinned against or sinning? Your choice.
Order THE QUEEN IN WAITING here.
Or find out more about The Tudor Saga Series here.
Image credit: Portrait of Mary I of England and Ireland by Hans Eworth. (Public domain).
