Tudor adventurer, courtier, explorer and poet, Sir Walter Raleigh has been called the last true Elizabethan.
He didn’t dance or joust, didn’t come from a noble family, or marry into one. So how did an impoverished law student become a favourite of the queen, and Captain of the Guard?
Writing Interview questions.
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
I was born in Pembroke, birthplace of Henry Tudor, and decided to tell the story of the Tudor Dynasty, from Welshman Owen Tudor’s first meeting with Queen Catherine of Valois to the last days of Queen Elizabeth I. This is my ninth book about the Tudors, so I’ve become quite an expert on their lives and times.
 |
| Pembroke Castle, Wales What is the most surprising thing you discovered while you were researching this era? |
Most of the things I thought I knew about Sir Walter Raleigh proved to be wrong. Raleigh is credited with introducing the potato and tobacco to Britain, but I’ve seen no evidence for either, or for the popular tale of a servant throwing water over him when he mistook Raleigh’s pipe for a fire.
Even the story of Raleigh laying down his cloak down for the queen to walk in a ‘plashy place’ at Greenwich is also questionable. First recorded by Thomas Fuller, (born twenty years after the event), the story, in ‘Worthies of England’, was not published until 1662.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
Raleigh became obsessed with exploring the New World and creating a settlement at Roanoke, but Queen Elizabeth refused permission for him to go, even when he named the land ‘Virginia’ in her honour.
.jpeg)
Elizabethan Gardens, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Manteo, Roanoke Island, North Carolina (Wikimedia Commons)
If you had to describe your protagonist, in three words, what would those three words be?
Ambitious, innovative and adventurous.
What are you currently working on?
I’m researching three books on ladies of the Elizabethan Court, which makes a change after writing about three men. As well as having a privileged ‘insider’ view of the queen and her world, they are less well known, so make intriguing subjects.
Personal Interview questions.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m a keen motorcyclist, and have a collection of motorcycles, including a vintage Norton Commando. I also enjoy sailing and kayaking around the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast and River Cleddau.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to become a journalist, and regularly wrote for a range of magazines and journals, although I served with the Royal Air Force before becoming a director of the National Health Service. I then had a senior career in Local Government, leaving to become a full time author ten years ago – and I have never looked back.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: Tea
Hot or cold: Hot
Movie or book: Book
Morning person or Night owl: Lark
City or country: Country
Social Media or book: Book
Paperback or ebook: Paperback
Thank you so much for hosting today's tour stop for Raleigh – Tudor Adventurer.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club