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George Eliot is one of my favourite classic author

George Eliot is one of my favourite classic authors. She was so ahead of her time in her observations, particularly between men and women and the various social roles they inhabit. I especially love Middlemarch for its incredible cast of characters.
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Do you have any favourites amongst the classics?
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#georgeeliot #middlemarch #bookquote #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #classics #classicliterature #menandwomen #booklove #femalewriters

East Devon coastline, looking towards High Peak an

East Devon coastline, looking towards High Peak and featuring an accidental insect friend! Not going to lie, I really like living here 😍
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#eastdevon #devon #sidmouth #southwestengland #sea #seascape #coastline #coast #nature #naturephotography #landscape #englishlandscape #jurassiccoast #peakhill #highpeak #ocean

I posted about Lafcadio Hearn's ghost stories befo

I posted about Lafcadio Hearn's ghost stories before, but I'm afraid I'm doing it again because they are wonderful and are full of insightful glimpses into Eastern philosophy.
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Only this afternoon I stumbled across a story within a story that I thought I recognised – the old and childless husband and wife in the woods. But it didn't go where I thought it would and I was left reeling with those little shivers you get when you read something that touches a nerve of truth. Hearn's book is full of moments like these.
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❝𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨.❞
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#lafcadiohearn #japaneseghoststories #kwaidan #ghosts #ghoststories #japanesemythology #folklore #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #shortstory #readersofinstagram #bookquote

Happy 💯 Birthday Grandma! 🎈 Yes that is a ca

Happy 💯 Birthday Grandma!
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Yes that is a card from the Queen. Grandma had a lovely afternoon (thank you weather) in the garden playing poker with us grandkids and her boyfriend, Pat. Pic 3 was taken on her wedding day and pic 10 is her with my grandpa (looking well dodgy) sometime in the 60s 😁 So grateful for all the years we've had together 🙏
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#happybirthday #100thbirthday #100years #centuryold #cardsharps #poker #grandma #oldphoto #grandchildren #telegramfromthequeen #queenelizabeth #manyhappyreturns

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥? 𝘖𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥? 𝘖𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵?
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Do you ever wonder who else lingered at an ancient window to gaze out at the landscape beyond? It's something that always crosses my mind when I visit ruins or old buildings – this invisible connection with the past.
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When solid stone is worn smooth from centuries of feet, or a patch of wall scuffed from repeated hands, it's easy to feel close to all those lives that have gone before, and to wonder at their thoughts as they stood in this selfsame place, separated only by time. It seems rather ephemeral, all of a sudden, as if it's really no barrier at all.
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Thoughts brought to you by Corfe Castle and Tennyson ;)
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#corfecastle #corfe #dorset #tennyson #theladyofshalott #poetry #medieval #medievallandscape #castle #ruinedcastle #ruin #westcountry #ancienthistory #history #literature

Sloane Square looking very pretty a few weeks back

Sloane Square looking very pretty a few weeks back with its colourful bunting. @drvictoriajames and I even found a pop up bar! 😍 The perfect end to a day of strolling the city🍸
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#sloanesquare #london #popupbar #aperitif
#cityscape #citysquare #citylife #lillet #spritz

This marvelous first line is from The Weirdstone o

This marvelous first line is from The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. I can't get enough of the old storytelling in autumn. The call to adventure, the winding road, the bells in the wind, 'farther west than west' etc...give me all the wonder, the tears and the gentle peril.
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Are there any older books you return to in this season? For me it's Garner, Susan Cooper, McKillip, Le Guin and Tolkien who I feel drawn to reread.
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#alangarner #fantasy #fantasybooks #storytelling
#theweirdstoneofbrisingamen #bookstagram #igreads #booklove #alwaysreading #autumnreads #autumn #alderleyedge #tolkien #susancooper #ursulakleguin #patriciaamckillip

Summer's lease hath all too short a date, but toda

Summer's lease hath all too short a date, but today we're good.
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#summer #september #sidmouth #endofsummer #devon #river #sunlight #sunlightthroughthetrees #nature #naturephotography

Don't we all? 🍂 It's true that there's somethin

Don't we all?
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It's true that there's something about autumn which makes me want to pick up Tolkien, perhaps because I first read The Lord of the Rings curled up in an armchair by the fire in the closing months of my fifteenth year...
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Do you have any particular books that call you to pick them up in Autumn?
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#bookstagram #igreads #booklove #bookquote #lotr #tolkienquotes #tolkien #thelordoftherings #instareads #middleearth #thefellowshipofthering #wanderlust #autumn

Ꮆ卄ㄖ丂ㄒ丂　ㄖ千　匚ㄖ尺千乇 •

Ꮆ卄ㄖ丂ㄒ丂　ㄖ千　匚ㄖ尺千乇
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I'm back with some Corfe Castle legends for you this time, all based on historical figures.
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The most famous assassination that took place on this land is that of Edward the Martyr in 978 AD. Who was ultimately responsible remains a mystery, but a popular theory points the finger at his stepmother, Queen Ælfthryth, who wanted the throne for her son, Æthelred the Unready. (Can I just say that these Anglo Saxon kings had incredible names. Among 𝘩𝘪𝘴 sons were Edmund Ironside and Edward the Confessor. Also the Danish king that gave Æthelred a lot of trouble at the time was called Sweyn Forkbeard).
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One popular version goes that poor Æthelred was stabbed while mounted and then dragged along behind his horse – which is why some say they can hear phantom hooves galloping near the castle, but no sign of horse or rider.
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The castle has seen several political prisoners during its time. One of its longest detainees was Eleanor, the Fair Maid of Brittany, whose claim to the English throne scared King John so much that he had her locked up for 39 years.
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The cruel John was also responsible for imprisoning Maud and William, the wife and child of William de Braose, a nobleman who fell out of favour. While de Braose died in France, John shut Maud and William in Corfe Castle where they purportedly starved. To this day, the wails of a child can still be heard echoing around the ruined battlements...
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Finally the most famous spectre is the 'White Lady'. She haunts the castle gate and fades when living eyes touch her, leaving behind a chill in the air. Whether she is Corfe's ledengary defender Mary Bankes, Eleanor or Maud de Braose, nobody knows.
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And if these restless spirits were not enough, spectral lights have been seen floating around the castle grounds by night. Are they the ghosts of Royalists who fell at Cromwell's hand during the civil war?
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What's certain is that the land from which Corfe Castle rises has seen a thousand years of human power plays and it was wonderful to be able to touch the stones that other, long-vanished hands once touched.
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#corfecastle #dorset #castle #ruin #medieval #ghosts #ghoststories #history #photography #anglosaxon

Straying from my usual fare to bring you photos wi

Straying from my usual fare to bring you photos with actual people in them!
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A few weeks ago @drvictoriajames persuaded me to go swimming in one of Hampstead's ponds which is hilarious as I live on the coast and almost never swim in the sea here. Brown pond? Sign me up.
(It was actually a lot warmer than the sea).
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I love the idea of wild swimming but am a bit of a baby with things like seaweed or any sort of tangling plant life that could get at your ankles. Not to mention jellyfish...
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#hampstead #hampsteadponds #london #wildswimming #swimming #ponds

So pleased I eventually found this author. I loved

So pleased I eventually found this author. I loved her epic fantasy books The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword for their down to earth feminism but it's Deerskin that's stayed with me the most.
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A retelling of a very dark fairytale, it's the story of a princess violated by her own father who has to deal with the aftermath of sexual assault. I usually run a mile from the R word in fantasy because it's too often used as character motivation and its consequences are not dealt with sufficiently to justify its presence in the text.
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But McKinley handles it with a sensitivity that blew me away. Lissar's journey is extremely painful as she learns how to move forward, reclaiming her body as her own and eventually finding the strength to confront her abuser about his crimes.
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It's not an easy book, but it is easy to love Lissar and want to accompany her as she heals. I'd also recommend it to any writer inclined to include serious sexual assault in their book as a guide on how to handle this devastating subject well.
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Have you read Robin McKinley? Sunshine is next on my list to ferret out.
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#robinmckinley #deerskin #theheroandthecrown #thebluesword #fantasy #fairytale #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #ilovereading #bookish #bookquote

Embellished or not, the story of Corfe Castle's fi

Embellished or not, the story of Corfe Castle's fiercest Lady has become local myth. In 1643 Mary Bankes defended her home against a force of Parliamentarians. Initially backed by just her daughters, maidservants and five men-at-arms, she refused to surrender and instead started hurling stones and hot coals over the battlements.
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The story goes that she defended the castle for a further three years until she was betrayed by one of her own soldiers, Colonel Pitman, who led Parliament's forces into the castle secretly. She earned the name Brave Dame Mary for her efforts.
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Documents cast doubt on some of the more legendary parts of her story, but by all accounts she was a fighter, having survived giving birth to ten children in a time when maternal mortality rates were much higher.
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Parliament used gunpowder to partially destroy the castle, taking it out of action forever, but also turning it into one of the most romantic ruins in the country.
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Stick with me for more Corfe photos, legends and facts. The castle is very old, dating to 1090 under William the Conqueror, but the surrounding land is even older and has seen some dramatic history – the Celts, Romans and Saxons all left their mark here.
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#corfecastle #corfe #dorset #history #photography #ruins #castles #englishhistory #marybankes #greatwomen
#ruinedcastle #englishcivilwar
#nature #naturereclaims #nationaltrust #saxons #williamtheconqueror #celts #romans #oldbuilding #medieval

Quick pics from yesterday's trip to picturesque Co

Quick pics from yesterday's trip to picturesque Corfe. Scroll twice for train close up! This is part of the Swanage Railway which runs right by Corfe Castle and on to the seaside. The little station is Norden.
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#swanagerailway #railway #railwaytrack #corfe #corfevillage #gin #dorset #england #corfecastle #train #steamtrain #picturesque #nordenstation

Good evening from Devon x ❃ I've been over the b

Good evening from Devon x
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I've been over the border to Corfe Castle today and my goodness do I have some photos for you. In the meantime, what's everyone doing tonight? We're eating jambalaya 😁
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#sidmouth #devon #eastdevon #evening #eveninglight #eveningwalk #makingdinner #river #thebyes

🌱Chelsea Pԋყʂιƈ Garden🌱 • The lovely

🌱Chelsea Pԋყʂιƈ Garden🌱
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The lovely @drvictoriajames took me to visit a garden that really felt like a secret nestled in the heart of London. Old brick walls and pathways, flower beds, herbs, an intimidating chilli display, Victorian greenhouses and seriously delicious food prepared fresh using ingredients grown on site. 💯 would go back, could spend a whole day wandering through the plants and reading on the lawns.
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#chelseaphysicgarden #london #garden #herbgarden #flowers #herbal #victorian #gardening #chilliplant #medicine

Good morning! Here's some Tamora Pierce to start y

Good morning! Here's some Tamora Pierce to start your day. I devoured her Immortals books recently and wow I wish I'd read them all the way through as a teen when I was surrounded by those heroic male farmboy fantasy series.
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I've heard people say she was one of the most important authors to them growing up and its easy to see why. I'm not knocking male heroes – the first few Wheel of Time books were big writing inspirations for me – but hurray for women at the centre of their own stories and in charge of their own bodies, minds and destinies!
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Has anyone read her newest book about Numair – Tempests and Slaughter? Had it floating around my mental TBR list for ages.
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#tamorapierce #youngadultbooks #yabooks #yafantasy #songofthelioness #daine #numair #theimmortals #feministquotes #bookquote #bookstagram #igreads #booklove #femalewriters #bookworm #beautifulbooks #readersofinstagram #influences #instareads #tempestandslaughter

𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩

𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩
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Jack Rattenbury (1778-1844) was an infamous smuggler and privateer, a self-made man buying, selling & piloting boats between France & England. He was born in Beer – just a couple of villages east of Sidmouth where I took these photos – and after deciding that being a fisherman was boring, embarked on a colourful career that mostly involved escaping from places.
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Smuggling could be very lucrative and the gangs along this coastline developed some crafty ways of avoiding the authorities. Contraband was stored in Salcombe church (pic in my feed), in the Beer caves and also in ingenious sloping tunnels dug into fields.
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They also had an arsenal of tricks up their sleeves; a hollow elm inland in Sampford Peverell was used as a drop, and a house with handy double walls was loudly claimed to be haunted so none would venture near enough to hear the barrels rolling through.
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Mutter's Moor west of Sidmouth (first few photos look towards it) is named after one of Jack's accomplices, Abraham Mutter, who sourced wood & turf on Peak Hill and used selling it as a cover to smuggle contraband.
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Jack, nicknamed the Rob Roy of the West, had a pretty long life & documented it all in a book called Memoirs of a Smuggler, purportedly with the aid of a local clergyman...not exactly subtle 😅
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As you can see from the photos, the Jurassic Coast is quite rugged here, lots of coves & cliffs to signal boats waiting offshore. It was great to have a sunny day to capture the stunning colours.
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Does anyone know any good stories about smugglers in other parts?
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#devon #smuggler
#privateer #jackrattenbury
#beer #sidmouth #eastdevon #devonhistory #localhistory #coastline #coast #sea #history #smuggling #salcombe #jurassiccoast #westcountry #southwestengland #beach #ocean #seashore #photography

My favourite duology – Incarceron and Sapphique

My favourite duology – Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher – features a sentient prison that strives to understand itself as well as those it keeps away from the "perfect" world outside. There are whispers among the inhabitants; that a man once challenged Incarceron to a game of riddles, which the prison lost. And this man was the only one to escape. But he was also perhaps the only one to understand.
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I am reading another Fisher rn, The Obsidian Mirror, which is reminding me why I love her writing. It doesn't shy away from portraying human darkness or cruelty, asking difficult or unanswerable questions. Plus her books are so imaginative! Definitely feeling a reread coming on.
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Duologies aren't as populous as trilogies or standalones. Can you recommend me any others to try?
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#bookstagram #igreads #instareads #ilovereading #bookish #beautifulbooks #readersofinstagram #bookquote #catherinefisher #incarceron #sapphique #yabooks #duology #fantasy #stars

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘈𝘺, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺? 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰𝘰.
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Well how did we get here? Happy 1st September, all! I can already feel a change in the air and though I'm sad for Summer, Autumn is a favourite month too. The colours, the crisp mornings, the woodsmoke dusks, the slow furling of flowers in gardens. There's lots to look forward to.
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Do you have a favourite season?
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#autumn #keats #odetoautumn #poetry #johnkeats #romanticism #bookstagram #igreads #booklove #poets #seasons #woodsmoke #autumnsmells #september #firstofthemonth #reading #newseason

O n • T h e • C o a s t 🌊 I love sunny days

O n • T h e • C o a s t
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I love sunny days but cloudy ones make for more dramatic photos. And this is a dramatic coastline that's geologically ancient (185 million years).
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It's also seen a lot of human history. At High Peak there are Neolithic remains as well as the Sub Roman British traces that inspired me to set the fictional Dunbriga there – the capital of the Dumnonii tribe in Sistersong. Dumnonia was the old name for Devon and Cornwall around 500 AD and this British tribe controlled a vast territory at its height. It was gradually conquered over the following 400 years by Saxon Wessex, which also features in the novel.
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We'll be doing a reveal of the cover very soon. It is stunning and I can't wait to share.
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My Devon pictures often veer between countryside and coast because Sidmouth is a bit of both. What are you drawn to more – forest or sea?
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#bookstagram #igreads #Sistersong #twosisters #sidmouth #devon #sea #seaside #coast #coastline #sky #forest #jurassiccoast #eastdevon #dumnonia #saxon #wessex #cliff #southwestengland #fantasy #historicalfiction #coverreveal #clouds #history

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