This might be the last of the posts from my fellow authors of the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror fun. I hope not; it’s been fun hosting new authors whose name appears beside my own.

Remember, if you’ve got a new book out, follow the rules and get on the schedule.

Today’s guest is Donna Fletcher Crow, whose new book is Monastery Murders. Let’s get right to it, shall we?

The Song That Inspired an Epic

“And did those feet in ancient times,
Walk upon England’s mountains green,
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
. . .
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows fo desire!
Bring me my spear: O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chairot of fire!. . .”

Well, every English school child knows this song based on the poem “Jerusalem” by William Blake and popularly called “The Glastonbury Hymn”. But I’ll have to admit the first time I heard it was when Eric Idle sang it on a “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” sketch. And then it really became known to the whole world when the wonderful movie “Chariots of Fire” burst on the world and everyone wanted to know where the title came from.

That legend Blake refers to, of Joseph of Ariamathea taking his young nephew Jesus with him on a tin-trading trip to the Scilly Isles and then returning later as a refugee/missionary and taking with him the Holy Grail is the basis for hundreds of years of grail search songs, poems and novels— including my own GLASTONBURY, A Novel of The Holy Grail.

GLASTONBURY is an epic that spans 1500 years of English history through Celtic, Roman, Arthurian, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Tudor times. Today, as in Arthur’s day, searchers are still asking: Where is the Holy Grail?

You can see a wonderful music video of “Jeruslaem.”

More about Donna:

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 40 books, mostly novels dealing with British history. The award-winning Glastonbury, A Novel of the Holy Grail, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work. She is also the author of The Monastery Murders: A Very Private Grave and A Darkly Hidden Truth, as well as the Lord Danvers series of Victorian true-crime novels and the romantic suspense series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries. Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/
You can follow her on Facebook at: http://ning.it/OHi0MY

Donna is visiting West of Mars today as part of the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror, 52 Authors Look Back blog tour. If you enjoy magazine columns and Chicken Soup for the Soul books, then you’re sure to enjoy our collection of essays, designed to warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. Read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick. Get a full listing of authors, essay titles and retailers here: http://ning.it/OknwVR
Follow the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Blog and Radio Tour schedule here: http://ning.it/NZpHrP