Book Review - Summons of the Majestic

Book Review - Summons of the Majestic by Tim Reed

 I have read many of Tim Reed’s short stories in the past and when asked to read this first book in a new series, was more than pleased to take up the offer. Let me first say that Reed’s style of writing flows beautifully, with more than a hint of the poetic and this work keeps true to that style.

The story itself is from the point of View of Teepo, an orphan who has magical ability and known to his people as a ‘Gromancer’, or at least, a potential Gromancer. Taken in and trained by an older Gromancer, the people of their village become anxious as there is only meant to be one in each generation. When an ill omen is noticed by the elders, both are exiled from their home and sent out into the Eight Islands. This exile happens just as Teepo’s shadow becomes cursed by his master’s magical flute, a dark side of him that nobody can trust, including Teepo.

The descriptions of The Eight Islands is where Reed comes into his own as a literary magician. He has created an intricate and genuine world of monsters and personalities within a blanket of a fantastical realm. Each Gromancer has the ability to Summon, or call and bind certain creatures to them to do their will. They somehow need a certain number in order to make a wish come true, and each Gromancer has a different desire. Teepo must abide with his master’s wish and battles a darkness within himself and grows into his magical ability on the journey.

The story isn’t the usual arc the reader might expect, but rather a series of small arcs within each chapter when a new Summons is captured (or not captured), each taking us a step further into the unknown to the destination Teepo is convinced will be a place called ‘Calamity’ while struggling forward as the evil Darkness hunts them down. It is a very long novel and to be honest, I am not certain it needs to be so long, but if the reader is one to enjoy the journey, it is an enjoyable one.

Book Review - Jane the Quene by Janet Wertman

Author Janet Wertman gives readers an inside look at Henry VIII's court from the perspective of young and innocent Jane Seymour as she falls in love with the handsome and flirtatious King Henry while he is still married to the queen who will soon be dubbed a witch, Anne Boleyn. Wertman brings what I have always thought of as the 'dull and simple' queen to beautiful light, breathing personality, honour and duty to Jane's background and time in court.

Wertman is an ace with her descriptions of the deceit and court politics, taking us away from Jane's point of view when necessary, into Cromwell's where we get a firm grasp of behind-the-scenes plotting. I much preferred Jane's point of view where there are scenes where I had actual gooseflesh when reading, especially during the downfall of Boleyn and near Jane's own end. Jane's courtship with Henry was highly engaging and brought forth a gentler Henry without disregarding his dangerous side and Jane sees it all but humbly accepts what she is duty bound to be: the bearer of Henry's only legitimate male heir. I was kept intrigued, despite being already very familiar with the events, and found the narrative difficult to fault. There are a few modern phrases that make an appearance, but Wertman blended them into the text in such a way that they are not only forgiveable, but help the modern reader grasp the era feel without being limited to the archaic (but beautiful) and difficult language of the Tudor court (for anyone wanting to grasp a sample, please look up some of Anne Boleyn's letters to Henry, both during her courtship and her 'supposed' last letter to Henry during her time in the Tower).

This book is ideal for newcomers to the subject as Wertman takes the reader gently by the hand and helps them navigate through the intrigue, court politics, and Tudor mindset with ease, but as a lover of all things Tudor, I found myself still intrigued with this new Jane, who I feel Wertman brought to life in a way that makes me understand her as a woman and a queen of the era. A well researched and well presented read. If you have a love of history, read this book. If you enjoy the Tudor era, read this book. If you thought only Anne Boleyn was worth reading about, you'll know better after... well, you know. Just be warned – there are more books to follow, this is only the first of Wertman's literary gems.

English Historical Fiction Authors: Crests, Blood and Power – The Howards' Rise in Tud...

English Historical Fiction Authors: Crests, Blood and Power – The Howards' Rise in Tud...: By Lizzy Drake Photo 1: Framlingham Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk (Holly Stacey) The Howard dynasty in Tudor times ...

Home again

It's been only a few days since we landed back in LAX after two and a half weeks back in the UK. It was surreal going back 'home' in the town where I'd spent the last thirteen years and where my daughter spent the first years of her life. We met up with friends and family and reacquainted ourselves with the north-easterly winds that'd kept our cheeks pink for so long. It rained, we played indoor mini-golf, it rained some more, we donned our raincoats with thick fleeces, the sun came out for a bit, and then it rained some more. But we didn't mind, we were too busy having fun and doing castle and countryside adventures.

Now that we are back in California, it still feels like we're on holiday – after all, this is where we used to vacation, not live. Going through all 328 photos on my finepix and a fair few to sort out on my phone, it's clear that we made the most of every minute home (though I didn't get my steak and kidney pie I miss so much, apparently, the public prefers steak and ale, and my old haunts have altered their menus). We played in Manningtree at Robin's Nest, Marks Tey (Dermot O'Leary's old childhood house it up for sale), The Cottage Inn in Lynton, Dunster Castle, Framlingham, and did a bit of exploration and cheese eating at Cheddar Gorge.

For me, it was wonderful to get new photos of Framlingham Castle as not only is it my setting for book two in the Elspet Stafford Mysteries, but all my original photos were lost in the move (along with some great ones of Hever Castle and Hedingham jousting). I also gathered some extra references for future EHFA blogs, though one or two might jump out of the Tudor era. For now though, it's still all about unpacking and getting used to the 8 hour time difference. And trying to remember that I'm no longer on holiday!

English Historical Fiction Authors: Privys, Garderobes and Latrines – a quick tour of ...

English Historical Fiction Authors: Privys, Garderobes and Latrines – a quick tour of ...: By Lizzy Drake photo from BBC's 'Life in the Castle' It used to be one of those taboo human necessities that history book...

Book Review - Wulfsuna

E S Moxon brings the dark ages to life through her vivid descriptions of both people and place. As Rome has pulled out of Britain, there is a massive power vacuum and the remaining tribes are left to battle it out for power, life and land. Wulfsuna follows Lord Wulfgar and his attempts to establish a home for his tribe, a split family of Saxons who must fight Angles and Picts to establish their home. Moxon weaves an epic tale of Lord Wulfgar's struggles, loves and loss.

When I was sent a copy of the book to read and review, I first read a few pages to get a feel for the writing before dedicating myself to the full read and I knew immediately that it was going to be a thrilling book. The descriptions are highly vivid and take the reader into the heat of battle and whilst reading I kept thinking 'HBO drama, HBO drama' mainly because it was so vivid and I expect it would make an excellent TV series (as long as the director sticks to the historical detail that Moxon has detailed so accurately well). I'm personally not that into battle scenes and the book had many of them, but I did feel that they were integral to the story and illustrated exactly how much turmoil there was during the era without a clear leader or land borders. What I loved reading most was the bewitching seer who is cast out of her village and who fate weaves into Lord Wulfgar's arms. Her point-of-view and story held my interest and I would have loved to have the entire book seen from her eyes, she was such a enthralling character.

If you love epic battles, Dark Age Britain, Saxons and beer wagons (has to be said, I'll dream forever of a beer wagon), then this book is for you! It is the first in a series, giving fans something to look forward to when the next book is released. A beautiful historical fiction for an era often ignored by conventional histories.

ES Moxon's Author Page
Amazon buy link:

English Historical Fiction Authors: The Birth of Cipher in England

English Historical Fiction Authors: The Birth of Cipher in England: by Lizzy Drake Finally, forasmuch as the ciphers which sir Thomas Spynell (whose soule God pardon!) had, have come to the hands of sundry p...

Book Review - To Be a Queen

Book Review – To Be a Queen by Annie Whitehead

Annie Whitehead has boldly delved into a little known era and brought to life one of it's shadow legends; the daughter of Alfred the Great who learned to rule in her own right. As Whitehead points out in her forward, England at this time, was not one nation but several. Her main character, Aethelflaed, whom she nicknames, Teasel, starts as a child having grown up in Mercia (one of England's kingdoms) though she is the daughter of a 'West Saxon'. The two nations, North (Mercia) and South (Wessex) are meant to be allies against the Vikings but end up having a very rough alliance and there are many unnecessary skirmishes and in fighting. In the book, Whitehead has her main character, Teasel, bring the two kingdoms to solidarity through support of both her father (king of Wessex) and husband (king of Mercia).

The story is epic and told in beautiful detail. Annie Whitehead has done her research, but she at no time 'info drops' on the reader. There are language and heritage guides at the back of the book, but reading the story, I found it easy to pick up Saxon words as Whitehead introduced them. She brings to life not only the era but the individuals that are often glossed over in history.

As the book starts with Aethelflaed as a child in Mercia, continues with her childhood in Wessex, then follows her life as she grows before finally becoming first the wife of a great leader, then a leader herself, and then her death... well, it's a long tale. For those who want to dive into the past and live every moment surrounded with that era, this book is the one. For those wanting a good story, this will fit the bill too. However, be warned, there are some slow scenes where we get to know Teasel and her family well, and the made up romance between Teasel and one of her husband's trusted warriors slowed the story down more in my opinion. Even so, I enjoyed reading To Be a Queen and highly recommend it to readers of Anglo-Saxon history and historic fiction.

Research Challenges and 16th Century Murder Mysteries

There are many challenges to researching an historical fiction novel. Firstly, I'd like to state that research is no stranger to me; I've been happy researching for decades, be it Roman, Anglo-Saxon, pre-history, Medieval or later. My degrees are in earlier periods (predominately Early Medieval England, Scotland and Ireland) and I have been working in Tudor buildings or re-enacting Tudor era since before the millennium. Yet I still faced many challenges. Research for some is a joy and for many it simply includes picking up a few basic history books and looking up wiki facts (which I don't condemn at all – even wiki can help a researcher by listing references below which can be followed up. It's an excellent starting point for a new researcher, but do be aware that facts are sometimes incorrect on wiki and should be used as a compass point and not an actual reference).

But there is another type of research, infinitely more fun and rewarding; and that is to go out and do your own primary research. Visit the British Library if you are able, see for yourself the manuscripts that the historians are using as the foundations of their history books. Go to those castles and photograph like mad (if permitted, if not, just get a feel for the place and take copious notes) to understand exactly how your characters, historical or fiction, would be interacting within those stone walls. Visit every museum you can that holds artifacts from the era you are researching and talk to other researchers.

Researching for the 16^th century for A Corpse in Cipher was incredibly enjoyable but it was certainly fraught with challenges. For one, many of the history books of the Tudor era are heavily Elizabethan biased. Assumptions seemed to have been made on this that project later Tudor living onto the earlier. Although Anne Boleyn is a vigorous subject both as Elizabeth's mother and in her own right, I've noticed histories focus on her experiences and her husband's without much regard for era details outside of the bedchamber. General Tudor history books will try to encompass early Tudor living, but it is still based on the Elizabethan (and Henry's sex life). This is a pitfall into which many new writers can fall; relying on generalized histories that do not concentrate specifically on their era.

Which brings me to the second challenge – money. Unless you have a university library to hand filled with books belonging to your research era, the necessary books will need to be obtained via cash means. Even with good research libraries at hand (lets face it, public libraries just aren't going to have that rare copy you're after nor will they purchase it at request), photocopies for books that mustn't leave the property can add up. So can photograph permissions and publishing rights. It all adds up. E-bay is a beautiful thing for books. I've found some rare treasures on e-bay that years of searching dusty old second hand shops have yet to yield. As most writers are poor, doing accurate research is going to be expensive.

There are many more challenges, but I'll just sum up the next two here, and that is distance and status. I was lucky enough to be living in England (fortuitously just an hour north of London on the train, which put me in an advantageous physical location as I was surrounded by Tudor era buildings all within an easy drive or bus ride) and I know that others don't have that advantage and 'getting there' is going to be more costly than the acquisition of the right books. And of course, just like when I attempted to arrange a meeting with the assistant curator of Castle Howard to view some Tudor era letters, I lacked enough clout to be taken seriously (why allow a writer of fiction books access to fragile documents, it's not like it's a 'research degree') and there were many, many others who gave the same cold reception. Of course, it may have helped if I'd first prepared a letter of introduction from someone high up in the field. Then again, it may have proved to be just as fruitless. Without the backing of a university (an active backing, as postgraduate alumni don't seem to matter), those doors just keep being slammed.

The good news is that there are many enthusiasts within each research era that can give reference pointers (don't ever just take one person's word for it – do the research! I've met some lovely people online and at re-enactments who are still hanging onto some outdated theory or disproved 'fact'). There are also online histories that have transcribed documents and made them available to the general public... for free. With the right timing, wording, and yes, introductions, some museums and research centers will respond with tips, facts or even invites for viewings, but expect many doors to be slammed in your face first if you're not carrying a postgraduate research degree badge. It's not an easy life-choice to make, but doing the proper research for your book will make it more believable not just for your readers, but for you. And if you happen to discover something new that the historians have overlooked, don't hide it away, share it. It may just open a few more doors...

A Corpse in Cipher – A Tudor Murder Mystery by Lizzy Drake is available in print and as an e-book

Corpse Call

There are just days left before the book launch for A Corpse in Cipher – A Tudor Murder Mystery. As the first in the new Elspet Stafford Mysteries (set in early 16^th century England) I'm both apprehensive and thrilled. The book was received well by my readers but what about the public? There was also that debacle about my pen name (which has been altered to Lizzy Drake due to another author having published as I was editing and taking the name I had first wanted). As another author had taken the name, I had to pull the book, seek out my wonderful cover artist, Berni Stevens, and beg for a change of name on the cover, get a new ISBN (as the book had just been approved to print by the printer) and upload everything fresh. One heart attack and two new Facebook pages later, Lizzy Drake was launched as my official pen name for the Elspet Stafford Mysteries and the kindle book is up for pre-order.

The print book is due to arrive any day for final approval (again, but with the revised name). I can't wait to hold the book in my hands. It's been a long while since I've been excited about one of my publications and I'm a little proud of this one. One international move, a crashed computer, over 500 lost photos of Tudor palaces that I'd taken during a year of research trips, missing boxes during international shipping and one name calamity later, this book represents so much more than a new series for me, it also heralds the absolute change of lifestyle.

From now on, my writing schedule has changed and become incorporated into my daily work. One new mystery title per year is now the bar (as well as entering the new titles into as many literary competitions as I can). Balanced with apartment renovations (this year I've learned how to lay laminate flooring; I've gone from excavating Roman flooring to laying new ones), blogging and research between school runs, the future looks to hold more dark and alluring crimes set in Catherine of Aragon's early years as Queen. Already book two is in the research stage and set at Framlingham Castle...

Lizzy Drake's first Elspet Stafford Mysteries book is out 15^th of December.
 ISBN 978-1519569448

Online Book Launch - A Corpse in Cipher

Save the date, on the 15 December, 2015 from 6pm-8pm UK time (10am-noon West Coast US time) is set to be the first online book release for A Corpse in Cipher, by Elizabeth Drake. This is the first novel in a new series of Tudor murder mysteries set in Henry VIII's early reign. It features Elspet Stafford, a young woman of marriageable age whose mind is every bit as sharp as her elderly friend and accomplice in detection, the Dowager Duchess Lettice. The only problem, aside from the odd random corpse showing up on their doorstep, is that everyone keeps trying to marry off Elspet.

Here is the back cover blurb for book one to whet the appetite:

The year is 1513 and Elspet Stafford is a young woman with a promising future. She is engaged to a knight, she has the lineage of a royal family and can't wait to start her new life. She's never met her betrothed, but he sends her regular letters; ciphers and puzzles for her to decode to keep her distracted from her mother's overbearing nature. When news of his death reaches her, she finds it hard to believe, especially as the messenger also brings a letter from the fallen man himself for her to decode.

She takes the letter with her when her mother sends her to a relation's manor where she is to be trained for court. Before she can decode her letter, she stumbles across the body of a murdered man in the manor's courtyard; a murder which the Lord of Ufford Manor is determined to cover up.

Striking an unlikely alliance with the Lord's mother, Dowager Duchess Lettice, Elspet must decode the letter and discover what truly happened to the unfortunate man. But some mysteries are safer left alone and soon both women find themselves deep in intrigue, plots and of course, murder.

About the author:

Elizabeth Drake has been studying Medieval and Tudor England for over 15 years and has an MA in Medieval Archaeology from the University of York, England. She has been writing for much longer but the Elspet Stafford Mysteries began her writing career in the genre.

When not writing or researching, Elizabeth can be found reading or gardening. She balances time between her two homes in Essex, UK and California.

Book Review - The Jezebel's Daughter

The Jezebel's Daughter

Juliet MacLeod

Historical Fiction/Historical Romance

1700's Golden Age of Piracy

Loreley Jones and her family are sailing from England to start a new life in the Caribbean when their ship runs into a massive storm. Being the only one small enough to fit through a porthole, Loreley saved from the sinking ship, but is swept away as she clings to flotsam while the rest of her family are lost at sea. Loreley's life goes from bad to worse when, upon being washed up on shore, she is taken by brigands to be sold to the local brothel.

As Loreley from an aristocratic family and both young and beautiful, her virginity is auctioned off at a high price to a cruel captain who bids not only for her first night, but to have her as his possession that no other patrons may touch. Loreley's time in the brothel is not all bad, she makes a beautiful connection to a slave woman who looks after her like a daughter. Still mourning the death of her family and old life, Tansy's love and affection toward Loreley is both needed and returned.

Life once again changes for Loreley, she is able to leave her prison after some time there, but instead of going back to her beloved England, she becomes (transforming herself into a boy) part of the crew of a pirate ship and falls deeply in love.

The book is a beautiful depiction of life on the high seas in the Golden Age of piracy, but is well researched and more than a little myth-destroying. I'll not touch on the rest of the book as it will give too much away, but I enjoyed reading every page. It is a romance – there are detailed sex scenes and some rape scenes at the beginning that may make some readers uncomfortable, but I feel the author wrote as both her genre and the story needed to make the narration real and lead the book forward. The vivid description of island Voodoo was excellent, as was the detailed and believable characters that I immediately identified with. My favourite was Tansy by far, though Ben takes a close second. This book will sweep you away into another time and place and leave you both satisfied and more than a little tear stained.

Tudor Mysteries, Moves, and HNS

It's been ten months since the relocation – we still have some boxes in the garage and everyone is settled in their new work/school routine. I expected that a move to such a sunny location would alter my writing from the Tudor feel I was after, but instead it has helped me dive deeper into the era somehow. With my dedicated writing room/library (the former formal dining room, we've never had one of these, so there is no need to start now) I've been whizzing through scenes of intrigue and betrayal, inns and court, kirtle and... well, you get the picture. Having spent all of 2014 in dedicated research, by January I was ready to write. By late June I had a strong working draft and by September, I had an edited version for my trial readers.

Now that most of the dust has settled and book one is drafted and edited (currently going through another edit), the timing of the Historical Novel Society's 2016 Oxford conference tickets being on sale was just right. I've booked my place at the conference, accommodation and evening costume gala, which, I do believe means I'll be the only one in my group of historical fiction friends who will be dressed as a Tudor; the rest of them seem to be Georgian-heavy. As I'm used to sticking out like a sore thumb everywhere I go, this is probably a good thing (or, at least, in my comfort zone). This means getting out the continuing work-in-progress known as the Tudor gown and getting some appropriate Tudor undergarments (Elizabethan era rather than early Henrician as my story is set, but hey).

With England in my sights again, I've also put together a Tudor tour so I can go back to both Hever Castle and Framlingham Castle (book two is set mostly at Framlingham Castle) since my photos were lost in transit due to a bad memory stick and a defunct laptop; my current WIP was the only thing to go smoothly in the past twelve months.

Which, somehow brings me back to the manuscript. I had sent it out to US agents and also one UK agent who had invited me to submit at the last HNS (still pending a response, I know they are busy) and I wasn't sure if I was going to be happy having my book with US spelling (something I'm not fond of), so I've made the decision to keep it to UK English. Sounds like such a simple thing, but writing Tudor era stories with a modern edge to keep the speech intelligible to the general public is hard enough, dropping the extra vowels that are so unique to UK English is a soul-killer.

I've also finally joined the Historical Novel Society as a member and am looking forward to getting more involved and writing up more research-based blogs. Happy days!

Long Haul

Here we are, halfway through 2015 and I'm finally getting back to my blog post. It's been an unusual few months - international move, new everything, new way of doing things and more computer complications (I'm currently writing this on my IPad rather than the new ACER computer... let me say I really, really miss my old DELL).

All my research from last year was packed on the container ship along with my personal research library. My computer had crashed, but I'd backed up all my files and photos on a memory stick as I knew I didn't have much time (as all good things must go, including the 8 year old laptop). Then I accidentally left the memory stick with my things to be shipped on the container (which took over 3 months).

So, I'm pleased to announce that despite all the setbacks, the historical fiction WIP that I'd spent all of last year researching for, is nearly drafted. Just 7000 more words to write (ish) which, at my current schedule means the middle of next week. Hoorah! Bliss! 

I'm a little sad that I've lost about 300 photos I'd taken during my research (Tudor strongholds, castle grounds, etc) as the memory stick apparently doesn't do photos very well. But that just means I have an excuse to go back and take more. So what if I'm on the other side of the planet - what's life without a little travel? Historical Novel Society 2016 will be in Oxford and I'm very excited about attending.

I would write more... about Catherine of Aragon, about my character Elspet and the cipher she's discovered, but well... I just need to finish a few more scenes. TTFN

Catherine of Aragon's missing letters

(photo from Shakespeare's Secrets: A Hidden Cipher - wondersandmarvels.com)

 

Having spent some time looking through various letters to and from the English court in 1513, I’d found (or not found) some surprising things.  Firstly, Wolsey and Thomas Howard appear to be very tight in their alliance, Henry VIII is a poor correspondent to his queen, Margaret of Savoy seems to have the biggest political hand in the events of the time, and Catherine of Aragon is rather absent.  Or, at least her letters for many months do not at all represent the correspondence of a Queen Regent.

These missing letters are what I’d been searching for. While many documents were lost in fire, misplaced through time, or just so difficult to transcribe that they are skipped over, I had been expecting many lengthy personal letters between Catherine and Henry in regards to her becoming regent in his absence (fighting in France). There were a few short messages from Catherine to Wolsey, Howard to Catherine, or vice versa – Catherine asking for more updates on her husband, or Wolsey giving a very basic update on Henry’s whereabouts. A much lengthier letter from Catherine appears in the records after the battle of Flodden.

In September, 1513, Queen Catherine writes to Henry VIII about the victory at the Battle of Flodden. She writes: “Sir, My lord Havard hath sent me a letter to open to your grace within one of mine by the which ye shall see at length the great victory that our Lord hath sent your subjects in your absence: and for this cause it is no need herein to trouble your grace with long writing…”

Looking closely at the wording of Catherine’s letter, she suggests that there is an additional letter from her to be read in conjunction with Lord Havard’s letter. Yet, she has already told Henry she would not bother with long writing (which suggests to me, although this is the longest letter in record during for these few months from her, that her other letters might have been longer). So where are these longer letters (if any)?

It has been noted by some historians that Catherine started writing in cipher when she was betrothed to prince Arthur.

S. Tomokio writes in his article ‘Earliest English Diplomatic Ciphers’: “It appears that Catherine used a cipher different from that of the Spanish ambassador, considering Bergenroth noted during the middle of his research that Catherine's cipher was one of the three ciphers that he did not yet understand. On the other hand, it appears, as noted above, Catherine let De Puebla decipher Ferdinand's letter to Henry VII sent to her. Examination of the manuscript is desired (http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~room4me/america/code/henryvii.htm).”

This wonderful extract in Tomokio’s article shows us some excellent reference to the cipher used by Catherine and Henry: “‘Has learnt by her letter in cipher, and by the letter in plain writing of the King of England, that it is his intention to prevent the utter destruction of Venice,....
.....
‘The King of England must therefore henceforth write in his letters nothing but such things as the French may read without danger. All other communications must be made by her, and be written in her cipher, or in the cipher of the ambassador, until the new ambassador arrives. Has always observed, and will in future observe the same rule, namely, to write in common writing only what the French may see, and to write all that is important in cipher.
‘In answer to the contents of the letter of the King, and of her letter in cipher, there is little to be said, except ....’ Ferdinand to Catherine, 18 November 1509, (Calendared in Bergenroth pp.25-26)”

The newly published online (previously only in print) 'Henry VIII: April 1513, 1-10', Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 1: 1509-1514 (1920)’ lists and transcribes all the letters in record for this time, but if a letter is in French, German, Latin or any other dialect, including cipher, it is noted as such and not transcribed. Many ‘in cipher’ letters appear (and sadly letters ‘too damaged to decipher), which leads me to think how wonderful it would be to find the key to unlock Catherine’s ciphered letters.

Whatever the reason, the archives have a scarcity of letters from Catherine which is a thrilling little mystery in its own.  Six months as Regent of the country, a decisive victory and the death of the Scottish King would surely amass more than a handful of stinted letters from this very powerful and passionate woman.

 

 

Battle of Flodden

The Battle of Flodden, which took place in Northumberland’s Brainston Moor, was a victory for England and the death of Scotland’s King James IV, who died in the battle. Although the English forces were headed by the Earl of Surrey (Thomas Howard, 2^nd Duke of Norfolk), it was Queen Catherine who, heavily pregnant, rode out in full armour to address the troops before battle.

War with Scotland was personal – it was the King’s brother-in-law, James IV who declared war on England while England was making war with France.  James IV wrote to Henry VIII on 24 May, 1513, stating that he had received word from France that England might invade, and that if Henry invaded France, Scotland in turn would invade England. Scotland’s alliance (known as the Auld Alliance) supported France and were anit-Papist reformers. More specifically, England and Spain were allies with League of the Cambrai, the Catholic League, which was under attack from France who was invading Italy. While England attacked France, Scotland supported France by attacking England. Queen Catherine, a daughter of Spain and devout Catholic, kept Henry’s England highly influenced by Spain and the Pope until she fell out of Henry’s favour many years later. Adding to this was the already turbulent relationship between Scotland and England which, never a strong alliance, had reached critical breaking point when Robert Kerr, a Scottish East March warden was murdered (not to mention that Henry outraged James by claiming Scotland as one of his territories).

Fighting on two or more fronts always weakens an army, so when the King and his troops gathered arms and fought for two years in France, it was up to Queen Regent, Catherine of Aragon to sort things out on the northern borders of England while Scotland was trying to invade. Catherine proved herself to be a trustworthy Regent and leader at the time. The Battle of Flodden was not the end of Anglo-Scots tension or wars, but with James IV dead and his son and successor only 17 months old, it cooled their attack for many years to come.

Catherine may have succeeded in rousing troops to victory, but her joy was short lived as her newborn child died only days after he was born in October.

 

sources: 'Henry VIII: May 1513, 21-31', Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 1: 1509-1514 (1920)
Scottisharchivesforschool.org
and Wiki

 

Margaret of Savoy

 

It’s been an exciting few weeks – firstly, the Historical Novel Society weekend was very illuminating.  And it’s been good motivation as well. I have less than one year to finish my research and write my first draft of the Tudor murder mystery novel. I’m loving the research, but it is difficult to not get sidetracked.  I’ve been looking into Catherine of Aragon and whilst reading papers from Henry VIII court in 1513, I kept coming across some familiar names, but what caught my eye was Margaret of Savoy. Of course there have been a few women of that title over time, but only one alive in 1513 and the more I read about her (see, distracted) the more I came to love her.

The letter that caught my eye last night was from Mary, Princess of Castile to Margaret, thanking her for the costume patterns for the women in her court, of which she hopes to introduce the fashion very soon. I love this very girly sharing of patterns and style, but it goes much deeper than that as sneaky Margaret has a very large hand in dealing out textiles as well as fashions – not just out of a feminine vanity, but to add to the political and financial strength of her country.

Margaret of Savoy (or, Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy) made new ground with what women rulers could do in a very male dominated world.  She was widowed twice and was allowed to live in her own right and having a hand in European politics. She negotiated a treaty of trade with England that favoured Flemish cloth interests and even helped to form the League of Cambrai in 1508 (a Holy League that held vast political and Papal influence throughout Europe) and later, the Treaty of Cambrai (known also as Ladies’ Peace).

I’d love to see what sort of relationship Margaret had with Catherine of Aragon, as both women held immense political sway and influence. But that must wait for another day. For now, I must read more papers and letters from 1513, note what I can (as I’m looking for Catherine’s letters from, to, or about her as her early life as Queen and especially Regent is very vaguely documented).

HNS and missing teen readers...

(I'm in the stripes)

 

What a great three days – my first Historical Novel Society Conference touched on so many aspects of the industry.  The best though was meeting so many like-minded authors (even though Tudor era writers were highly underrepresented).  As I was travelling with my friend Laura Purcell (Queen of Bedlam author), somehow I ended up adopted by a largeish group of Georgian writers and learning all about William Pitt’s brother John from Jacqui Reiter (who took the photograph above and is sitting to my right).

            My Christmas list has grown with books I want to read – Juliet Greenwood is at the top of my list with her late Victorian novels that just look so good (not to mention she was in the top 5 list for kindle historical fiction books which is rather impressive). I also splurged on a copy of The Miniaturist and the author, Jessie Burton was kind enough to sign it for me.

            There were so many excellent speakers, but also an illuminating session with traditional agents, publishers and sales reps of the industry. One of the most less helpful aspects of this session was when I asked about the teen market for historical fiction and was promptly told by several of the panellists that ‘teenagers just don’t read’.  Which of course, is pretty much nonsense but has given me the gumption to re-write some of my previous work for the adult market.  Teen readers (yes, they do exist!) that I’ve met purposefully avoid children’s fiction but will read adult novels.  So, eh.  Doesn’t matter too much I suppose as I’m jumping ship on the whole writing YA. I may return to YA when Briardarke officially takes on Faeries, but for now I have until December to research 1513 and everything Tudor and from January to June to crank out draft 1 of my first Tudor Murder Mystery (under a pen name).

            So now that school is back in session (thank heavens for my 15 hours a week in which to work) I expect my future blogs to be history heavy. Fun times!

The Body in the Courtyard

(above portrait is of a young Catherine of Aragon)

Now that I’m no longer in between novels, I finally feel like things are back to normal.  Except that they aren’t.  Instead of working on my next teen fiction, I’m researching the early 1500s for the setting of my next series; a Tudor Murder Mystery series for adult readers under a pen name (which will be disclosed upon release of book 1).  The main character will be/is fictitious, but the story revolves around historic events, so although it’s a fiction, I absolutely must get the setting and history right.  Which means a lot of research, which I love doing.

I’ve always wanted to write a whodunit and I’ve always wanted to explore the Tudor era in more depth (the Masters degree was in Early Medieval Archaeology, so anything past Conquest was too late for me).  Now that I’m more engaged with the latter medieval, I find myself getting sucked into the era. The more I learn, the more I want to know.

Which brings us to 1513, the year my novel is set.  I knew a bit about the first wife of Henry VIII; that she was treated pretty roughly towards the end when his wandering eye took his interest (and hopes for a son) to Catherin’s lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. I also knew she bore many children although only one survived (to become Queen Mary).  I didn’t know that she’d been assigned Regent for six months while Henry was away in France, that heavily pregnant, she donned full armour, rode north to address her troops who were due to invade Scotland.  England had been at war with Scotland for some time and she and her army won the war. Her child, however was born in October and lived only 52 days.  Small wonder, reading about what she’d been through. Catherine of Aragon was much more than just wife number 1.  She was the strength that the King depended on, trusted to run the country for him while he was away.  And that trust was not misplaced (now if only she could have trusted him).

But Catherine of Aragon is not my protagonist – she’s just part of the background tapestry of my setting. My main character is a young woman of no real consequence.  Her father is a Lord, her fiancé is in France fighting along side King Henry, but her life is about to make some unexpected changes. Not only is her fiancé reported fallen in the battlefield, but her parents ship her off to the countryside to care for a bedridden great aunt that she’s never heard of.  And then there is that body in the courtyard…

Blood Tide's new launch!

It’s finally out in print and I can’t believe how wonderful it feels.  After years of rewrites, making small changes, edits and feedback from some very amazing readers, it’s pure concentrated love in triangle paperback form. Springbok Publications, my publisher for the book, has also sent me to my first e-launch.  I had no idea what to expect and I was sweating for the three hours before it started.  However, once live, it was good fun and I had the chance to engage with my readers and potential readers for a few hours.

Something someone asked me on the night was, ‘what made you want to write about slavery in 1733?’ Valid question.  It was a very convoluted answer.  The primary reason was that I felt Black History Month became a bit boring for teenagers at school.  It seemed to be the same list of names, dates and atrocities and I had the distinct feeling they’d become num to it all.  I wanted to engage these young adults with a new tale – a fictional tale using the elements of historic slavery with a character they could follow (and was new to them).

Of course, there was also that amazing charcoal sketch of a Caribbean woman at my grandmother’s house which inspired Amber’s mother, Precious.  This is her story too, although most of it is about Amber fighting her way to freedom alongside her fellow captors.  And, of course, who could resist the urge to write about pirates?

There was only one successful revolting slave ship in history, and that was the Amistat. Slaves on the ship managed to escape the hold, take the ship and live for a short time as pirates.  With several historic points as inspiration, I wove a tale that (hopefully) tempts newcomers to history, leaving them wanting to research their own histories and learn more.

Blood Tide is available now on Amazon, but should, in just a few weeks, be available to order from Waterstones and most bookstores.  For a signed copy, visit www.springbokpublications.com.