Author: <span>J.F. Penn</span>

Ancient Book: Codex Sinaiticus And Sinai Palimpsests

One of the important clues in the next ARKANE book, Exodus, comes from a manuscript fragment found in the monastery of St Catherines in the Sinai, Egypt. No…

Sacred Sites: Abu Simbel, Southern Egypt

There are some places that continue to stay with you years later, and Abu Simbel is such a place for me. It features in a pivotal scene in…

Ancient City: Carcassonne. Religious Music, Religion And Violence

I recently spent a few days in the Languedoc region of France, mostly relaxing but also exploring the rich cultural heritage of the Pays Cathare, Cathar country. It’s…

On Writing Thrillers: That Magic Moment When A Story Emerges

There’s a magic moment for me, and probably other writers, when the story suddenly emerges from the writing.               For me, that…

The Devil’s Bible: The Legend of the Codex Gigas

The Devil’s Bible, properly known as the Codex Gigas or ‘Giant Book’, is the largest surviving medieval manuscript in the world. Standing almost a metre tall and weighing…

Psychology Of Religion: Freud Museum, Hampstead, London

While researching my thriller, Ark of Blood, I read Sigmund Freud’s final book, Moses and Monotheism, written in London in the final year of his life after being…

Interview With Joanna Penn About Thriller Novel Prophecy By Natalie Wright

As part of the launch for my latest thriller Crypt of Bone [at the time of this interview, the book was published as Prophecy], YA author Natalie Wright…

Writing Religion, Scene Setting In Amazing Locations And More

For the launch of Prophecy, I did an interview on GhostWriterDad, a great blog for writers. Here are 2 of the 8 questions. Click here to read the…