Last night at about 1:00 a.m., I put the finishing touches to my Buckingham novel, now called The Stolen Crown. If all goes well, look for it in 2010 sometime!
I'm now pondering what to write about next. I think it's going to be about a Margaret: either Margaret of Anjou, Margaret Beaufort, or Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. The first and third Margarets are the ones who appeal to me most as subjects. Doing a novel about Margaret of Anjou would let me write about the early period of the Wars of the Roses from a Lancastrian standpoint, which isn't done all that often and would allow me to work in some people who particularly intrigue me, such as Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter and the Beaufort clan. Margaret Pole also has a fascinating and tragic story, and would let me work in five of Henry VIII's wives plus the portly man himself. The nice thing about all three women is that their lives are well documented and that I already have a lot of the research material at hand.
Speaking of research, I've gone gaga today for this site that someone on the Historical Novel Society Yahoo group pointed out. It's from the British Library, and allows free downloads of a number of doctoral theses. The ones I've really been longing to read aren't available yet, but there's always hope! In the meantime, I managed to console myself with about a dozen others. Have fun browsing!
9 comments:
I think the three Margarets are in ways, interconnected, especially Margaret Beaufort and Margaret Pole. Hmm, this could even be a triptik.
Joan
I am off to check out the website- what a find!
Or you could write about my dog, Mary Margaret Maggie May!
Thanks for the link for that marvellous website!
Margaret Beaufort always seems to get a raw deal, IMO.
Margaret Pole is such an interesting figure. She's one of the few (visible) figures who really does span from Edward IV-> Henry VIII, including being godmother and governess of Mary I.
I can't even imagine all the things she saw and experienced, and how that would have affected her. I think writing about her would lend itself to a great exploration not only of that tumultuous era but also of how the human psyche copes with such constant upheavals.
So, a vote for Margaret Pole from me!
Thanks for the link!
And congratulations on The Stolen Crown.. hope I get to be one of the fe chosen to do an advance review, and tour :)
As far as you Margaret figures.. I am not as knowledgeable in these areas as others, but Margaret Pole seems to have had a lot going on.. but Margaret Beaufort was pretty shrewd..Margaret of Anjou, moreso in a b*tchy kind of way.. but whatever you pick will obviously by awesome as I would love to read more about any of the three!
I'd love to read more about Margaret of Anjou- but the other Margarets as well!
I am a Margaret! Of course, I am not very interesting really!
Congrats on finishing up The Stolen Crown
Thanks for the link! The wealth of information just waiting for a historical fiction writer to find.
Post a Comment