Welcome to Rachel’s Blog. Scroll down to see the most recent posts, or use the search bar to find previous blogs, news, and other updates. .
Zipporah, the Wife of Moses
Most people, when they think of Moses, imagine him standing alone before Pharaoh or parting the Red Sea. Yet at his side was a woman—a wife, a foreigner, and a figure of quiet defiance: Zipporah, daughter of Jethro of Midian.
Who Was Zipporah?
Zipporah appears only briefly in the Book of Exodus, but her presence is unforgettable. She was one of seven daughters of a Midianite priest. When Moses fled Egypt after killing an overseer, he found refuge in Midian— and at a well, defended Jethro’s daughters from abusive shepherds. In gratitude, Jethro offered him hospitality and the hand of his daughter, Zipporah.
That is the story’s surface, but beneath it lies something far more intriguing: a woman who stepped outside her cultural boundaries to follow a fugitive foreigner; who raised children between two worlds; who faced the weight of Moses’s divine calling and still kept her own courage.
What Remains by Erryn Lee
Today I’m hosting ‘What Remains’ on the Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour. First, the fascinating blurb, perfect for the time of year, then I’ll showcase an excerpt from the author.
What Remains is a haunting dual-timeline mystery that bridges centuries-and secrets-between ancient Rome and the modern world.
LADY OF LINCOLN UPDATE
I’m thrilled to announce the full book description/ blurb of my upcoming novel, LADY OF LINCOLN is ready to read! I do hope you like it. 🙏
The Revenant of Hereford: Walter Map’s Medieval Walking Dead
It’s Halloween, or ‘All Halliow’s Eve’, stolen from the pagans! You might think it’s all jack-o’-lanterns, witches, and restless spirits, but long before pumpkins and trick-or-treaters, medieval storytellers were already spinning tales of the restless dead. One of the most chilling comes from Walter Map, a 12th-century courtier, wit, and author of De Nugis Curialium (Courtiers’ Trifles).
Did you know, Walter Map is a character in Rachel Elwiss Joyce’s second novel in the ‘Nicola de la Haye Series’?
Map’s collection of gossip, marvels, and supernatural tales contains one of England’s earliest written accounts of a revenant — a corpse that would not rest quietly in its grave.
Inês by Catherine Mathis
Today, I am delighted to host Catherine Mathis for the blog tour for her novel, Inês, the first book in her The Queens of Portugal Trilogy. Catherine has kindly provided an excerpt – please see below.
An heir to the throne, a gorgeous blonde lady-in-waiting, the king's trusted advisor. When a father and son don't understand each other, the son pays an outrageous price.
Love, jealousy, loyalty, and revenge roil the court of 14th century Portugal.
In this engrossing launch to the Queens of Portugal trilogy, Catherine Mathis gives a fresh take on the tale of Pedro and Inês, Portugal's real-life Romeo and Juliet. Pedro's father would not have been king if not for his trusted advisor, Gonçalves. Once king, he wants no part in neighboring Castile's royal convulsions though his son, Pedro, befriends powerful Castilians.
The all-consuming drive of the king is to ensure his line rules Portugal for centuries to come. He needs legitimate, strong heirs. The Infante Pedro loves a woman not deemed worthy to wear the crown as queen. Between father and son is Gonçalves, the king's powerful, unquestioned counselor who is mentor to the son. Both Gonçalves and Pedro seek the attention of Inês.
There is a horrific cost to winning the love of Inês. She will not release her grip on Pedro until he keeps the two sworn oaths he made to her. Can Pedro do the impossible to satisfy Inês?
Inês is based on real people and events, exploring a cultural touchstone of Portuguese history.
Outback Odyssey, by Paul Rushworth-Brown
I’m pleased today to be hosting Paul Rushworth-Brown for the blog tour of his novel, ‘Outback Odyssey’. Please take a look at the excerpt from the novel, which is further down this post.
1950s Australia. In the wake of war and dislocation, young Yorkshireman Jimmy journeys to the outback, chasing escape but finding something far more dangerous: the truth of himself and the land he now calls home.
What begins as a story of survival becomes a profound allegory of belonging, silence, and identity. As Jimmy collides with love and betrayal, he also encounters the enduring wisdom of the First Peoples — knowledge that most outsiders are too frightened to face, let alone write about.
Outback Odyssey is sweeping and cinematic, a novel of resilience threaded with unexpected twists and allegorical depth. Already under consideration for a screenplay adaptation, it peels back the myths of Australia’s past to reveal what lies beneath: the unspoken histories, the inherited traumas, and the courage it takes to walk a path that others fear.
Book Review: The Disgraced Knight's Redemption by Ella Matthews
As I hadn’t read the other two novels, I never really understood the details of the disgrace Sir Tristan had suffered, but it was clearly not his fault, and he was clearly an honourable man who just wanted to help out his friends (who’d had their own adventures in the previous books) and a great knight. He had a mission to fulfil on behalf of the king so he could overcome his ‘disgrace’. That mission, which he chose to accept, was to convince a young Welsh heiress to leave her castle and lands and go to court, so a man could take over.
The only problem was that she and her castle and small group of very loyal people were already under attack, about to be besieged by a treacherous neighbour who wanted her lands and castle.
Sir Tristan to the rescue! He, being a capable (and incredibly handsome) knight, trained the people and helped them withstand the siege. But he still intended on taking her to the king after, and fulfilling his mission.
What he didn’t reckon for (and neither did she) was the instalove and mutual attraction they’d find in each other.
How could he complete his mission when he was falling for her? How could she look after her people when she was distracted by him?
All in all, a lovely romance with themes of love, found family, redemption, honour, and ultimately a satisfying ending.
If you love classic love stories with a medieval flourish - castles, sieges and the like, then this one’s for you!
LADY OF LINCOLN Cover Reveal!
I’m overjoyed to share the cover of my debut historical novel, LADY OF LINCOLN — a story inspired by one of England’s most extraordinary medieval women, Nicola de la Haye, and longlisted for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction.
A Woman Who Defied Kings
LADY OF LINCOLN opens in the twelfth century, amid brewing rebellion. This is the untold story of the eventful early life of a noblewoman and castellan who would become known as “the woman who saved England.”
Medieval England.
A Civil war.
A teenage heiress.
A disastrous marriage.
What happens when a girl expected to yield… chooses to lead?
LADY OF LINCOLN and the Cutting Room Floor…
I’m incredibly lucky that Sharon Bennett Connolly of ‘HISTORY… THE INTERESTING BITS’ has very kindly agreed to provide the forward for my upcoming, Chaucer Award long-listed, novel, LADY OF LINCOLN. As the non-fiction biographer of Nicola (Nicholaa) de la Haye, there couldn’t be a better (or nicer) person to introduce the book.
But that meant there was no reason to keep the original preface I had prepared.
Instead of losing it to the cutting room floor, I thought instead I would publish it here as a taster and introduction to who Nicola was. Please see below:
LADY OF LINCOLN longlisted for the Chaucer Award!
LADY OF LINCOLN has been longlisted for the 2025 Chaucer Award for early historical fiction!
This award ‘recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Early Historical (Pre- 1750) Fiction’, celebrating stories that transport readers deep into the past, and I’m thrilled that the amazing Nicola de la Haye’s story is being recognised amongst other great novels.
For more news on LADY OF LINCOLN and my other stories, please subscribe to my reader list.
A Michaelmas Announcement: Lady of Lincoln
I am delighted to announce the title of my debut novel:
Lady of Lincoln: A Novel of Nicola de la Haye, a Woman Born to Lead in a Man’s World, a Medieval Heroine History Tried to Forget
This is Book One of my Nicola de la Haye Trilogy, based on the extraordinary life of the castellan of Lincoln—a woman who defied kings, commanded armies, and became one of the most remarkable heroines of medieval England.
The full back-cover blurb will be revealed later, but here’s a teaser glimpse:
Lady of Lincoln tells the true story of Nicola de la Haye, the young noblewoman who inherited Lincoln Castle, braved rebellion and betrayal, and fought to lead in a world that told her she could not.
On this Michaelmas, as the medieval year turned toward winter, I’m excited to turn a new page in sharing Nicola’s story with you.
Stay tuned for the cover reveal, official blurb, and more glimpses into the history behind the novel.
Novel Title Announcement on Michaelmas
In just one week, on Michaelmas (29 September), a day of great significance in the medieval world, I’ll be unveiling the title of my debut historical novel about the formative years of Nicola de la Haye, ‘The Woman who Saved England."‘
It’s a story of castles under siege, dangerous rebellions, and the woman history tried to silence… but who could not be erased.
Stay tuned for the title reveal!
The Secret Is Out: The Heroine of Rachel’s Upcoming Novel is… Nicola de la Haye
My protagonist is Nicola (Nicholaa) de la Haye: the woman who saved England.
Nicola isn’t a creation of legend or folklore. She was real — a formidable 12th- and 13th-century noblewoman who defied the expectations of her age. She inherited power in her own right, commanded a castle garrison, and twice (at least) defended Lincoln Castle from siege.
Most famously, in 1217, when England teetered on the edge of conquest by Prince Louis of France, Nicola — then nearly seventy years old — refused to surrender her castle. She held the fortress until William Marshal’s army turned the tide in what chroniclers called the Battle of Lincoln Fair (or the Second Battle of Lincoln). Without her, England’s story might have ended very differently.
She Wasn’t Supposed to Matter…
She didn’t set out to defy anyone. She didn’t burn with ambition, or plot her way to power. She was young. She wanted love. She was raised to trust men to handle the weight of responsibility. And yet, by the time her story was done, she’d held command of one of England’s greatest castles, faced down rebellions, navigated the treachery and ambition of the marriage market, and made choices that shaped the future of a kingdom.