Christina here. I may have mentioned this before, but back in 2015 something quite amazing was discovered in the little village church of St Faith’s at Bacton in Herefordshire – a piece of cloth from one of Queen Elizabeth I’s dresses. It had been used for centuries as an altar cloth, and the parishioners had no idea what a treasure they possessed. When it was rediscovered, it was rather grubby and worn, and didn’t look particularly impressive. The reason the experts could be sure that it really was one of Elizabeth’s dresses, though, was that it’s made of cloth of... Continue reading

Christina here. I’ve been thinking about so called “hen lit” recently, as I read some books that could be put in that category. It’s usually defined as stories with older heroines, and Wikipedia also calls it “matron lit”, a term I vehemently dislike! I mean, just because you’ve hit a certain age doesn’t mean you automatically turn into a “matron”, does it? I’m of the mindset of the poem Warning by Jenny Joseph, about breaking the rules when you get old, wearing purple and doing things you shouldn’t just because you can – that is the way I want to... Continue reading

Christina here. I recently attended a writers'/readers' conference in Sweden called the FEELGOOD FESTIVAL. 200 readers congregated in the very picturesque town of Sigtuna (founded by Vikings in the 10th century and full of runestones so paradise for me!) to hear a day-long series of chats/discussions about various aspects of feelgood fiction. To me that term means romance, but as I listened to the authors being interviewed it quickly became clear that to Swedes it has a much broader meaning. Romance as a genre is severely under-represented in Sweden, where the largest sections of the book stores are devoted to... Continue reading

Christina here and today I’m delighted to welcome Janet Gover to the blog! Janet is an Australian author who lives in the UK, but writes about her native country. She recently won the RWAust’s Romantic Book of the Year Award – for a mainstream novel with a strong romance running through it at this year’s RWA conference in Sydney with her book THE LIBRARY AT WAGTAIL RIDGE. Wench Anne was present and has kindly provided some photos of the occasion (thank you Anne!) Janet and Anne Welcome to the blog, Janet! It’s lovely to have you here. First of all,... Continue reading

Christina here. A little while ago the Wenches were discussing how we got into writing and whether we always wanted to be writers and had been making up stories since we were little. I didn’t, and it never occurred to me that I could be an author – I preferred to read other people’s stories. At home, though, I did an awful lot of daydreaming and I played with dolls all the time, particularly my Barbies. I made up different adventures and scenarios for them every day, almost always romantic ones. My Barbie wore her wedding dress so many times... Continue reading

Christina here and it’s time for our monthly roundup of what we’ve been reading! As always, we have a very varied selection and hope you will find something you like the sound of. And please add to our must-have lists in the comments below by letting us know what you have enjoyed as well. We’ve got our credit cards at the ready! We’re starting off with Patricia:- SPACE JUNK: HOUSTON, WE HAVE A HOTTIE by Sara L. Hudson. I wasn’t going to report on this one because it’s half hot sex, so I skimmed a whole lot. The sex scenes... Continue reading

Christina here. Have you ever travelled somewhere without any expectations whatsoever, just willing to go with the flow, explore and see what you find? That’s exactly what I did the weekend before last. Yes, I have been out travelling yet again – lately it feels as if I live out of suitcase permanently! – but this time it wasn’t for research or family purposes. My husband, elder daughter and I wanted to go to a specific concert which happened to be held in Brussels in Belgium. So we decided to take the opportunity to have a long weekend there to... Continue reading

Christina here. I’m on holiday at the moment, so I’ve dug up a post that previously appeared on my friend and fellow author Anna Belfrage’s blog. Hope you don’t mind the recycling! The word ”runes” is very evocative, isn’t it? It immediately conjures up images of fearsome Vikings, picture stones adorned with slithering snakes and dragons, as well as mysterious fortune-tellers or seeresses. Because runes weren’t just used for writing – they were also talismans against evil, part of secret rituals and carved into bits of wood or bark as protection. Magical! The great thing about runes is that they... Continue reading

Christina here. Authors are mostly solitary creatures, holed up in our lair with just our characters for company, and snarling at anyone who interrupts us when we’re in the writing zone. But sometimes we need to get out and see people, and one of the very best things is meeting readers. Having someone buy your books or tell you that they enjoyed one of your stories is lovely, and although getting messages like that on social media is always appreciated, meeting readers face to face is even better. So when I got the opportunity to join a big book signing... Continue reading

Christina here and I’ve been out and about again doing some research for the story I’m working on. As I think we’ve mentioned before on this blog, there really is nothing better for an author than being able to actually see or experience something for real. One of the best places to do that is at an outdoor museum, where they have reconstructed old buildings and environments so that the visitor can really experience what it would have been like to live there. Going to places like that feels like stepping back in time. Last week I found an excellent... Continue reading

Christina here. When I was a teenager, I had an American friend who used to work on patchwork quilts with her mother and two sisters as a group project every so often. It made the work go faster, and was also a lovely way for them to spend time together. I remember thinking I would love to try it sometime, but then I forgot about it. Quilting wasn’t a handicraft that was practised much in Sweden when I grew up, or at least I’d never seen it done, so I didn’t have a chance to learn how. (Plus I don’t... Continue reading

Christina here. As some of you will have seen from our last newsletter, Wench Nicola and I recently visited Newark Park, a lovely Tudor hunting lodge in the wilds of Gloucestershire. It had a beautiful, sprawling garden, and apart from the amazing views, one of the best things about it were the resident peacocks. Those majestic birds always look like they own a place, strutting around and uttering their mournful cries every so often. It occurred to me that when describing a historical setting in a book, adding peacocks to the background immediately conveys a sense of luxury and decadence.... Continue reading

Christina here, just popping in to say that following the interview last week, the winner of a copy of An Italian Island Summer by Sue Moorcroft is Pat Dupuy - congratulations Pat! Continue reading

Christina here and today I'm delighted to have Sue Moorcroft as my guest. Welcome back to the Word Wenches, Sue, it’s such a pleasure to have you here again! Thank you very much for inviting me. I always enjoy the Word Wenches’ wonderful blog. You have a new book out tomorrow, An Italian Island Summer, which I absolutely loved! Tell us a little bit about it, please. Thank you! It’s set in Sicily, mainly on Ortigia, the old city of Siracusa, joined to the main city by two bridges. It’s a gorgeous place, with ruins such as Apollo’s Temple alongside... Continue reading

Christina here. I’ve always been a dog lover so when I finally had some of my own, I wanted them immortalised in a painting. This was the result and I love it! Turns out I’m not the only dog owner with that idea though … Last week I went to see an exhibition at the Wallace Collection in London which was all about dog portraits. It is the first ever exhibition to explore our wonderful relationship with dogs through art. Right up my street and I wasn’t disappointed! The first sign showed a quote which I totally agree with:- “The... Continue reading

Christina here and can you believe it’s already time for our monthly round-up of Wenchly reads and recommendations! No idea where the time goes … As always, it is a very mixed selection, from generational stories to timeslips and everything in between. Have a look and see if anything takes your fancy! Pat: Sonali Dev, THE VIBRANT YEARS, is a fast-paced book that sucked me in from the very first, even if I usually despise women’s fiction where everyone is beautiful, talented, and brilliant. The three-generational protagonists here are Indian, so their obstacles aren’t just jealous bosses or spiteful exes,... Continue reading

Christina here. As we’ve mentioned before, authors take any chance they can to do a bit of hands-on research when it’s on offer, and a couple of weeks ago I did just that – I tried my hand at Viking weaving! I’ve been a member of my local weaving guild for some years now, although I don’t attend very frequently as I don’t have time unfortunately. It all began with me doing a weekend course in Scandinavian band weaving, which of course sounded right up my street. Since one of my neighbours is Swedish as well, we decided to try... Continue reading

Christina here. Just popping in to announce the winner of the PROMISES OF THE RUNES giveaway - a signed copy of the book, plus a set of Oseberg Viking ship note cards will be sent to Alexandra. Congratulations! Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter Sunday! Continue reading

Christina here. Next week sees the publication of the fifth book in my Vikings Runes series, PROMISES OF THE RUNES, and today I thought I would interview the fictional hero, Ivar Thoresson, in order to introduce him to readers. He has quite an interesting story to tell! As long as you believe in magic, that is … He arrives to the interview dressed in black jeans and biker boots, but with a Viking tunic instead of a t-shirt. It’s pale blue and trimmed with beautiful handwoven bands and he tells me a special someone made it for him. All manner... Continue reading

Christina here with a new feature on Word Wenches, where we will list favourite objects in a category of our choice. Today I have chosen Viking jewellery, because I find it fascinating and beautiful to look at, and there is so much to choose from! As part of my research into the Vikings, I have obviously visited an awful lot of museums to view artifacts from that era. I am always especially drawn to the jewellery and although it was incredibly difficult to choose, below is a list of my top ten favourites so far. The Vikings were superb craftsmen... Continue reading

Christina here. You know that saying, “It’s not the winning but the taking part that counts”? That’s a hard lesson to learn when you’re little. How many times have we said it to ourselves, our children or our friends when someone lost at something or didn’t win some competition or sport? I know I repeated it to my daughters until I was blue in the face, but it didn’t stop the disappointment on their faces as they came away emptyhanded from yet another school sports day. “Mummy, can’t we buy a medal?” my oldest asked once, obviously not having grasped... Continue reading

Penthouse XO3D LTD Wikimedia Commons Christina here. Recently I’ve been reading a lot of contemporary stories where the heroes are wealthy and successful, and I have noticed that they all seem to have very similar tastes when it comes to their homes. They usually live either in a penthouse apartment, with floor to ceiling windows and incredible views, or in a converted warehouse apartment, where so called “industrial chic” rules. Bare brick walls, huge spaces and cavernous ceilings, all tastefully furnished to suit a man of course. Is this how we want or expect our heroes to live? Or is... Continue reading

Christina here with a movie review, which is something the Wenches thought we would try occasionally this year if we came across one we would really like to recommend. As the film in question is biographical, I have combined it with information about the subject of the movie, who was a real person. I have to admit I don’t often go to the cinema to see Oscar-worthy films because I usually find them either boring or too sad. (I’m very shallow in my movie choices!). It has always seemed to me that the more heart-wrenching the story, the more Oscars... Continue reading

Christina here. When I was young, I dreamed of having my own library. The old-fashioned kind, of course, with built-in shelves in the Gothic style and special ladders for climbing up to reach the top. Perhaps even a double-height room with a little balcony running round the top where you could walk around to peruse those shelves. It has to be the ultimate fantasy for a booklover and I can’t help but picture the library in the Disney film Beauty and the Beast – just perfect! (There is a list of five real life libraries here that would suit me... Continue reading

The Wenches were asked to answer some questions about writing and the publishing industry, and today we’re replying to the first one – How do you decide on a title? Is it the editor or you or what? Mary Jo: Titles wars, all authors know them well! Ideally, authors and editors work together to come up with titles that in just a few words will convey the genre, the essence of the story, and also have a marketing punch. Not surprisingly, this is difficult! In my first book, my heroine was a gifted musician so my working title was the... Continue reading