Elizabeth of York, her life already tainted by dishonour and tragedy, now queen to the first Tudor king, Henry the VII. Joan Vaux, servant of the court, straining against marriage and motherhood and privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen. Like the ravens, Joan must use her eyes and all her senses, […]
The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson
Elizabeth of York, her life already tainted by dishonour and tragedy, is now queen to the first Tudor king, Henry the VII. Joan Vaux, servant of the court, straining against marriage and motherhood and privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen. Like the ravens, Joan must use her eyes and her senses, […]
Finding Joan Vaux, an unusual Tudor woman
Joanna Hickson’s latest novel, The Lady of the Ravens, is the first in a trilogy based on the life of an unusual woman of the Tudor age, Joan Vaux. Joanna tells Historia what drew her to write about this little-known yet influential figure. There is never a set way to find credible fictional plots based […]
Books to look out for in 2020
A new year, and new historical books, both fiction and non-fiction, to look out for, written by HWA members. The Second World War continues to be popular, and there are refreshingly different takes on the Tudor era. The medieval period makes a strong showing. There are new additions to well-loved series and second books from […]
What’s in a Date?
‘History is just a list of boring dates!’ Joanna Hickson considers the importance and meaning of certain dates in the life of Henry VII. We’ve recently had a royal wedding and millions cheered the happy couple – history in the making. But how many times do Historia readers hear people say, ‘I don’t like history, […]
What’s in a Name?
Joanna Hickson looks at the naming of characters in historical fiction. Authors who write novels based around medieval royal England often have trouble identifying characters one from another, because the same names crop up time and time again in the family trees of the major dynasties. During the fifteenth century for instance the name Henry […]
The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses
William Shakespeare might have been the world’s greatest playwright but he was not the world’s greatest historian, so it would be a mistake to watch this adaptation of Henry VI Parts I, II & III and Richard III in order to discover exactly what went on in the Wars of the Roses. Shakespeare wrote to […]
Agincourt: Why the English Won
My historical novel, The Agincourt Bride, focused on Catherine, youngest daughter of King Charles the Sixth of France and the princess so charmingly introduced by Shakespeare in the closing scenes of King Henry the Fifth. The trophy wife Henry wooed and won as the victor of the Battle of Agincourt, presenting himself as a plain-speaking, […]