Whenever there are historical things about, there are people who know nothing but myths, people who THINK they know, and people – like me – who have actually researched it. Henry was a difficult man to parse. There is the outer Henry, the one most of us see in history books or depicted for good … Read more
In my fourth King’s Fool Mysteries, DEVIL’S GAMBIT, Henry VIII weds his fourth wife, the German gentlewoman Anne of Cleves. It would have been an arduous journey to come to England, meet the king to see if he liked her, to be accepted…or sent back in disgrace. Instead, Henry’s court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, … Read more
I remember being on a panel in one of my first Bouchercons with authors Sharon Newman and Laurie King, and since we all wrote historical mysteries, the discussion naturally rolled over to “authenticity vs accuracy.” When you write historically, history is king. You never change the history to serve the plot, it’s always the other … Read more
I’ve been immersed in history all my life. My parents were rabid Anglophiles, stuffing our bookshelves with historical novels, works of nonfiction, and having discussions at the dinner table about the British monarchy. I can definitely name more kings and queens of England than American presidents. I had my own literary relationship with Geoffrey Chaucer … Read more
As I was researching my King’s Fool Mystery series, where Henry VIII’s real court jester Will Somers is the reluctant sleuth, I couldn’t help but notice some parallels with what was happening today. My series focuses on Will Somers and is told through his eyes, so there may be a little softening of the view … Read more
In the third of my King’s Fool Mystery series, REBELLIOUS GRACE, Will Somers, Henry VIII’s real court jester, finds himself called upon to use his skills to solve murders during Jane Seymour’s reign. But this was my conceit, because solving murders is not something that a jester ever would have done. So what do jesters … Read more