Sharon Bennett Connolly is the best-selling British author of several non-fiction history books. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Sharon has studied history academically and just for fun – and has even worked as a tour guide at a castle. She also writes the popular history blog, www.historytheinteresngbits.com and co-hosts the podcast A Slice of Medieval, alongside historical novelist Derek Birks. Sharon regularly gives talks on women's history, for historical groups, fesvals and in schools; her book Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest, is a recommended text for teaching the Norman Conquest in the Naonal Curriculum. She is a feature writer for All About History and Living Medieval magazines and her TV work includes Australian Television's Who Do You Think You Are? Tune in for a fun conversation and great beer! Sharon's Readings: 00:00 Start 11:16 The Young Bride's First Duties 29:12 Stephen's Coronation 46:43 Matilda at the Helm Chris's Cocktail Pairings: 08:01 The Nikolaschka from Germany 26: The Mourning Cocktail 43:39 Belgian Brownie Interview Highlights: 15:21 The Wreck of the White Ship: a king's tragedy 21:33 How oppressed were women in medieval times? 24:06 How a British author ended up on Australian TV 31:33 Widows and abbeys: the real reason 38:17 Why history is important (and a real-life vampire!) 51:50 Women, Leadership, and Leading Warriors 54:43 Do we ever learn from history? COMING NEXT MONTH: