Guest Post with Sandra Worth, Author of the upcoming The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen

We have not traditionally had a lot of guest posts at Loaded Questions. But when I heard that our friend Sandra Worth had a new novel coming out, The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen, I asked her to put together a guest post to give Loaded Questions readers a glimpse into the motivation and research that lead her to write a novel about the first Tudor Queen, Elizabeth of York.

Worth has been a friend of this blog in the past, stopping by last February to discuss the release of her novel Lady of the Roses. In that interview we discussed our mutual love of English history and Anya Seton.

My copy of The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen arrived yesterday morning and as historian who has studied Tudor monarchical figures for the last couple of years I am really looking forward to see Sandra bring life to Elizabeth of York, a figure that has previously been overlooked by the more sensational people in her life: Richard III, Henry VII and her boisterous and powerful mother Margaret Beaufort. Sandra has assured me she brings some new research to the table and I can assure you that before the turkey hits the table later this afternoon I will have snuck to my bags to pull out my copy to see how far I can get before I am found out.

For those of you intrigued by this fascinating historian and author, here is a link to my interview with her last year. I look forward to reading the book and bringing you all the details next week. In the meanwhile, if you want your own copy Amazon.com has it available for pre sale at a very nice price.

Without further adieu...




THE KING'S DAUGHTER:A NOVEL OF THE FIRST TUDOR QUEEN is about Elizabeth of York who closed out the epilogue in the last book of my Rose of York trilogy. You may think there's not much more to learn about her than what you probably already know. But I'm here to tell you you're wrong! Her story is shocking, and amazing.

I know this sounds like a contradiction in terms—but what intrigued me most about Elizabeth is the lack of information on her. How can this be? Sister to the Princes in the Tower and mother to Henry VIII, the first Tudor queen lived at the epicenter of momentous events. So why does she hover unseen on the fringe of history? When you think about it, the question is downright tantalizingly strange. Why is so little known about Elizabeth when so much is known about everyone else around her—her husband, her children, even her mother-in-law?

The documentation that survives is so scanty that only a single biography has ever been attempted—and that author had to resort to novelistic techniques in order to fill in the gaps in Elizabeth’s life! As far as I’m aware, this is the first time a biography was ever handled this way. Armed with this seemingly useless clue, I set out on my journey to solve the mystery of Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor queen.

I already knew some things, such as her relationship with her uncle, Richard III, which came down to this: Tudor propaganda has always claimed that Richard III murdered Elizabeth’s brothers—but did he? And was Elizabeth in love with her uncle?

If you haven’t read the trilogy, don’t worry—nothing is left out in THE KING’S DAUGHTER. Back to why Elizabeth is hidden when all the other Tudors are “in your face,” so to speak. Could the Tudors have kept her captive? If they did, what was the nature of the threat she posed to them? Did Elizabeth believe the Pretender, Perkin Warbeck, was really her lost brother, Richard, Duke of York? Around these questions are entwined other intriguing ones. Did Henry VII rape Elizabeth? Was he in love with the Pretender’s wife? What were his real reasons for subjecting the Pretender to the extraordinarily brutal torture that he used?

Like a detective on a cold case file, I mulled and pondered; I pored over the evidence with a medievalist friend, and went to England to roam the places Elizabeth had lived. I searched for anything from her time in museums and libraries. Suddenly, I began to notice details and references in historical texts that hadn’t meant much to me before. Here were clues! I re-read, looked again—yes, here were those clues, those hints, those little details in the body of research, new and old, that we’d all read before, and missed. The blanks in Elizabeth’s ,life slowly got filled, and the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle took shape. All at once—voila! There she was. I had her story.

Elizabeth tells her own tale in THE KING’S DAUGHTER, and it’s a thick brew of forbidden love, ambition and murder as we follow her from her turbulent childhood during the Wars of the Roses to her reluctant marriage to Henry Tudor that secured the Tudor dynasty. With her sacrifice and goodness, beautiful Elizabeth of York, “Elizabeth the Good”, the people’s Queen, finally achieved what she set out to do. She brought peace to the strife-torn land she loved, and did it with courage, grace, and dignity. She is a queen for the ages.

It was great fun piecing together the enigma of Elizabeth, the first Tudor Queen.

I hope you’ll find her story as much fun reading as I had writing it. One caveat, though. Two other novels are coming out entitled THE KING’S DAUGHTER, (one shortly after mine in December) so be sure you have my novel on Elizabeth. If you’d like to enter my drawing to win one of five copies of the book, please send me an email at roseofyork@sandraworth.com.

Write me when you’ve read the book, if you have the inclination. I would love to know your thoughts. Meanwhile, happy reading, and Happy Holidays! May troubles pass, and the new year bring a new beginning.

Sandra Worth

Upcoming Interviews: Wally Lamb, David Wroblewski, Lauren Willig and Sandra Worth

Some very very exciting news about some upcoming interviews that we are excited about sharing with you.


Wally Lamb - The Hour I First Believed

What comes first? Well, tomorrow morning we are having a direct phone call with one of our favorite authors of all time, Wally Lamb. The author of She's Come Undone and I Know This Much is True released his first book in a great while The Hour I First Believed just a few days ago. I am very excited about getting to chat with him and equally looking forward to reading the book. I am up rather late this evening trying to get myself ready for our talk in the morning. The interview will go live soon! Wish me luck!

David Wroblewski - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I have been in contact with David Wroblewski over the last several weeks, a man who has suddenly become even more busy when is book, which was already a bestseller, was selected as an Oprah book club selection. This gracious author has agreed to spare some time for an interview which we will be bringing to you in the next couple of days as well.

Lauren Willig - The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

I spoke with our good friend Lauren Willig the other day. She has not only agreed to do another interview with Loaded Questions but also hinted about wanting to provide her Loaded Question friends with a copy or two of her new novel due out in Janruary, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. Stay tuned for more news soon!

Sandra Worth - The King's Daughter. A Novel of the First Tudor Queen

Past Loaded Questions author Sandra Worth will return to Loaded Questions later this month with a guest post about her exciting new novel The King's Daugther that looks at the life of the first Tudor Queen, Elizabeth of York who married Henry VII following the end of the War of the Roses.

Loaded Questions Free Book Giveaway: Lady of the Roses by Sandra Worth

An Interview and an Exciting Free Giveaway

Lady of the Roses by Sandra Worth

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been interested in English monarchical history. So when I got an email from Sandra Worth about her new release,
Lady of the Roses I knew I wanted to get a hold of this book.

Lady of the Roses is about a young lady, Isobel, who has been serving in the court of the Lancastrian Marguerite, Queen of England. Things are complicated by the fact that Isobel, despite being approached by many suitors, finds her self in love with John Neville, a Yorkist. The two lovers must find a way to survive the dangerous civil war taking place in England, the bloody march on London by the Duke of Lancaster, and the violent madness of Queen Marguerite.

Sandra Worth is well known for her dedication to research and her knowledge of the time period she writes in. Her previous novels include the Rose of York trilogy made up of: The Rose of York: Fall From Grace, The Rose of York: Love and War, and The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny.

with Author Sandra Worth

I am very happy to have had the chance to sit down Sandra for an interview a few days ago. I can say this for certain, Worth is great to talk to and really quite nice. I have been impressed by Sandra's command for the British royal line especially during the reigns of the Plantagenets and Yorks. Worth is a sharp author with a keen historical eye and a talent for writing quality historical fiction. I think this interview gives you a chance to see how and why...

Kelly Hewitt: Lady of the Roses is your first new novel since finishing your award-winning Rose of York trilogy which began with the reign of Edward IV, continued through fall of Richard III, and ended with the rise of Henry VII who came to the throne after the Battle of Bosworth. This new novel takes place during the reign of the Lancastrian King Henry VI amidst the rumblings of the War of Roses. Was it hard to change gears, moving from the beginning of the Tudor dynasty to the final years of the Lancastrian royal line?

Sandra Worth: No, not really. This earlier period that gives the Neville viewpoint in the run-up to the Battle of Towton is rich in drama and history. I was glad to do it, since no one had yet attempted it, either in fiction or in biography. My hope is that Isobel's story might shed light on how the various well-known incidents of that chaotic era can be linked, and perhaps explain what seems to be a dark blur on the horizon of the Wars of the Roses.

Kelly: In some ways Lady of the Roses is a prequel to your earlier trilogy. What characters, if any, can readers of your previous books expect to see play a prominent role in Lady of the Roses?

Sandra: The major historical figures in Lady of the Roses are Sir John Neville, Lord Montagu, w

ho played a secondary role in The Rose of York: Love & War, and his beloved Isobel, who made only a cameo appearance in that first book. But she drives the story in this novel, and we see the Wars of the Roses through her eyes.

Kelly: Do you have a master plan? That is -- did you know that when you finished the War of Roses trilogy that you would write a novel centered at the court of Henry VI?

Sandra: No, I didn’t. It was pure accident. I was approached to do another novel, and this seemed a logical tie-in, especially since I’d received many letters from readers inquiring about John Neville, and asking if there would be a book on him.

Kelly: If you could write about any other period of English history to write a novel about when would it be?

Sandra: Goodness, that is a hard one! There’s so much in English history to seize the imagination, from Boudicca forward, but I adore the Plantagenets. They were a valiant lot. In contrast to the Tudors, there’s much to admire in them, so I suppose, that’s where I’d look.

Kelly: Conversely, what period of English history would you feel like you'd least like to write a novel about?

Sandra: I really don’t much care for James I forward to modern times. The Hanoverian period does the least for me. I dislike those wigs and all that pompous strutting around.

Kelly: I am always fascinated about the process by which authors develop their characters. I found myself asking that question a lot while reading Lady of the Roses. Your heroine Isobel Ingoldesthorpe is such a pivotal character in this novel. How did you go about developing her? What came first, the storyline or the character?

Sandra: The story-line. For me, it’s like a blank canvas with faint shadows across it. Once I begin to study the shadows, they start forming shapes that draw into sharper focus. My research gives me the framework. As the story starts to unfold, it opens up all kinds of detail to me. For example, John paid a jaw-dropping bride-price for Isobel’s hand. They came from enemy sides in a civil war, and Isobel was an orphan, a ward of Queen Margaret of Anjou who hated the Nevilles. To me, this meant that John had fallen deeply in love, probably at first sight. It also suggested to me that Isobel was a great beauty to inspire love at first sight. Now, she was at court with Queen Margaret, and the Duke of Somerset was also at court with Queen Margaret. He was around the same age as John Neville. Interestingly, Somerset and John were known to have argued violently on several occasions. What were these fights about? For arguments to be so bitter, it had to be over a woman. John was in love with Isobel, so Somerset had to be in love with Isobel as well… You see where this is going? As far as the ambushes are concerned, they're well-documented. Each time the Nevilles were warned in advance about Somerset. But who warned them? History doesn’t record that. Could it have been Isobel, who was at court with Queen Margaret and Somerset? Isobel, who was in love with John… And so it goes, like a giant jig-saw puzzle, until the story is all written.

Kelly: I know that you love Katherine by Anya Seton. How much influence does that work of historical fiction (which I love dearly) influence the kind of novels that you write?

Sandra: Very, very much! Katherine is always at the back of my mind when I write. I don’t play with history because Anya Seton didn’t. She faithfully recorded every date, and every event, but the story is so powerful, you don’t even notice how much history you’re taking in. That’s what I aspire to: Putting the “story” back into “history” so my readers don’t even realize that's what they're reading.

Kelly: You obviously know your history. Reviews of your books are always quick to point out your ability to navigate a rather tumultuous period of English history. Are there any particular authors or historical resources that you would recommend to readers of your books who want to know even more of the history behind your novels?

Sandra: Absolutely. I list a rather comprehensive bibliography in Lady of the Roses, and in The Rose of York: Fall from Grace, but I can tell you off the top of my head some of the academic works that casual readers are sure to enjoy. One is Paul Murray Kendall‘s Richard The Third, the definitive biography of Richard III, and Williamson’s The Mystery of the Princes which is a Golden Dagger Award Winner that reads more like a thriller than an academic work. Mary Clive’s This Sun of York is another good one, as is The Princes in the Tower by Elizabeth Jenkins. There are two biographies of the wicked queen, Elizabeth Woodville and her antics that brought about the destruction of the Plantagenet dynasty and finale to the Wars of the Roses, and both are good, though I prefer the more accurate MacGibbon’s Elizabeth Woodville as opposed to the more recent Elizabeth Woodville by Baldwin. Richard III’s brother, George, Duke of Clarence, also has a very interesting biography entitled False, Perjured, Fleeting Clarence by Michael Hicks. On Margaret of Anjoy there’s Helen Maurer’s Margaret of Anjou, but that’s heavier reading than the others, since this earlier period (presented in Lady of the Roses) is so chaotic.

Interviewer's note: I own a few of those books and have just finished ordering a great many others. Sandra has laid out a top notch list of sources here that I would recommend any history lover go out and find.

Author Sandra Worth has been kind enough to send some copies of her new book which we'll be giving away for free to Loaded Question readers!

Contest Details: Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

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

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 Lady of the Roses Giveaway.

The final day to enter the contest is March 3rd.

What's Next? -- Three Authors, Interviews, Giveaways

Here's a quick rundown of some of the interviews, features, and giveaways that you can expect to see at Loaded Questions in the coming days.

God's Behaving Badly
by MARIE PHILLIPS

A few nights ago I was up until 3am because I was close to ending this book and I just couldn't put it down. Gods Behaving Badly has a really great premise. Remember all of the gods that lived up on Mount Olympus? Apollo, Artemis, Zeus, etc. Well they're all back in Phillips' solid fictional debut. There are some changes, though. The gods are living in modern day London struggling to get by with a small fraction of the powers they were formally known to have. Aphrodite, the god of lust, love, and beauty is now working as a telephone sex operator. Artemis, the goddess of hunting is walking dogs for a living. Eternal life isn't all its cracked up to be as the gods grow weaker and weaker, living amongst the annoying mortals of Earth. Alice, a mortal who ends up working as a cleaner for what she believes to be one strange family, is a great heroine. She's mousy, frightened, and unable to speak her mind. Everything turns upside down when Apollo is made to fall in love with the quiet and unimposing Alice.

God's Behaving Badly is a great new novel that bucks quite a few stereotypes. I am happy to announce that Loaded Questions will be offering a feature on Gods Behaving Badly that will include an author interview and a free book giveaway of five hardback copies of the book! Stay tuned for more information in the next few days.


Lady of the Roses
by SANDRA WORTH

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been interested in English monarchical history. So when I got an email from Sandra Worth about her new release,
Lady of the Roses I knew I wanted to get a hold of this book. Loaded Questions will be doing a special feature on Lady of the Roses that will include an interview with Sandra, a review of the book, and another free five book giveaway! I really look forward to reading this book and getting to chat with Sandra about her career and body of work.


Lady of the Roses is about a young lady, Isobel, who has been serving in the court of the Lancastrian Marguerite, Queen of England. Things are complicated by the fact that Isobel, despite being approached by many suitors, finds her self in love with John Neville, a Yorkist. The two lovers must find a way to survive the dangerous civil war taking place in England, the bloody march on London by the Duke of Lancaster, and the violent madness of Queen Marguerite.

Sandra Worth is well known for her dedication to research and her knowledge of the time period she writes in. Her previous novels include the Rose of York trilogy made up of: The Rose of York: Fall From Grace, The Rose of York: Love and War, and The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny. I am really pleased to have Sandra involved with Loaded Questions.


Fire Bell in the Night
by GEOFFREY S. EDWARDS

Any mention of this book must begin with giving a hand to it's author, Geoffrey S. Edwards, one of two winners of the Gather.com First Chapters Contest. The book takes place in 1850 in the midst of a debate about whether or not slavery should be expanded to the Mexican Cession territory which includes all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Things begin to heat up amidst talk that a slave leader is quietly building an army, causing fear and nervousness in Charleston, South Carolina. It is this terror that leads to the arrest of a local farmer who is caught harboring a runaway slave. The farmer is charged with a capital crime. The trial further escalates matters and begins to get more attention from outside publications like the New York Tribune which sends a reporter, John Sharp, who, along with the help a friend and a fellow reporter seeks to get to the bottom of the issue, uncover a conspiracy and stop a war.

The reviews for this book have been stellar. I have been in contact with Geoffrey who has been generous enough to send along extra books so that we will also be able to give away five free copies of this book as well in the coming weeks! I am excited to read the book and conduct an interview with the author. Stay tuned for more details.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Readers,

If you have read one of these books or have interest in them, please feel free to leave a comment here at Loaded Questions. In addition, if you have questions for any of these authors please share them via comment or email me at KellyHewittLS -at- gmail . com! I would be more than happy to ask your question as part of my upcoming interviews.

- K