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INTERVIEW
Writing Interview Questions
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
I’ve always loved historical fiction, especially stories set in the medieval, Tudor, and prehistoric periods. I’d had the idea for some time of writing a novel set in Lincolnshire, where I have ancestral links, but the real spark came during the COVID pandemic, when we took a staycation there and visited Lincoln Castle.
That was where I first heard Nicola de la Haye’s remarkable story. The moment I learned about this extraordinary woman who defended Lincoln Castle and played such a vital role in England’s history, I knew I had to write about her.
Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?
Some aspects of the research were relatively straightforward, although still very time-consuming. There are excellent nonfiction books, academic articles, blogs, and online resources covering the wider period, and I devoured everything I could find about Henry II, the Angevin Empire, medieval Lincoln, castle life, village life, and the lives of medieval women.
The harder challenge came with the personal and local detail. Nicola de la Haye is famous in outline, but many aspects of her early life, family relationships, and first marriage are much less well documented.
Sir Francis Hill’s out-of-print book Medieval Lincoln was invaluable. He gathered an extraordinary amount of local material, including possible family trees for notable Lincoln townspeople, and it helped bring the city itself to life. A recent archaeological study and publication on the medieval layout of Lincoln Castle was also invaluable.
The most difficult discoveries were often hidden in obscure places. Most historians say very little is known about Nicola’s first husband, but I found references to his family tree on a niche academic website, then spotted his name, often unindexed, in chronicles and in Henry II’s itinerary. I also used translation software to work through French and Norman sources relating to castles, abbeys, and family connections, including for example Blancheland Abbey, where Nicola’s father was buried.
What surprised me most was how much family conflict and political tension emerged once I started digging. I hadn’t expected to find possible divisions within Nicola’s own family during the Anarchy, or intriguing connections to the world surrounding Thomas Becket’s murder. Those discoveries gave the story far richer emotional and political layers than I had first imagined.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
Although Nicola is at the heart of the novel, the story opens out into the wider world of Henry II’s reign, spanning England, Normandy, and other parts of the Angevin Empire.
One thread I found especially fascinating was medieval Lincoln’s Jewish community. Aaron of Lincoln, probably the wealthiest non-royal person in medieval England, appears in the book, along with his daughter Bella and her husband, Berechiah ha-Nakdan, also known as Benedict of Oxford, a real scholar associated with the Fox Fables.
There is also a scene involving an antisemitic mob that has tragic consequences for Nicola. The leader of that mob was a real Lincoln merchant who was recorded as being fined for his part in a later antisemitic riot. I wanted the book to show not only the grandeur and danger of noble life, but also the tensions within the town itself.
And, as I discovered during the research, Nicola’s family history may have had unexpected links to the political world around Thomas Becket’s murder. That was one of those moments when the research suddenly opened a door I hadn’t known was there.
If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why?
Tenacious. Compassionate. Formidable.
Nicola is tenacious because she refuses to be broken by the expectations placed upon her. She is compassionate because, beneath her strength, she cares deeply about the people who depend on her. And she is formidable because, when pushed, she is capable of standing against powerful men and impossible odds.
What was the most challenging part about writing your book?
The most challenging part was building enough historical depth before I began writing. I didn’t just research the specific years covered by this first novel, which covers her early adult life; I researched Nicola’s entire life, as well as the fifty years before and after it, so I could understand the world that shaped her external and internal life and the legacy she left behind.
That meant exploring the Angevin Empire, medieval Lincoln, noblewomen’s lives, village communities, castle households, Jewish-Christian relationships, and the political crises of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It was a mammoth task, but it helped me feel that Nicola and the other characters, their motivations and their personalities, were authentic and rooted in a real, living world rather than simply placed against a historical backdrop.
Of course, the danger of research is that new discoveries sometimes arrive after you think you’ve finished. More than once, I found something that forced me to rethink a scene, a motivation, or even a relationship, but those moments usually made the story even stronger.
Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?
Nothing that would have drastically changed the story. I did reduce the overall word count after the first couple of drafts to improve the pacing and sharpen the emotional through-line, but I didn’t remove any major scenes or planned storylines.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently editing the second Nicola de la Haye novel, Lady of the Castle, while the third book, Lady of England, is with its first beta reader.
I also have another novel set in Saxon England, which was actually the first novel I wrote. I’m planning to return to that soon with a pair of fresh eyes and a huge amount of experience – I really love the characters in that story!
What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?
Read widely, immerse yourself in stories, and study the craft, but don’t wait until you feel completely ready, because most writers never do.
Find a story you are passionate about, set a date to begin, and start. The first draft doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to exist. Feedback is important, but try to get it from people who understand and enjoy the kind of story you are trying to write. The wrong feedback can knock your confidence, while the right feedback can help you grow.
Above all, keep going. Confidence often comes after the writing, not before it.
Personal Interview Questions
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love visiting historic sites. We’re members of English Heritage, and I particularly enjoy their special member days, when you sometimes get access to places or stories you might otherwise miss.
Walking is also a real passion, especially with my dog and writing buddy, Griffin. A good walk often helps me untangle plot problems, although Griffin is more interested in smells than story structure and we have to stop many, many times along the way!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
At various points I wanted to be a train driver, a Native American chief, and an Egyptologist! I eventually went into the sciences, but history and stories were always there in the background.
Even as a child, I wrote about princesses in castles and children who travelled back in time. So perhaps I’ve ended up doing something very close to what I loved all along.
What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?
I’m currently at a writing retreat, so I’m being thoroughly spoiled and eating far too much. We had tuna Niçoise for lunch, followed by rhubarb and custard, and tonight I’m going to watch the host use his impressive Aga/Ironworks outdoor hotplate barbecue to make chicken tikka.
Usually my meals are much simpler, so I’m enjoying every minute of it. I don’t think I’d rather be eating anything else tonight!
What would be a perfect day?
A sunny walk around a historic site I haven’t visited before, with my family and dog. Ideally, I’d learn something new, spot some wildlife, and find myself imagining the people and events of the past playing out around me.
Then I’d finish the day with a great roast dinner in a local pub. History, countryside, family, dog, and good food is a combination that’s hard to beat.
What is the best part of your day?
I wake up at 5.30 most mornings, make coffee, and read. There’s no pressure at that time of day, no rush, just pure immersion in a book before the world properly begins.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon.
Hot or cold: Hot and dry when I’m reading. Cold is fine when I’m wrapped up in layers and walking the dog.
Movie or book: Book — or a good TV series, because I love having time for characters to develop.
Morning person or night owl: Definitely morning.
City or country: Country for me, city for my husband — so we compromise by living on the edge of a town, close to plenty of greenery.
Social media or book: Book, every time.
Paperback or ebook: Ebook, because I can adjust the font — and because my bookshelves are already full to bursting.
After a rewarding career in the sciences, Rachel returned to her first love—history and the art of storytelling. Fascinated by the women history neglected, or tried to forget, she creates meticulously researched, emotionally resonant fiction that brings her characters’ stories vividly to life.
Her fascination with the past began early. At six years old, she was already inventing tales about medieval women in castles, inspired by her treasured Ladybird books and other picture-rich stories that transported her to another time. By the time she discovered Katherine by Anya Seton as a teenager, she knew the joy and escape that only great historical fiction can bring.
Rachel’s two grown-up children still tease her (fondly) about childhoods spent being “dragged” around castles, archaeological sites, and historical re-enactments. For Rachel, history and imagination have always gone hand in hand.
There was, however, a long gap between the stories of her childhood and her decision to write her own novel. The spark came when she discovered the remarkable true story of Nicola de la Haye—the first female sheriff of England, who defended Lincoln Castle against a French invasion and became known as “the woman who saved England,” Rachel knew she had found her heroine, and a story she was destined to tell.
Rachel lives in the UK, where she continues to explore the lives of women who shaped history but were left out of its pages.
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