Deeds of Darkness;
Deeds of Light

Britain's Re-Told History Of Tragedy And Triumph Offers Hope For UK In 2019 As It Is Torn Apart By Brexit, Says Donna Fletcher Crow, Author Of The Award-Winning, Epic Novel 'Glastonbury'

To gain the future, Crow says, Britons must reclaim the past. A perspective from history can be an enormous help in holding to hope for the challenges of the present situation.

 Author Donna Fletcher Crow 

[Boise ID, January 2, 2018]  British history, forged and tempered in triumph and tragedies of every kind, has spawned a culture unlike any other on Earth. The United Kingdom has proven to be one of the most resilient nations that has ever existed, producing the largest empire ever known. Having seen more than her fair share of dark times, whether the Middle Ages, civil wars, revolutions or Brexit,...

Ah, the garden is having its winter’s rest and all the activity is cozily indoors these crispy days. No, I don’t have my Christmas decorations up yet, so I’ll share a few of my favorite pictures from last year to help get me in the spirit.

Many years ago, probably back in the 80s, I happened across Marjorie Holmes’ novel Two from Galilee and read it by the light of our Christmas tree. Since then, the tradition of reading a Christmas novel in December has been a part of my holiday celebrations. Anne...

Three years ago I had a crime novel published: The Wounded Thorn. It was the first in a new series, featuring the intrepid Hilary and Veronica. It was set in the wonderfully evocative town of Glastonbury, with its ruined abbey and its high tor crowned with a church tower.

I planned to write others set in similarly romantic places.I set to work on the second one, set this time in the ancient town of Totnes with its curious healing wells, and a wonderful medieval conference centre nearby.

I sent the proposal to my agents, but got no reply. Follow-up emails still brought no response. I pressed on and sent the completed...

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Crow said she was delighted with the October 28, 2018, UPI article announcing the up-coming remake of Jane Austen’s perennially popular novel 'Emma' starring Anya Taylor-Joy. "Emma has been described by many, including such literary leaders as P. D. James, as the first mystery novel. In 'A Most Singular Venture' my hero Richard presents a course on 'Emma' at a Queens of Crime conference at London University, exploring his theory of a possible hidden murder in 'Emma'."

"Earlier movie adaptations, including those featuring Gweneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale have focused on the romance elements of the Austen novel. It will be interesting to see...

I was absolutely thrilled when Torch Trust in the UK contacted me a few months ago to say that they would like to make my Monastery Murders series available in large print for the visually impaired. They produce materials at the request of their blind patrons, so I felt doubly honored that someone had especially requested my books.

I had assumed that the books would resemble the large print books Thorndike Press did of my Cambridge Chronicles many years ago. I was surprised when A Very Private Grave, the first in the series, arrived a few days ago. The book is published in 5 volumes, each bound in pale green card stock, 8 X 12-inch pages, bold face, 25 point type. This is truly the brave new world of large...

During their 1799 excursion to Bath, Jane mentions in a letter that her brother Edward had gone out "to taste a cheese." At this year's Jane Austen Society of North America AGM in Kansas City, we followed Edward's example with a Cheese Tour of Jane Austen's England. Juliene Gehrer, AGM chair and author of the wonderful Dining with Jane Austen Cookbook was our guide, offering references from Austen's letters, novels and family cookbooks as we nibbled cheese explained to us by a local cheesemonger.

We started in the north of England with Cheshire cheese. This was the cheese of the Royal Navy and would have been eaten by Jane's brothers Charles and Francis during their voyages in the navy. It's low moisture content meant that Cheshire cheese kept well. Cheshire was the largest cheese producing area...