If you are anything like me, you will have been romanticised by Geisha ever since watching the film, ‘Memoirs of A Geisha’, despite the widespread criticism of the film. But why am I so fascinated by Geisha? Well…not only are these women experts in music and dance, both of which I am really not, but…
Author: HistoricalHoney
Mistress of Rome
Jealousy. Lust. Betrayal. Passion. I mean, what more could you want from a book?! Certainly for me, ‘Mistress of Rome’ has it all…and then some! This book, which is the first part of a trilogy that I am rapidly progressing through, centres on the life of Thea; a Jewish slave girl who serves as hand-maiden to the…
History’s Top 4 Most Awesome Swords. EVER
There are three things in this world that are true. The Sun is hot. Water is wet… and swords are awesome. As I sit here in the sword wing of my Warehouse of Bizarrchaeology, I find myself gazing over racks and racks of blades and I start to consider… what of these are the Top 4…
Was The Titanic Disaster Predicted?
A hundred years after she sank with such devastating loss of life, RMS Titanic still continues to fascinate us. But as much as the facts of her untimely, tragic demise seem to captivate our imaginations, it is the myth and legend surrounding Titanic which also keeps us talking. There are the stories of passengers who…
The Countess
Although the fight for Irish independence in the early 20th Century was dominated by the men, there was a surprisingly large group of women who took up arms, carried messages and risked their lives for what they thought was right. Perhaps the most famous of all was Constance, Countess Markievicz. Who Was ‘The Countess’? I first…
The Curious Origins of Food
You might think when you’re tucking into a vindaloo on a Friday night washed down with a pint or two of lager that you’re taking on the hottest challenge that the Indian kitchen has to offer. Well, hot it may be. But Indian it ain’t. At least, not originally. And, for that matter, neither is…
What’s Not Black and White…But Red All Over?
Jennie Rooney’s ‘Red Joan’, that’s what! I won’t be the first reader of Jennie Rooney’s ‘Red Joan’ to wish for a more…overt ending. But then I also won’t be the first to have been moved, before even halfway through the novel, to curiously Googling the true story it was inspired by. What Was The Inspiration? It’s…
The Great British Cuppa
Tea is a little leaf that we boil to death and then add milk and sugar to. It’s not important, is it? You would be surprised if I told you that, in the past, tea was responsible for crime, rebellion and war? Not bad for something that used to be advertised by a load of…
Caravaggio: A Very Modern Hero
Someone asked me why I chose to write a novel about Caravaggio (‘The Caravaggio Conspiracy’ is out now). Well, really I’d be mad not to. In all my art thrillers I’ve had strong characters, famous painters like Rembrandt, Hogarth, Goya and Titian, but Caravaggio is somehow out there on his own. We all think we know his…
History And The City: Where are all the men?
‘History And The City’ is our brand new weekly feature, where Jenna and I will blog about all the historical things we get up to in our big city; London. We realised that even though we write so much about historical people, periods and places, we rarely give our own opinions on the topical stuff;…