Special Guest Interview with by Julie Maxwell, Author of The Image of the King

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

England, 1648. King Charles I is a prisoner on the Isle of Wight. He has lost the civil wars. He now stands to lose his head. Escape is imperative - but it seems increasingly impossible. No one proves more enterprising than the king's spy-mistress Jane Whorwood. Yet no one poses more of a threat to his image as a family man.

I'm pleased to welcome author Julie Maxwell to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book

The Image of the King is the story of two men, King Charles I and John Milton. Milton is now famous as the poet of Paradise Lost. But in his own day he was infamous as the writer who defended the trial and execution of King Charles. It was the first time in history that a head of state had been impeached by his subjects and brought to account for crimes against his own people. The novel alternates between the viewpoints of Milton and the monarch in order to explain how each man reached this extraordinary juncture in his life.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I write best in the morning. The brain’s transition from sleeping to waking is often very productive for me, so I go straight to the desk to write everything down. Later in the day I find it helpful to switch from word-processing to writing longhand with a favoured fountain pen that is a real physical pleasure to use. I draft dialogue, sometimes whole scenes, in notebooks while I am away from my desk and then type it up afterwards with improvements. 

I usually work on a novel for an intense spell of several months. Then I might put the draft aside for a very long time so I can look at it with fresh eyes again. I like to reread my own work as though I am encountering it as a reader, not as its writer.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Write the book you feel compelled to write. A novel is a marathon that is sure to involve several laps of the hurdles. It is hard to sustain unless you feel driven by the need to write this particular novel and, conversely, by the conviction that this book really needs to be written. 

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?

This is a question that I am still trying to answer. The novelist Joanna Kavenna once described me as ‘an original and witty writer who deserves to be better known’. If you are traditionally published, then a lot depends on the marketing budget and the effectiveness of the publicist. There is also, of course, an element of luck. 

My debut You Can Live Forever and my second novel These Are Our Children both had ‘Big Five’ publishers. As a result there were reviews in the national press, Sunday magazine features and radio appearances. With The Image of the King, my first venture into historical fiction, I am trying something new. Sharpe Books is a digital-first publishing company which has achieved many Amazon bestsellers. Recently I have been lucky enough to appear on the podcast ‘1666 and All That’, hosted by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins, and to write a piece on ‘Milton the Historian’ for Aspects of History. I joined Twitter rather reluctantly just a few months ago, but I am glad of the opportunities it has given me to connect with other writers and readers. 

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research

The received image of King Charles I is of a slightly aloof, tragical martyr. His death distorts him into a permanently solemn historical figure, the one who stares so miserably out at us from van Dyck’s masterly portraits, as though he is already waiting for the axe to fall. What I discovered in the course of researching his life story, however, was how many blackly comical moments there were. The novel starts, for example, with a bungled attempt to escape Carisbrooke Castle that leaves the King farcically stuck in a window frame!

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

The scene that is now chapter two was originally the beginning of the book. I had never written historical fiction before and I knew that it needed to be an immersive experience, so I chose to describe a disaster scene. I also needed to establish a main character, decide how I would handle the dialogue of historical figures, and draw on my research without allowing it to impede the narrative flow. It was a lot to do all at once and it took me many attempts. I always find, however, that the beginning of a novel takes much longer than everything else. Once you know what you are doing, then the rest can follow relatively quickly. 

What are you planning to write next?

The sequel to The Image of the King. After eleven years of Cromwellian rule, the Stuart monarchy is restored. The biggest manhunt in British history, for the killers of the former King Charles I, is soon underway. As a notorious apologist for the regicide, Milton goes into hiding to save his life. How will his great poem Paradise Lost ever be finished now?

Julie Maxwell 

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About the Author

Julie Maxwell was born in Southall in 1975 and educated at Christ Church, University of Oxford. Her debut novel You Can Live Forever (Jonathan Cape) won a Betty Trask Award and was Book of the Month on BBC Radio 5 Live and a TLS Book of the Year. These Are Our Children (Quercus) was an Observer Book of the Year. She has thrice been the recipient of an Authors’ Foundation award from the Society of Authors. The Image of the King (Sharpe Books) is her first historical novel. Julie Maxwell is also a literary critic and has held Fellowships in English Literature at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. She co-edited Shakespeare and Quotation (Cambridge University Press) and has written on numerous contemporary literary topics for Areté magazine. You can find Julie on Twitter @JMaxwellAuthor

Special Guest Post ~ Researching the House of Grey, by Melita Thomas

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Grey family was one of medieval England's most important dynasties. They were were on intimate terms with the monarchs and interwoven with royalty by marriage. They served the kings of England as sheriffs, barons, and military leaders. Weaving the lives of these men and women from a single family, often different allegiances, into a single narrative, provides a vivid picture of the English medieval and Tudor court, reflecting how the personal was always political as individual relationships and rivalries for land, power, 
and money drove national events.

Researching the House of Grey

The House of Grey was my second book, and that made it both harder and easier to write than my first, The King’s Pearl.  For me, writing about Mary I had been something of a life-long ambition, and whilst I was not oblivious to the difficulties of researching and writing, there were a lot o ‘unknown unknowns’ that only enthusiasm (and a deadline!) carried me through.

The knowledge of how to plan and manage the research and the writing process made the House of Grey slightly easier to manage in practical terms, although there was a time when it did seem that I would never see the light at the end of the research tunnel.

For my second project, the unknowns had turned into scary realities, made worse by the Greys not being royalty, so consequently fewer of the archives associated with them had been unearthed or transcribed.

This was slightly ameliorated by the close relationship some members of the family had with central figures, such as Thomas Cromwell, for whom a whole plethora of correspondence exists. Otherwise much of the information is derived from grants of land or office, or legal disputes, which can give the impression that the mediaeval and Tudor nobility spent a large proportion of their time in litigation.

Even once the archives are unearthed, for me there was the problem reading Tudor handwriting.  I struggle with palaeography, partly through lack of formal training (although I went on courses to improve) and partly through poor eyesight.  In the end, I selected some key archives to be transcribed by an expert, Dr Lisa Liddy, whose amazing skills made my life easier.

Other sources are, of course, the chronicles and historical accounts written more or less contemporaneously, but these often had to be taken,  not exactly with a pinch of salt, but with the knowledge that the writers generally had a point of view of their own, which might be very different from that of the Greys, or even be so biased as to qualify as propaganda either for or against them.

As always, history is written by the winners, so the time a chronicle was written, its sponsor and their relationship with the Greys must all be borne in mind, if there is no primary evidence confirming or refuting the report.  The corollary to this is, is the importance of maintaining an unprejudiced stance yourself and not just creating more one-sided propaganda, whilst at the same time, trying to build, if not sympathy, at least understanding for your protagonists’ actions.

Something that fascinates me is the historian’s ability to know more than the people of the time. I can read the letters from Lord Leonard Grey to Cromwell, explaining events in Ireland from his perspective, alongside those written by the men who sought to oust Leonard from office.  He did not know the damage they were doing to his reputation, but I do.  His execution for treason was more of a shock to him, than it was to me!

Melita Thomas

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About the Author

Melita Thomas is the co-founder and editor of Tudor Times, a repository of information about Britain in the period 1485-1625. Melita has loved history since being mesmerised by the BBC productions of ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ and ‘Elizabeth R’, when she was a little girl. After that, she read everything she could get her hands on about this most fascinating of dynasties.  In her spare time, Melita enjoys long distance walking. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter @melitathomas92 and @thetudortimes.

Special Guest Post by Tracey Warr, Author of The Anarchy (Conquest Book 3)

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

1121. The trail of a mass murderer and a hunt for a runaway nun. King Henry I has lost his heir in the sinking of The White Ship and his reign is fraught with the succession crisis. The king is obsessed with relics and prophecies. He summons his daughter, the Empress Maud, to return to England, and considers putting a woman on the English throne.

Welsh Warrior Queen: Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan

The Anarchy, the third book in my Conquest trilogy, has just been reissued. The trilogy focuses on the turbulent life of the Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys, and the Norman king, Henry I, at the end of the 11th century and into the 12th century. 

One of the central events in The Anarchy is the Welsh uprising against the Normans after the death of King Henry in 1135 and the extraordinary role played in the uprising by Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan. 

After the deaths of King Rhys ap Tewdwr and his two sons and the murder of a third son by invading Normans in 1093, Nest’s infant brother, Gruffudd ap Rhys, was the rightful king of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth (covering modern-day Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and parts of Ceredigeon) but his lands were occupied by the Normans. When his family was massacred and his sister Nest was taken hostage, Gruffudd was spirited off to safety in Dublin. 

Deheubarth and Cantref Mawr

Sometime between 1113 and 1115, Gruffudd, now a young man, returned from Ireland. He stayed for a while with his sister Nest and her Norman husband Gerald FitzWalter, who was the steward of Pembroke Castle. Perhaps Gruffudd thought he could best scope the situation from behind enemy lines, and perhaps Gerald thought he could best keep an eye on the disinherited Welsh king by giving him hospitality. 

Gruffudd began gathering disgruntled young Welsh warriors to his cause. In 1115, he fled to the court of the northern Welsh king, Gruffudd ap Cynan to evade the anger of the Norman king, Henry. In Gwynedd, Gruffudd wooed the Welsh king’s daughter, Gwenllian. They eloped and married, living in mountainous and forested hideouts, undertaking raids. Gruffudd continued to attack Norman castles with some limited success and was accused of treason in 1116. 

King Henry pardoned him and gave him Cantref Mawr, which was some compensation for the kingdom Gruffudd had lost. Cantref Mawr included the Welsh castle of Dinefwr, the main seat of the princes of Deheubarth, and presented the natural obstacles of mountains, dense shrub, and rivers to an invading army, which made it of strategic value. Gruffudd was accused of treason again in 1127 and had to flee to Ireland.

Dinefwr Castle

After Henry’s death, the Normans’ grip on Wales faltered during the anarchy of King Stephen’s reign. Stephen had usurped the throne from Henry’s daughter, his cousin Matilda. In 1136, the Welsh rebels saw an opportunity and rose against the occupiers, with Gruffudd ap Rhys playing a prominent part. 

Gruffudd marched with his followers to join the princes of Gwynedd in an attack on Cardigan. 

While Gruffudd was away, Gwenllian led a Welsh army against Maurice of London at the Norman motte and bailey castle at Kidwelly, which had been constructed by King Henry’s main advisor, Bishop Roger of Salisbury. Gwenllian was killed along with one of her sons and another son was captured. This was the only major battle in medieval Wales in which a woman is documented as commanding an army. Gerald of Wales (the great-nephew of Gruffudd and Gwenllian) described Gwenllian as riding at the head of an army, ‘like some second Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons’. 

In the autumn of 1136, Gwenllian’s husband Gruffudd ap Rhys and the princes of Gwynedd met the Normans near Cardigan in the battle of Crug Mawr. ‘Vengeance for Gwenllian!’ became the battle cry of the Welsh warriors. The Welsh gained victory against the Normans at Crug Mawr but Gruffudd’s success was short-lived as he died the following year (possibly murdered by his new wife, according to the chronicler Florence of Worcester).

Gruffudd’s sons, Anarawd and Cadell (sons by a wife before Gwenllian), and then Gruffudd and Gwenllian’s sons, Maredudd and Rhys, took the title of Prince of Deheubarth in succession. Rhys was particularly successful in his contention against the Normans and reached an accord with King Henry II.

The site near Kidwelly, where Gwenllian and her son fell, is known as Maes Gwenllian and a memorial to the warrior queen has been erected outside the castle.

Kidwelly Castle and memorial to Gwenllian

You can find out more here:

https://cadw.gov.wales/sites/default/files/2019-05/Gwenllian_EN.pdf 

Tracey Warr

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About the Author

Tracey Warr was born in London, lived in southwest Wales and now lives in southern France. The castles and landscapes of Wales and France inspire her historical fiction. She is the author of five historical novels set in medieval Europe and centred on strong female leads. Her writing awards include an Author’s Foundation Award and a Literature Wales Writer’s Bursary. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked as a contemporary art curator and art history academic. Tracey manages author launch interviews for the Historical Novel Society website. She is part of the team organising the next Historical Novel Society UK conference at Dartington Hall, Devon 6–8 September 2024.   For more information see https://meandabooks.com and find Tracey on Facebook and Twitter @TraceyWarr1

Special Guest Interview with Martha Conway, Author of The Physician's Daughter

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

In a world made for men, can one woman break free from tradition and walk a new path?

I'm pleased to welcome author Martha Conway to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book

I suppose you could describe The Physician's Daughter as "But She Persisted" meets "But She Fell in Love." Vita Tenney has always dreamed about becoming a doctor like her father, but in 1865, when the novel takes place, very few women were able to pursue medical careers. Then Vita meets a man who might help her, Civil War veteran Jacob Culhane. For a while it seems as though Vita's plan will work— until she falls in love with Jacob. Will Jacob help Vita to pursue her dream, or will he ask her to help him with his own dream instead?

What is your preferred writing routine?

I write every weekday morning from 9am until 12pm. I started that routine after I left my office job to care for my children, and now that my children are grown it still suits me. If I am writing a first draft (new material), I write at least 500 words a day. Since most of my novels are historical, I often do a bit of research during my writing time—but I try to do the bulk of my research later, during the afternoon or weekends.

What advice do you have for new writers?

For me, I needed to find a routine; I needed to make writing a habit. Try various schedules and see what works for you. Then, once you have found a schedule that works, be as disciplined as you possibly can. It may be that you decide to write during your lunch hour, or on the bus to work, or every Saturday morning ... but whatever it is, commit to it!

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?

Interviews like this! And anything and everything—social media, word of mouth, in-person readings, etc. Lately I've been talking to women's groups, groups interested in medicine and/or women in medicine, and Civil War groups. That's been new and fun. I also talk to a lot of book groups (mostly remotely); I've recently spoken to a book group in Pakistan and one in Ireland.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research

My character Vita Tenney dreams of attending the Cleveland Medical College, and I knew that women were admitted there in the 1850s. However, when I went to the Cleveland Museum of Medical History to do research, the docent told me that the CMC had STOPPED admitting women in 1859 — and didn't start admitting women again until 1916. Yes, over 60 years! So I had to figure out a way to get my girl into the program, even though the door was "officially closed" to women.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing?

The sex scene.

What are you planning to write next?

I'm writing a novel that takes place in Ireland during World War 2. Gaby Donnelly, an 18-year-old American girl, is stuck in Ireland in 1940, and finds a job as a cook's assistant at a large manor home. While there, she begins to see the ghost of her younger sister.

Martha Conway

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About the Author

Martha Conway's short fiction has appeared in the Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, The Quarterly, Carolina Quarterly, and other publications. She has reviewed fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Iowa Review, and is a recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship in Creative Writing. In addition to writing, Martha is an instructor of creative writing at Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program. She received her BA from Vassar College in History and English, and her MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Born and raised in Ohio, she now lives in San Francisco with her family. Find out more at Martha's website 

https://marthaconway.com/ and follow her posts about writing and reading on Facebook and Twitter at @marthamconway.

New Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Night of the Wolf (A Brother Chandler Mystery Book 3) by Cassandra Clark

New from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The ruthless reign of Henry IV and the clerical tyranny of Archbishop Arundel keep Brother Chandler and his friends under constant threat in this gripping medieval mystery featuring friar-sleuth Rodric Chandler.

Chester, 1400. Riding for his life, with a copy of Chaucer's heretical Canterbury Tales in his possession, friar-sleuth Brother Chandler is ambushed on the road and wakes up in a stranger's house.

Is his 'rescuer', wool merchant John Willoughby, friend . . . or foe? Willoughby declares that he, like Chandler, has renounced the self-crowned King Henry IV and will help Chandler get his dangerous belongings to safety. He seems trustworthy, but Chandler knows that if he's caught by the King's merciless censors together with the Tales, he'll be burned at the stake.

But then Willoughby's young wife perishes in a terrible accident at their house - or so it seems . . . Willoughby asks Chandler to help investigate if it was indeed an accident or if someone had a hidden agenda.

All Chandler wants to do is find safe haven for Chaucer's Tales and return to London, but he accepts the case. Little does he know that it will lead to secrets being uncovered which will put not only Chandler but also those around him in unimaginable peril.

The Night of the Wolf is the third book in the Brother Chandler mystery series, following The Hour of the Fox and The Day of the Serpent. A great read for history lovers who enjoy puzzling

murder mysteries with twists!

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About the Author

Cassandra Clark has an M.A. from the University of East Anglia and taught for the Open University on the Humanities Foundation course in subjects as diverse as history, philosophy, music and religion. Since then she has written many plays and contemporary romances as well as the libretti for several chamber operas.  Find out about Cassandra's other books on her website at www.cassandraclark.co.uk and follow her on Twitter @nunsleuth

Book Launch Spotlight: Brotherhood of Wolves: A Medieval Crusader military adventure (Knights Templar Thrillers Book 1) by Daniel Colter

New from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The enemy strikes from within…

Jerusalem, 1177: The Holy City is in Christian hands and the Sultan Saladin has vowed to retake her, whatever the cost.

Two faiths are warring over sacred ground. It is within this feverish hotbed that Finn of Struan, a young knight dedicated to the Templars, is stationed.

Finn’s world unravels when his mentor, Robert of Saint Albans, murders a brother in cold blood. Worse, Robert joins the Devil himself — Saladin.

The foul deeds stain the Templar name and Finn is tasked with killing Robert, a man with a mind sharper than any sword.

But as Finn slips into enemy territory, he finds the hunter has become the prey…

As Templar fights Templar for control of the Holy City, can Finn avenge his dead comrade? Will the Brotherhood prevail?

Or will Saladin’s army emerge victorious?

BROTHERHOOD OF WOLVES is the first book in the Knights Templar Thrillers series: action-packed, authentic historical Crusader military adventures set during the Medieval era.

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About the Author

Daniel Colter has a graduate degree in anthropology / archaeology and worked twenty-four years as an archaeologist. He traipsed over many a remote, rugged landscape searching for prehistoric sites until life nudged him in a new direction. Now he writes novels. Daniel has a long-held fascination with ancient warfare, medieval history, and old sagas, which he uses as inspiration to spin epic adventure tales. When not writing, he can be found hunched over an anvil, burning his fingers while trying to make swords and knives. Daniel lives in the mountains of Utah with his wife and two lazy Labrador retrievers.  

Book Review: Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings, by Heather R. Darsie

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

I enjoyed reading Heather R. Darsie's previous book Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister', and have since had a very different view of Anna. Children of the House of Cleves is a detailed study of the lives of her sisters, Sybylla, and Amalia, and brother, Wilhelm von der Mark, providing a rich context for understanding the children of Johann III, Duke of Cleves, 

Wilhelm, as the heir, had the best education as preparation for life as a duke,  but the girls were were not well prepared what was to face them. Brought up in the 'Frauenzimmer', a strict, women only court, they were taught to run a noble household. 

The eldest, Sybylla, found herself defending the siege of Wittenberg against the formidable army of Charles V, and Amalia was the first choice as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII - until he was persuaded to marry Anna.

Heather Darsie was unable to visit many of the locations in the book due to the global pandemic, but has more than compensated for this through her forensic study of primary sources.

I knew how the royal families of Europe were interconnected in complex ways, but I'd not realised how this led to the Thirty Years War in Germany, and so much religious and political conflict.

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Heather R. Darsie lives in the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in German Languages and Literature, and a Juris Doctorate. During her time at university, she studied in Costa Rica and France, with visits to Germany and other countries. She is currently studying for an MA in Early Modern History. Find out more at maidensandmanuscripts.com  and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @HRDarsieHistory