It’s been a while since I mentioned any news about my books, so I wanted to give you an update on what’s going on (and, alas, what’s not going on) with me.
First, the good news: my first nonfiction book, The Woodvilles, will be published in October in the UK and in January in the US. You can find a description of the book, plus an excerpt and ordering information, here. I’m setting up a tour of my favorite blogs as my publication date grows closer, so keep an eye on this space!
Second, I’m excited to note that my novel about Katherine Woodville and her husband, The Stolen Crown, will be coming out as an audiobook on August 12. John Lee and Alison Larkin are the narrators. I shall have to buy a copy to see what Harry and Kate sound like!
Now for the bad news. Some of you have been expecting my novel on Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. This isn’t happening, at least as a full-length book. I am a novelist who has to love my main characters, and with Margaret, the older she got, the harder I found it to connect with her. I couldn’t connect with anyone around her either, which made matters even worse. After a rather embarrassingly long and very frustrating period, I finally had to throw up my hands and admit that this was a project that was not meant to be.
I do find the younger Margaret likable, and it may be possible to salvage a shorter work about her from what I’ve written so far. I’ll be looking over what I have and seeing if this is viable. If it is, I’ll probably make it available on Amazon; if it’s not, I won’t inflict it upon you, but will instead consign it to my computer’s version of an attic.
And now back to the good news! I’m back to writing about the character I should have been writing about all along, and the writing is going much better. My characters are chatting in my head, in contrast to the stony silence I got from Margaret and the gang, and I find myself thinking about them when I’m brushing my teeth and walking the dogs (not, fortunately, at the same time). Until I get a lot further along, I’m keeping mum on the details, though.
Finally, I’ll be doing a search terms post soon. Til then, as a public service announcement, here are short (and straight) answers to some questions that keep popping up in searches for my blog:
did Edward of Lancaster rape Anne Neville?
There’s not the slightest evidence he raped his wife, or anyone else.
did henry vii rape elizabeth of york?
There’s not the slightest evidence that he raped Elizabeth of York, or anyone else.
was margaret of anjou having sex with her son?
There’s not the slightest evidence that she . . . Well, you get the picture.
did henry the 8th king of england wear glasses?
Yes, he did. A number of pairs are listed in the inventory of his goods. (And before someone asks, there’s not the slightest bit of evidence that he raped any of his wives. Or his son. Or his daughters.)
What! You mean all the British monarchs aren’t rapists? That’s news!
Not just them — I get variations on “George Boleyn raped Jane Parker” on a routine basis. Oddly, nothing about him raping Mark Smeaton, though he does do so in a couple of books.
Congratulations on the impending Woodville book, and the audiobook as well! I’m very sorry to hear that the Margaret Douglas novel isn’t happening — I was really looking forward to seeing your portrayal of Anne Boleyn, and the title character too, of course :). I hope you can get a shorter novel out of it — there’s no reason her *entire* life has to be covered, after all. If I may ask, where did you get stuck — was it her second marriage? The people she was associated with from then on seem like a fairly grim crowd, for the most part. And the Mary Queen of Scots/Darnley marriage is hard to imagine being a happy one for more than about ten seconds.
Yes, that’s precisely where I got stuck! I rather liked the Anne Boleyn parts, so fortunately those can be reused, either in a short MD book or in another book.
Looking forward to seeing it, however it appears!
One question that probably never pops up in searches for your blog is:
did Richard iii rape Anne Neville?
Because not only is there not the slightest evidence that he raped her or anyone else (and there isn’t) but everyone knows his marriage to her was a union of true love and all the lands he got from that marriage were just a side bonus that meant nothing to him. Just like everyone knows Anne never felt even remotely fond of her evil first husband, Edward of Lancaster. And how everyone knows Richard wasn’t in any way, by no stretch of the imagination, a hunchback.
Oh, wait. Um…scratch that last part.
Hah! I think if a modern writer had Richard rape Anne, the writer would probably have to go into hiding. It’s interesting what’s permissible with some historical figures and not with others.
But at least one modern writer, who currently has a TV show on BBC (I think) about a Queen has written that Richard III had an affair with Elizabeth of York. She has also written extensively about the Tudors and seems to believe that Anne Boleyn really did have a child by her brother. I just hate that.
Love your Q & A at the end! I also thought The Stolen Crown was wonderful! I’m not sure why I’ve never read your books until then, but it won’t be the last!
Thanks so much!
I ordered the Woodvilles book a couple of months ago – can’t wait. Very refreshing to hear an author admit when a project doesn’t work out. I’m speculating on your new project – but I’m keeping mum on who I think it is to hehe! I LOVED the Stolen Crown!
Sad about Margaret Douglas – I actually got to like her more as she got older. She was incredibly brave and sharp. There is one letter, when her husband is in the Tower and she is told by the Privy Council to please stop composing his apologies to the Queen and let him answer their questions to him. She was def the chief brains in that marriage, and it was a very happy one. The Darnley marriage was a disaster, but as the Spanish ambassador said, if she had been in Scotland she might have knocked some sense into her awful son