1)   Welcome to Queen Anne Boleyn Website! Could you share with us a little about yourself and your background?

I am an English writer of English historical fiction. My work spans the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian eras – but I like to explore the whole area of dreams and the unconscious as well as the facts and events of history. What people thought and imagined is every bit as important, I feel, as what they actually did – and so I try to convey this aspect of the past as much as possible in my stories.

2)   I have finished “The Arrow Chest” and I was impressed with your style of writing and ability of blending histories. How did you get an idea of writing about Anne Boleyn’s story set in Victorian background?

There are already so many novels and films about Anne Boleyn that I wanted to come up with something fresh.  And because I wanted to explore the psychological and emotional dynamics between the characters that surrounded her during her tragically short life I decided to loosen up and move the whole story forward into a different era. Victorian Gothic (19^th century) is a perfect place to put Henry VIII and Anne because the Victorian age has lots of parallels to that of the Tudor periods. There were powerful men – ‘kings’ in their own right. There were beautiful elegant women, and there were the fabulous poets and painters of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. So it was not difficult to find placements for Anne, Henry and for Thomas Wyatt in that kind of environment. But it was also a suitable match because it was a time which underwent its own very powerful crisis of faith and identity – similar to that experienced at the time of the Reformation of the 16^th century. The Victorians had the advent of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and the threat this held for the established Church. The horrors of Anne’s execution and the sinister plots that festered in the background at the time of her fall also fit perfectly into a Gothic setting. The author and reader are then both liberated in a sense to explore and speculate about what might really have taken place, not in a sense of dry facts and events, but on a deeper, more fundamental level of raw emotion.

3)  Amos and Daphne are linked to Thomas Wyatt and Anne Boleyn; are they also a combination of other historical figures?

One could draw parallels with a much older generation – of Lancelot and Gwenevere, for example, at the court of King Arthur. There was a strong code of chivalric conduct in those times, or at least in the legend. There was a strict hierarchy in society and a precise way in which one was supposed to behave. In The Arrow Chest, the main protagonist, Amos, strives to find a solution to the situation he finds himself in through embracing the cult of the ‘English Gentleman’ which, in itself, embraced some of the principles of knightly conduct from those much older times. In fact the Victorians were very fond of exploring the realm of medieval culture. The poems of Tennyson, the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites – all these looked to the past for inspiration as to how to live an honourable and dignified life amid all the distractions and temptations of the contemporary world, which for the Victorians were ones of unprecedented industrialisation and commercialisation accompanied what they perceived as a moral and spiritual decline.

4)   The illustration on the cover of “The Arrow Chest” is very beautiful – it is called “Daphne” by Amos Roselli. But Amos is a fictional character, so who created the cover?

Thank you, Sylwia! Because you have said how much you liked it, I shall claim full responsibility for it myself  

Robert Parry

5)   It is three years since your debut novel “The Virgin and the Crab” was launched. How do you feel about your writing career now after 3 years and two released books?

Still very excited by it all. I love the whole process of seeing a project through from start to finish (like that cover, for example). It is a wonderful time in the publishing world at present. Quite a revolution going on with e-readers and self-publishing and so on. The author has never had more freedom to express his/herself, and the reader has never had such a wide choice of titles and genres to choose from, from classics to modern experimental – it’s all there at our fingertips to interact with, to enjoy and to explore. I get a huge buzz from running my Facebook page and my blog, as well, and speaking with my readers online. It’s just a miracle, really, and such good fun.

6)   When did you first become interested in writing? 

During my early twenties. I have been writing continuously since then. I enjoy it immensely.

7)   When and where do you write?

I always admire those writers who say they rise at dawn, leap out of bed and type out a thousand words before breakfast. But I just cannot do that. I like to write a little later in the day, and especially at night. The darkness is wasted unless it is used for some kind of creative activity. Best of all, though, come the Summer months, is to work from my ‘outdoor office’ – that is, my bench out in the garden. I love to take the laptop out there, and I have a table too, and write in the fresh air. I suppose most of us dislike being stuck inside at a desk when the sun is shining. I am a very keen gardener, and so in-between paragraphs I often get up and walk around and do a spot of weeding or watch our newts cavorting in the pond.

8)   What kind of research process to you usually undertake before/during writing a novel?

For my first novel, Virgin and the Crab, I had to do things the hard way, visiting libraries and historic sites, because there was no internet then – or at least not an internet as we know it today. For The Arrow Chest, however, it was a little easier to work online for research purposes. I am also fortunate in having lived and worked most of my life in and around London and the South-East of England where so many of the historical sites are still to be found. And I feel I have a strong link to the past through my Grandparents, who were Victorians/Edwardians, in fact. The London I grew up in was still a place that was closely connected in atmosphere and social structure to the London of their times – and even to earlier periods. I hope this gives a certain authenticity to the stories.

9)   How do you organize your facts and plots? Do you have a note-taking system, chart or other means of controlling the information, or is it all in your head?

Always the first serious attempt at writing a story is, for me, preceded by taking up a very large piece of graph paper. I write a timeline along one side of it – all the significant dates of events, battles, kings and queens and so on. And then along the other side, I plot the story itself, as experienced from the perspective of the characters. I like to see the big picture that this provides, and I refer to it constantly during the early stages. That way, too, no one gets stranded in places where they are not meant to be.

10)   What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Everyone has a story inside, and it should be expressed – but not everyone who reads it will find it interesting. Keep going until you can make it interesting. Be modest in your ambitions, therefore, at least at first, and no matter how unlikely it seems, try to recognize that what you write at the outset will most likely not be what you will finish up with many years later. Then, once you have something that you are happy with, keep going and don’t give up.

11)   Are you currently working on any new novels?

Yes, my third novel, which is set in the 18^th century England at the time of the Jacobite rebellion. That is the historical backdrop, anyway – but the story is really all about a set of fictitious characters who happen to become caught up in it all. It is very different to the previous two stories, just as they were different to each other. I hope to be announcing the title and cover design soon.

12)   And last but not least, is there anything else you would like your readers to know about you or your upcoming projects?

Just that I hope to keep finding fresh ways of exploring the way people lived and thought about themselves in the past. I believe that is important – because it helps us to understand who we are today.

The Sumerton Women

I was lucky enough to receive signed copy of D.L. Bogdan’s “Sumerton Women” before the novel’s release date (24 April 2012) and today I am going to post my review. Here is book’s description from Amazon:

“Orphaned at age eight, Lady Cecily Burkhart becomes the ward of Harold Pierce, Earl of Sumerton. Lord Hal and his wife, Lady Grace, welcome sweet-natured Cecily as one of their own. With Brey, their young son, Cecily develops an easy friendship. But their daughter, Mirabella, is consumed by her religious vocation – and by her devotion to Father Alec Cahill, the family priest and tutor. As Henry VIII’s obsession with Anne Boleyn leads to violent religious upheaval, Mirabella is robbed of her calling and the future Cecily dreamed of is ripped away in turn. Cecily struggles to hold together the fractured household while she and Father Alec grapple with a dangerous mutual attraction. Plagued with jealousy, Mirabella unleashes a tumultuous chain of events that threatens to destroy everyone around her, even as the kingdom is torn apart…”

Hm, where do I start? First of all – “The Sumerton Women” is now officially my favourite historical novel so far. It has everything – great storyline, vivid characters and historical background.

Lady Cecily Burkhart’s parents died due to Sweating Sickness that ravaged England in 1527. Orphaned as an eight-year-old girl, Cecily becomes ward to the Pierce family. Although Cecily grieves after her beloved parents, she quickly adapts to new environment and she grows to love her new family. She becomes a spark of sunshine in Pierce’s life, and although at the beginning they seem a happy family, Cecily slowly discovers their dark and painful secrets.

Lord Harold ‘Hal’ Pierce, The Earl of Sumerton, is a kind and loving man. He shares an uneasy relationship with his wife Grace, who drowns her sorrows in wine. Their marriage is strained by a painful secret, but I will not reveal what kind of secret it is – I don’t want to spoil your joy of reading the story.

Then there are Hal’s and Grace’s children; Cecily’s age-mate Brey and consumed with desire to become a nun Mirabella. Brey is a lively child who quickly develops friendship with Cecily. Mirabella from the other hand is a quick witted girl, so intensely devoted to Church, resenting all the earthly joys. And finally there is Father Alec Cahill, the children’s beloved tutor and family’s spiritual support. He is a young priest who develops an interest in so called New Learning that quickly spreads though England as the King Henry VIII’s love for Anne Boleyn increases.

As an heiress of huge fortune and lands, Cecily becomes engaged to Brey. They develop a beautiful friendship and once Cecily realizes how happy she will be as Brey’s future wife, she finds her inner peace and stability. But when the tragedy strucks, everything changes for Cecily and the whole Pierce family. Now, I would like to avoid describing the events in the book, but I am telling you – the story is so wonderful and so surprising at times, that you will easily get soaked into it!

D.L.Bogdan’s novel has so many layers – you think you know how the story will develop, but when it unfolds before your eyes many new twists and turns are leaving you astonished and craving for more! This book is a real page-turner and I must say that D.L. Bogdan created a beautiful tale about eternal love, friendship, pain, betrayal, passion and simple, human need of being loved.

The novel is very carefully researched – I loved D.L. Bogdan’s portrayal of the Tudor court. There are glimpses at Anne Boleyn, woman who stirred so many emotions – from Cecily’s admiration to Mirabella’s hatred. Later in the novel, Father Alec joins Archbishop Cranmer’s household and it was a wonderful chance to learn about Cranmer’s views through Father Alec’s eyes. What I love about this novel is the fact, that we are able to see many Tudor characters though eyes of novel characters. For example; Cecily admires Anne Boleyn’s strength while Mirabella is burning with hatred against New Learning and Anne herself.

 “The Summerton Women” is a great read, and simply magnificent family saga set in a time of crucial changes in the reign of the Tudor kings. D.L. Bogdan’s style of writing is amazing – she pays such a close attention to details! The settings were described so vividly that I almost felt the smell of fresh country air, and with eyes of my imagination I was able to see the Sumerton Castle. Characters were living their own life on pages of this novel, and I literally felt part of their family. Lady Cecily matured before my eyes – from an orphaned girl she became a lady in her own right, a wife and a mother. Cecily is such a lovable character!  Other characters are also very enjoyable and I must say that two of them deserve a special mention – Mirabella who hides her own desires under the façade of divine calling, and Father Alec who is an intelligent and kind man. Every single character in this book has its own story to tell.

In the end of the novel I felt quite sad because it was over. When I finished reading, I felt as if a dear friend was departing. This is how powerful impact this beautiful story had on me. I found it really fascinating that the lives of fictional characters ware intertwined with life of real historic figures. We have a glimpse on Anne Boleyn, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Jane Seymour, Lady Mary Tudor, Robert Aske, even king Henry VIII himself, and many more.

“The Summerton Women” will be published April 24 2012. I heartily recommend you this amazing novel!  Here I would like to thank D.L. Bogdan for giving me a chance to read her novel before it’s release date.

And a few words about Author…                                     

D.L. Bogdan is an acclaimed author of historical novels. Before “The Sumerton Women” she wrote two other books: “Rivals in the Tudor Court” about Thomas Howard, the 3d Duke of Norfolk and “Secrets of the Tudor Court” about Mary Howard, Anne Boleyn’s cousin. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, four children and few pets. For those of you who are interested in getting to know  D.L. Bogdan  better I have a very good news – soon I will publish interview with her on my website!

]]> http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/review-the-sumerton-women-by-d-l-bogdan/feed/ 0 http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/why-was-anne-boleyn-buried-in-an-arrow-chest/ http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/why-was-anne-boleyn-buried-in-an-arrow-chest/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:18:48 +0000 Sylwia http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/?p=165

Anne Boleyn's resting place

Anne Boleyn was executed on 19 May 1536. Although the executioner from Calais was ordered even before she was tried and found guilty, no one took care of a proper burial for Anne Boleyn. After she was decapitated with a French sword, her distressed ladies wrapped the late queen’s head and body into a cloth and buried her in an arrow chest within the walls of St. Peter Ad Vincula chapel.

But why was Anne Boleyn buried in an arrow chest?

During her time as Henry VIII fiancée, Anne Boleyn was showered with magnificent gifts. As Retha M. Warnicke wrote in her book:

“Throughout 1530 Henry continued to purchase gifts for her, often for her amusement, as, for example, a shaft, bows, arrows and a shooting glove in May. Archery was a sport she seems to have especially enjoyed, since additional bows were obtained for her. “(p. 96)

Henry VIII loved hunting and Anne Boleyn shared his passion. But Henry loved hunting also in a symbolic meaning – he loved to chase the ladies of the court. And he chased Anne Boleyn for almost a year before she finally surrendered, and agreed to become his wife. For the whole year the king was “stricken with the dart of love”.

Henry’s love for Anne Boleyn caused him many frustrations.  He was consumed with passion that was fuelled with Anne’s refusal.  He wanted her and no other woman. But she was playing him to her own advantage, or perhaps she hoped that the king will soon forget about her and find a new mistress. In any case, even when Anne withdrew herself from the court life, the king was eager to have her. In one of his letters he wrote:

“(…) and, that you may the oftener remember me, I send you by this bearer, a buck killed late last night by my hand, hoping, when you eat of it, you will think on the hunter (…)”

The symbolic meaning of hunt played a huge part in Henry’s courtship. When Anne’s ardent admirer, love-struck poet Thomas Wyatt had to back off when he realized that his rival was Henry VIII himself, he wrote a poem comparing his beloved Anne Boleyn to a hunted deer.

Henry VIII was a hunter literally and symbolically. Did he want to play one last cruel joke on his once beloved Anne Boleyn? It is really sad that such a remarkable woman ended buried in unmarked grave, inside the arrow chest that once contained bow-staves for Ireland.

Author of the book “The Arrow Chest”, Robert Parry made a great point about Henry VIII and his association with archer-god Apollo. In his novel, Robert Parry relates to Anne Boleyn’s tragic death – but he moves the story from Tudor to Victorian England. The description from Amazon says:

“London, 1876. The painter Amos Roselli is in love with his life-long friend and model, the beautiful Daphne – and she with him – until one day she is discovered by another man, a powerful and wealthy industrialist. What will happen when Daphne realises she has sacrificed her happiness to a loveless marriage? What will happen when the artist realises he has lost his most cherished source of inspiration? And how will they negotiate the ever-increasing frequency of strange and bizarre events that seem to be driving them inexorably towards self-destruction. Here, amid the extravagant Neo-Gothic culture of Victorian England, the iconic poem ‘The Lady of Shalott’ blends with mysterious and ghostly glimpses of Tudor history. Romantic, atmospheric and deeply dark.”

This book seems like a very interesting read and perhaps it offers a further explanation of the meaning of arrow chest. I have not yet had the pleasure of reading it, but I certainly will do it in the near future. If you have read “The Arrow Chest”  please let me know what do you think.

 Sources: 

Retha M. Warnicke, The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn

Peeking Between the Pages: Guest post by Robert Parry

]]> http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/why-was-anne-boleyn-buried-in-an-arrow-chest/feed/ 8 http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/interview-with-author-raven-a-nuckols/ http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/interview-with-author-raven-a-nuckols/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:53:31 +0000 Sylwia http://www.anne-boleyn.com/eng/?p=44

Book cover

Today I am really delighted to post an exclusive interview with Raven A. Nuckols, author of a historical fiction novel ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’. This book has already been released and you can buy on Amazon. I am so excited about this book and I am looking forward to immerse myself into the world of ‘what if…’.

‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’ is not a novel like any other – author uses her imagination to answer the question what if Anne Boleyn lived? What if she did not die a traitor’s death?  I often wondered – had Anne Boleyn became Henry’s true love? Had she been the most celebrated of his wives? Had the history changed if she lived?

I think many of Anne Boleyn’s fans had asked themselves such questions. Now we all have a chance to read an alternative history of Anne Boleyn by Raven A. Nuckols.  I am so thrilled about this book!

S : Welcome to Queen Anne Boleyn Website! I am so glad to have this opportunity and  ask you few questions about your  historical novel ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’. Many readers out there in cyber space may not be familiar with your work. Can you tell them a little about yourself and your background?

R:  I’m Raven A. Nuckols and this is my first book out of a trilogy revolving around how different English history would be had Anne lived and give birth to a son. Two more works will be coming in this series and I’m already enjoying coming up with the storylines for those. I live with my boyfriend and our two cats in the DC area in the US. I majored in Economics in college and had no idea that professional writing would end up becoming my true passion, but it is.

S : What makes Anne Boleyn such a fascinating subject?

R : She was never meant to be a Queen and yet she ended up catching the love of a King that broke his entire country in two changing the course of English history forever, all just to be with her. The way their very intense and passionate love ended was beyond tragic, yet the legacy she left and its effects still last to this day.

S : Why do you think Anne Boleyn is so popular nowadays? Do you think that the interest in Anne Boleyn is a reflection of our obsession with celebrity culture?

R :  I think because of her strength, independence, intellect and ambition most women can identify with one of those characteristics and just find her story fascinating. I don’t believe that Anne reflects our obsession with celebrity culture, but I believe it was her actions being so bold for her time, makes her one of the most incredible women of history.

S : Why do you think Anne Boleyn fell out of grace?

R :  I personally believe that you cannot have that much hatred for anyone without having a profoundly deep feeling of love. Those two feelings are polar opposites along the same spectrum. I think Henry was a victim of his own feelings and as a King he was in a unique position not to appear weak and as a result, he fell vulnerable to the majority opinion to think the worst of his wife, especially in light of her multiple miscarriages. I still believe he loved her up until his last breath and regretted his actions, though proof of this has never been found.

S :  How much research did you have to do for ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’? Is there anything you found when doing research for your novel that surprised you, or which you found particularly intriguing? What was your favorite resource for ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’?

R :  I researched Anne and the rest of the Tudors for several years before finally deciding to put my thoughts to paper. To be honest, since I already knew Anne’s story fairly well I did not find anything in my research that stood out. However, when researching Thomas Cromwell I was intrigued to know about his background, his training, his days as a mercenary and how all of that made much more sense of how he was able to plot out Anne’s final time on the throne; the puzzle of that minister just came together.

S : What makes this book special to you?

R : This book is special particularly because I have always wondered what Anne might have been able to accomplish had she not been killed before her time. It was such an absolute joy to bring her to life and the rest of the Tudor players contemplating how these people might have ended their days in vastly different ways than how history actually went.

S : If you could visit any historical time and place associated  with Anne Boleyn, when and where would it be, and why?

R : I would want to visit 1531 when Henry kicked Katherine of Aragon out of the castle and moved in Anne to the Queen’s chambers. Their courtship of seven long years slowly eased towards marriage with that first step of getting rid of his present wife and I wish I could have been around to talk with Anne about her excitement, trepidation, and overall joy about how her affair was progressing going from the »other woman« to the only woman.

S : What first got you interested in writing historical fiction?

R : I have always been interested in alternative histories and the possibilities that other authors have had when imagining their versions of differences and in a way I guess you could say that it was their fearlessness to put their vision out there is what inspired me to take the plunge and do the same with a woman I felt a real kinship to.

S : Who are your greatest writing inspirations and how do they aid you in your writing today?  What recent historical novels have you been particularly impressed with?

R :  Eric Ives and Allison Weir are two of my favorite Tudor historians that I enjoy reading and truly value their work. The last one I could say I read that I was enjoyed was Allison Weir’s, »The Lady in the Tower« about Anne’s final days.

S:  If ‘Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn’ gained a movie deal, who would you choose to play the main characters?

R :  What a great question! After seeing Natalie Dormer’s portrayal of Anne in the Showtime series »The Tudors« she instantly springs to mind to play her in a movie. Natalie brought Anne to life in such an intense, dramatic and yet wonderfully human way and I’d love to see her reserect that role and play it with an alternate ending. The rest of the casting I’d leave to the professionals.

S : You mention on your website that  ‘It was a wonderful experience, so much in so I’m writing a sequel and even a third to complete this series of “Had the Queen Lived”‘. Tell us a little bit more about that.

R : The sequel is about her son and his reign. Since this is all fiction, its all new characters with new storylines.

S : And last but not least, is there anything else you would like your readers to know about you or the books you write?

R :  Just that I hope they enjoy them and to have fun with it.

Thank you so much Raven for taking the time out of your day to talk to me

To find out more about Raven A. Nuckols and her upcoming novels visit her website and Facebook Page.