I’m especially excited to invite Andrea Zuvich – The Seventeenth Century Lady – to tea today. Andrea’s passionate about all things Stuart, and is a leading authority on the age. And while the subject of her newest release may sound salacious, 
it’s a scholarly and exceptionally well-researched study of sex, sexuality within Stuart society. Andrea, thanks so much for the chat!
What music do you listen to when you write (or don’t you)
I listen to a huge amount of Late Renaissance music, particularly sacred pieces, and also Baroque music (though I tend to avoid music that has someone singing in English as it distracts me when I’m working). Lately, I’ve listened to a great deal of Vivaldi, Purcell, and Marais. There’s something about Baroque music that gets right into my soul in ways that other genres don’t.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you building a body of work with connections or themes between each book?
All of my books are Stuart-related, and most have the word ‘Stuart’ in the title: The Stuarts in 100 Facts, A Year in the Life of Stuart Britain, and now Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain. I’ve been a published writer for nearly a decade now, and if anything, my love for this period of history has only grown.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have published two books of historical fiction (His Last Mistress (2013) and The Stuart Vampire (2014), and a novelette, The Chambermaid, for The Steel & Lace Anthology, but I recently counted the word documents I have on my Dropbox and there were 8 historical fiction books in various stages of development! I’m contractually obliged to produce nonfiction history books for the next few years, but I have this tremendous urge to get back into fiction because it is so freeing—a fiction writer has liberties that nonfiction writers simply cannot have. This said, I do plan on finally publishing my 120,000-word novel about William & Mary when I have my biography on Mary II published in 2022/3. I’ve worked on it off-and-on since 2010!
Specific to your newest release, Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain:
What kind of research did you do, and how long did it take you? I had an initial year of research which then continued throughout the course of writing my book. I contacted nearly every public records office in the United Kingdom and several institutions in the United States of America. There were long hours obtaining documents from the National Archives and the British Library, and sometimes it was overwhelming. I even developed a stomach ulcer when I wrote this. In short, it was a mammoth task of searching for, obtaining, and working information into an accessible and enlightening read. There were about 5 drafts of this book! I’m never completely satisfied with my work, because there are so many things I tell myself I could expand upon or improve in some way or other, but ultimately, I just have to do the best I can and then I have to let it go.
What’s the best thing a reader has said about or written to you? Whilst every author gets negative reactions to their work, I have been fortunate to have received some really lovely feedback from readers. One I received recently on Instagram came from a university student who said: ‘You’re an awesome historian, I wish you were my prof!’ Receiving that was definitely the highlight of my week!
Quick Q & A
Tea or Coffee: Coffee, latte, sweet.
Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark.
When were you the happiest? I’ve always been happiest in a library, or anywhere where I’m surrounded by books. I remember when I was both at university and working full time at a nursing home, I deliberately gave myself a two-hour period between classes 
so I could sit in the library and read. I found great joy and comfort in being hidden away just soaking in great works of literature, philosophy, well, anything I could get my hands on. Now, I’m happiest reading books aloud to my daughter.
Favourite Children’s Book: With a toddler, I read loads of children’s books now, but if I have to choose one, it would be Aesop’s Fables. They’re just timeless.
Favourite Adult Novel: Eeeek! It’s almost impossible to say, but perhaps it’s a tie between A.S. Byatt’s Possession and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North & South.
Andrea Zuvich is an independent seventeenth-century historian and anthropologist specialising in the House of Stuart (1603-1714). Zuvich obtained degrees in History and Anthropology at the University of Central Florida and is the host of the popular ‘The Seventeenth Century Lady’ blog. Zuvich is also a historical consultant for TV, film, and radio. She most recently appeared in BBC Four’s ‘Charles I: Downfall of a King’. She was one of the original developers of and leaders on the award-winning Garden History Tours at Kensington Palace and has written six books about the Stuart period. Zuvich is also a trained actress and professional voice-over artist, narrating audiobooks and providing voice work for several mobile apps.
Author links:
Website: www.17thcenturylady.com
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2X59M7w
