Every ending is a beginning...
Monthly Roundup | November 2024
Hello there,
Welcome to your monthly roundup of all things medieval history here on Substack. It’s been a big month for us at
and, if you’re an email subscriber, you’ll know that I probably picked up a little too much this month (and next, to be honest). It’s ok; we learn. I can be like an excitable puppy when I get my teeth into something I find interesting, but this path has led us away from the heart of what we do here:I hope to transform readers who are bored with the same familiar narratives of medieval history (kings, battles, and castles) to into those who are passionate about people, events, and facets of medieval life more usually overlooked. Through sharing these tales, I hope to encourage intrigue, discussion, a hunger to learn more about this type of history and, ultimately, the same passion I have for the tales less commonly told.
I’ll be emailing subscribers over the coming weeks with details of how this space will evolve in 2025 to fit better this ‘why’ for writing and engaging with you all; make sure you’re subscribed to keep up to date.
One change that it’s worth mentioning now is that this will be the final monthly roundup post for the foreseeable future. Moving to a model of writing just one newsletter each week, for my own sanity and yours, I’ll be sending these roundups just once per quarter in 2025. This leaves space for us to dive deep into the history itself, something I’ve really missed during the past couple months of the ‘how-to’s’ of history writing we’ve been looking at.
Without further ado, therefore, I leave you with the final monthly edition of the
monthly roundup, full to the brim with things to read, watch, listen to, and - a first for this final edition - something to visit.Happy reading!
Contents
November’s Newsletters
Something to Read
Something to Listen To
Something to Watch
Something to Visit
November’s Newsletters
My top article this month, delightfully, was the first instalment of my newest serial historical fiction novel, Hild’s Tale. Having learnt so much from the serial I hosted during my first year on Substack, I couldn’t wait to share this new story with you.
We began by following the Venerable Bede as he arrived at Whitby Abbey, Abbess Hild’s longtime home and the monastery in which she trained multiple kings and bishops and built a scriptorium producing some of the finest texts of the time.
You can find the first two instalments linked below; I’d love for you to join us on this year-long journey!
Non-Fiction Articles
Historical fiction deep dive, drawing on the wealth of experience of published authors within our subscriber community:
How to publish historical fiction through Amazon KDP - guest post/interview with
Indie publishing for historical fiction writers - guest post/interview with
The editors’ notes for publishing historical fiction - insights from
andHow I got published at the Edge of Yesterday - guest post/interview with
What not to do when publishing historical fiction - guest post by
.
Serial fiction deep dive with top tips from Substack’s experts to help us with our historical fiction serials:
“Cliffhangers get exhausting”: The inside scoop on keeping readers engaged. Interview with the one who literally wrote the book on serialisation,
LINKDO THIS if you want to become a better writer. (And avoid the mistakes I made) Sharing the advice of Substack bestseller and author of multiple serials
Other:
History book club - first meet up! (We’ve been reading Storyland by Amy Jeffs)
Something to Read
Looking for an article outside the how-to’s of historical/serial fiction writing or medieval history books? I’ve got you covered with the curated list below of 10 top articles/fiction instalments across Substack during the month of November.
Substack Articles
- - A few bookish questions with Simon Haisell. Simon hosts a number of slow reads through historical fiction classics, and I can’t wait to join his Wolf Hall Trilogy cohort for 2025. Will you join me there?
- - A tale of two fields... some thoughts on paid metal detecting rallies. Ah, metal detecting! A long-running debate amongst archaeologists as to whether you love them or loathe them. (I swing between the two, if you were wondering…)
- - The Violent Life of Fredegund: Was She a Queen, a Murderess or a Woman Intent on Survival?
- - Scotland’s Fairytale Castle? The Ugly Truth
- - Where is ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light’ filmed? I spotted an old local haunt of my own in episode 1!
- - 10. “It doesn’t end well…” Braveheart (Part 4)
- - A dying queen and a declining knight
- - Hrothgar & Hryllingur Part VIII. Marian’s excellent retelling of the epic Beowulf poem so familiar to so many of us - with a twist that will change the way you see it forever (in this iteration, at least). Very thought-provoking.
- - Winter coming. I had another of Jane’s posts prepped to share today, but this came in as I was typing up the post and was just so apt for the weather we’re having in the UK (and I know many of those in the far north of America/Canada will too soon find themselves locked in snow).
- - The History Sit-Down, with Annie Whitehead. Annie Whitehead!! The author of phenomenal books on Anglo-Saxon England, in particular the kingdom of the Mercians.
Spotlight: by
I’m Amy, just a bibliophile, historian, wanderluster, animal lover, gamer, and nerd who lives in Pennsylvania, USA.
HISTORY and BOOKS?
It’ll be no surprise from this description why I’m such a fan of Amy’s newsletter. In addition to her informative Notes (see below for one that sparked a particularly interesting discussion on Mary I of England), Amy regularly publishes three types of articles:
‘Regular issues - In my regular issues, published weekly, I center on a particular person or historical event and pull in related reading and artifacts or historical places.’
‘Bookish & Book Reviews - Occasionally I’ll share book reviews from my favorite books, what I’m currently reading, or other content relating to books.’
‘History Bytes - This is where I’ll share content devoted specifically to history. Sometimes these take the forms of listicles. Other times I’ll post more specifically about operating in the digital sphere as a content creator. And sometimes it’s honest-to-goodness research to tickle my fancy…and hopefully yours!’
Something to Listen To
This one mentioned my local castle, in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, so of course I had to share it:
This one interviewed Dr Hetta Howes on her latest book, Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women, and I loved it so much that I promptly bought the book.
Something to Watch
It would be remiss of me not to mention the new BBC series, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, which releases episodes weekly. Returning after almost a decade since Season 1 (covering the first two books in Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy), conversation has been on fire amongst die-hard fans of the iconic author. I’ve only watched half of episode 1 so far (tell me you’re a toddler mum without telling me you’re a toddler mum…) and I loved it.
Somewhere to visit
Encounter the women of medieval Europe through their own words, visions and experiences, in an exhibition like no other. Discover the rich and complex lives of women in the Middle Ages, with over 140 extraordinary items that reveal their artistry, resourcefulness, courage and struggles.
From the exhibition website
The British Library in London is currently hosting an exhibition spotlighting the writing of women who lived during a period more commonly associated with the flourishing of men’s writing and the hardening up of patriarchy. Including the texts of those such as Christine de Pizan and Julian of Norwich, you can bet I’m plotting a trip to the capital to spend a morning drinking it all in.
Unable to make it in person? The website (linked HERE) gives a flavour of what’s on offer, as does this Substack review by
: Review: Medieval Women: In Their Own Words at the British Library.That’s it for this month guys! It’s been a great one, and I look forward to connecting with you more over the coming weeks. Have a great December.
All the best as always,
Holly
thank you, as always, for the great recs - just followed a handful of wonderful publications!
alas, we don't get The Mirror and the Light in the US until March. I fell in love with the books and can't wait to watch the new season.
Thanks for suggesting Hrothgar & Hryllingur to your readers! I'm having so much fun writing it.: the challenge being finding ways to remove the Christian references, keep the alliteration and meter as best I can, and make it fit my fictional world and my character's Sorley's voice and style. Phew! No wonder I can only write about 4 verses a week!