publication date: 17th June 2026
e-book pre-order
(paperback also 17th June)
Today we feature
ANNA BELFRAGE
Stepping Between by Anna Belfrage
Ludlow Castle, England, 1308
When all you can do is to endure...
trailer/animation by Jean Gill (A.I. generated)
cover graphics by www.avalongraphics.org
(some stories have an adult content others a 'you will need tissues' warning)
Fifteen short stories about Courage
featuring authors:
The Sentry - Noricum AD 395
The Saxon - Southern Britain AD 471
The Phoenix - a fictional country circa AD 900
Siflede - London 1066
Daisy Chain - England 1141
Anna Belfrage
Stepping Between - England 1308
(the following posts are not yet live)
Carolyn Hughes
Confronting Plague - England 1361
Patricia Furstenberg
Kate’s Letter - Transylvania 1478
Amy Maroney
The Portrait’s Secret - Paris 1536
Jean Gill
Legacy - England 1558
Cathie Dunn
Darkness Rising - Venezia 1923
Helen Hollick
A Taleteller’s Tale - The Caribbean 1709
Elizabeth St.John
The Gate - London 1900
Antoine Vanner
A Sack of Potatoes - The Netherlands 1954
Kathy Hollick-Bater
Grumpy Old Grandfather – Anywhere, Present-day
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| About Anna's story |
When Helen asked me if I wanted to be part of yet another anthology I said YES. It is hard not to say yes, given that the previous projects have been so skilfully managed by Helen. I swear, in a previous life, she was some sort of general—alternatively, the admiral of a pirate fleet—given her organising tendencies.
“We’re going to write about courage,” she said.
Courage. Such a big word, with so many interpretations. The quiet courage of Claudette Colvin, who at the age of fifteen dared defy the segregation on a bus, the somewhat more blustery courage of John the Blind who rode into battle without being able to see. The courage of all those who set off across the Atlantic to populate a land they’d never seen, knowing full well they would likely never be able to come back.
I write books set in the medieval period, so it goes without saying my heroes are loyal, honourable and courageous. Having courage in such situations is admitting to your fear, swallowing back on it, and riding forth anyway.
But I didn’t want to write about knights. I wanted to write about the protagonist of my series The King’s Greatest Enemy, Adam de Guirande, and more specifically how it was that he ended up meeting Lord Roger Mortimer. Plus, what exactly did Mortimer do that inspired Adam’s until-death loyalty?
I had some ideas as to how the events played out. Adam is very reluctant to talk about his childhood, but I knew there was a reason for his hatred of cramped spaces and for that faint scar of his.
Knowing Adam, I was certain that whatever had happened was because he—despite being a child—felt responsible for the safety of others: his brother, his step-mother. And sometimes, being responsible means protecting, even at your own risk.
Adam’s actions were to have a significant action on his future life. Not that everyone he protected was adequately grateful, but that, dear reader, is not something Adam will realise until many, many years later!
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| read a snippet from |
Stepping Between by Anna Belfrage
Ludlow Castle, England, 1308
When all you can do is to endure
There were days when Adam believed that maybe Father would change. Days when Father laughed and teased, when he invested hours in teaching Adam to handle sword and lance, bow and axe. Those were the good days, days in which Father beamed at him, telling all the other guards of the Ludlow garrison that one day his son, his Adam, would be a formidable man-at-arms, perhaps even a knight.
Then there were the other days. Days when Walter de Guirande’s eyes narrowed into pools of anger, when those huge fists struck repeatedly. Even worse were the days when Walter de Guirande dumped Adam into the abandoned well just off the postern gate, leaving him to shiver in the dark for hours before he was finally let out.
About
Anna:
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga, which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales.
She has also published a time travel
romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering how to wiggle out of
setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her
characters are demanding.
website, www.annabelfrage.com
Amazon
Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG
Anna's latest publication
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publication date: 17th June 2026 e-book pre-order |
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more great anthologies featuring various authors |
> Next spotlight tomorrow: Carolyn Hughes
You might also like books written by
Helen Hollick
cosy mystery series
nautical supernatural adventure
historical fiction:
King Arthur / 1066 era
non-fiction:
Ghost Encounters
Pirates /smugglers
Say thank you...
leave a comment on Amazon or Goodreads etc
This lovely reflection on the many faces of courage is certainly food for thought :). I especially enjoyed how Anna moved from historical figures to Adam's personal struggle. A fine reminder that courage is not always found on battlefields. The excerpt is powerful and heartbreaking. It definitely makes me want to learn more about Adam and the loyalty that would shape the rest of his life!
ReplyDeleteTwo more sleepies to Publication Day! :)