MORE to BROWSE - Pages that might be of Interest

Saturday, 30 September 2023

My Coffee and Thorn Guests: A White Hot Plan by Mike and Ayan Rubin


Coffee and Thorn Book Tours


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds real and fictional,
meet interesting people, visit exciting places
and find good books to enjoy along the way!


About the Book

Genre:  crime thriller

Print length: 278 pages

Age range: This is an adult book but could be suitable for mature older teenagers

Trigger warnings: violent deaths; terrorism; white supremacist racism; children in peril

Formats available for the Tour: all standard electronic formats (sorry, no paperbacks)

Amazon rating: 4*

A group of alt-right terrorists decides that now is the time–and New Orleans is the place–to make an explosive statement that will force the world to acknowledge the superiority of the white supremacist movement. Disgraced former New Orleans homicide detective Starner Gautreaux is now a poorly paid sheriff’s deputy relegated to writing his weekly quota of speeding tickets in a sleepy south Louisiana parish. His mundane life is all-too-predictable until several unusual events cause him to suspect something is seriously amiss.

While the local coroner classifies the resulting deaths as accidental, Starner’s prior experience leads him to believe that not only are they homicides, but also that they signal something far more sinister.

Taut action bubbles up from the swamps of Louisiana to the hidden haunts of underworld bosses, from small-town life to urban grit, and from a high-speed highway shootout to a terrifying confrontation in the heart of the French Quarter. White supremacists seek to impose their will on a city swamped with carefree tourists, but Starner Gautreaux is determined not to let that happen.

Amazon link: https://mybook.to/AWhiteHotPlan

Goodreads link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123857613-a-white-hot-plan

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mike and Ayan Rubin are a husband and wife writing team.

Their debut novel, THE COTTONCREST CURSE, is a historical thriller published by the award-winning LSU Press. Its story line takes place from the 1860’s through the 1960’s and follows the exploits and travails of several generations of five families who own, work, or reside near the eponymous South Louisiana plantation.  THE COTTONCREST CURSE garnered the Book of the Year Gold Award at an annual meeting of the American Library Association where it was named the top thriller/suspense novel published by a university or independent press. A German edition has been published by Suhrkamp and is for sale in Europe.

Their second novel, a contemporary legal thriller entitled CASHED OUT, is now in its second edition.  It won the coveted Jack Eadon award as the Best Contemporary Drama and was shortlisted for the Silver Falchion Award as the best thriller. Combining page-turning action with a distinct sense of southern locale, the Providence Journal raved that it features “a lawyer down and out enough to make John Grisham proud. He’s culled from the likes of Michael Connelly by way of James Lee Burke. A gem of a tale.”

A WHITE HOT PLAN is their third novel.

A nationally known legal ethicist, public speaker and humorist, as well as a full time appellate attorney, Mike has had a varied career. He has been a professional jazz pianist in the New Orleans French Quarter, a radio and television announcer, and an adjunct law professor. He won the Burton Award for Outstanding Writing given at the Library of Congress and is a member of the Author’s Guild, the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and the International Association of Crime Writers.

Ayan has had an equally varied career, having been a classroom teacher, an education administrator, a prolific grant writer, a developmental book editor, a nonprofit consultant, and, for almost three decades, the Coordinator of the Educational Services Division of Louisiana Public Broadcasting, a statewide television network, where she was responsible for initiating and then shepherding a wide variety of video projects from concept through script development and production to statewide and national broadcast.

Mike’s breadth of knowledge about the intricacies of the law and his penchant for devising dramatic situations, combined with Ayan’s unique ability to visualize and bring characters and scenes to life, make for taut tales with unrelenting twists and turns.

Because Mike’s full time legal career and numerous speaking engagements keep them hopping, they write early in the morning or late in the evening, often discussing plot lines and character development during their daily 4:30 a.m. power walks. They are just as apt to draft and revise chapters while sitting in airports or hotel rooms as they are to do so in their adjoining home offices.

Together, Mike and Ayan Rubin have developed a unique literary voice that has captivated devotees of their page-turning thrillers. A WHITE HOT PLAN is their third novel..

The protagonists and primary characters in each of their contemporary novels are descendants of the protagonists and primary characters in THE COTTONCREST CURSE, and the intoxicating action in all of their fiction plays out amidst the backwoods, bayous, big cities, and body politic of their beguiling home state of Louisiana.

READERS' PRAISE FOR A WHITE HOT PLAN

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A thriller that will keep you turning pages. A quiet Louisiana parish (a/k/a county) is the home of an exceptional criminal enterprise. The suspense builds with every chapter. A white-hot explosive together with corrupt and lethargic law enforcement complicates the resolution. A fascinating read. Amazon review

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A White Hot Plan is a rocket-sled ride of a crime thriller… Mike and Ayan Rubin do a masterful job of setting their fast-paced story in Cajun Country, a downtrodden and exotic land where everybody’s name seems to end in ‘eaux.’ Their description of Petit Rouge Parish, an insular enclave ruled by a now-dying sheriff named Naquin “Knock” Mouton, is vivid, realistic and evocative while utterly devoid of cliches and caricatures. Amazon Revie

(note: Helen has not yet read or reviewed this book)

*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 



The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

* * * 

Fellow writers, you know creating a story requires a mix of craft and graft that many of us find a lonely business that tests commitment and tenacity. So, wise words from published authors and conversations with other writers can be the boost we need to begin our story, take it to the next stage or reach The End.

If you’re invested in a writing project, at the concept stage or a work in progress, then DEVON WRITING RETREATS offer time and space to develop your writing guided by published authors who share your passion for your genre. Each residential retreat includes workshops, one-to-one tutorials and guest speakers with plenty of time to write, enjoy the company of your peers, and our fully catered, locally sourced meals.

So, writing community, reTREAT yourself!

UPCOMING RETREATS

November 2023 to April 2024 writing retreats include Writing Crime Fiction (with guest speaker, Helen Hollick) Writing Romantic Fiction and Writing Psychological Suspense and Thrillers with a dazzling array of bestselling authors and guest speakers in their genre.

Throughout Summer 2024 Writing for Wellbeing and Writing Memoir will focus on the personal benefits of writing and the joy of sharing work with others and writers on our Writing Historical Fiction retreat will explore the past in a house steeped in history (hosted by Helen Hollick and Annie Whitehead)

Our unique Grade Two listed property is the perfect place to immerse yourself in your writing in the peace and beauty of the Devon countryside. 

Do come and join us!


Thursday, 28 September 2023

My Coffee Pot Guest: Rosemary Hayes - The King’s Command


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!



About the Book

Book Title: The King’s Command: For God or Country

Author: Rosemary Hayes

Publication Date: July 3rd, 2023

Publisher: Sharpe Books

Page Length: 415

Genre: Historical Fiction

16 year old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie  and her family are committed Huguenots and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics. Others around her break under pressure but Lidie and her family refuse to convert. With spies everywhere and the ever present threat of violence, they struggle on. Then a shocking betrayal forces Lidie’s hand and her only option is to try and flee the country. A decision that brings unimaginable hardship, terror and tragedy and changes her life for ever.

‘One of the very best historical novels I have ever read’ Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert

BACKGROUND TO MY NOVEL ‘THE KING’S COMMAND’

by Rosemary Hayes


A carving above a French Church in London

I’d always known that I had Huguenot ancestors but had not given it much thought until a chance remark by a cousin – “you know they fled persecution” – sparked my interest and I decided to find out more. 

The facts

Many of those who try to trace their Huguenot roots find the process laborious and frustrating, coming across contradictions and going down blind alleys, but I was lucky. A lot is known about my Huguenot forebears, Lydia and Samuel La Fargue. They feature in the Annals of the Huguenot Society and some meticulous research was done on them by an Edwardian ancestor of mine, so I had a head start. 

I knew where they lived in France; in a small town in Gascony, not far from Bordeaux, originally called Castillon-sur-Dordogne and now called Castillon-la-Bataille. I knew what they did (they were predominately lawyers, physicians and minor nobles) and that they were friends with other prominent Protestant families in the region. The Edwardian ancestor states that they lived just outside the town centre in ‘the pleasant faubourg’ and, although I found no evidence of this, it seems likely to be true. They also owned land in the plains South of the town.

The remains of the city wall and of the Porte de Fer,
the ‘River Gate’ at the Southern entrance to Castillon

So, they came from the bourgeoisie, were committed Huguenots, following the teachings of Calvin, and their own ancestors had fought against the Catholics in the sixteenth century Wars of Religion. 

I also knew that Lydia, Samuel, their surviving children and Lydia’s widowed mother left Castillon and fled to Geneva in 1690. And also, intriguingly, that Samuel returned alone to Castillon in 1692 where he died, aged 32, on the very day on which he converted to Catholicism. He may, of course, have died from natural causes, but these were turbulent times, so who knows? I did discover from local documents that he had returned to try and reclaim forfeited property.

After his death Lydia, her children and her mother then left Geneva for London and settled in the pleasant village of Hammersmith where there was a small Huguenot community. Lydia’s only surviving child, Elias, became a Church of England vicar in Lincolnshire and is my direct ancestor.

Why did the Huguenots flee France?

The wars of religion between Protestants and Catholics raged in France during the second half of the 16th century where hatred ran deep, armies were raised and atrocities committed by both sides. These wars were finally brought to an end through the actions of King Henry IV. Henry, originally a Protestant, was a pragmatist. In a bid to unite the country he converted to Catholicism, reportedly saying “Paris is well worth a mass” and promulgated the Edict of Nantes (1598) which granted official tolerance to Protestantism, and for eighty years or so the Huguenots thrived. 

Henry IV of France

Henry’s successors, however, were far less tolerant of the Huguenots, destroying their strongholds and breaking up their military organisation and when the young Louis XIV  finally took control of his throne in 1661, he vowed to make France a wholly Catholic country and wipe out the ‘false religion’ of Protestantism once and for all. During his reign, the Edict of Nantes, which had protected Huguenots for so long, was revoked and their lives became impossible.

Unless they denied their faith, they would forfeit their property, be unable to practise their professions or trades and their children would be forcibly removed from them to be brought up as Catholics. They were banned from holding gatherings, even in private, and their temples were destroyed. Yet they were not allowed to leave the country; the King did not want to lose the skills of these hardworking and successful people.

Huguenot temple

Hardly surprising then, that many converted and many fled despite the penalties if they were caught.

Huguenot women in prison

The fiction

It has been an intriguing journey finding out about my ancestors and, more generally, about the circumstances which forced Huguenots like them to flee France. My book ‘The King’s Command’ is based, very loosely, on their experience. I have set the story in Castillon, called the main character Lydia (or Lidie, as she was known by her family) and her husband Samuel, but a lot of the other characters are fictional, as is the account of Samuel’s death and Lidie’s escape. I know nothing of the family’s actual escape to Geneva but night travelling was common. There were ‘Huguenot Trails’ known only to those within a trusted network, safe houses along the escape routes, false identities adopted and bribes paid. There were also plenty of financial rewards offered to those betraying Huguenots and to soldiers finding stowaways, with spies and informers everywhere, so any escape would have been fraught with danger.

In my story, I have made Lidie stay in Castillon and then escape not from nearby Bordeaux, which was heavily guarded, but from a little port called La Tremblade a good way up the West coast. Many Huguenots did escape from here and I used, as background, a contemporary account of one such escape, cranking up the tension as the family tried to avoid detection. 

To add to the tension, I made the King’s dragoons visit Castillon to try and force unconverted Huguenot households to abjure. I don’t know if this is true, but certainly there were plenty of reports of this happening in the region.


a dragoon forcing a Huguenot to sign
abduration papers

I also made Samuel die a violent death as a direct result of his association with Claude Brousson, a Protestant lawyer and preacher who fought tirelessly for justice for the Huguenots. Brousson had to flee for his life to Switzerland and then, very bravely, returned in secret to become part of the Church of the Desert, in the wild and mountainous region of the Cevennes, where he preached and gave succour to his fellow Protestants. He died a martyr and hero but he is largely forgotten now and I felt he merited some recognition.

a preacher in the Cevennes

In reality, once Lidie reached London, it seems that she led a very quiet and worthy life, centred on the French church in Hammersmith, but I decided to make her lively and vivacious with a strong character and a love of fashion and of the new silks being made in Spitalfields. I also invented for her a naughty surviving daughter, a new romance and another child from a (fictitious) second marriage. 

In her will, Lidie left the bulk of her estate to her son Elias and the rest to the French church in Hammersmith and the French poor of London. It seems that she was still relatively well off and it is known that she brought with her from France some family portraits (presumably taken out of their frames and rolled up), some small pieces of family silver and the La Fargue seal.

The Huguenots were hardworking and talented people and they integrated so seamlessly into their adopted countries that, generations on, it is easy to forget the circumstances which forced them to flee their native France in the 17th century. 

This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bW6zGG

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CB4RH68S

Amazon US: 

https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

Amazon CA: 

https://www.amazon.ca/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

 

About the Author:


Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes  in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out)  to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.

 

Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.

 

Rosemary has recently turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by the French Huguenots during the reign of Louis XIV.


Website: 

https://www.rosemaryhayes.co.uk

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/HayesRosemary

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosemary-Hayes/e/B00NAPAPZC

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/80106.Rosemary_Hayes


 Follow the tour:

Twitter Handle: @HayesRosemary @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Huguenots #LouisXIV #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page:  

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/blog-tour-the-kings-command-by-rosemary-hayes.html


My review

We start by meeting the 'heroine', sixteen-year-old Lidie Brunier on her birthday. She is from a wealthy family, seemingly has everything and is delighted with her new (expensive) silk dress. Equally, she is delighted by the prospect of her birthday party held at a best friend and neighbour's house, and although a little dubious on learning that there will be some strangers present she soon changes her mind, especially when she meets young Samuel. And... I wasn't sure if this novel was quite for me. A young girl, somewhat spoiled because she seems to have it all, but then things start to happen and the horror of the events of history start to unfold.

I think, had this been a purely fictional novel, depicting purely fictional events it might have passed me by as an over-dramatised Tv soap-type story - but although, yes, it is fiction it is firmly based on very real events and in this instance, very real people - the author's Huguenot ancestors. And that reality makes all the difference, for these people might have started out as seemingly rich and spoiled but it soon becomes apparent that Lidie especially is to develop into a strong, brave and competent woman.

This was not an easy read because of that reality. Throughout, I was reminded of the horrors of the Jewish holocaust, where because of intense prejudice (in this case Catholic against Protestant) people, ordinary people in their thousands, suffered terribly. 

The author's research and details are to be applauded, (although perhaps in a few instances there was slightly too much detail, which slowed some scenes a little - but this is a minor personal opinion.) I especially liked Isaac, the doctor. What a wonderful character!

I knew of the Huguenots of course, and that they were persecuted by command of the French king, Louis XIV, and that many of them fled to England and elsewhere, but I didn't know just how horrifically the were treated because of religious bigotry.

What I particularly enjoyed (although enjoy isn't quite the right word!) is not knowing how the secondary characters were going to do or react. Lidie herself, we knew 'escaped' (although not how or through what circumstances) but what of her friends, family and the servants? Were they to flee, did they endure, did they convert? Did they survive - or did they betray the others? Naturally, I cannot tell you here, for that would spoil the entire novel.

Read it, you'll not regret it - but have a box of tissues to hand.

***** 5 stars




*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 


* * *
THE SAXON SERIES
the events that led to 1066
the Battle of Hastings

1066 - the events that led to the
Battle of Hastings
from Amazon
Harold the King  (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US/Canada edition)
1066 Turned Upside Down -
an anthology of alternative stories

*
Amazon: FREE ebook!


~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

* * * 

Fellow writers, you know creating a story requires a mix of craft and graft that many of us find a lonely business that tests commitment and tenacity. So, wise words from published authors and conversations with other writers can be the boost we need to begin our story, take it to the next stage or reach The End.

If you’re invested in a writing project, at the concept stage or a work in progress, then DEVON WRITING RETREATS offer time and space to develop your writing guided by published authors who share your passion for your genre. Each residential retreat includes workshops, one-to-one tutorials and guest speakers with plenty of time to write, enjoy the company of your peers, and our fully catered, locally sourced meals.

So, writing community, reTREAT yourself!

UPCOMING RETREATS

November 2023 to April 2024 writing retreats include Writing Crime Fiction (with guest speaker, Helen Hollick) Writing Romantic Fiction and Writing Psychological Suspense and Thrillers with a dazzling array of bestselling authors and guest speakers in their genre.

Throughout Summer 2024 Writing for Wellbeing and Writing Memoir will focus on the personal benefits of writing and the joy of sharing work with others and writers on our Writing Historical Fiction retreat will explore the past in a house steeped in history (hosted by Helen Hollick and Annie Whitehead)

Our unique Grade Two listed property is the perfect place to immerse yourself in your writing in the peace and beauty of the Devon countryside. 

Do come and join us!


Wednesday, 27 September 2023

My Coffee Pot Book Club guest: Ally Stirling The Sight of Heather


Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!


About the Book

For centuries, the fae folk and spae women of Scotland were feared – and persecuted.

Life in the 1800s countryside, with its unforgiving climate, was both magnificent and harsh – testing cultures, beliefs and the loyalties of crofters.


The first in this series, The Sight of Heather, begins a journey of allegiance, sacrifice, and fortitude in a land of bold, resilient women.

Jessie’s ideal life spirals when she learns she is a first daughter in a biological line of ‘spaes’ endowed with unique gifts of spiritual sight and healing, aided by powerful ancestral stones.

Backed by a vindictive priest intent on charging Jessie with murder and witchcraft, the new owner of the Cruachan Manor plots to rout the spaes and destroy their beloved forest.

Despite grave warnings and family conflict, Jessie determinedly pursues her skills and powers, plunging her family and village into danger.

Resolute in uplifting her fellow women, Jessie consults her stones.

Faced with those who deem her evil, she must choose to relinquish her craft, or sacrifice herself to protect her culture and kin – and Lily, the next first daughter – the future of the spaes.


SHARING A SNIPPET....

Charles folded his arms and a smirk crept out from under his moustache. He cocked his head. “Why do people live here if they struggle to make a living?” 

The vice returned, squeezing the strength from Angus’s voice. “We’ve lived here for centuries … we have no desire to live anywhere else, this is our home.” 

The words floated over Charles’s head, missing his ears by a country mile. “Why would the previous owners be happy with such an unprofitable arrangement?”

The words escaped from Angus’s mouth before he could arrest them. “Because they were Scottish.”

Universal Link: 

https://mybook.to/The_Sight_Of_Heather

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Amazon US: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Barnes and Noble: 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144046886?ean=2940167577664

Kobo: 

https://www.kobo.com/fr/en/ebook/the-sight-of-heather

iBooks: 

https://books.apple.com/fr/book/the-sight-of-heather/id6465249946


About the Author

Ally Stirling is a Fiction writer of Scottish origin, currently living in Cape Town with her Braveheart husband, awesome children, the happiest dog in the world, and her menacing cat (aka 'Devil Cat').

An unexpected gift resulting in a prophetic message prompted Ally to give her passion for writing the time it demanded, and in 2018 she joined Cathy Eden's Working with Words writers group. She credits the love, support, and inspiration of this group of talented women, her 'writing tribe' for encouraging her to put words on paper. She also joined (ROSA,) and while Romance is not her genre, this association has been an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into the indie publishing world.

Allowing her imagination freedom to roam resulted in various short stories, before one in particular rooted itself, evolving into her first full-length novel. This book has now become first in a series, with the second and third ready to follow, four and five in the planning stage. Who knew her characters would be so demanding.

Her love of writing fiction stems from her belief that it transports us to magical places when life gets too real.

Addicted to her friends, coffee, every colour of wine, and any type of chocolate, she describes her clan as the family and friends who have built her castle and keep her sane, without whom she'd be short on humour and drinking games.

Website: 

https://www.authorallystirling.com

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/authorAllyS

Facebook: 

https://facebook.com/authorallystirling

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/authorallystirling

Book Bub: 

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-sight-of-heather-a-journey-of-loyalty-sacrifice-and-fortitude-in-the-face-of-persecution-by-ally-stirling

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ally-Stirling/author/B0CG6TJT5T?

Goodreads: 

https://bit.ly/3P9HmWl


Follow the Tour:

Twitter Handle: @authorAllyS @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @authorallystirling @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #ScottishFolklore 

#BlogTour #CPBC #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: 

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/blog-tour-the-sight-of-heather-by-ally-stirling.html



*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 





The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s

*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you liked Pirates Of The Caribbean?
then you'll love the Sea Witch Voyages!
Amazon:
 https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch


A prequel novella - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate 
COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB ANNUAL AWARD 2022


* * *
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy

 The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... KING ARTHUR

There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot.
Instead, the man who became our most enduring hero.

THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY 
New Editions available worldwide 
(except USA/Canada)

Available USA/Canada 

*

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


* * * 

Fellow writers, you know creating a story requires a mix of craft and graft that many of us find a lonely business that tests commitment and tenacity. So, wise words from published authors and conversations with other writers can be the boost we need to begin our story, take it to the next stage or reach The End.

If you’re invested in a writing project, at the concept stage or a work in progress, then DEVON WRITING RETREATS offer time and space to develop your writing guided by published authors who share your passion for your genre. Each residential retreat includes workshops, one-to-one tutorials and guest speakers with plenty of time to write, enjoy the company of your peers, and our fully catered, locally sourced meals.

So, writing community, reTREAT yourself!

UPCOMING RETREATS

November 2023 to April 2024 writing retreats include Writing Crime Fiction (with guest speaker, Helen Hollick) Writing Romantic Fiction and Writing Psychological Suspense and Thrillers with a dazzling array of bestselling authors and guest speakers in their genre.

Throughout Summer 2024 Writing for Wellbeing and Writing Memoir will focus on the personal benefits of writing and the joy of sharing work with others and writers on our Writing Historical Fiction retreat will explore the past in a house steeped in history (hosted by Helen Hollick and Annie Whitehead)

Our unique Grade Two listed property is the perfect place to immerse yourself in your writing in the peace and beauty of the Devon countryside. 

Do come and join us!