<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Vanessa Knipe]]></title><description><![CDATA[Vanessa Knipe]]></description><link>https://vanessajknipe.wixsite.com/vanessa-knipe/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:42:37 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.vanessajknipe.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Haunted York ~ Part Two]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Coppergate Centre The Coppergate Centre Last time in Haunted York, I talked about the Roman Legionaries who walked roads long since buried by time. This month, I’m skipping to the Viking period of York, or Jorvik. When I was a child growing up in the Vale of York, it was a wonderful daytrip to visit York. We did it once a year just before Christmas. But I remember one visit, we viewed the archaeological dig in the area which now forms the Viking Centre. Image unchanged. Credit:...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/haunted-york-~-part-two</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a75cda2421979b2d970f148</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:26:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_4bb80f15bd614f82bef5a5975b262485~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_513,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review of Murder in Gilmerton]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I find an author who uses forensics in their detective fiction, it encourages me to seek more of their work. So, it was a great pleasure to be asked to join in this blog tour for Val Penny’s Murder in Gilmerton. Murder in Gilmerton First, let’s take a look at how the book is described. Behind Edinburgh’s genteel facade, a killer is settling an old score . . . An elderly man is shot dead on his own doorstep in the leafy suburb of Gilmerton. One bullet. Point-blank range. A professional...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/review-of-murder-in-gilmerton</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a72f75b6f3a9867f4d7b886</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:52:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_a5bb4e20726446ec9346e7c05f312476~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_789,h_522,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our Ancestors’ Gifts]]></title><description><![CDATA[The second in the series of short story character studies for Her Borrowed Grave. A hand-painted image of St Devan, George Maskell's monster-hunting ancestor. Our Ancestors' Gifts “Do you think that this ring makes me a target?” George asked. “I mean, those biker-cultist-whatever people, are hunting them.” Casper lay on the blanket that George had spread over the oxblood leather sofa (a three-piece suite bought for a song at auction). He looked up and woofed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/our-ancestors-gifts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a636e2248a090b99128aaef</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:02:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_a64e4b34783e4aa78156f47e9e04e06a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Murder Cannot be Long Hid]]></title><description><![CDATA[~ Shakespeare I enjoy reading detective fiction. Holding a forensic science degree means that I like to see proper evidence to help the detective reach their conclusion. Just give me evidence to prove your case and solve your crime. Image: Edinburgh Castle from the Grass Market George Washington Wilson (Scottish, 1823-1893) taken at sometime between 1865 – 1885. Digital file from Cornell University Library. Public Domain. Accessed via Wikicommons Detective fiction is one of the few genres I...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/murder-cannot-be-long-hid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5a286dd03244312ce6f746</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:13:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_6e8c994a82ce4bc68202a660732f80b0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Haunted York — Part One, The Treasurer’s House]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you ask why I set my new paranormal series in York, of all places, I’d have to say, it couldn’t be set anywhere else. Even before the Romans settled in Eboracum or Eburacum, (with the first written record of this name in AD4), people lived in the Place of the Yew Trees or Eborakon, (as recorded by Ptolomy in AD2). With all the temples, churches and graveyards of these people, it was always going to create a liminal space that touches on the spiritual world. York is a haunted city. When my...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/haunted-york-part-one-the-treasurer-s-house</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a50f626661479e527e1a4e9</guid><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:45:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_48ec2fd04d694f488249ba173430cf4e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_512,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Every Contact Tells a Tail]]></title><description><![CDATA[I enjoy reading detective fiction. Holding a forensic science degree means that I like to see proper evidence to help the detective reach their conclusion. Magical or Scientific evidence, it doesn’t even matter to me if the author makes it up as they go along, just give me evidence to prove your case and solve your crime. Fan Art of a ginger cat carrying a glove (drawn by me) with a border of fish skeletons (public domain, Wikicommons) Every Contact Tells a Tail (No Spoiler) Book review, A...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/every-contact-tells-a-tail</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3518482e4e04fc71b3962d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:41:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_61adc298e62e46c4b9d1a9a05d76bdb4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Researching My Stories]]></title><description><![CDATA[Researching My Stories Why research? Research is a vital part of story-telling. Even if you are setting your book today, you’ll need to show your readers that it is today. So, you’ll look up something significant that happens today, and include it in your story. Or the opposite: you’re trying to make your tale timeless and have your character eat some toffos. You just dumped your story into the 1990s, but you wouldn’t know that if you hadn’t researched. Do we really need all these details?...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/researching-my-stories</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a22abc11f44c606b376f7f3</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:24:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_56809f68cc0c473c85859eec56aaf34a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why on Earth did I Change my Historical Sections to Poetry?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Tapestry of Caroline's Wish, another of my character drawings. A little Back Story Recently you might have seen me having a moan on social media. Why, oh why, I said, Did I come up with this ridiculous idea? More importantly, why am I still going ahead with it, despite all the work? Well, it all goes back to this time last year. I was reading through my novel yet again, after the seventh rejection, trying to work out what was wrong or missing. The last publishing house did give me some...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/why-on-earth-did-i-change-my-historical-sections-to-poetry</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fefc88ecab9011375367e6</guid><pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2026 09:26:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_3651b28bd44a4a51ae6552a810b618e2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Driving Out Giants]]></title><description><![CDATA[Often, to get an idea of a character in a book I'm writing, I will write short stories to find out their personality. This story is formatted in a similar manner to the chapters in Her Borrowed Grave. More about  Her Borrowed Grave Image: Herrad of Landsberg, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. Forensic Science Laboratory Laboratory Notes Item Number: Case number: Description of Article: plaster cast of footwear mark   Where found: park gates Packaging of item: Tamperproof plastic bag:☒...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/driving-out-giants</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fb3aa69fa0baa4b8b6a25f</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 13:04:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_d6952fb2322b4e288168ad7a91315d9e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_750,h_347,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[♫ It was only a Winter’s Tale…♪]]></title><description><![CDATA[You’ll have to be as old as me to remember that song, but on with the review. This month I’m talking about Ben Aaronovitch’s Winter’s...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/it-was-only-a-winter-s-tale</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64ccf252fb490fe1105dec8f</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:47:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_781f52a8dfbc418c8e7ce1a406b43bc0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_666,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two Points of Views on Fuzzies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Back in the 1980s, my family moved to the US from the UK. When I entered a US bookstore, it was like a dream come true. So many Science...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/two-points-of-views-on-fuzzies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64a7fada1d7eb003529fef44</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:55:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_64269b1b05ad4764b7160f7e7417a54c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_735,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Roaring 20s: A review of Barbara Hambly's Scandal In Babylon]]></title><description><![CDATA[(contains spoilers) The movie Babylon, reminded me to talk about Barbara Hambly’s book Scandal in Babylon which covers the same era. I...]]></description><link>https://www.vanessajknipe.com/post/the-roaring-20s-a-review-of-barbara-hambly-s-scandal-in-babylon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">648c5105de7d398f7600a52d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:17:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d09b6b_f4cd7beb654d4498949eb30100b8ce6d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_800,h_305,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>vanessajknipe</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>