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All Hallows’ Eve: The Vigil of the Departed
When twilight falls on 31 October, the Christian calendar and the old pagan year meet.
The Eve of All Hallows—from Old English hālga ǣfen (“holy evening”)—was the vigil before the Feast of All Saints.
Yet in spirit it still carried the echo of Samhain, the Celtic festival of endings and beginnings.
In pagan belief, this was the night when the barrier between worlds dissolved: the dead might revisit hearth and home, and the living could glimpse the Otherworld. Fires blazed, food was laid out for ancestors, and villagers disguised themselves to ward off or impersonate wandering spirits.
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.
Lanterns and Mischief: From Samhain Fires to Punkie Night
In the ancient Celtic world, Samhain marked the moment when the year tipped into darkness. Bonfires blazed on hilltops, not as mere celebration but as protection—flames to cleanse, to guard livestock, and to guide wandering souls.
When Christianity spread, the bonfire’s symbolism endured. The Church kindled its own light—candles of vigil—burning in churchyards and windows on the eve of All Hallows’ Day, turning pagan flame into prayer.
What Is Allhallowtide? The Three Days of the Dead…
As the last leaves fall and nights lengthen, the medieval calendar turns toward Allhallowtide—three days devoted to saints, souls, and the turning of the year.
The word comes from hallow (Old English hālga, “holy person”) and tīd (“time” or “season”).
For Christians of the Middle Ages, it was a sacred hinge between worlds: a time to honour the saints in heaven, pray for souls in Purgatory, and remember the dead on earth.
But these days did not arise from nowhere. Long before church bells rang, the Celts gathered at Samhain—literally “summer’s end.” The festival marked the boundary between the light and dark halves of the year, when harvest was over and the veil between living and dead grew thin.
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!
The Shadow of Becket: How a Murder Shook the Kingdom
For years, the quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket raged. Becket fled to France in 1164, finding refuge with King Louis VII—the same Louis who still burned with resentment against Henry II for marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine. The dispute became as much about politics as faith: two monarchs using one archbishop as a pawn.
In 1170, Henry and Becket made a fragile peace. The archbishop returned to England to cheers from the faithful. But within weeks, their conflict flared again when Becket excommunicated bishops loyal to the crown.
It was then, in a moment of fury, that Henry uttered the words chroniclers would never forget—perhaps not verbatim, but in essence:
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
Four knights took him at his word.
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:
Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen, Duchess, and Mother of Rebels
When their sons grew to manhood, Eleanor encouraged them to demand their inheritance. Henry the Young King, Richard, and Geoffrey wanted lands to rule; Henry II refused. In 1173, when the princes fled to France, Eleanor supported them. Chroniclers later claimed she disguised herself as a man to join them—an image that has haunted legend ever since.
Her rebellion failed. Henry II’s forces captured her later that year while she travelled through Poitou. For the next sixteen years she was kept under guard, a queen turned prisoner. Yet even captivity could not erase her influence: her sons would continue to fight in her name.
Who Was the Worst Misogynistic Villain of the 12th Century?
Beneath the poetry of the romantic idyll of medieval Europe their lay a darker reality - institutionalised misogyny. Many women - queens, countesses, widows, even nuns - were treated as pawns, prisoners, or prey by the very men who should have honoured them.
In this series, ‘Medieval Misogyny’, we’ve met five men whose names deserve to be remembered not for their glory, but for their cruelty. Each used his power to diminish, exploit, or abuse women. Now it’s time to decide: who was the worst villain of them all?
Henry II of England – The Jailer of Queens
When Henry of Anjou (later Henry II, also known as Henry Plantagenet) married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, they created a political alliance of breath taking scale. Henry was heir to the English throne; Eleanor, just divorced from King Louis VII of France, brought with her the duchy of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most independent regions in Europe.
For a time, their marriage was a true partnership. Eleanor rode beside Henry on campaign, governed Aquitaine in his name, and bore him eight children. Together, they forged the Angevin Empire stretching from the Scottish borders to the Pyrenees.
But power and passion soured into mistrust. By the 1170s, the marriage had collapsed into open hostility.
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.
Why the Angevins (Plantagenets) Ruled Half of Europe
When we think of medieval kings, we often picture a crown perched over a single kingdom. But Henry II of England—first of the Angevin kings—was no ordinary ruler. By the 1170s, he commanded more territory than any other monarch in Christendom, stretching from the wild hills of Northumberland to the sunlit vineyards of Aquitaine. His dominion was so vast that chroniclers called it an “empire,” though it was stitched together by marriage, inheritance, and sheer force of will.
So how did a French count’s son come to rule half of Europe?
Geoffrey de Mandeville – The Terror of Widows and Nuns
It was in the chaos of the Anarchy that one man carved out a reputation so dark that even in an age of violence, his name stood out: Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex.
Geoffrey inherited immense lands and titles but he wanted even more, shifting loyalties between Stephen and Matilda whenever it suited him, extorting charters and privileges from both. When Stephen finally moved against him in 1143, Geoffrey unleashed a reign of terror across eastern England.
Chroniclers such as the Peterborough Chronicle and Orderic Vitalis described him as a robber baron, commanding brutal mercenaries who pillaged the countryside. Hardly chivalric, the man was a misogynist bully who preyed on the weak. For women, especially widows and nuns, he was the Devil’s own demon.
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!