The Return of Just History Posts
In this newsletter
Hello
A brief recap
Latest blog post
History news
Hello
Spring is in the air, and with that I drop inelegantly back into your email inboxes after several months away. I apologise for this unexpected delay, and hope you’ll bear with me as I get back into the swing of things!
A brief recap
If you follow me on Facebook, then you’ll already have suspected the reason for this newsletter disappearing: the completion of my third book. It took a little longer for me to finish than expected, not insignificantly because of the ongoing effects of the cyber-attack on the British Library last year. I ended up handing my manuscript in about a month and a half later than planned, and then had to pretty much go straight into editing mode and picture research for it. All of this has been great fun, but it has meant I had long days of working my day job all day, then coming home and working on the book until bedtime. There has been very little room for anything else in my life, and so sadly that meant that my blog had to go on the backburner.
The last few weeks I have finally managed to pick up regular posting on Facebook again, and I also managed to write a blog post which we’ll go into below. So now it’s time to pick up where I left off here too! I can’t make huge promises for our schedule yet this year, as I need to start work on my fourth book asap as time is already ticking for that, and I have lots going on in my personal life this year. But I am feeling invigorated and hopeful that I can pick up the pace and dedicate more time to my in-depth blog posts.
Latest blog post
I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of “I, Christine” by Marcia Maxwell, and this gave me a great excuse to write my blog’s second book review. I, Christine is a historical fiction novel which follows the life of Christine de Pisan, one of medieval Europe’s most famous women. Considered the first woman to have earnt a living as a professional writer, she lived across the 14th and 15th centuries and spent the majority of her life in France during the tumultuous period of the Hundred Years War. If you want to know my thoughts on the book, then make sure to catch up on my post here!
History News
Earlier this month there was some exciting news coming out of Pompeii, one of the world’s richest archaeological sites. Pompeii continues to capture public imagination, and it is such a unique site because of the nature of its preservation by the volcanic eruption. It allows us a rare glimpse into everyday life in its interrupted state, rather than sites that were abandoned or otherwise lost to time. New wall paintings have been found during a recent excavation which are being hailed as “among the finest to be found in the ruins” and they are certainly stunning. But for me, it’s just as amazing to hear the other associated pieces in the rooms – the mosaic floor which may have up to 3 million tiles in it, and the renovation work captured in its piles of tools and materials left covered for two millennia. There is a great article with pictures and further information on the BBC.
I’ll keep the newsletter brief for today to ease you all back in. It’s been great to reconnect, and I hope we can go back to more regular correspondence!
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