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Welcome to my website where you can find out more about me, my books and read my blog posts on things that interest me: an author’s life, medieval life, cooking and baking, the English countryside, and of course, the strange concept of time … Enjoy!

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Click here for link to Amazon author page

Dr DuLac series of medieval mystery/romance timeslips

#1 A Shape on the Air

A Shape on the Air, a historical (early medieval/Anglo-Saxon) time-slip with a frisson of mystery and romance, has had a make-over! There’s a new cover and the text is revised and refreshed but it’s still the same story.

A haunting Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance

ebook and paperback editions available at http://myBook.to/ASOTA

Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the ‘dark ages’ unfold.

How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past? Traumatised by betrayal, she drowns in the mere and slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, who is also battling treachery. Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined. And in the end, how can they help each other across the ages without changing the course of history?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.

#2 The Dragon Tree

The Dragon Tree is set on the beautiful tropical island of Madeira, but follows Dr Viv and Rev Rory as they try to solve a mystery across the ages, from shipwrecked lovers in the 14th century to a rebellious nun in the 16th century – and to the present. A medieval time-slip of mystery and romance.

ebook and paperback editions available at http://myBook.to/TDT

#3 The Rune Stone

The Rune Stone is the story of an Anglo-Saxon cross with mysterious runes found in Rev Rory’s churchyard. Dr Viv seeks to solve the mystery of the runes carved upon it – and the curse it bears. An early Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance.

ebook and paperback editions available at http://myBook.to/TRS

What do readers say about the Dr DuLac series?“In the best Barbara Erskine tradition”  (Historical Novel Society)

“The atmosphere evoked was fabulous; I was right there with Viv, terrified, apprehensive – absolutely brilliant!”

“Julia’s passion for this fascinating historical period really shines through in the writing.”

“The heady sense of romantic longing that infuses both narratives is intoxicating.”

“A very appealing leading man in the devoted and dishy Rory/Sir Roland.”

“Julia writes with flair, drama and emotion … she captures emotional truth very well.”

“The pace is great, it just cracks along …”

The Drumbeats Trilogy

#1 Drumbeats

The updated version of Drumbeats with its lovely new cover art is here …

https://books2read.com/Drumbeats1

It’s 1965 and feisty 18 year old Jess flees her strict religious background in England to find herself in Ghana, West Africa. She finds danger, civil war and unexpected romance, but why do the drumbeats haunt her dreams?

‘A brilliantly crafted book’ – Jo Lambert

‘Julia Ibbotson’s descriptions of Ghana instantly transport the reader there and one could often feel the searing heat of the country burning right off the pages off the book’ – Amazon Review

‘Nicely paced, enough romance , page turning – evocative of the 60’s for those of us that remember it! I look forward to the sequel, and then the romance can hopefully continue.’ – Amazon Review

#2 Walking in the Rain

The updated version with its new cover art is here…

http://myBook.to/WalkingintheRain1

Jess marries the man she loves, but is he really the man she thought he was?

“Wonderful quality of writing” – Jo Lambert

“Powerful, gripping” – Amazon review

‘A really great read and I look forward to the next installment in the story.’ – Amazon Review

‘A book filled with many issues that are not readily addressed even in our modern society. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found I could not put it down.’ – Amazon Review

#3 Finding Jess, the final book in Jess’s story.

Updated and fresh new cover art is here …

http://myBook.to/FindingJess1

How can Jess rise above the betrayal of her beloved husband and best friend? How can she find the strength to take control of her own life again? Finding Jess “is a passionate story of love and betrayal and of one woman’s bid to reclaim her self-belief and trust after suffering great misfortune. It is a feel-good story of a woman’s strength and spirit rising above adversity“

“The sights, sounds and even smells of the Ghanaian way of life are conjured up vividly” – Jo Lambert

‘a powerful story‘ – 5* Amazon review

‘ (Jess’s) return to Ghana is beautifully written, conjuring up the colour and culture of the country. A wonderful ending to the trilogy.‘ – 5* Amazon review

S.C.A.R.S

Julia has also published a children’s novel called S.C.A.R.S (find out later what that stands for!).

This book is about a time-shift journey of discovery of parallel or quilted universes. Worlds collide when Gavin, having a hard time at home and at school, slips through a tear in the universe to find another, fantasy medieval world.

Will the different worlds affect each other for good or for bad? Will Gavin ever beat the bullies or find his dad?

https://books2read.com/SCARS1

This is a tale for boys, filled with battle, dressed in armor, riding horses and the smell of adventure in every breath… A tale so vivid and real that I could not put the book down once I started reading it.’ – Amazon Review

‘A wonderful book that I loved reading and can’t wait to tell all my friends about.’ – 11 year old’s Amazon Review

How did it all start?

Julia is the award-winning author of The Old Rectory: Escape to a Country Kitchen, written “with her trademark wit and honesty”.

https://books2read.com/TOR1

It’s the story of her renovation of a Victorian rectory in the heart of the English countryside. She has combined memoir, history, research, story and recipes in this book, which has won a number of international book festivals in the biography category, gained 5 star reviews on Amazon, and has been widely featured in the media.

“The book is a wonderful blend of personal story   (one so many of us can identify with), enchantingly told, with recipes that   just beg to be created in an urban or country kitchen. It all spreads   happiness. Lovely!” (Bel Mooney, author & journalist, Daily Mail)

“Combining many mouth-watering, traditional recipes with touching and heartfelt memoir, Ibbotson explores the central importance of the kitchen as the core of the family home and country life. Her story take us on a delightful journey, reflecting the significance of food in the countryside throughout history and the changing seasons.” (Endeavour Press)