Yesterday our historical fiction anthology Courage: Tales of History, Mystery & Hope was published and today the celebration continues.
I’m delighted to be visiting Helen Hollick’s blog, where I’m talking about my contribution to the anthology, Kate’s Letter, and sharing an excerpt.
Stories often begin with a question that refuses to leave us.
For Kate’s Letter in Courage, that question was simple, yet dangerous:
What if one story everyone dismissed as impossible turned out to be true?
Kate’s Letter follows a woman returning to the place that once condemned her, carrying little more than memories she cannot silence, and the courage to face a past that refuses to remain buried.
When an old letter comes to light history, as well as her story, begin to shift beneath her feet.
Although it stands on its own, Kate’s Letter also sits alongside my novels When Secrets Bloom and Beneath the Snow, part of my Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows series. Together, these stories explore not only medieval Transylvania, but the hidden spaces history leaves behind: the private lives, impossible choices, and unbelievable acts of love that official chronicles rarely record.
My fiction returns, again and again, to one figure whose name has become legend: Vlad III Dracula. History remembers him in stark contrasts: hero or monster, prince or tyrant. I am interested in the man who lived between those extremes and in the people who lived alongside him, whose voices history never preserved.
Rather than seeking to absolve or condemn, I hope my stories restore complexity to a man flattened by myth, reminding the readers that behind every legend lived human beings who loved, grieved, hoped, and endured – with COURAGE.
After all…
What if?
Thank you, Helen, for effortlessly coordinating the 15 authors included in this new and epic anthology and for welcoming me during the Courage blog tour!
Wonderful historical novelist and champion of independent authors, Helen Hollick is a lifelong storyteller.
Inspired by the works of Rosemary Sutcliff, Mary Stewart, and Geoffrey Ashe, Helen Hollick developed her own distinctive approach to Arthurian Britain, stripping away the myths to explore what might really have happened.
Since the publication of her acclaimed Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy Helen has become one of Britain’s best-loved historical fiction authors, renowned for her meticulously researched novels, her popular Sea Witch Voyages series, and her unwavering support for fellow writers. After navigating the changing tides of traditional publishing, she embraced independent publishing, continuing to delight readers while proving that passion, perseverance, and a love of storytelling matter far more than following a conventional path.
You can read here my thoughts on A Mischief of Murder a cosy mystery by Helen Hollick and Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon by Helen Hollick and Kathy Hollick.
Courage: Tales of History, Mystery & Hope is available from Amazon and other major book retailers or you can request it through your local library.