There are moments in an author’s life when you just have to stare into space and shake your head, and whisper to yourself, “I did it.” I had one of those moments this week when I read The Ricardian’s review of The King’s Intelligencer. As some of you might know, this was a beast of a novel to write, and there was a moment when I gave up, stuck it in the proverbial drawer, and admitted defeat. Then, a few weeks later, a couple of gentle hints from the universe reminded me that there were people out there depending on me to write this story (namely the characters in the novel) and that they weren’t about to go away quietly. So, digging deep, I pulled the story out, took a huge breath, and returned to their world.
I am happy to say that after being published for almost six months, my novel is still hovering around the top 20 in its category of Renaissance Historical Fiction, which is a wonderful sales endorsement that readers are excited about it. And, when this review came in, I couldn’t have been more joyful (or relieved!). I approached this story (and its sister novel, The Godmother’s Secret) with an absolute determination to be neither “Ricardian” nor “Henrician”, to write the novel from a perspective that had no foregone “who dunnit” conclusions, and to start with the fact that we have no proof that Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York were murdered. From then on, I wrote from my heart, inspired by the facts and extant documents from both the 15th and 17th centuries.
I am so thrilled with this review, for it summarises all I hoped to accomplish, and all I had to say (especially after nearly chucking it away!) And as authors, we cannot wish for more.
What a thoughtful and thorough review. Wendy Johnson sums up beautifully my thoughts on your novel. I particularly agree with her comments about how well the characters are brought to life by lively writing. In my humble opinion the male characters have more depth than in any of your previous books. Your female characters are always deep and three dimensional. In this book the male characters have also vividly come to life.
Thanks so much David! I really enjoyed bringing them to life and I so appreciate your kind words. They were all such intriguing characters to research – with, of course, Rochester leading the charge!