THE USURPER KING and THE ACCURSED KING

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

How did you become an author?
Funny you should ask! When I was in my mid-20s, I had a writer boyfriend who persuaded me to write a book with him. I did it to shut him up, but got caught up in the project. However, I didn’t like the way he was progressing in the story, so I went off on my own and wrote it my way! I’m happy to say this was my first published book (many years later).

Tell us about your writing process.
Writing historical fiction can be challenging, when our sources are so vague. I find myself surrounding myself with books on the first draft, and I constantly go from one to the other to sift through the fine details. Each source usually says something different about a particular incident (often contradictory) and I have to decide which one makes the most sense. I “stick to the facts” during my first draft, and don’t concern myself too much with imagery or segue ways. It’s during my second draft that I turn my series of events into a coherent story, adding personality to the novel. It takes two more drafts before I am satisfied.

How would you persuade readers to buy your book(s)?
Please tell me!! I know these are niche market books, and most people neither know nor care about the 15^th century (or the Battle of Hastings, depending on the book). Every summer I set up a booth at festivals, and it is painfully clear that readers are disconnected from medieval history. They will buy the book because I can “talk the talk”, but that’s only in person!

What is your all-time favourite book? What makes it special?
I adore THE THREE MUSKETEERS. Perhaps it’s because this is one of the first books that I identified as historical fiction, though it wasn’t called that back then. Dumas had such a gift for characterization, and I loved all his heroes. I never get tired of it.

What are you reading at the moment?
At the moment I’m reading EMPEROR’S AXE, book three in a series about Harald Hardrada by J.C. Duncan. I have to tell you: this series is absolutely fabulous. In the third book, we’re still in Constantinople, so we have a way to go before Stamford Bridge! I never knew much about this phase of his life, so it’s quite an eye-opener. The author has given Hardrada such personality—such force—you can’t help but root for him. I read this at the gym, and it helps me forget I’m on the treadmill.

Which author(s) (past or present) would you invite to dinner?
I would dearly love a conversation with Arthur Conan Doyle, with a promise not to mention Sherlock Holmes (who I love). But, even more so, I think he was a marvellous historical fiction writer. If you haven’t read SIR NIGEL and THE WHITE COMPANY, you are missing something special. These are about the hundred years’ war, and I learned a lot about how to bring this difficult period down to earth, using characters one can identify with.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or passions?
I love working outside in my garden. This is why I do most of my writing in the winter time.

How important is it to have your historical facts right and are there any instances when you would bend history to fit your story?
I am as detail oriented as possible about historical facts. Sometimes that can be very problematic, especially when my protagonist does things I deplore. Richard II was guilty of that, at times. Did he really order the murder of his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester? After reading as many histories as I could find, I had to reluctantly concede. The only time I consciously take a departure from history is when I put a character in a place he probably wasn’t, to forward the plot rather than introduce another new person that might add unnecessary confusion.

Can you give novice writers some tips (do’s/don’ts)?
One think I insist upon, when writing historical fiction, is not to rely on a single source. You’ll be amazed at how many historians disagree, and, unfortunately, how some historians get their own details wrong. There’s nothing worse than reading a book, knowing that the author did not to his/her research properly. Also, and most of all, don’t worry about getting the first draft right. Don’t even worry if you have to skip a particularly difficult section. Just keep moving. You can always fix it in a future draft.

What are your future plans as an author?
It seems that I’m going to continue with my current series, THE PLANTAGENET LEGACY. I was originally only going to write about Richard II, but the story didn’t want to end at the usurpation. Now it looks like I’m going to take it all the way to the end of the Lancastrians, but really, it should go all the way to Richard III. That’s a lot of books!