The Coming of the Third Day
Archive | April 2025
Crucifixion
The Ballad of Mary Kearney
Book Title: The Ballad of Mary Kearney
Series: n/a
Author: Katherine Mezzacappa
Publication Date: 14th January 2025
Publisher: Histria
Pages: 288
Genre: Historical Fiction
Any Triggers: Some scenes of violence, including judicial killing; rape.
Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn @MaryLSchmidt
Instagram Handle: @katmezzacappa @thecoffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #IrishHistory #WomensFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/03/blog-tour-the-ballad-of-mary-kearney-by-katherine-mezzacappa.html
Book Title and Author Name:
The Ballad of Mary Kearney
by Katherine Mezzacappa
Blurb:
‘I am dead, my Mary; the man who loved you body and soul lies in some dishonorable grave.’ In County Down, Ireland, in 1767, a nobleman secretly marries his servant, in defiance of law, class, and religion. Can their love survive tumultuous times?
‘Honest and intriguing, this gripping saga will transport and inspire you, and it just might break your heart. Highly recommended.’ Historical Novel Society
‘Mezzacappa brings nuance and a great depth of historical knowledge to the cross-class romance between a servant and a nobleman.’ Publishers Weekly.
The Ballad of Mary Kearney is a compelling must-read for anyone interested in Irish history, told through the means of an enduring but ultimately tragic love.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3yxPpJ
When Angels Fly
How I became a historical novelist
I remember that as a small child I wanted to be a writer, though I didn’t know what kind. I put this down to the fact that I loved reading – I still do – and thought it would be a wonderful life if I could create more books myself. Not that I did anything about it – not for years. Only in the 1990s did I have a go at last, sitting in my garden shed in Edinburgh, thinking it would be a better way of making a living than what I was doing at the time. Writers love sheds: think George Bernard Shaw, Dylan Thomas or Roald Dahl. I wasn’t intending to write a literary classic, however. I was aiming for Mills & Boon, only it turned out Mills & Boon didn’t agree.
That looked like the end of my writing ambitions and anyway, life got in the way. I had my first baby, moved house, had my second son, and then when the boys were quite small, my dear friend Anne Booth (read her, she’s great: https://anneboothauthor.com/) persuaded me to join her on a new Creative Writing Masters at Canterbury Christ Church University. I loved it, though the book I wrote on the course (a saga encompassing 1911 to the 1980s, the story of a decayed Italian noble family) is staying in the drawer. While on the course, one of my tutors made an interesting comment. He said I wrote ‘in an old-fashioned way.’ I thought, OK, historical fiction is my thing, then. As a reviewer of historical fiction (for the Historical Novel Society) a real bugbear for me is when characters in novels talk and behave like present day people, only funnily dressed. For me, the ‘voice’ of the period is so important. As research for one of my books (The Maid of Lindal Hall), set in the 1930s, I read a lot of Agatha Christie novels written in that decade, even though I wasn’t writing a crime novel, in search of the right style, vocabulary and contemporary references. In writing The Ballad of Mary Kearney, I read newspapers of the time (these can be found digitised online) court reports and indeed novels of the period.
Why historical fiction? It’s partly to do with what I read. As an introverted teenager, I devoured all of Thomas Hardy, the Brontës, Jane Austen, George Eliot. These weren’t intended as historical novels, but they were novels that had become historical, and I loved the style in which they were written. Then we moved again, this time to Italy. I was busy at work and with my growing boys, as well as getting used to a country I’d previously only visited for short periods of time. Writing slipped away. But back in Canterbury for a visit, Anne gave me a talking to in a pub (in the nicest possible way, but she was firm). I promised her I would go in for a writing competition which required the first 15,000 words of a novel. This was February and the deadline was May. By May I had 40,000 words of The Ballad of Mary Kearney and I didn’t want to stop (even though I got nowhere in the competition). That was in 2016. In September I had my first fiction published in Ireland’s Own magazine, a short story set in the country where I was born. I didn’t get an agent, much less a publisher for Mary Kearney, but I went on to write another novel, The Gypsy Bride and that one got me both. I had four books with that publisher, under the name Katie Hutton, every year from 2020 to 2023, all historicals and all set in the UK. I continued writing short stories, and to date twenty of them have been published worldwide. The Maiden of Florence was published last year (my first book writing as Katherine Mezzacappa) and I currently have a novel set in 19c. London out on submission. Through all that time I kept faith with Mary Kearney. I believed in the book, but I did keep revising it, because I could see the rookie mistakes I was making. It was worth the work and the wait, though, when Histria Books said they wanted it.
As for the little book I wrote in the shed, that’s published too. My husband found it on an old floppy disk, got it converted onto a memory stick, I had a look and thought it wasn’t too bad. It needed some updating, because it was a rare (for me) contemporary novel, so social media had to play a role – and ideas about consent needed updated. Tuscan Enchantment was published in 2019 in Canada and then republished in a revised version with Romaunce Books in the UK. I’ve followed it with two more contemporary short novels also with Italian settings. They’ve come out under the name Kate Zarrelli to distinguish them from my other books as they are a different genre. Moral of the story: if you are a writer, throw nothing away.
Author Bio:
Katherine Mezzacappa is Irish but currently lives in Carrara, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea. She wrote The Ballad of Mary Kearney (Histria) and The Maiden of Florence (Fairlight) under her own name, as well as four historical novels (2020-2023) with Zaffre, writing as Katie Hutton. She also has three contemporary novels with Romaunce Books, under the pen name Kate Zarrelli.
Katherine’s short fiction has been published in journals worldwide. She has in addition published academically in the field of 19th century ephemeral illustrated fiction, and in management theory. She has been awarded competitive residencies by the Irish Writers Centre, the Danish Centre for Writers and Translators and (to come) the Latvian Writers House.
Katherine also works as a manuscript assessor and as a reader and judge for an international short story competition. She has in the past been a management consultant, translator, museum curator, library assistant, lecturer in History of Art, sewing machinist and geriatric care assistant. In her spare time she volunteers with a second-hand book charity of which she is a founder member. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Historical Novel Society, the Irish Writers Centre, the Irish Writers Union, Irish PEN / PEN na hÉireann and the Romantic Novelists Association, and reviews for the Historical Novel Review. She has a first degree in History of Art from UEA, an M.Litt. in Eng. Lit. from Durham and a Masters in Creative Writing from Canterbury Christ Church. She is represented by Annette Green Authors’ Agency.
Author Links:
Website: https://katherinemezzacappa.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherinemezzacappafiction
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mezzacappa-09407815/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katmezzacappa/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katmezzacappa.bsky.social
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/katherinemezzacappa
Tastes Like Murder
From Amazon:
The bridesmaid dresses are ruffles and ruffles of ugly, one bridesmaid is trying to micro-manage…well, pretty much everything, and the bride-to-be is a total bridezilla! Wedding bells will soon be ringing but as usual Fiona is a bridesmaid and not a bride. As the maid of honor, how can Fiona keep the volatile pre-wedding festivities running smoothly? The problem is abruptly solved when the bride drops over dead at the elegant wine-tasting wedding rehearsal. Yikes! Who poisoned the wine? The suspects are lining up, and Fiona finds herself at the top of the list! Double yikes! It’s a vintage murder case for Fiona, Detective Landry, and the gang. Cheers!
My Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2025
This author has another winning book. I’ve read almost all of her books, and this series not in order, but it’s great as standalone. I never suspected the actual culprit and Ms Fiona should receive an academy award for her acting prowess. I was not happy to actually find a book written by this author that I hadn’t read yet. Thanks for another great novel!
Holy Thursday…Peace Be With You…
Meet The Teenage Dynamo Who Went Viral Worldwide
Thank you for having me on your blog yet again, Mary!
My experience on the Cozy Book Nook podcast was wonderful and so eye-opening. The individuals who spoke on the podcast really peeled back the curtain to show me what the writing world is really like with all of its threads and connections. I’ll never forget the amazing advice they shared, and how happy they were that I am pursuing my dreams.
I hope they will welcome me onto their marvelous podcast sometime soon for the second time so that I can expand my knowledge further. Their kindness has been unbelievable, and now that I know the gist of how this podcast on X works, perhaps I can contribute some of my knowledge as well. Learning from each other is one of the best things that authors can do in my humble opinion. With perseverance and lots of hard work, we can help each other soar as much as we have, maybe more. Authors helping authors is a powerful mindset.
Talking to people from other countries was enlightening and again, very eye-opening too. It’s been very cool to continue conversations with some of the individuals, and knowing that my book is located in countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, and Germany (among others) is unreal. I never would have thought that it would reach that far across the globe. It’s almost like a Snow: Cursed revolution spreading around the world. I’ll never forget how much some of those people have helped me in the literary world.
The knowledge that all of these wonderful individuals have shared will continue to inspire, help, and shape me as I ensue in my long and enduring career as an upcoming esteemed author. And Mary, a stellar award-winning author, thank you so much for taking me under your wing and showing me the intricate workings of what it’s like to be a writer. You will inspire me for the rest of my years. As a word of advice from me, if you have written a book and have not published it, go for it and just believe in yourself! You are worth much more than you know, and so are the magical words you place effortlessly—and sometimes painstakingly—on the page.
Review Snippets:
“This is a remarkable debut from a new, young author. It is full of familiar characters, but with a fresh and new perspective. I wanted to read it all at once, just to see who would come along next! It’s almost as though you’ve run into some old friends and get to spend pages and pages getting to know them again, but with a deeper understanding that would never have come from a children’s picture book. I highly recommend giving this book a read.”
“This isn’t your average fairytale! Snow’s journey from perfect princess to questioning everything she’s ever known is full of secrets, magic, and moral twists. Fast-paced and full of heart, it’s a thrilling read that keeps you guessing till the very end!”
“You would never know this book was written by a teen. So many twists, lots of excitement! Very well written!”
“After reading Snow: Cursed, I was struck by the icy tension, the emotional depth of the characters, and the way Willa R. FInnegan blended supernatural intrigue with lyrical storytelling. Her ability to craft atmosphere and mood, places her among the rising voices in modern fantasy fiction. Snow: Cursed has all the makings of a breakout success.”
I was in our states’ competition Spelling Bee last month! It was a great experience!
Oscar’s Tale
Book Title: Oscar’s Tale
Series: n/a
Author: Chris Bishop
Publication Date: new paperback: February 25th, 2025
Publisher: Historical Fiction Company
Pages: 166 (pb)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Twitter Handles: @CBishop_author @cathiedunn @marylschmidt
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #AngloSaxon #Vikings #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-oscars-tale-by-chris-bishop.html
Book Title and Author Name:
Oscar’s Tale
Chris Bishop
Blurb:
Oscar’s Tale is that of a Saxon boy who sets out to find and rescue his father who has been taken by Viking slavers.
The story begins in 877, just prior to the Viking attack on Chippenham in which King Alfred was routed. Against this backdrop, Oscar is obliged to set out on his all but impossible quest and quickly becomes embroiled in all that’s going on in Wessex at this turbulent time, culminating in him playing a small but important part in the battle at Edington.
But this is not just a story about blood thirsty battles and fearsome warriors, it’s about a boy struggling to live up to his father’s reputation as a warrior and trying to find his place in a dangerous and uncertain world. For that, he is forced to confront many dangers and earn the respect of others who are far above his station. Along the way he also finds love – albeit at a cost far higher than most would have been willing to pay.
‘For is it not the wish of every man that his son will achieve more in life than he did?’
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bwQQ99
Author Bio:
Chris was born in London in 1951. After a successful career as a Chartered Surveyor, he retired to concentrate on writing, combining this with his lifelong interest in Anglo Saxon history.
His first novel, Blood and Destiny, was published in 2017 and his second, The Warrior with the Pierced Heart, in 2018 followed by The Final Reckoning in 2019 and Bloodlines in 2020. Together they form a series entitled The Shadow of the Raven, the fifth and final part of which – The Prodigal Son – was published in 2023.
Chris has published numerous blogs about various aspects of Anglo Saxon history and is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association.
Author Links:
Website: www.chrisbishopauthor.com
Twitter: https://x.com/CBishop_author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/207271.Chris_Bishop
Book Excellence Award
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/226759471-shadow
You know that hush that falls when someone tells you something sacred? That’s what reading Shadow feels like.
It’s not loud or flashy. It doesn’t shout for your attention. Instead, it kneels down beside you—yes, you—and gently says, “This matters. Let’s talk about it.”
On the surface, it’s a story about a pet dog named Shadow who has passed away. But if that’s all you see, read it again. Shadow isn’t just about death—it’s about the moment children meet grief for the very first time, face-to-face, with no script and no armour.
What struck me most was the honesty. Schmidt doesn’t tiptoe around sadness. She doesn’t try to cover it in glitter or distractions. She simply invites children to feel what they feel—fully, freely, and without shame.
And then—oh, then—she offers comfort. The kind of comfort that isn’t a quick fix but a gentle holding of hands. Talking, drawing, planting flowers… small acts with big meanings. They don’t erase the hurt, but they honour it. And that’s where healing begins.
Illustrated with tenderness and accompanied by thoughtful parental guidance at the back, Shadow is as much a resource as it is a story. But more than anything, it’s a companion. A quiet friend for the quietest moments.
This is the kind of book you don’t just shelve. You keep it within reach—because you’ll want to share it when words fail and hearts ache.
Shadow is soft-spoken, but it will stay with you long after the last page—like pawprints in your memory and petals from a flower planted in love.
About the Book Excellence Award
This book is a winner of the Book Excellence Award, a tribute to literary brilliance and a celebration of books that stand out for their artistry, depth, and storytelling prowess. It reflects the mission of Book Excellence: to showcase outstanding literature that transcends time and genre.
Cover Reveal – well some of it… LOL
The Tudor Queens’ Midwife
Book Title: The Tudor Queens’ Midwife
Series: The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, Book 1
Author: Brigitte Barnard
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2025
Publisher: independently published
Pages: 299
Genre: Historical Fiction / Tudor Fiction
Any Triggers: Stillbirth
Twitter Handles: @thetudormidwife @cathiedunn @MaryLSchmidt
Instagram Handle: @thetudormidwife @thecoffeepotbookclub
Hashtags: #TheTudorMidwife #HistoricalFiction #TudorFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-the-tudor-queens-midwife-by-brigitte-barnard.html
Book Title and Author Name:
The Tudor Queens’ Midwife
Brigitte Barnard
Blurb:
In the glamorous, glittering and dangerous court of King Henry VIII and his queen Katherine of Aragon, the desperate desire for a healthy male heir overshadows all. Plagued by a series of miscarriages the queen is left grappling with the weight of her singular duty to provide a son for the Crown. Amidst this turmoil the queen turns to Sarah Menendez, the most highly skilled midwife in England. Sarah, exiled from her homeland and concealing her true identity must serve the queen and battle her deepest fears. As Sarah strives to save the queen from the perils of childbirth, the specter of her own past threatens to unravel the carefully crafted identity Sarah has created for herself and her young daughter.
In a world where power, politics and religion collide, Sarah finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue and deadly danger. The fate of the queen’s unborn child, the survival of the midwife and her daughter, and the stability of the kingdom hang in the balance. Sarah Menendez must employ all of her skills, cunning and courage to protect those she holds dear as well as the life of the queen and her unborn child.
The Tudor Queens’ Midwife is a gripping tale of secrecy, sacrifice and religious turmoil amongst the most opulent court the world has ever seen.
Excerpt 3:
“—push, push, push!” I encourage her. Finally, the head is birthed into my hands, and I have her pant while I help the shoulders emerge; I do not want her to tear. All is going beautifully, and the next pain sends the little boy shooting into my hands. I lift him up and place him in his mother’s arms.
Katherine is crying and saying, “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!” over and over. Maria is crying, too, and all of the ladies come over to see the new little prince.
Emunah hands me the knife, and I tie the cord and make the cut that will separate the baby from his mother. The little boy is alert and looking up at Katherine. He does not cry; he is a perfect little king already.
While the brand-new prince is being admired, Emunah and I step away and go to examine the placenta. Everything looks perfect.
Maria de Salinas is selected to go and fetch the king.
“Your Majesty, we should clean you up and make you presentable for when the king comes,” I say.
The queen hands her precious bundle over to one of the ladies to hold and admire. Katherine takes my hand, looks deep into my eyes, and says, “Sarah, you have been an angel sent from heaven. I thank God you were my midwife on this day. We will never forget this,” she promises.
“I am ever your servant, Your Majesty, you know that,” I respond modestly, but I am deeply touched by her words.
I help her to stand up while Emunah places several linen towels upon the clean white sheets on the large tester bed, while two members of Katherine’s ladies-in-waiting help her to brush and arrange her hair and put on a beautiful black satin nightgown before Katherine is settled back into the big bed.
The little prince is handed over to me to clean and dress in swaddling bands and an exquisitely embroidered white linen gown and matching cap. The baby is placed into the queen’s arms, and the two of them together are beautiful beyond words. Many of the ladies have tears shining in their eyes when the door to Katherine’s chamber is opened, and the king, flanked by two of his gentlemen, steps into the room.
The king’s larger-than-life presence fills the room as if he is something more than a mortal man. He is dressed in scarlet velvet trimmed in white ermine fur, with gold tissue peeking through the slashings on his sleeves and doublet. A heavy gold and ruby chain is draped across his enormous chest and shoulders. He is at Katherine’s bedside in two long-legged strides. All of Katherine’s ladies immediately sink into deep curtsies.
The king removes his plumed velvet bonnet and hands it to Charles Brandon. There are tears streaming down his cheeks as he kneels beside the queen.
“You have made me the happiest man in all of Christendom on this day, my queen, my love,” he sobs. “Let me see this prince, our son!” Henry gathers the tiny infant into his arms as he stands up. Henry then addresses me, “Words cannot express our gratitude, Madame Midwife.”
After we have risen, Charles Brandon then steps forward with a heavy leather purse and hands it to me. Emunah and I curtsy again to the king, with faces lowered and eyes firmly fixed on the floor in front of us.
I say, “You honour me, Your Highness. I only seek to do my very best for Your Majesties.”
Henry’s words echo his queen’s when he says, “We shall never forget this.”
Maria de Salinas is looking over at us with an expression in her hard, glittering black eyes which is difficult to discern. I lower my own eyes and look down at my feet.
Emunah and I stay frozen in place until the king turns away from us and addresses his two gentleman friends, “Is this not the fairest and most princely child you have ever seen in your life?”
“Verily, Your Majesty, I have never seen his like before,” says Charles Brandon in reply.
Emunah and I rise and silently walk backward and then turn to gather our things together from the sideboard on the opposite end of the room. Emunah holds the satchel of birthing supplies while I quietly approach the queen.
“Your Majesty, I will depart now and come again on the morrow to check on you,” I say.
“Sarah, I can never repay you for what you did today. Only God can reward you; for no gift on this earth can compare to the son you have delivered to us on this day.”
Katherine then takes off one of her jewelled rings and presses it into my palm. “Thank you, Sarah.”
I curtsy low to the queen, and my daughter and I back out of the room.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jzxyk
Author Bio:
Brigitte Barnard is an amateur historian of Renaissance English history and an author of the trilogy The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, of which the first book in the series is available. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about Tudor midwifery for Pen and Sword publishing house.
Brigitte is a former homebirth midwife, and she lives at home with her husband and four children. She also raises Cavalier King Charles spaniels.
Author Links:
Website: http://thetudormidwife.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheTudorMidwifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetudormidwife
When Angels Fly 