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A private house, not a museum: visiting the Edinburgh home of Robert Louis Stevenson

‘This is a private house …’ says a small but noticeable addition to the doorbell of 17 Heriot Row in Edinburgh, the home for many years of writer Robert Louis Stevenson, his parents and their small entourage of servants. Thanks to the hospitality of current resident John Mcfie and his family, a private house, albeit … Continue reading A private house, not a museum: visiting the Edinburgh home of Robert Louis Stevenson

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For #womenshistorymonth: Scottish sculptor Amelia Robertson Hill

My historical novel In the Blink of an Eye was written to illustrate and honour an iconic photographic partnership between two men, D.O. Hill and Robert Adamson, but when it came to writing their story, I found myself focussing on the women who surrounded them. This arose from the writer’s instinct to look for the … Continue reading For #womenshistorymonth: Scottish sculptor Amelia Robertson Hill

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What exactly do we mean by authenticity? A Historical Fiction Convention and other news @HistoryQuill @BLFupdates @StroudStories #hiddengems

Historical Fiction Convention, February 2022 The first Historical Fiction Convention organised by History Quill was a four day virtual and international event covering publishing, marketing, writing craft and research. In my slot on the final day Stepping through the Magic Door: defining analysing authenticity in historical fiction (ambitious or what?) I gave my take on … Continue reading What exactly do we mean by authenticity? A Historical Fiction Convention and other news @HistoryQuill @BLFupdates @StroudStories #hiddengems

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Historical fiction convention – early bird discount to Dec 22nd @HistoryQuill #historicalfiction #writingcommunity

For a while I’ve been associated with an outfit called The History Quill which offers a raft (or an inkwell?) of services and support to writers of historical fiction. It’s a commercial enterprise but I don’t have a problem with that. It means, for instance, that blog posts are commissioned and paid for (if only … Continue reading Historical fiction convention – early bird discount to Dec 22nd @HistoryQuill #historicalfiction #writingcommunity