Loaded Questions with "The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn" author, Robin Maxwell

• An exclusive interview with the author of the upcoming novel, Signora da Vinci

This is a very big week for fans of historical fiction at Loaded Questions. We began the week with an interview with the first lady of Plantagenet historical fiction, discussing her new book and giving us a glimpse of her next novel.

Today we present to you another very high profile historical fiction author in the form of Robin Maxwell, an author who has continually supplied her fans with vivid characters, fascinating storylines and a unprecedented glimpse into the secret lives of the Tudor monarchs. Since Robin's debut novel was released in 1997 she has faithfully written a new novel every two years creating a current catalog of seven novels, her eighth to be released in January, 2009.

My interview with Robin Maxwell, which you will find below, should almost be called a conversation. While securing a time to conduct the interview Robin and I emailed back and forth, chatting about our love of Tudor history (which I am currently working on my Masters in), projects that we have worked on, other movies and novels that have attempted to tackle Tudor historical fiction and generally just having a great time chatting back and forth. Many of the questions I ended up asking I already knew the answer to after our series of emails but I still wanted to ask them so that the Robin Maxwell fans out there can see the answers.

Robin Maxwell is a boisterous, engaging woman who knows her history and tells one hell of a story.

Kelly Hewitt: You write a lot of novels about the Tudors and one can't help but notice that they've become very popular these days with fiction novels, movies, and television. As a master's student studying the Tudors I get this question all the time and so I feel somewhat guilty asking you but, have you watched "The Tudors" on Showtime and what do you think?

Robin Maxwell: I was totally addicted to "The Tudors". Once I got over the fact that 10 years ago I pitched the same idea to television (I'm also a screenwriter) for a mini-series and got laughed out of the room, and also got over the fact that The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, which was optioned three times (once for a feature film, once by NBC and Hallmark Entertainment, and once by Fox TV and A&E Network) and never produced, I just started watching the Showtime series and enjoying the sexy Henry VIII and the well-cast Anne Boleyn and other characters. I really enjoyed Sam Neill as Wolsey and thought he was very sympathetically portrayed (even though he was a villain in Secret Diary). I'm never satisfied with how any feature film (like "The Other Boleyn Girl") or TV movie portrays Anne, because they never give her enough credit for being a prime mover in the politics of the time, especially the Protestant Reformation. She is always the pawn, or the victim (of her father, for example in "The Tudors", or the evil bitch in "The Other Boleyn Girl."). What I did like about the Showtime series was that with such a long format (20 episodes over two seasons to tell the whole Anne/Henry story) they managed to get so much in. I thought the costumes and sets were fabulous, and all in all, about 10 times better than "The Other Boleyn Girl".

Kelly: Have any of your books been optioned for television or the silver screen?

Robin: The Wild Irish was optioned last year by Australian producer Monica O'Brien, for a feature film. I had already adapted my own novel into a script, so she optioned them both. Since then she's been doing a bang-up job, and now has all the financing she needs lined up, and two "A-list" directors who are very interested in the project. She tells me it will begin shooting in early 2010 (this coincides with the availability of the directors' schedules). I'm VERY excited about this being produced, as there hasn't ever been a heroine like Grace O'Malley, nor so dramatic a backdrop of the conflict between Elizabeth I (in her waning years, when she took on more of her father's murderous characteristics than her mother's) and the Irish people who wanted independence from England. What some call "Elizabeth's Irish War" was one of genocide, in which nearly half of Ireland was wiped out. We jokingly call the movie "Bravetart," and believe that when it gets produced it will sweep the Oscars.

Kelly: Since publishing your first book The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn you have written a new book every two years! Is that by coincidence or do you have a system down?

Robin: It's not really a system. It's just the way my publishing deals were structured. For the first four books I was given about 15 months to deliver a manuscript. Then it takes about 9 months from that point to get published. However, for the last two -- Mademoiselle Boleyn and Signora da Vinci -- I was given much shorter delivery periods. The new "conventional wisdom" is that an author should have a new book out every year (so her readers won't forget her!). It was really too short a time for writing the Da Vinci book, as it was all a new world for me and new characters, after six Tudor and Elizabethan novels, so I was actually late delivering. But I have a wonderful editor, and she was understanding. The downside with delivering it late was that the publishing date was pushed back to January `09. That seems to me a weird time to publish a book, as everybody's kind of "shot their wad" on Christmas presents. And now with this economy looking so dismal, I'm hoping that the new book gets a fair shot once it's on the shelves.

Kelly: I was fascinated to read an article you wrote for the Huffington Post in which you compared Hillary Clinton with Anne Boleyn in the article "Hillary Boleyn: Has Anything Changed in Half a Millennium". Do you have any modern day comparisons for the other Tudor women you have written about?

Robin: Not so much Tudor women, but I'm thinking seriously about writing another Huffington Post, comparing George W. Bush to Philip II of Spain. Philip ruled when Spain was the richest country in Europe, with "treasure ships" sailing into Spain groaning with gold from the New World. Yet, in his obsession with a religious war against the Protestants in the Netherlands, and sending his Armada against heathen English, he believed God was speaking into his ear and telling him what to do, he ended up bankrupting his country totally. Twice. Sound familiar?

Kelly: I have heard that you are working on a new novel set in the Italian Renaissance. What can you tell us about the new book?

Robin: Signora da Vinci is about the Itallian Renaissance seen through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci's mother. C.W. Gortner (previous Loaded Questions interviewee and author of The Last Queen) recently reviewed the book, and rather than trying to explain it myself, I thought I'd let you read what he said about it. I agree with my agent who said that Christopher "nailed it."

"In this exquisite gem of a novel, Robin Maxwell conjures a fascinating account of Leonardo Da Vinci's mother, a bold woman whose adventurous spirit and quest for her own truth captures the exuberance of the Italian Renaissance. Though little is known of the historical Caterina da Vinci, Maxwell's impressive research and keen storytelling skills sweep us into a very plausible account of a young alchemist's daughter whose unfortunate love affair brings her the greatest love of her life - her genius son - as well as the opportunity to escape the restrictions of her gender and enter a seductive garden of philosophy, art, learning, and danger. From the dusty streets of Vinci to the glories of Lorenzo Il Magnifico's Florence and the conspiratorial halls of Rome and Milan, Signora da Vinci is a tour de force celebration of one woman's unquenchable ardor for knowledge and of a secret world that historical fiction readers rarely see.

- C.W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen

Kelly Hewitt: I was interested to read in your biography that you initially moved to Hollywood in order to be a parrot tamer. How did you come to that profession?

Robin Maxwell: I'd been keeping exotic birds (started with parakeets) from the age of eight. I graduated to parrots after college, and they became a passion with me. When I moved from New York City to Los Angeles in 1976 parrot keeping had become "the thing," and when I was trying to find work, I stumbled into a gig taming birds who had just come out of quarantine (that was when birds were still allowed to be imported) and before they were shipped off to pet stores to be bought. In truth, it was a horrible job, because the birds had been so traumatized (and even injured) during their capture in the wild and in quarantine, and because there were even cruel, abusive "tamers." I quit the job after I reported one of these monsters and my boss refused to fire him. Now my husband and I share our lives with an umbrella cockatoo and an African grey parrot, who have been lovers for 25 years. I consider the birds my dear friends and my muses.



Titles featured in this interview:


The upcoming new release, Signora da Vinci
Published by NAL Trade, Jan. 2009

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
Published by Arcade, 1997

The Queen's Bastard
Published by Arcade, 1999

The Wild Irish
Published by William Morrow, 2003

Mademoiselle Boleyn
Published by NAL Trade, 2007


More titles from bestselling author, Robin Maxwell:

Virgin: Prelude to the Throne

Published by Simon and Schuster, 2002

"...a riveting portrait of Elizabeth I as a romantic and vulnerable teenager, dangerously awakening to a perilous liaison with the wrong man."

England, 1547: King Henry is dead. Elizabeth's half-brother, nine-year-old Edward, is king in name only. Thomas Seymour, brother to the ambitious duke who has seized power in this time of crisis, calculatingly works his way into Elizabeth's home in genteel Chelsea House. He marries Henry's widow, Catherine Parr, and uses his venerable charms and sexual magnetism to indulge his infatuation for young Elizabeth. Caught hopelessly under Thomas Seymour's spell, surrounded by kind friends and hidden enemies, Elizabeth can only follow her heart to ensure survival.

To the Tower Born: A Novel of the Lost Princes

Published by Harper, 2003

In 1483, Edward and Richard of York—Edward, by law, already King of England—were placed, for their protection before Edward's coronation, in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard. Within months the boys disappeared without a trace, and for the next five hundred years the despised Richard III was suspected of their heartless murders.

In To the Tower Born, Robin Maxwell ingeniously imagines what might have happened to the missing princes. The great and terrible events that shaped a kingdom are viewed through the eyes of quick-witted Nell Caxton, only daughter of the first English printer, and her dearest friend, "Bessie," sister to the lost boys and ultimate founder of the Tudor dynasty. It is a thrilling story brimming with mystery, color, and historical lore. With great bravery and heart, two friends navigate a dark and treacherous medieval landscape rendered more perilous by the era's scheming, ambitious, even murderous men and women who will stop at nothing to possess the throne.

Loaded Question Author Interview: CW Gortner Author of The Last Queen

Kelly Hewitt: This book, The Last Queen, had been on my Amazon wish list for quite some time, what can you tell us about the process, or perhaps ordeal is a better word, to get this book published?

C.W. Gortner: I wrote The Last Queen over ten years ago; it was conceived in response to the rejections my first novel about Anne Boleyn had received during submissions in New York. I’d had a very close call with that first novel; a wonderful editor at St Martin’s Press loved the book and wanted to acquire it, but historical fiction was going through what my agent at the time referred to as a “drought” and the editor ended up unable to offer on the book. In his letter to me, he mentioned Anne was a very well known character, and while there hadn’t been any recent fiction published about her he had heard of a novel that had been recently acquired. This turned out to be The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell. My agent and I felt it would now be quite difficult, if not impossible, to sell my novel, so I decided to write about a character who was less known. I’d always been fascinated by Juana la Loca since childhood and planned to write about her at some point, so I started my research.

Fast forward two years and I’d just finished my first draft of the manuscript. My agent and I had parted ways by mutual agreement, so I started querying. Any writer who’s queried agents knows how time consuming it can be but I was quickly picked up by an agency in Chicago, where an enterprising junior agent loved the book. She requested changes to enhance the romantic elements of the story. I was reluctant but she reassured me these changes would help its appeal with editors. She started some submissions, and then, as luck would have it, one day out of the blue called to tell me she was leaving the agency. The primary agent there wasn’t interested in historical fiction, so I lost representation.

In frustration, I put the manuscript aside, returned to college to obtain my MFA and started working on a new novel. I also honed my research of agents and located an agency that specialized in historical fiction. I queried them and an agent there expressed keen interest, though she warned me upfront that the market remained dire for debut fiction, particularly historical. She had me send her everything I’d written. She adored THE LAST QUEEN and asked me to reverse the changes the previous agent had done, saying she felt the book was strong enough without the overt romantic tone. Once again it went out for submission. While editors were generous with their praise, no one wanted to take a chance on a story about a relatively obscure Spanish queen. Finally, my agent and I decided to set it aside and try other work. I wrote THE SECRET LION during the four years I was with this agent, and she rallied beyond the call of duty to sell my work, but we didn’t succeed. Eventually she moved on to another agency and it became clear our association had reached an impasse, so we separated.

By this time, I was depressed with publishing and incredibly frustrated. I started looking into self-publishing. I felt I had nothing to lose. I ended up publishing THE SECRET LION through a small start-up press in San Francisco that used a combination of limited print runs and print-on-demand. There was no advance or marketing money. I learned everything I could about publicity and marketing books, and THE SECRET LION started to attract critical praise and word-of-mouth among readers. Within two years, it had sold several thousand copies, mostly online, as we had no bookstore distribution to speak of. Then, the press went belly-up and folded; to keep my book in print, I joined with two colleagues to start our own press, Two Bridges. THE SECRET LION was re-issued with a reading group guide and continued to sell extraordinarily well for a book without a major NY house behind it. The experience was so positive I decided to publish THE LAST QUEEN. Within a month it sold one thousand copies. Then one day my phone rang. It was my now-current agent, Jennifer Weltz, who worked at the last agency where I’d been represented and was familiar with my work. She wanted to know if I had an agent, which I didn’t. The market for historical fiction was excellent, she told me, and once she heard of my recent endeavors she wanted to submit THE LAST QUEEN in New York.

I liked Jennifer instantly; she’s witty, enthusiastic, and no-nonsense. I felt a kinship with her and thought, why not? I was content with my current arrangement, so I didn’t expect anything. As it turned out, for months we got rejections. Then two publishers expressed interest and within days THE LAST QUEEN went into auction. Jennifer was tireless on my behalf. She restored my faith in agents and I could hardly believe that after nearly thirteen years, I was looking at a major sale. My editor Susanna Porter won the auction for the Ballantine Books imprint of Random House in a 2-book deal. She did a thorough revision of the book, and I got the opportunity to explore Juana again under the auspices of a talented editor, which has been a terrific experience. She and my associate editor, Jillian Quint, have helped me shape my work in ways I’d never thought of.

That’s how THE LAST QUEEN got published. Yes, at times it was an ordeal but I learned so much about the business of publishing and my own craft, in a way it’s exactly how it was meant to come about. I feel quite blessed.

Kelly: I recently visited your website and read about your personal history. It almost seems as if you were destined to write a novel about Juana. Not did you grow up in Spain, but you lived near a castle that belonged to Isabella and Ferdinand, visited Juana's grave in Granada where the novel first begins, perhaps most interestingly, your grandmother, a well-known theatre actress named Pilar Gomez del Real, played Juana on stage! I was astounded at all of these connections. I have a bunch of questions about all of this.

First of all, how old were you when you first resolved to write a novel about Juana?

CW: I was in my mid-thirties, as I explained above— but I’ve known about Juana since childhood and it was always in the back of mind that one day I wanted to write about her. As a boy, I took a trip to Granada and visited the Alhambra and the cathedral where Juana and Philip are interred. I remember looking at her stone effigy and wondering if the lurid legend was true. Did she really go mad over love? Was she really so unstable she could never have ruled Spain? It became a secret obsession of mine: I always imagined her as this tragic, enigmatic figure no one understood. As it turned out, my research uncovered much more: I discovered an extraordinary woman of passion, conviction and courage, whose voice had been silenced by men determined to see her forgotten.

Kelly: Do you know that name of the Spanish play in which your grandmother portrayed Juana?

CW: It was called “Loca de Amor”: Mad over Love. A famous film with the same title was made in Spain the 1940s, based, I think, on the play. The film proved immensely popular and swept the Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. It essentially follows Juana’s legend—the myth, if you will. My grandmother got excellent reviews: Juana is an actress’s dream role!

Kelly: And lastly, when are you planning on taking me on a guided trip of Spain? Oh, my dear, anytime you’d like! I always like going to Spain. My partner and I hope one day to live six months out of the year there.

Kelly: Speaking of your website, it is beautiful. There is a feature on the main page titled Juana's World which features excerpts from the book as well as wonderful pictures and descriptions of each of the characters in the book, period paintings of the castles and cities where the novel takes place as well as information and portraits of all of Juana's children and photos of Juana's tomb. I could go on and on! Anyone interested in the royal history of Spain will marvel at the information and art work you have put together.

Readers of the book will find it immensely rewarding to actually see the characters and places depicted in the novel. As a reader and fan of historical fiction I have to thank you for this feature. How and why did it come about? Did you put it together yourself?

CW: The idea was suggested to me by my lovely and dedicated publicist, Lisa Barnes. I went to New York after the book sold to meet Jennifer in person and the Ballantine team who would be working with me. They took me out to a wonderful New York lunch, where their passion for books was truly heartwarming, especially for me. I had demonized the industry somewhat because of my past experiences and I now saw that people who work in publishing are by and large ardent bibliophiles like me. Lisa and I were talking about publicity for THE LAST QUEEN and she mentioned how much she liked my website and that she’d love to see pictures of Spain on it, as she’d never been there and I bring the country to life in my book. I went home and thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to combine pictures of Spain with Juana’s story, so readers can get a visual sense of the locales and characters. So, I gathered images and designed the pages that comprise Juana’s World. I built my website on my own, using PhotoShop and a web-building program. I learned to do a lot of things on my own when I was publishing independently, because I couldn’t afford it otherwise. I like working on my website, too: it’s relaxing and creative. I used to paint with oils in my spare time and I’ve discovered a similar affinity for Photoshop.

Kelly: Juana's husband was often referred to as Philip the Fair or Philip the Handsome. In your novel Juana seems to think that Philip lived up to his title. But I want to know what you think, is he all that?

CW: That’s funny! No, by our standards he looks quite petulant, doesn’t he? But the truth is that’s hard to get an accurate sense of how people looked based on these portraits. They were made to depict an ideal rather than reality; in some cases what we see are later copies of originals, which were either lost or altered beyond recognition. We don’t get truly realistic portraits until later in the Renaissance, when Holbein and others of his ilk come to the fore. In Italy, masters like Leonardo da Vinci were already at work, but in early sixteenth century northern Europe and Spain we mostly have stiff idealizations that don’t conform to our modern notions of beauty. Still, all the ambassadorial accounts and letters of the period that I read during my research describe him as a superlative example of masculine beauty, so maybe in real life he was gorgeous. He certainly was athletic and well-built, something the portraits don’t show. We also have to take into account that indefinable quality that is sex appeal, which is usually present only when we see someone in the flesh.

Kelly: This is a bit personal but what does the CW stand for in bestselling author CW Gortner?

CW: They’re my first and second name initials, for Christopher Willis. I didn’t deliberately choose C.W. as an authorial affectation. It came about because when the cover for THE SECRET LION was being designed, the designer couldn’t fit Christopher W. Gortner on it without intruding on the wonderful original illustration of the hand holding the scroll. After several attempts, I suggested we try my initials instead and it worked. So, I became C.W. I prefer being called Christopher by my friends, though J

Kelly: Let’s pretend for a moment that you are alive during the period in which Queen Juana lived. Fill in the blank there's Philip the Handsome, Juana the Mad, Ferdinand the Catholic and you would CW the …

CW: C.W. the Curious. Because I always think there’s more to a story and I always want to know more.

Kelly: While looking at the pictures of children, her two sons Charles and Fernando who grew to become King of Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor, daughter Eleanor who became Queen of France, Mary who ended up Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Catherine the Queen of Portugal, and finally eldest daughter Isabella who was Queen of Denmark, Sweden and Norway to name a few of her titles. I can't help to think of her as a precursor to Queen Victoria of England, the first grandmother of Europe.

I promise there's a question lurking in my zealous history geekiness.

The birth and subsequent royal marriages and power of her children aside, what do you think Juana's biggest contributions to history is?

CW: Juana precedes the reigns of such sovereign queens as Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart. Like her mother before her, she inherited Castile as sole heir. She could have ruled independent of any spouse had she been given the chance. It is fascinating to conjecture what her reign might have been like, had she ruled as queen. As for her biggest contribution I think that sadly it is the legend she left behind, the personification of Iberian tragedy. She is mythical in Spain, famous for her wild passion. But I would like to think that eventually her contribution will be that she stood alone for Spain in a time when everyone around her save for a precious few were willing to sell the country wholesale to the Hapsburgs.

Kelly: Your first novel The Secret Lion, which follows the secret machinations of Brendan Prescott, was also well received. Some of the fans of that book and your central character have called for more novels based around Prescott. One cannot help but notice the subtitle, The Spymaster Chronicles, Book I, when can your readers expect another Spymaster Chronicle book and will Prescott still be the central character?

CW: Oh, I do hope soon! I actually get quite a bit of reader mail asking this question and I wish I could be more specific. I conceived the Spymaster Chronicles as a series: the idea was to explore the rise of a fictional spy in Elizabeth I’s service and entwine his personal life and trials with his attempts to keep Elizabeth safe. I see Brendan traveling throughout Europe at Master Walsingham’s behest, caught up in much derring-do. When I first published the book, I immediately started working on the second one, which takes place during Mary Tudor’s reign. I wrote the first few chapters and had the entire book outlined when my deal with Ballantine happened – not that I’m complaining! Between edits to THE LAST QUEEN and finishing my next novel for them, I simply haven’t had the time to return to the second Spymaster installment. I still hold a full-time job; I’m wary of being a full time writer until I know how I’ll do in the bigger commercial arena, so I write at night and on weekends. There’s also the added factor that my agent has expressed the possibility of submitting the series to a larger publisher, which would be terrific if it happened, because then I’d have the financial support I need to actually write full time. But there’s no time table for the moment, and so I’m hoping to find some time this coming winter to return to the Spymaster book. I have so many ideas for the series and I don’t want to disappoint my readers! I’m so appreciative and honored by the incredible reception THE SECRET LION has received and promise that I’m doing my utmost to get another book out as soon as I possibly can.

Kelly: I think I remember reading once that you already have some completed novels waiting to be published. Am I correct in remember that or have I simply done too many author interviews?

CW: You’re correct. I have one other completed novel, the one I wrote on Anne Boleyn. When I first wrote it, like I said, there was nothing recent about her and now of course she’s the poster girl for historical fiction. Still, I think I bring something unique to my interpretation and perhaps I’ll get it published some day. I also have several chapters of a projected novel set in 15th century Spain and a novel in the Italy of the Borgias, which I hope to focus on after my upcoming book on Catherine de Medici.

Kelly: Speaking of author interviews, you do quite a few of your own on your blog, Historical Boys which features interviews with historical fiction authors, now with both boys and girls. What author interview has been your favorite so far?

I honestly can’t say. I’ve enjoyed them all for different reasons. I must admit, it was thrilling to meet Robin Maxwell. We had this six degrees of separation thing with Anne Boleyn and I’d read and liked all her books. When I finally spoke with her via e-mail, I was delighted to discover that she’s so friendly and open. I also adore Judith Merkle Riley, whom I met at the first annual Historical Novel Society’s US conference, and have become friends with; I also like talking to new writers in the genre, like the very talented Sarah Bryant, the sublime Sarah Bower, and charismatic Russell Whitfield. And interviewing Steven Saylor was a true honor: he’s a marvelous writer and has been an idol of mine for years.

Kelly: If you could interview one living author who would it be?

CW: That’s easy: Sharon Kay Penman. I’m a devoted fan and very excited to read Devil’s Brood!

Thank you for taking this time with me, Kelly, and thank you for everything you do to help writers promote their work! I hope your readers enjoy THE LAST QUEEN as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I welcome visitors at http://www.cwgortner.com and answer all e-mails sent to me.

Win A Copy of The Last Queen by CW Gortner!

Welcome to another Loaded Questions giveaway. This time we are giving away four copies of the brand new novel by CW Gortner, The Last Queen.

From the author's website: Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, is an enigmatic figure, shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C.W. Gortner challenges centuries of myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.

This is a book that I have been looking forward to for a long time. As the blurb above states, history has often overlooked Juana of Castile, the woman who became the heir to the Spanish throne, a woman who legend suggests went mad because of love. Having already read the book I can tell you that CW has a beautiful command of the English language, a very vivid vocabulary and as you'll learn in our interview that will be coming out on Monday, a great knowledge of Spanish History and the life of Juana the Mad as a child growing up in Spain.

Contest Details: All entries must be received by midnight on July 29th. Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

Option 1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.

OR

Option 2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the CW Gortner's The Last Queen Giveaway.

Upcoming Historical Fiction Author Interviews

The return of Loaded Questions!

As many of you have noticed I have been on a hiatus of sorts. The good news is that Loaded Questions will return to regular posting! We have lined up a number of giveaways and interviews that will be coming your way very soon. Here's a preview of some upcoming author interviews, many of whom, by coincidence, are historical fiction related...


Upcoming Author Interviews

Robin Maxwell

You won't want to miss my upcoming interview with best-selling historical fiction author Robin Maxwell. Author of The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, Mademoiselle Boleyn, The Wild Irish, Virgin: Prelude to the Throne to name a few.

I have read a number of Robin's books and am very much a fan of her historical fiction. We have been chatting over the last few weeks and all that I can say is that she is a very personable, candid and a whole lot of fun to talk to.

Stay tuned for this great interview.


Sally Gunning

During my hiatus Sally Gunning's new novel, Bound, has been keeping me company. The novel, which centers around Alice Cole an English-born girl sold to servitude by her father upon arrival in Colonial America. This is Gunning's second historical fiction novel and features characters from her previous novel, The Widow's War. I recommend the book. Gunning has done some wonderful historical research as she sheds light on servitude and slavery.

Gunning and I will be chatting about her new novel, her historical research, past as a mystery author and the impetus for Bound.

Jess Winfield

Jess Winfield is one of those people who have done it all. He worked as an accomplished Shakespearian actor, was involved in the creation of the well-known and hilarious The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), has written Saturday morning cartoons and has now penned My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex Drugs and Shakespeare which pretty much details all of the debauchary that one can expect by reading.




Here are some more authors that you can expect to see interviewed at Loaded Questions in the months to come:

- Kate Morton author of The House at Riverton: A Novel
- CW Gortner author of The Last Queen
- Sandra Gulland author of The Mistress of the Sun
- Mary Roach author of Bonk

And you won't want to miss our upcoming giveaways:

- Fire Bell in the Night by Geoffrey Edwards
- Serpent Garden by Judith Merkle Riley