NEWS & EVENTS
October 2020
I must be the worst author in the world for updating her news and events page. it isn't that my life is lacking, it is just that I am so busy being an author that I forget to update.
I've been involved in a few anthologies of short stories this year with some splendid authors. The first Royal Blood (published by Sharpe Books) is a collection of stories from the Tudor court and my contribution is a story about Katherine Howard. It is available on Kindle and paperback and I believe the publisher is considering an audiobook. You can read a sample here.
The second anthology is due out in November but I am sworn to secrecy just now. What I can tell you is that I am working with some wonderful authors: Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Derek Birks, Helen Hollick, Amy Maroney, Alison Morton, Charlene Newcombe, Tony Riches, Mercedes Rochelle, Elizabeth St John and Annie Whitehead and the cover is fabulous.
I have been working on other projects too. Since the final book of The Beaufort Chronicle was published, I've added Sisters of Arden and The Heretic Wind to my catalogue. I've also been working on audio versions of my books with two lovely ladies, Elizabeth Bergstone who narrates Margaret in the Chronicile, and Alex Lee audio who narrates The Kiss of the Concubine, A Song of Sixpence and The Heretic Wind.
Lockdown has been hard for all of us this year and Covid 19 continues to hamper our social lives and cripple businesses. As an author it hasn't been too drastic for me. I rarely go out, I work from home and the fewer social pressures meant I had heaps of time to work on my new book. Unfortunately, because the weather was so splendid in the Wales I spent most of my time gardening or on the beach instead of working and am now paying the price and hurrying to reach my dead line.
The book I am currently writing is a challenge but it is something I've considered doing for a long time. It will be called A Matter of Conscience: the Aragon Years and is told from the perspective of Henry VIII himself. It covers his early years, his childhood, the death of Arthur, his time as Prince of Wales and the early years of his reign when he and Catherine were happy. Progress is good so far. Henry has not yet become the cruel man of his latter years. He has plans to become a good Christian king, the father of many sons, a champion of the church - all of which, he sadly fails to do.
Next time, I will give you the glimpse of the cover and hopefully a publication date. In the meantime, be good, keep safe and keeeep reading!
1 September 2017
How can it be almost a year since I began this webpage? I just popped on for a few updates. 2017 has been busy so far. As well as working on The King's Mother, which is still on schedule to be published by Christmas, I've been working with some other authors to put together an anthology to be published by Pen and Sword Books some time next year (2018). The publisher haven't provided a title yet but the main theme is medieval love (not middle aged love, that is something quite different). My article is about the relationship between Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt, something that is hinted at in his poetry and has intrigued me for many years.
Life has been a little tricky on the personal front this year but I have soldiered on and The King's Mother is progressing well. Inbetween sessions of work on that I've also continued to produce historical blogs, give historical talks and even attend the odd book fair.
Raglan Castle's annual Tudor Weekend was a blast at the end of August - it realy is my favourite event, not least of all because of the setting and getting to meet readers face to face, new and old.
Summer is drawing to an end now, I am hoping for a week off at some point before putting the final edits to The King's Mother before it goes off to the editors. I shall then be going through suggestions made by my readers as to who to write about next. You can make your own suggestion on my facebook author page - please look for me there.
29 November 2016
Since my last webpage provider seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth, I have started a new one here and hope my friends and followers will migrate with me. The big news is: Book Two of The Beaufort Chronicles will be published on kindle on the 8th of December, the paperback will follow soon after. Meanwhile, as well as promo and marketing, and researching Book Three, The Beaufort Woman, I am madly trying to get organised for Christmas. See you all soon!
