So WordPress tells me today is the anniversary of this blog. I totally spaced on that this year with all that’s going on. (Just turned in final edits to the layout people for Madame Presidentess! No more changes after this. Only one more look-see to make sure they made them correctly. It’s officially done! You’ll have it in your hands July 25.)
As usual, I’m having a giveaway to celebrate! And this year I can finally use my own books as prizes. So if you go over to Goodreads by June 21, you could win a copy of Been Searching for You, my new contemporary summer beach read (US only – sorry but the international postage is a killer).
I can’t believe all that has happened in five years. When I started here, I was an unknown writer with no credentials and my first completed manuscript. Now I’m three-times published (soon to be four!) and have won multiple awards. It’s amazing how a lot of hard work and a little faith can pay off. Thank you to everyone for your support, whether you’ve been with me from the beginning or have just joined. There’s no way I could keep this up without you.
Here’s to five more wonderful years. I’ve got plenty of books in my head, so if you stick with me, I promise many more historical adventures to come!
Happy Blogiversary, everyone! Today we’re four years old. I can’t believe time has gone by so fast. Thank you to everyone who reads these posts week after week, and to all my wonderful guest bloggers over the years.
It saddens me that I still don’t have one of my own books to give away (maybe for the milestone 5th next year?), but that doesn’t mean I’m not handing out presents. I’m giving away one copy of Lois Beachy Underhill’s biography of Victoria Woodhull, The Woman Who Ran for President. This was one of my favorite research sources and provides a concise yet compelling recounting of Victoria’s crazy life. (I don’t agree with her theory that Victoria had an affair with Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, but to each his own.)
Click here to enter. The contest is open to residents of the US only because of postal restrictions. Good luck to all!
Happy Blogiversary! Can you believe it’s been three years since I started this blog? Wow, time really does fly. Thank you all for being here and supporting me in my writing and research. I love hearing from all of you. As always, if you have any suggestions about what you want to read about here, let me know, either in the comments or by email. I’m happy to take requests.
To celebrate, I’m giving away a copy of Roman Britain and Early England: 55BC – AD 871 by Peter Hunter Blair. I thought that was only appropriate given how much we talk about Celtic history around here. If you’re interested, please let me know in the comments and leave your email address so I know how to contact you. I’ll select one winner at random on Saturday, June 21 (which just happens to be Midsummer).
I also wanted to take a minute to let you know that I may not be blogging quite as often for the next month or so. I’m going to try to maintain the weekly schedule, but I’m working very hard on a project I can’t talk about yet and it’s taking up most of my non-work hours. It’s something I’m really enjoying and I think you’ll be excited about it, too. I just wanted you to know why you may not be hearing from me quite as much.
Cherio! I’m back from England! (Photos on Flickr, video on YouTube.) But I’ll start the posts on that next week.
Today, we have something else to celebrate. We’re two today at Through the Mists of Time! Happy blogiversary, everyone! It amazes me how much we’ve grown – 660 subscribers and counting, not to mention all of you who read this blog through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other forms of social media.
Of course, blogiversaries mean presents for all of you. I bought some neat little things in England:
The three location magnets (Avebury, Stonehenge, the Uffington White Horse) are from Avebury. They can be given away individually or as a set, depending on interest.
The four figurines are a set (they are tiny, about 1-2 inches tall) meant to represent a warrior, bard, wizard and I think a Saxon.
King Arthur magnet is from the Glastonbury Abbey gift shop.
The wall plaque of the Celtic god Cernunnos is from a shop in Glastonbury. (It’s about 4 inches high.)
If you’re interested in winning any of the above, please leave a comment below with your name, email address and which item(s) you’re interested in. The contest will be open through noon (CST) on Sunday, June 23. I’ll notify each winner individually as well as mention you here in the next blog post.
Thanks to everyone who reads this little piece of my mind every week. I’m keeping this short this week because jet lag is enticing me to go back to sleep. Love to all!
Saturday, June 16, is the first anniversary of Through the Mists of Time. I have presents to give away, but more on that later (see end of post). I can’t believe a year has passed already! Thank you to everyone who continues to come around week after week and listen to me babble. Your support means more than I can say. Hopefully by this time next year I’ll be able to announce an agent and a publishing contract.
I’ve been wanting to get to know my readers for quite some time now and what better time than the one year blogiversary? Please tell me a little about yourself in the comments. You can answer any of the questions below or maybe tell me about where you live, how you found Through the Mists of Time, what keeps you coming back, what you like about Arthurian legend. What are your hobbies? Are you a writer, a reader, a history buff or something else? What topics do you want to hear about on this blog? The better I know you, the more I can tailor posts to your likes.
And because it’s only fair, I’ll answer some questions, too. Here’s a little Q&A – yes, I’m interviewing myself. Hey, it’s not any weirder than 99% of the other things that go on in my head. (These questions come from the New York Times Book Review column “By the Book.”)
What book is on your night stand now?
Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Angelology by Danielle Trussoni, Arthur’s Britain by Leslie Alcock and Imagine by Jonah Lehrer. And in my car’s CD player is the audio book Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill.
What was the last truly great book you read?
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. She’s an amazing writer with a rare gift to be able to truly transport you in time (through 500 years in this book) and space (several different countries). I learned a lot about recent and Medieval history while reading it and its a truly fascinating tale, based on the true story of a mysterious codex – which I didn’t know when I read it.
Do you consider yourself a fiction or a nonfiction person? What’s your favorite literary genre?
Both. Nonfiction: history and religion, some biographies. Fiction: historical fiction, fantasy (especially urban fantasy), YA (dystopian and paranormal), general fiction, cozy and regular mysteries (Sue Grafton is as hard-boiled as I get), and intellectual thrillers. As a general rule, I stay away from chick-lit and anything marketed as woman’s fiction.
What were your favorite books as a child?
I remember my mom reading a lot of Bearnstien Bears books to me as a child. Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High books were the books of my pre-teen and teen years. C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series shaped my love of fantasy and I still remember reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin in 6th grade. I won’t go into the books we had to read in school that permanently traumatized me (I’m looking at you, Where the Red Fern Grows).
If you could meet any writer, dead or alive, who would it be?
Christopher Marlowe. I think I had a thing for him in a past life. I’d also love to know if there’s any truth to the conspiracy theory that he didn’t really die in a bar fight and that he was actually Shakespeare. I doubt it, but I like the idea.
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**GIVEAWAY DETAILS
I’m giving away a copy of The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction by James Alexander Thom and the Mutefish CD On Draught. (Remember them from my Ireland travelogue? No, it’s not my CD. This one is still in the shrink wrap.) If you’re interested in either gift, let me know in the comments and I’ll pick names out of a hat (please include your email address so I can contact you). Because I’ve combined two posts, I’m keeping this one up for a week, so you have until June 20 to comment and qualify to win.
Even if you don’t want the gifts, please say hi and tell me a little about yourself. I look forward to getting to know you!