Since my memoir, I've pushed forward with my passion for writing, although rather slowly. There was, after all, a job and a family to consider. But after years of research, then years of writing and editing, I finished my project ... what I call my 'V' 2 V' series ... based on the history of the British Monarchy. I'm not a historian but I am a lover of history and I'm hoping you find loads of interesting stories in them that are very different from the ones you were forced to suffer in school.

 

Storytelling has endured throughout the ages. It has existed ever since humans were first able to clutch a stick in their hand and scratch pictures on the walls of caves. Our ancestors have scratched stories for us on Egyptian tombs, ancient papyrus, delicate scrolls and even on stone. We’ve been telling stories before the golden-haired, blue-eyed Vikings sailed dragon-prowed boats up a river in Northumbria one cold miserable January morning in 793AD and we were still listening to these stories told by old men around a fire on cold wintry nights with a tankard of ale in their hands. Hence the word ‘His story’.

 

History is quite amazing actually. It can be the richest of all stories, the saddest of stories and the most shocking of stories. It’s a story of all people, in all places, at all times and because we know of that history, we can decide what may happen in the future. It shows us models of good and responsible behavior as well as teaching us how to learn from the mistakes of others. The more you know about the past the better prepared you are for the future because by remembering the past, we realize that we are responsible for building a legacy for the generations that follows us. Considering the greed that caused The War of the Roses, the family misunderstandings that caused the First World War and the need for power that caused the Second World War, who would want to repeat them? As the famous Spanish philosopher George Santayana said, ‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’

 

The first book, 'Vikings to Virgin - The Hazards of being King'  is the first in a trilogy and is packed full of intrigue, mystery, lust and murder spanning fifteen hundred years. I'm not a historian but I love everything history and I've enjoyed the intense research involved for a complicated subject such as this. Since then, the second in the trilogy, 'Virgin to Victoria - The Queen is Dead. Long live the Queen'  was published on 28th April 2018 and now the series is complete with 'Victoria to Vikings - The Circle of Blood.'

 

Okay...I know it sounds academic but it's actually not.  It's based on facts but it's told as a rambling narrative and is written in a way that's easy to read. A quote by Rudyard Kipling comes to mind right now. ‘If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.’  And that's what I've tried to do. Tell a story.

 

If you know anything at all about the British, you'll know that among the good and well-meaning monarchs, some of them were ruthless, not to mention greedy, murderous, adulterers, swindlers, cowards and totally corrupt. Their story is better than a thriller about a serial killer on the loose because this story is absolutely true. Don't imagine a fairy story with handsome kings in wondrous castles whisking off princesses on their white horses to the sound of trumpets and the cheers of their people. Imagine powerful individuals who were brutal and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted and who were more than happy to get rid of the odd family member or two who were standing in the way of their progress to the throne.  

 

For some interesting snippets on the monarchs, please check out the website below. I'm hoping you'll love reading them as much as I've loved researching them.