Imagine this, a fair lady mounts her white horse and ventures out, accompanied only by her
maidservant. The windows overlooking the market square are firmly shuttered, for the
people have been warned by the lady’s husband to avert their eyes. For this is the Lady
Godiva, naked save for a curtain of long golden hair that cascades over her shoulders,
preserving her modesty. She is on a mission, a campaign of protest, intended to shame her
husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia, into reducing his burden of taxation upon the poor citizens
of Coventry. As the magnificent steed progresses along the cobbled streets, only one man
breaks the bond of trust, a tailor who cannot resist a surreptitious glance at her beauty. A
man who will be forever dubbed ‘Peeping Tom.’
Godiva, Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, defender of the poor and unashamed rebel, remains one
of history’s most enduring legends. Her fabled naked ride through the streets of Coventry is
more than just folklore: it’s a story shaped by myth, memory, and years of retelling. Today,
as debates continue about identity and social justice, her legend still resonates. But what do
we truly know about Lady Godiva?
My new book aims to explore the real woman behind the myth, examining how
generations of storytellers, artists, poets, filmmakers and musicians have added layers to
her constantly shifting narrative. The book also explores her ties to an ancient pagan past
and considers what insights her legacy might provide for navigating an unpredictable
future.
The Legend of Lady Godiva will be released on November 30th by Pen and Sword books.
AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER! CLICK HERE
PREVIOUS BOOKS…
A chilling tale of psychological terror and things that go bump in the night…
What if the home of your dreams turns into your worst nightmare?
Young mum Kat Riley has reasons for wanting to escape her family. When taxi driver Steve Burns comes into her life in the most unusual of circumstances, she sees a way out. With her baby Matthew, she leaves behind a chaotic existence and all that is familiar to make a new life in the Durham countryside.
When Kat first sets eyes on 11 Derville’s Lane, she falls in love with its quaint charm. The interior, however, tells a different story. Recently vacated by Steve’s father, Tommy, there remains a lingering presence and the sense of secrets waiting to be revealed. Soon Kat is struggling to cope with the house’s troubled past and her own dark secrets, while her fledgling career as a blogger soon plunges her into a world of paranormal podcasts, wild conspiracy theories and internet trolls who threaten her safety and her sanity.
Is the house on Devil’s Lane really haunted, or are the ghouls closer to home?
Sarah Sutherland wanted to be an archaeologist but now she is struggling to cope with the demands of work and caring for her elderly father, who has his own secret troubles.
Her fascination with the past still remains, and she feels a special affinity with Alie Gowdie, the Kilgour Witch, who lived in Sarah’s cottage until her unjust execution for sorcery during the Civil War.
As Alie and Sarah’s stories collide, can Sarah uncover the truth in order to right a centuries old wrong? And what else might modern-day Kilgour be hiding, just out of sight?
A single phone call from halfway across the world is all it takes to bring her home . . . ‘Ellie, something bad has happened.’
Desperate to escape her ‘kid from the scrapyard’ reputation, Ellie Rook has forged a new life for herself abroad, but tragedy strikes when her mother, Imelda, falls from a notorious waterfall.
Here, according to local legend, the warrior queen Finella jumped to her death after killing a king. In the wake of her mother’s disappearance, Ellie is forced to confront some disturbing truths about the family she left behind and the woman she has become.
Can a long-dead queen hold the key to Ellie’s survival? And how far will she go to right a wrong?
Featured on the Guardian‘s ‘NOT THE BOOKER LONGLIST, 2019‘
What happens when you fall in love with the wrong person?
The consequences threaten to be far-reaching and potentially deadly. Bone Deep is a contemporary novel of sibling rivalry, love, betrayal and murder. This is the story of two women: Mac, who is bent on keeping the secrets of the past from her only son, and the enigmatic Lucie, whose past is something of a closed book. Their story is underpinned by the creaking presence of an abandoned water mill, and haunted by the local legend of two long-dead sisters, themselves rivals in love, and ready to point an accusing finger from the pages of history.
A taxidermist with a secret. A soldier with nothing left to fight for. A mother determined to protect her young son. Together, can they fight a past that doesn’t want to let them go?
Taking a job in the studio of an Edinburgh taxidermist is probably not Walt’s wisest move. Already suffering from combat stress, and struggling to outrun the horrors of his time on the front line, he finds himself confronted by the undead on a daily basis.
His boss Alys and her sister Mouse are sharing a secret that is threatening to destroy them. When Mouse’s eight-year-old son disappears, can Walt find the strength for one more battle and finally lay the past to rest?
This compelling thriller peels back the skin of one modern family to reveal the wounds no one wants to see. It deals with the effects of trauma, and explores how facing up to vulnerability is sometimes the only way to let go of the past.
Sandra Ireland 