Happy Christmas to all who celebrate. I hope everyone has a
good break.
It feels good to have reached Advent again. My situation is
easier than at this time last year, when I was still waiting to learn if cancer
treatments (pills and injections) were working. Subsequent PET scans have shown
improvement throughout 2025, and I’ve recently discovered the cause of some
side-effects too. This may help when we see Zoe and our new granddaughter at Christmas,
and into the new year 😊
Book Gifts
Many thanks for the continued Amazon stars and reviews for
my Baxby mysteries Paying in Blood and Naming the Dead. These are
an enormous help. Please email me if you would like signed copies of the paperbacks
to give as Christmas gifts, or otherwise purchase them at Amazon
Books. Both novels are available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited too. There
are maps and character lists
on my web-site.
Spycraft
My neighbour Richard reminded me about this fascinating
non-fiction book by Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman. Espionage isn’t new! Spycraft
chapters cover forgery, ciphers, assassination, disguise and other techniques during
the Tudor and early Stuart years. It is now available in paperback, and would
make a good Christmas gift. You can read more at Spycraft
Review.
Sinterklaas, Religion and Politics
Whilst researching Naming the Dead, set in 1600s
Amsterdam, I was surprised to discover that the Reformed Protestant Dutch
Republic continued to celebrate a Catholic saint after winning independence
from Spain. They fought each other for eighty years, but Roman Empire-era
bishop Saint Nicholas (or Sinterklaas) was too good to lose. The name
Santa Claus evolved later, after the Dutch colonised New Amsterdam (later New
York City).
You can read more about this in my article Santa Claus: a
17th Century Surprise on the web-site Articles page.
I also learnt more about the way Independent Protestants,
such as the Mayflower Pilgrims and early English Baptists, developed new ideas
about the historically difficult relationship between religion and politics.
You can find Separating Religion and Politics: A Pilgrim Perspective on
the same Articles
page or at Aspects
of History Author Page
A-Z Amsterdam
I took a break from these short pieces in November, as
Sharpe Books were promoting Paying in Blood, but I’ll post more on
social media soon and update A- Z
Amsterdam. I’m happy to take requests, if you’d like a particular topic in
the future.
Other News
The second draft of the third Baxby novel is progressing
well. The rain helps, as I’m less tempted to go out walking or gardening. Also,
Simon and I are not brave enough to motorhome through the winter so spend more
time at home.
I look forward to saying more about the new book and future ideas in 2026.
Many thanks again for all the support and encouragement,
Karen H