Mary Shelley (30 August, 1787 – 1 February, 1851) was an English author who is mostly known for her novel, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus – a classic.

Frederic Prokosch was an American writer, known for his novels, poetry, & translations. He is mostly known for his novels The Asiatics and The Seven Who Fled.

Colleen McCullough (1 June, 1937 – 29 January, 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels including The Thorn Birds. Books by Colleen McCullough* The author was born in Wellington, a region of New South Wales, to father of Irish origins and a mother who was part Māori . The family moved around a lot during her childhood. Even as a child, Ms. McCullough was known as a voracious reader. McCullough occupation was that of a teacher, journalist, and librarian. The author spent ten years researching and teaching at the Department of Neurology at the Yale Medical School in CT. While at Yale she wrote her international best seller The Thorn Birds. The Thorn Birds was turned into a very successful TV min-series in 1983. She was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree from Macquarie University based on the depth of historical research into her novels on ancient Rome series, Masters of Rome. The success of her books allowed Ms. McCullough moved back to Australia to “live on her own terms”. In 1997 Colleen McCullough was named as a “living treasure” by the National Trust of Australia. Books by Colleen McCullough* Zohar — Man of la Book *Ama­zon links…

The publisher is giving away 3 books – please enter through the rafflecopter form at the end of the post Red Eagle: The War Within By Jens Cromer, Chief Editor at Peachill www.peachill.com Buy Red Eagle: The Red Stick War of Alabama from Amazon.com* I’ve always felt like an outsider. Perhaps you’ve felt the same. The poor kid at the rich school, the one who looks different, the one from somewhere else. No outsider has been through travails as tough, however, as those who are of mixed race. Their stories are powerful, often ugly, but above all, their stories are American. When we at Peachill put together our first batch of historical fiction novels, RED EAGLE was a must. Half European, half Muscogee Creek, he was uniquely positioned between the Natives and those of European descent. We remember these sides as mortal enemies—white slaughterers, or savage Indians, to be blunt—but there was also a time when they co-existed in peace. Allow me to state the obvious: it wouldn’t last. This is how Red Eagle came to be. My family history is just the same. Dutch and English citizens, shackled by systemic poverty, were caught stealing, and were banished to the…

I really enjoyed that the author didn’t just look at historical contexts, but also at political and social contexts at the time the texts were written.

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest authors in history: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (29 September 1547 – 23 April 1616. As you can tell, I am a fan. Not only because of the Quixotic pun of this blog’s name, but also because I think that Don Quixote is still one the most relevant stories in the world. “The pen is the language of the soul; as the concepts that in it are generated, such will be its writings.” Miguel de Cervantes 1 ) Very little is known about Cervantes’ early childhood, however we do know that he was a favorite student of Madrid humanist Juan Lopez. 2 ) In 1569, while living in Rome, Cervantes enlisted in the Spanish fleet to fight against the Turks. He suffered injury at the Battle of Lepanto (1571) which ended his aspirations for military glory. 3 ) On his way home from the war (1575) Miguel and his brother Roderigo were captured by Barbary pirates and became slaves until their ransom was paid five years later. 4 ) Returning to Madrid, Cervantes started writing. Even though he is thought to have written as many as 30 plays, only two survived today. 5 ) Cervantes…

Her mystery novels were translated into several languages and sold almost a million copies worldwide.

1 A flash of light against her closed eyelids brings Zoey up out of the limbo between sleep and waking. If she could stay there, in between dreams and reality, she would, but there is no use trying. She stands, stretching her arms above her head, feeling the coldness of the concrete floor begin to leach the heat she’s gathered while sleeping. A hint of sickness roils in the base of her stomach. Her slippers are under the bed, and she puts them on before moving to the window. It rained again in the night. A few streaks made it past the stark overhang that juts above the unbreakable glass, staining its exterior in slashes of transparent scars. The concrete beyond the window is dark gray, moist but already drying into pooled splotches dotting the promenade that circles the building. Beyond the walkway’s gap is the curving wall that stretches up and nearly out of sight from her third-floor view. Atop the wall, a sniper shifts in his nest, readjusting himself to a more comfortable position, his rile scope a bright wink of light as he turns. A lash like that is what woke her. She wonders if sometimes they…

The author keeps the reader guessing about the real motives of all the characters involved. As is in life, there is not black and white, but only shades of gray. Even the “good guys” have their own dark motivation.

Dr. Samuel Johnson (18 September, 1709 – 12 December, 1784) was an English write, poet and essayist who has made large contributions to English literature. “Samuel Johnson by Joshua Reynolds 2” by Joshua Reynolds – Originally in English Wikipedia, uploaded 21:07, 2005 June 14 by w:User:Geogre Scanned from: Rogers, Pat (2001). The Oxford Illustrated History of English Literature. Oxford University Press, p. 241. ISBN 1435295811. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons. Born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, Samuel Johnson showed much intelligence as a child, he started school at the age of 4 and was doing so well he was promoted to the upper school at 9. Johnson has been referred to as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history”. Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language (1755) has a great effect on modern English. The dictionary was described as “one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship”. Johnson is the subject of James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, a biography which was described as “the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature”. Johnson was known for his strange behavior and mannerisms, some of which were described in Life of Samuel Johnson. Posthumously, Dr….