The Papal Bull calling for her execution was shocking. It was a time when there were people on both “sides” with pure motivations to protect what they felt was true Christian faith, and people who used the faith issues of the time to gain political power; scratch the surface and they had no good intent. Sorting out which was which was, then as now, difficult.
Q: Tell us about your travels to England. What places associated with the Tudors made the greatest impression on you?
A: All of it felt like a pilgrimage of sorts, to be honest. I loved visiting The Tower, Hampton Court Palace, Allington Castle, and Hever Castle. I have not yet made it to Sudeley, but I will! Standing by the monument in Westminster Abbey where Queen Elizabeth I rests atop Queen Mary I, one can only hope that they are at peace with themselves, and each other, at last. Mary, Queen of Scots, by the way, is interred just down the aisle from them.
Q: “They were burning my bones to get out and onto paper,” you remarked in an interview about the Ladies in Waiting stories. Do you plan to keep writing about the Tudor era, or will you venture into another historical time period?
A: I read dozens of books while writing the Ladies in Waiting books, so for now, I feel satiated with the era. I will continue to read Tudor fiction, because I love it and there are so many skilled novelists writing good books. However, there are other eras and genres in British fiction I am itching to explore as a writer, and I am eager to begin!
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Buy a lavender sachet or herbal candle for each member of your club to hand out at the end of the meeting.
2. Serve a feast using recipes in the International Cooking section on Epicurious.com in honor of Helena’s adopted country, along with Swedish fare in a nod to her heritage (www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/global/scandinavian/recipes).
3. Elizabeth was well known to have loved sweets, especially marchpane, which we now call marzipan. Pitted fruits, such as plums, were also popular at court. Prepare this recipe, and serve it at your meeting for dessert: www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Plum-Tart-with-Marzipan-Crumble-103654.
4. Have a look at Queen Elizabeth’s locket ring, the model for the one Helena gives her in the novel. Typically kept tucked away at the British prime minister’s country residence, it can be seen here: www.thetudorswiki.com/page/ARTIFACTS+of+the+Tudors.
5. Pair your reading of Roses Have Thorns with one or both of Sandra Byrd’s other novels centered on royal ladies in waiting—To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, which features Queen Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, which features Queen Kateryn Parr, stepmother of Elizabeth I.
6. Visit www.SandraByrd.com to learn more about the author, her books, and Tudor tidbits like a royal timeline.
STUDIO B PORTRAITS
SANDRA BYRD has published more than three dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including the first two books in her Tudor series, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr. For more than a decade Sandra has shared her secrets with the many new writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children. For more Tudor tidbits, please visit www.sandrabyrd.com.
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COVER DESIGN BY BRUCE GORE
FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH © PIXELWORKS
PRINCIPAL WORKS OF REFERENCE
This is by no means exhaustive, and some of these books I relied on extensively while some only provided helpful tidbits. I love to look up books and resources when I read historical fiction, and I thought it might be enjoyable for others to do so, too, if they wish.
Sjogren, Gunnar. Helena Snakenborg, 1973.
Bradford, Charles Angell. Helena, Marchioness of Northampton, 1936.
Bell, James. Queen Elizabeth and a Swedish Princess, 1926.
Gorges, Raymond. The Story of a Family Through Eleven Centuries: Being a History of the Family of Gorges, 1944.
Somerset, Anne. Elizabeth I, 2003.
Plowden, Alison. Elizabethan England: Life in an Age of Adventure, 1982.
Plowden, Alison. Elizabeth I, 2004.
Doran, Susan. Queen Elizabeth I, 2003.
Borman, Tracy. Elizabeth’s Women: The Hidden Story of The Virgin Queen, 2009.
Somerset, Anne. Ladies in Waiting, 2004.
Marcus, Leah S., Janel Mueller, Mary Beth Rose, editors. Elizabeth I: Collected Works, 2000.
Doran, Susan. Elizabeth I and Religion 1558–1603, 1994.
Doran, Susan. Monarchy and Matrimony: The Courtships of Elizabeth I, 1996.
Secara, Maggie. A Compendium of Common Knowledge: 1558–1603: Elizabethan Commonplaces for Writers, Actors & Re-enactors, 2008.
Sim, Alison. Pleasures and Pastimes in Tudor England, 2009.
Picard, Liza. Elizabeth’s London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London, 2003.
Gristwood, Sarah. Elizabeth & Leicester: Power, Passion, Politics, 2007.
Doran, Susan. Mary Queen of Scots: An Illustrated Life, 2007.
Fraser, Antonia. Mary Queen of Scots, 1969.
Mattingly, Garrett. The Armada, 1989.
Arnold, Janet. Queen Elizabeth’s Wardrobe Unlock’d, 2001.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Sandra Byrd
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First Howard Books trade paperback edition April 2013
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Byrd, Sandra.
Roses have thorns : a novel of Elizabeth I / Sandra Byrd.