If you could go back in time, where would you go? Do post your answer down in the comment section of my Blog. I'd love to know what historical periods my readers are into!
I'm asked this question often at author events, when readers question me about my love for historical fiction. Honestly, I'm not sure I have an answer prepared. If I was able to travel through time, the most important component would be returning back to the present! I would NOT wish to be trapped in another place or time.
It might be nice to witness Julia Hancock marry explorer William Clark at Santillane. However, early 19th century America was far enough back to encompass the horrors of slavery. I'm not sure I'd want to witness that. Nor would I want to be in ancient Rome for very long. This author is pretty satisfied with WHEN she lives as well as WHERE. As a writer, I think I prefer my time-travel to be into the content of my books. Yeah, I'm plenty pleased with that.
But this week, I'm welcoming Julia Ibbotson as we spotlight her new novel, THE RUNE STONES. I'd like to welcome Julia to Brook's Journal, as this is her first visit. So scroll on down and meet a new author and contemplate a new read. And welcome to the Journal, Julia!
Read ON, everybody!
ALL ABOUT THE BOOK
A haunting time-slip mystery of runes and romance
When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected.
She, once again, feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present. Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life?
Again, lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both, without changing the course of history.
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
Praise for Julia Ibbotson:(for A Shape on the Air) “In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” -Historical Novel Society
(for the series) “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – book tour reviewer
(for The Rune Stone) “beautifully written”, “absorbing and captivating”, “fully immersive”, “wonderfully written characters”, “a skilled story teller” – Amazon reviewers“
Dr Ibbotson has created living, breathing characters that will remain in the reader’s mind long after the book is read … The characters are brought to life beautifully with perfect economy of description … fabulous!” – Melissa Morgan
“A rich and evocative time-slip novel that beautifully and satisfyingly concludes this superb trilogy. The story is woven seamlessly and skilfully between the past and the present and the reader is drawn deeply into both worlds. Her portrayal of the 6th century and its way of life are authoritative, vivid and memorable.” – Kate Sullivan
ALL ABOUT JULIA
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics.
After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is a new series of Anglo-Saxon mystery romances, beginning with Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Julia’s novels will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
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BUY THE BOOK!!!
*This title is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Thanks so much for featuring Julia Ibbotson today, with her beautiful novel, The Rune Stone. Take care, Cathie xo The Coffee Pot Book Club