The Coffee Pot Book Club is pleased to introduce Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology by Wendy J. Dunn

Book Title: Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Katherine of Aragon Story

Series: Omnibus Edition

Author:  Wendy J. Dunn

Publication Date:  February 28th, 2025

Publisher:  Poesy Quill 

Pages: 1030 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Tudor Fiction

Any Triggers: This is a story for adults, with adult themes and situations.

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-falling-pomegranate-seeds-duology-by-wendy-j-dunn.html 

Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Katherine of Aragon Story

Wendy J. Dunn

In the Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology, readers are transported to the rich historical tapestry of 15th and 16th-century Europe, where the lives of remarkable women unfold against the backdrop of political upheaval and personal struggles. 

In the first book, beginning in 1490 Castile, Doña Beatriz Galindo, a passionate and respected scholar, serves as an advisor to Queen Isabel of Castile. Beatriz yearns for a life beyond the constraints imposed on women, desiring to control her own destiny. As she witnesses the Holy War led by Queen Isabel and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, Beatriz dedicates herself to guiding Queen Isabel's youngest child, Catalina of Aragon, on her own path. Beatriz's role as a tutor and advisor becomes instrumental in shaping Catalina's future as she prepares to become England's queen. 

Fast forward to the winter of 1539 in the second book, where María de Salinas, a dear friend and cousin of Catalina (now known as Katherine of Aragon), pens a heartfelt letter to her daughter, the Duchess of Suffolk. Unable to make the journey from her London home due to illness, María shares her life story, intricately woven with her experiences alongside Catalina. Their friendship has endured through exile and tumultuous times. María seeks to shed light for her daughter on the choices she has made in a story exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, hatred, and forgiveness. Through María's narrative, the eternal question Will love ultimately triumph?

Read a Snippet

 María giggled at Catalina’s sour expression as she sat for breakfast. On the table was a dish of grey mass lumped into a bowl. Catalina pushed aside the bowl, reaching for the fresh white bread and hard cheese. She nibbled at these, picked up a goblet and sipped the beer.

 “They cannot expect me to drink this,” Catalina said, pushing the goblet aside too.

 María chuckled again. On one of their first days in England, Catalina had turned to her when first tasting this English brew, whispering for her ears alone: “This is the sponge of ice and vinegar given to our Lord.”

 Gulping back another bubble of laughter, she swilled down a mouthful from the rejected goblet. “I’m becoming accustomed to it. It is different from what we are used to at home, but I do not mind it.”

 Catalina pushed her bowl towards her in answer. “If you like English beer, taste this then.”

 María picked up the bowl, sniffed, and put it down again. “Even for the love of you, I will not eat this. It may be that English dish of sheep brains Doña Elvira told us about.”

 

From All Manner of Things

 

 https://books2read.com/u/bax5n6 

***

Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. 

Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.

Website: www.wendyjdunn.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorwendyjdunn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyjdunnauthor/ 

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@wendyjdunnauthor 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/wendy-j-dunn 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004FRTZFA 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/197156.Wendy_J_Dunn

The Coffee Pot Book Club is happy to host Apollo's Raven – Audiobook – by Linnea Tanner

 

Audiobook Title: Apollo’s Raven

Series: Curse of Clansmen Kings 

Author: Linnea Tanner

Narrator: Kristin James

Publication Date: May 24, 2017 (Audiobook Publication)

Publisher: Apollo Raven Publisher, LLC

Listening Length: 11 hours and 56 minutes

Genre: Historical Fantasy, Historical Romantasy, Myth & Legend

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-apollos-raven-audiobook-by-linnea-tanner.html 

 Apollo’s Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings, Book 1)

Author Name: Linnea Tanner

Audiobook Narrator: Kristin James

A Celtic warrior princess is torn between her forbidden love for the enemy and duty to her people.

AWARD-WINNING APOLLO'S RAVEN sweeps you into an epic Celtic tale of forbidden love, mythological adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. In 24 AD British kings hand-picked by Rome to rule are fighting each other for power. King Amren's former queen, a powerful Druid, has cast a curse that Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise and destroy him. 

The king's daughter, Catrin, learns to her dismay that she is the Raven and that her banished half-brother is Blood Wolf. Trained as a warrior, Catrin must find a way to break the curse, but she is torn between her forbidden love for her father's enemy, Marcellus, and loyalty to her people. She must summon the magic of the Ancient Druids to alter the dark prophecy that threatens the fates of everyone in her kingdom.

Will Catrin overcome and eradicate the ancient curse? Will she be able to embrace her forbidden love for Marcellus? Will she cease the war between Blood Wolf and King Amren and save her kingdom?

Book Trailer on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSdT5wK4aI

https://soundcloud.com/user-713878612/chapter-51-betrayal

“Mystery and intrigue with each word, Tanner is a master wordsmith. Her vivid imagery and imagination are captured in her story and character development.” ~ The Audiobook Reviewer

" Many surprising twists enrich the historically drawn plot. Points of view shift between different characters effectively, heightening the tension from one moment to the next." ~ Historical Novel Society Review

Universal Buy Link for Apollo’s Raven: https://books2read.com/Apollos-Raven

Audible US: https://www.audible.com/pd/Apollos-Raven-Livre-Audio/B072C2NK8H 

Audible UK: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Apollos-Raven-Livre-Audio/B072C2NK8H 

*AUDIOBOOK GIVEAWAY – UK Only*

Linnea Tanner is giving away an audiobook copy of Apollo’s Raven to listeners in the UK. Visit the blog tour page and leave a comment to enter the giveaway: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-apollos-raven-audiobook-by-linnea-tanner.html 

A winner will be chosen at random and announced after the tour has finished.

Award-winning author, Linnea Tanner, weaves Celtic tales of love, magical adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. She is particularly interested in the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.

Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include Apollo’s Raven (Book 1), Dagger’s Destiny (Book 2), Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3), and Skull’s Vengeance (Book 4). She has also released the historical fiction short story Two Faces of Janus. 

A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.

Website: https://www.linneatanner.com/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/linneatanner 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/linneatanner.bsky.social 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinneaTannerAuthor 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnea-tanner-a021932b/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linneatanner/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@linneatanner 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/linneatanner/_created/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linnea-tanner

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linnea-Tanner/e/B01N6YEM04

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16474282.Linnea_Tanner

Tony Riches on the subject of his new book, BESS

 

Tony Riches on the subject of his new book, BESS

Bess Throckmorton, the queen’s gentlewoman, catches the eye of the captain of the queen’s guard, adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, and has to choose between loyalty and love, duty and desire. Can she risk her queen’s anger by marrying without permission? 

Like most Elizabethan women, her education was limited to what she might need to run a household. Her children’s tutors helped her to improve her writing, but I was impressed at how her phonetic spelling didn’t stop Bess writing to the most powerful men at court, such as Secretary of State of England and Lord High Treasurer, Sir Robert Cecil. 

I always like to have a sense of the ‘voice’ of a character when writing historical fiction, and to imagine what might be on her mind as Bess struggles to protect her family in a dangerous world. I was able to track down several of her actual letters, and used the original text in italics, as in this short excerpt:

Taking a fresh sheet of parchment, Bess dips her pen in the black ink and begins to write. Ignoring what Walter told her, she thanks Robert Cecil for his help and support. 

Sur Walter’s remembranse of me to you at his last deeparting shall add and increese if it wer possibl more love and dew respect to him.

Bess stops to read back her words, regretting her poor spelling, and undecided whether she should travel to see Robert Cecil, to appeal to him in person. She has spent long enough away from her son and from Sherborne. She will have Alexander Brett deliver her letter.

A Devon man, and distant cousin, Alexander Brett is bright and capable, taking over the work started by Adrian Gilbert to improve the supply of fresh water to Sherborne. Keen to better himself, he will relish the challenge of meeting such an important man as Sir Robert Cecil.

He is one of the few unmarried men at Sherborne, and Bess is flattered by how Brett flirts with her. The twinkle in his eye when he makes her laugh reminds her of Walter before they married. She suspects Alexander Brett admires her, and tries not to think of what could happen if Walter never returns. She frowns as she dips her pen back in the ink and continues. 

Sur I am in hope ere it be long to hear of Sur Walter, thow not of long time to see him, being for a time thus disevered from him as I am. 

She waits for the ink to dry in the spring sunshine streaming through her window, satisfied this is enough of a preamble. Bess doubts Robert Cecil will be familiar with the debt owed by Henry Huntingdon, but hopes he will realise the seriousness if she threatens to go to law. 

I must entreet your favourable word to my Lord Keeper. I desire no favour, only suferance. The bearer of this leter can tell you the matter. I choose this time to follow it in Sur Walter’s absents, that myself shall beare the unkindness, and not he, the money being long time past due to me.

Once the ink is dry, she folds the letter. One way or another, Henry Huntingdon will become aware that she will not forget the money he owes her. With luck, Robert Cecil will find some quiet way to avoid the matter going to law. Bess smiles as she presses her signet ring into the hot red wax. She has rolled the dice, and has little to lose.

BESS – Tudor Gentlewoman is available from Amazon in eBook and Paperback:

🇬🇧 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D46XQP59

🇺🇸 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D46XQP59

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling Tudor historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the Tudors. 

For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on  Facebook, Twitter  and Bluesky (see links below).

You can find out more about his research on his popular podcast series, ‘Stories of the Tudors’ 

Website: https://www.tonyriches.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tonyriches

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyriches.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyriches.author/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyriches/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyriches.author/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Riches/e/B006UZWOXA

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5604088.Tony_Riches

Check out The Finding by Jane Hunt #BookBlast at The Coffee Pot Book Club

 

Book Title: The Finding

Series:  n/a

Author: Jane Hunt

Publication Date:  January 7th, 2025

Publisher:  Historium Press

Pages:  85

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: No

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-the-finding-by-jane-hunt.html 

The Finding 

by Jane Hunt

  

This poignant novella is a tale of forbidden love, resilience, and the human cost of war.

In the quiet fields of Wiltshire during World War II, Eveline, a sheltered young woman, stumbles upon a life-altering discovery: a German Luftwaffe pilot, Fritz, has crash-landed near her home. Against the backdrop of war and suspicion, her family takes the injured man in, nursing him back to health. Beneath his reserved demeanor and burned body, Eveline senses a mystery—and something stirs an unfamiliar longing within her.

As Eveline’s infatuation deepens, she faces a storm of challenges: her overbearing mother’s rigid rules, a zealous preacher’s warnings, and the scrutiny of the town’s gossips. Despite Fritz’s attempts to keep her at arm’s length Eveline’s heart defies reason, falling for the man branded as her enemy.

But Fritz harbors secrets that could shatter Eveline’s fragile world. When the truths of war and the weight of loyalty collide, Eveline must confront the reality of loving someone forbidden.

Will their bond endure the hostility of a nation at war? Or will the scars of betrayal and loss prove impossible to heal?

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3JAedg 

Born in Reading UK, Jane grew up with a love of reading. She remembers taking Enid Blyton books to bed and reading them under the covers when she should have been asleep! Her love of the written word extended into the classroom where the teachers commented on her vivid imagination and length of stories—probably accompanied with a few sights when they realized the amount of time the reading would take!

On leaving school Jane spent a brief spell at college before finding employment as a Dental Nurse where she spent many happy years meeting lots of wonderful people and mixing lots of fillings. After meeting her husband, she later went on to have three children and found work as a Teaching Assistant.

Alongside a busy life, she completed a comprehensive writing course, which saw her having non-fiction work published in newspapers and magazines. But the desire to do something ‘creative’ burned ever brightly. Having recently undertaken a lot of research into her family tree, a desire to find out what life was really like for her ancestors took hold, and she developed a fascination with World War II. Heeding the advice of her late parents to ‘put pen to paper’, she decided to get a story that had been buzzing in her head for quit some time written.

The result of her endeavour was a very ‘raw’ manuscript: The Finding. With some professional help—thank you, Dee, the story evolved into a book—something she still can’t quite believe!

Publisher’s Author Page: https://www.historiumpress.com/jane-hunt 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jane-Hunt/author/B0DRJ7KNHK  

The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour presents: Sister Rosa's Rebellion by Carolyn Hughes

Book Title: Sister Rosa’s Rebellion, The Sixth Meonbridge Chronicle 

Series: The Meonbridge Chronicles

Author: Carolyn Hughes

Publication Date: 4th April 2025

Publisher: Riverdown Books

Pages: 446

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: n/a

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/03/blog-tour-sister-rosas-rebellion-by-carolyn-hughes.html 

Sister Rosa's Rebellion

The Sixth Meonbridge Chronicle

Carolyn Hughes

How can you rescue what you hold most dear, when to do so you must break your vows?

1363. When Mother Angelica, the old prioress at Northwick Priory, dies, many of the nuns presume Sister Rosa – formerly Johanna de Bohun, of Meonbridge – will take her place. But Sister Evangelina, Angelica’s niece, believes the position is hers by right, and one way or another she will ensure it is.

Rosa stands aside to avoid unseemly conflict, but is devastated when she sees how the new prioress is changing Northwick: from a place of humility and peace to one of indulgence and amusement, if only for the prioress and her favoured few. Rosa is terrified her beloved priory will be brought to ruin under Evangelina’s profligate and rapacious rule, but her vows of obedience make it impossible to rebel.

Meanwhile, in Meonbridge, John atte Wode, the bailiff, is also distraught by the happenings at Northwick. After years of advising the former prioress and Rosa on the management of their estates, Evangelina dismissed him, banning him from visiting Northwick again.

Yet, only months ago, he met Anabella, a young widow who fled to Northwick to escape her in-laws’ demands and threats, but is a reluctant novice nun. The attraction between John and Anabella was immediate and he hoped to encourage her to give up the priory and become his wife. But how can he possibly do that now?

Can John rescue his beloved Anabella from a future he is certain she no longer wants? And can Rosa overcome her scruples, rebel against Evangelina’s hateful regime, and return Northwick to the haven it once was?

Read and Excerpt from the Prologue

‘Yet, as I understand it,’ he said, ‘elections have always gone in favour of the Godeffroy, regardless of the other candidate…’

Eva tilted her head. ‘Some sort of bribery, you mean?’

‘I have always presumed so. And I have also presumed it was the bishop’s man – our cousin 

Nicholas’s predecessors – who arranged it, though I don’t know. But I’m sure Nicholas would help you in that way, if you asked him.’

‘Even if he did, I’m not convinced it would work this time. Rosa’s so very much admired, I’m sure most of the sisters would refuse any inducement to vote against her.’

‘So, what are you going to do about her? Arrange a fatal accident?’ He snorted.

Eva clicked her tongue again. ‘Don’t be such a fool, Edgar. But I do want to stop her standing, or make her seem less suitable than she is.’

‘And you have a plan for doing that?’

‘I do.’

 She told him about the Rosa who first came to Northwick, evidently quite a different girl from the woman she was now. She recalled how the young Rosa – then only seventeen – spent hours of her time upon her knees in the chapel, and at her bedside, pleading constantly for forgiveness.

‘You pried upon her private and piteous entreaties?’ said Edgar, raising his eyebrows.

Eva shrugged, but ignored the question. ‘Did you know she wanted to call herself “Dolorosa”? What a ridiculous, self-indulgent name! “I want to spend my life atoning for my sins!”’––she affected a supposedly girlish voice––‘That’s what she said to the prioress.’

‘You heard her say that?’

‘Well, no. One of the older nuns overheard their conversation in the cloister…’

Edgar guffawed. ‘You holy women! So quick to pry and tittle-tattle…’

Eva scowled but did not respond. ‘Anyway, our aunt persuaded her to choose “Rosa” instead.’

‘So what had made little Rosa so very sorrowful?’

‘From what I heard, she imagined she’d committed some appalling sin, one so heinous she was consumed by remorse and shame. Though what exactly the sin was, I never learned.’ 

He gave a small shrug. ‘Very occasionally in her confession, Rosa has referred to some transgression she committed as a girl, but she has never elaborated––’

‘Ha! I knew it. A guilty secret… Anyway, I’m thinking, if I hint to her that I know of her secret and will expose it if she doesn’t do as I demand, she’ll decide not to stand in the election…’

‘I suppose she might withdraw, but the Sister Rosa I think I know is surely made of sterner stuff.’

He stroked his chin, the stubble of the day rough and rasping against his fingertips. Evangelina might imagine Rosa would succumb readily to her threats, but he was not so sure. Moreover, Rosa would make an excellent prioress, very much in the mould of Aunt Angelica. 

Whilst his sister, well, the same could not be said of her. In fact, he suspected Eva would make a terrible prioress. He was certain she never had a vocation for the religious life, any more than he did, and she was loved by no one in the priory. It did not bode well for her success. However, she was his sister – well his half-sister, but family nonetheless – and it was his duty to support her, even if it was against his better judgement…

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bWaYM0 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, word-smithing for many different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.

Although she wrote creatively on and off for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest that writing historical fiction took centre stage. But why historical fiction? Serendipity!

Seeking inspiration for what to write for her Creative Writing Masters, she discovered the handwritten draft, begun in her twenties, of a novel, set in 14th century rural England… Intrigued by the period and setting, she realised that, by writing a novel set in the period, she could learn more about the medieval past and interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do. A few days later, the first Meonbridge Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, was under way.

Seven published books later (with more to come), Carolyn does now think of herself as an Historical Novelist. And she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Author Links:

Website: https://carolynhughesauthor.com 

Twitter: www.x.com/writingcalliope 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarolynHughesAuthor 

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/carolynhughes.bsky.social 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carolyn-hughes 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Carolyn-Hughes/author/B01MG5TWH1 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16048212.Carolyn_Hughes 

The Coffee Pot Book Club presents: White Feathers by Susan Lanigan

Book Title: White Feathers

Series: White Feathers, Book #1

Author: Susan Lanigan

Publication Date: 21/3/2025

Publisher: Idée Fixe Press

Pages: 398

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: Abortion (non-graphic), Death

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-white-feathers-by-susan-lanigan.html 

White Feathers 

by Susan Lanigan

"Anti-war and anti-patriarchy without ever saying so - a bravura performance of effortless elegance" - Irish Echo in Australia

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015

In 1913, Irish emigrée Eva Downey receives a bequest from an elderly suffragette to attend a finishing school. There she finds friendship and, eventually, love. But when war looms and he refuses to enlist, Eva is under family and social pressure to give the man she loves a white feather of cowardice. The decision she eventually makes will have lasting consequences for her and everyone around her.

Journey with Eva as she battles through a hostile social order and endeavours to resist it at every turn.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4APnB0 

Susan Lanigan’s first novel White Feathers, a tale of passion, betrayal and war, was selected as one of the final ten in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2013, and published in 2014 by Brandon Books. The book won critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the UK Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2015. This edition is a reissue with a new cover and foreword.

Her second novel, Lucia’s War, also concerning WWI as well as race, music and motherhood, was published in June 2020 and has been named as the Coffee Pot Book Club Honourable Mention in the Modern Historical Book of the Year Award.

Susan lives by the sea near Cork, Ireland, with her family.

Website: https://susanlanigan.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028262426042 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanlanigan_books/ 

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@susan_lanigan 

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/susanlanigan.bsky.social 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan-lanigan 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00MTKLNLO 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4181196.Susan_Lanigan 

Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon by Helen Hollick, with Kathy Hollick

Book Title: Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

Author: Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick

Publication Date: 27th February 2025

Publisher: Taw River Press

Pages: 201

Genre: Non-Fiction (with a bonus of two short stories)

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-ghost-encounters-by-helen-hollick-and-kathy-hollick.html 

Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.

It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.

In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.

Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history... and a few of its ghosts.

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

cover design: Avalon Graphics

cover artwork: Chris Collingwood

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Read an Excerpt :

North Devon is predominantly rural, with a few towns dotted amongst scattered villages and farms, which mostly concentrate on dairy or sheep. The Exmoor coast has high, rugged cliffs, the highest, being Great Hangman, a 1,043ft hog's-back, with a 820ft cliff-face.

From Celtic to Roman, through the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans, via the Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians and Victorians North Devon has been rich in its history. And its ghosts.

Ghost, spirit, shade, soul – whatever term you prefer, unless you are a sceptic the general thinking about ghosts is that these unexplained phenomena are troubled or tormented apparitions which haunt the places where they died. They are misty shapes curling beneath trees, lurking in dark shadows or eerie cellars while oozing an atmosphere of supernatural horror. Spirits allegedly remain through spite or remorse; their only intention is to frighten living people in any and every way they can. Most of this thinking is generated by religious beliefs and enhanced by the fascination for horror novels and Hollywood movies of the paranormal. Exposing an angry poltergeist or a vengeful demon is common on the TV or cinema screen. Readers and viewers (for some unfathomable reason!) like to be scared. There are hostile spirits creating hostile environments, but outside of high drama and the movies, these are in a minority.

It is natural to have a reaction of fear if something supernatural is encountered, but there is usually no reason to stay frightened. Some, particularly the spirits of children, can be mischievous, but aggressive or malevolent hostility, despite what is depicted on TV, is rarely an intentional threat. Some lingering spirits may be confused and bewildered, or even unaware that they are dead, and may need a sympathetic nudge to move on. Quite a few drift among us because they want to stay.

Find out more – and meet a few ghosts – in Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

ABOUT HELEN HOLLICK

Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur. 

In addition to her historical fiction, Helen has written several short stories, further exploring themes of historical adventure or the supernatural with her signature style. Whether dealing with the echoes of the past or the weight of lost souls, her stories are as compelling as they are convincing. Through her work, she invites readers into a world where the past never truly lets us go.

Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.

Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book...

ABOUT KATHY HOLLICK

Diagnosed as severely dyslexic when she was ten, Helen pulled Kathy out of school at fifteen to concentrate on everything equine.

When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy's passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own Welsh pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues.

Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals.

She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown.

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenHollick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/helenhollick.bsky.social 

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/helenhollick

Blog: supporting authors & their books https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

Monthly ‘newsletter’: Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse. 

https://thoughtsfromadevonshirefarmhouse.blogspot.com/

Kathy: 

Website: https://www.white-owl.co.uk/

Facebook: North Devon - Taw River Equine Events https://www.facebook.com/groups/1491518561152309