John Pilkington’s short story, A False Hawksman, is taken from Royal Blood, the HWA collection of Tudor-era stories by well-known historical fiction writers. He says: “The Thomas the Falconer books have proved to be my most successful historical series. I’m very fond of Thomas and was keen to bring him back, choosing a pivotal moment […]
Royal Blood: a Tudor-era HWA short story collection
Royal Blood is a diverse collection of informed and entertaining short stories set in the Tudor period. Read about some of your favourite characters from established series, or be introduced to new writers in the genre. The stories in Royal Blood bring the Tudor era richly to life, presenting suspense, rivalry, espionage and historical drama. […]
Reassessing Francis Drake: what research for my novel revealed about his role in the slave trade
Author Nikki Marmery tells Historia about how researching her recently-published novel about the African woman known as Maria showed her the extent of Francis Drake’s involvement in the slave trade. When I started writing On Wilder Seas eight years ago, I wanted to counter the hero narrative surrounding Francis Drake, which persists despite his background […]
The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick
1560: Amy Robsart is trapped in a loveless marriage to Robert Dudley, a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Surrounded by enemies and with nowhere left to turn, Amy hatches a desperate scheme to escape – one with devastating consequences that will echo through the centuries… Present day: When Lizzie Kingdom is forced to withdraw […]
On Wilder Seas by Nikki Marmery
April 1579. When two ships meet off the Pacific coast of New Spain, an enslaved woman seizes the chance to escape. But Maria has unwittingly joined Francis Drake’s circumnavigation voyage as he sets sail on a secret detour into the far north. Sailing into the unknown on the Golden Hind, a lone woman among 80 […]
Maria: the African woman who sailed with Drake on the Golden Hind
Nikki Marmery, the author of On Wilder Seas, was inspired by a throwaway line in a 16th-century manuscript to resurrect the hidden life of an African woman taken on board the Golden Hind as spoils of – if not war, then piracy. She tells Historia how she reconstructed Maria’s life. On Wilder Seas is the […]
Thomas Howard, the man behind the Tudors
Thomas Howard, a minor East Anglian landowner’s son, survived the Wars of the Roses and the reigns of six kings to become Duke of Norfolk and, arguably, one of the most influential figures of the early Tudor period. Yet his achievements have been largely forgotten 500 years after his death. His biographer, Kirsten Claiden-Yardley, aims […]
The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson
Elizabeth of York, her life already tainted by dishonour and tragedy, is now queen to the first Tudor king, Henry the VII. Joan Vaux, servant of the court, straining against marriage and motherhood and privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen. Like the ravens, Joan must use her eyes and her senses, […]