Halloween

   So, in keeping with the atmosphere of the evening I thought I'd share a medieval ballad. It's almost a thousand years old and the author is unknown. It's a little grim but I hope you like it. 
                                                                                                                                    -Nicole

The Twa Corbies

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

'In behint yon auld fail dyke,
I wot there lies a new-slain knyght;
And nae body kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.

'His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk, to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady's ta'en another mate,
So we may make our dinner sweet.

'Ye'll sit on his white hause bane,
And I'll pike out his bonny blue een;
Wi' ae lock o' gowden hair,
We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.

'Mony a one for him makes mane,
But nane sall ken where he is gone;
O'er his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sall blaw for evermair.'

The Trinket Seller's Daughter

   I'm thrilled this morning as my novella, The Trinket Seller's Daughter is now available to purchase from Pink Petal Books, Amazon, All Romance Ebooks, 1 Place For Romance, Book Strand, Smashwords and Firsty Fish Ebooks.
   The novella was published by Pink Petal Books and the beautful cover was conjured  by Winterheart Design.

 So grab a copy and tell me what you think - I would love to hear from you :)

 -Nicole

Rosemary for Remembrance

   I'm sad today as I have just found out that we have lost Sara Douglass. For those who may not know, she was the award winning fantasy writer. Some of her works include the Axis Trilogy, The Wayfarer Redemption, Troy Game, Threshold and The Devil's Diadem. Many will remember her ability to weave a tantalizing tale. But for me, I will always remember her as my 'Early European History' lecturer. She taught me so many things about medieval history and I will always be grateful.
                       Farewell Sara.   Pax Vobiscum.
                                                                       Nicole
                                        

                                                                

How the Lemon Drizzle Cake won.

   So after bleating about which story I should finish first, I went and baked instead. I managed to waste a couple of hours in the kitchen and then proceeded to spend the rest of Sunday afternoon and most of the evening readying a manuscript for submission. 'Good for you.' I hear you say but the truth is I think it was another one of my devilish ploys to delay the decision. So here I am at 3.40pm Monday afternoon and I still haven't made up my mind.
                            'Damn you, procrastination ...damn you!'

     But then the lemon drizzle cake does tastes pretty spectacular.      
                                                                                                                         Nicole

In A Muddle

   So today I'm in a bit of a muddle. I have just sent off a short story called 'Capturing Bliss'. It's set in medieval England and tells the story of Blissot; who to save her sister exchanges places and married Sir William Reynard. Fingers crossed that it will be accepted.
   But that's not why I'm in a muddle. Now I have to decide which story I should write next - or more to the point ... which one should I finish. The problem is that I have a heap of  stories that I have started and drawer full of plotted ideas. There are three that have fought their to the front and are calling me. And even though I have spent all morning thinking about it -  I still haven't been able to decide. Do I go with the yummy viking vampire who has waited more than a thousand years to fall in love? Or the hottie from ancient Persia who has been cursed into a magical ring? Or the girl that has only just discovered she is a witch? They are all plotted out and have about 13,000 words each ......... why can't I make up my mind!!!!!!
   Maybe I should just go and make a lemon drizzle cake instead. But then again, lemon drizzle cakes don't get stories written.  Arrgh!
                                           Nicole

Release Day at Pink Petal Books.

   It's Release Day at Pink Petal Books and my medieval tale, The Trinket Seller's Daughter  is officially available. Become entangled in the story of Emelin and Allard; as they try to escape a powerful enemy that hunts them through a dark forest. Will they survive?  And can a knight and a trinket seller's daughter bridge the vast divide between their worlds?

                                                  - Nicole.

Just for Fun

    I came across this recipe - maybe it will put us in a medieval state of mind. I haven't tried it yet ... but I think I'm tempted. Old English first followed by the updated English recipe.

Samon Roste in Sauce

   Take a salmond and cut him rounde, chyne and all, and roste the peces on a gredire; and take wyne and pouder of canell, and drawe it porgh a streynour; and take smale myced oynons, annd caste pereto, and lete hem boyle, and pen take vynegre or vergeous, and pouder ginger, and cast thereto. And pen ley the samon in a dissh, and cast be sirip peron al hote and serve it forth.

   6 salmon steaks, 1 cup of wine, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1 onion or 3-4 spring onions finely minced, juice of half a lemon or a tbsp of vinegar, 1/8 tsp ginger ans salt to taste.

   Brush the salmon steaks with cooking oil or melted butter and grill them. Meanwhile, put onions in saucepan with the wine and cinnamon and bring it to the boil; turn down heat and simmer gently. When salmon steaks are brown on both sides, add lemon and ginger to the sauce. Put salmon on serving dish  and pour the sauce over it.

                                  From Pleyn Delit - Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks. By Hieatt, Hosington and Butler.

                           

The Trinket Seller's Daughter

      Hi and welcome once again. This week I am beyond excited as my very first novella, The Trinket Seller's Daughter will be released through Pink Petal Books on Thursday. It is a historical romance that is set in Medieval England. I love this period and have done so since I was a child. At first I think it was the romanticized images of knights in shining armour and graceful ladies in bowers that caught my attention. Added to that there were also the wonderful stories of King Arthur and his knights.  However over the years the more I studied it, the more I fell in love with the middle ages - the good and the bad aspects. The good including things like architecture, literature, chivalry and having a stronger tie to the natural world. Whilst on the other hand there were the Crusades, short life expectancy and the Black Death.
     During the medieval period forests were seen as wild, untamed and dangerous places. Dangerous, not just because of the game and wild animals that inhabited but also the otherwordly forces that resided there as well.

      Here's the general gist of The Trinket Seller's Daughter - I hope you like it.

      Lost in the forest, Emelin runs for her life after her travelling party is massacred by outlaws. Sir Allard de Gerril is in pursuit of the ruthless Archer and his band when he finds Emelin. Bound by vengeance the pair seek out Archer – but as they journey through the dark woods revenge gives way to passion. With each passing day, Emelin dares to dream that there is a place for a lowly trinket seller’s daughter by the knight’s side. Yet as Archer begins to hunt the couple, Emelin fears that she and Allard will not have a future together as they may never escape the tangled wood alive.

     Released 6th October by Pink Petal Books
     Cover Art by Winterheart Design