Elizabeth Storrs

Exactly.

Definitely.

So we have the Jakarta School of Self-Defence coming along to do duelling in the lunchtime.

So anyone that's coming to the conference can go to that session.

And we've also got the Medieval Archery Society coming to talk about... My Lord.

Not only showing arms and armouring, but also to talk about everyday life and how it worked in medieval society.

I can tell you it's a very popular session.

And funnily enough, there's a large number of women that are wanting to learn how to wield the sword because they want to make it realistic when they write their novels.

Well, my inspiration was Mary Reynolds and the Persian Boy.

I read it when I was a schoolgirl.

I don't quite know how my school library had it in the library, but it's about the Alexander trilogy, Alexander the Great, but it was an eye-opener because it introduced the concept of pederasty, of homosexuality,

homoeroticism, and it was in the 1970s that I read it.

It really struck me that historical fiction could be something that you don't necessarily know about but then you can access because it inspires you.

And I just have to say that in terms of whether or not historical fiction is true or not, really I think the success of an historical novel to me is that it informs, it entertains,

And it inspires the reader to go and pick up a history book, look and see, was it true or not?