The perfect stocking filler for fans of historical fiction, with a little bit of magic thrown in on rare occasions.
Who can believe in witches? and other stories
New release, this collection of (mostly) prize-winning historically based short stories is out now in kindle and paperback, just in time for Christmas …
Click on the image for purchase links.
A collection of stories bound by their roots in history.
The past comes knocking with accusations of witchcraft. A child miner learns there is value even in cruel, skin-shredding work. A young girl tumbles into a storm from a sinking ship, while hundreds drown in an historic flood. And more tales, all inspired by historical events.
The title story is the tale shortlisted in the 2023 Historical Writers Association short story competition. Here are the opening paras to tempt you …
‘YOU KNOW HOW THEY FOUND her?’
Sergeant Cooper is smug above his thick, dark moustache. Ellen doesn’t know, only that however they found her, it will bode her, Ellen, no good. She gazes out the parlour window to the rows of herb pots blossoming in the May warmth and the tidy beds where flowers will soon spill their health-giving profusion.
‘Wandering through the trees, she was.’ Cooper leans towards Ellen, his voice a heavy buzz in her ear. ‘Three days and nights she been in there, lost.’
Ellen faces him, her expression neutral. Cooper is not the first fool she has suffered.
‘Hair tangled with leaves and grass, skirts torn.’ He leers. ‘Could see her bloomers, filthy as they was.’
‘Poor soul,’ Ellen murmurs.
‘Ha! You might say so, given she was waving a hazel stick, calling out about keeping the witches away.’ His button black eyes corrode only the back of Ellen’s head, for she has returned to her inspection of the garden.
A slim volume, modestly priced. Find it here and treat yourself – and others.
Find more historical fiction here.