Posts by Joanna Courtney
History vs Fantasy: East Meets West
Want to hear my thoughts on how Fantasy and Historical fiction are like east and west – and certainly meet on the other side! Well pop over to the brilliant blog of the lovely Helen Hollick here
Read MoreSave us from dry January…
Save us from Dry January Or – why must we make resolutions? I’m not an exponent of dry January – not because I’m weak-willed or borderline alcoholic (though the latter at least may be true) but because January is a dark, long, tough month and far from the ideal time to be setting yourself challenges…
Read MoreThe Battle of Stamford Bridge – history’s least celebrated victory
Everyone knows about the Battle of Hastings – it’s seared onto our national memory with such heat that we can never get it out – but what of the Battle of Stamford Bridge? You need to have really looked into the 1066 period to have heard of that one but it was a huge battle…
Read MoreBeing a ‘time-nazi’ or working for yourself…
One of the inherent problems of being a writer is that you work for yourself and I find that brings with it all the usual issues faced by the self-employed, nicely laced with an additional dose of paranoia and a tendency to the over-dramatic. I’ve built up my working hours year on year as my…
Read MoreFerrari history…
I’m thrilled to be a part of the writing team who will, this Autumn, be bringing 1066 Turned Upside Down to your e-readers. When we first dreamed up the idea of having a collection of ‘alternative 1066’ short stories I never imagined we would actually make it a reality, or that we would be lucky…
Read MoreWhy do we love the Queen?
On this, her 90th birthday, I wanted to ask – why do we love the Queen so much? Not everyone does. There are those who don’t feel we should have a monarch – who disapprove of any individual having such riches and privileges purely on the basis of their bloodline – but the fact remains…
Read MoreWriting Longhand – a poll!
I cannot write straight to screen. At least, I occasionally can for short stories or more factual pieces but when it comes to the first draft of a novel, I have to write it pen in hand. I just find that my ideas seem to flow so much more naturally if they go straight from…
Read MoreMove over Prince Albert…
Move over Prince Albert…. Who said the Christmas tree was a twentieth century invention? Most of the festive traditions we know and love stretch right back into Anglo-Saxon times – including the tree. Christmas Trees Edward’s men had set up a new-cut fir, almost as tall as the roof beams. Boys were balancing on their…
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