Friday, 13 June 2025

Interview with Audio book Narrator Alex Lee.



Today I'd like to do something a  bit different and introduce you to the lovely lady who narrates my books for Audible listeners. For once she has stepped away from the microphone and written a lovely piece. Take it away Alex Lee!

Hello, thank you for hosting me on your blog, Judith. It is great to be here.


There is something transporting and magical about bringing stories to life as a voice actor, escaping some of the day to day stresses and worries and settling down – even if it means disappearing into my converted cupboard under the stairs LOL, to sit motionless in front of an ipad and microphone and  begin to  inhabit  the characters in the books you are narrating.  Feeling and expressing their thoughts, hopes, loves, fears and intentions is the next best thing to stage acting !!.

Narrating and producing audio books, ticks every creative box for me. Being given the opportunity to add another  dimension to an author’s words and plot, giving their cast of characters a range of voices, accents, ages personalities, attitudes and emotions is a huge privilege and a thing I love to do.

I have been lucky to have narrated almost 100 titles across many different genres including, cosy murder mysteries, (currently working on five series) historical fiction, psychological thrillers, romance, literary classics, children’s literature, biographies, adventure, comedy, science fiction and poetry.

I have been so lucky to work with the multi award winning author Judith Arnopp.  I auditioned a few years ago now for Judith’s trilogy, The Beaufort Chronicle but missed the boat as when I went to upload the audition the title had disappeared because Judith had found another narrator. How glad I am that I decided to e-mail Judith and send her my audition - asking if I might be a fit for any of her other books.  Although I was too late for The Beaufort Chronicle Judith thought my voice would suit Anne Boleyn. I was so thrilled, and went on to record one of my favourite of Judith’s books   The Kiss of the Concubine.

I loved narrating this fresh look on Anne and Henry. All Judith’s books have great character development, flowing prose that is a joy to read so that you immerse yourself in the plot.  Another great favourite for me was The Winchester Goose and in particular voicing a Tudor tart with a heart, Joannie Toogood.  Huge fun.

I also narrated Intractable Heart, the story of Katheryn Parr so I have been very close to most of Henry VIII's queens now and love the atmosphere of the Tudor court she creates where you can almost smell it.


I have recently completed A Daughter of Warwick: the story of Anne Neville who was queen to Richard III. It is extraordinary how we know all about Richard yet next to nothing about Anne. Although Judith worries it is not her best work as she wrote it very early on in her career, I enjoyed it immensely. You can listen to a sample on the audiogram below.

Contacting Judith was serendipitous as it marked the beginning of what is now a great collaboration I have now narrated seven of her wonderful titles. I am hoping that I may get to voice the fierce, furious and fabulous queen,  Marguerite of Anjou in her new novel, Marguerite: Hell Hath No Fury! in the future.

Thank you so much for joining us today Alex Lee, our collaboration has opened up a whole new avenue for me as an author.

Here is a link to Alex Lee webpage so you can check out her work with other authors. https://www.alexleeaudio.uk/


You can find my audio books on Audible. If you'd like a FREE listen code for any of the books mentioned, you can approach either Alex or myself, tell us if you need a UK or a US link and we will send one to you.

www.judithmarnopp.com

author.to/juditharnoppbooks

Tuesday, 10 June 2025

The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour presents: Lady of the Quay by Amanda Roberts

 


Book Title: Lady of the Quay

Series: Isabella Gillhespy Series, Book #1

Author: Amanda Roberts

Publication Date: May 9th, 2025

Publisher: Hickory Press

Pages: 256

Genre: Historical Mystery / Suspense

Any Triggers: n/a


Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/05/blog-tour-lady-of-the-quay-by-amanda-roberts.html 



Lady of the Quay 

(Isabella Gillhespy Series Book 1)

Amanda Roberts


Knowing she is innocent is easy … proving it is hard

1560, Berwick-upon-Tweed, northern England

Following the unexpected death of her father, a series of startling discoveries about the business she inherits forces Isabella Gillhespy to re-evaluate everything she understands about her past and expects from her future.

Facing financial ruin, let down by people on whom she thought she could rely, and suspected of crimes that threaten her freedom, Isabella struggles to prove her innocence.

But the stakes are even higher than she realises. In a town where tension between England and her Scottish neighbours is never far from the surface, it isn’t long before developments attract the interest of the highest authority in the land, Sir William Cecil, and soon Isabella is fighting, not just for her freedom, but her life. She must use her wits and trust her own instincts to survive.

Lady of the Quay introduces an enticing new heroine who refuses to be beaten, even as it becomes clear that her life will never be the same again.

From the author of the award-winning ‘The Woman in the Painting’.


Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/317rQa 


This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.


Read a snippet from Lady of the Quay

‘You knew my father well. What did you know of his dealings with Mr Young?’ I twisted my head from the glass so I could watch Will’s reaction. He looked at me with a quizzical expression.

‘They were associates, rivals even. Both burgesses. Common interests. What’s this about? You know this as well as I do. Beyond that though, your father did not confide in me. Why would he?’ 

Will leaned towards me. In the confined space of the window seat we were almost touching. His proximity was intoxicating; his musky smell mingling with the crisp freshness of the outdoor air that clung to his hair and his skin. I stood up and moved towards the warmth of the fire. At once, the freshness was replaced with the bitter tang of smoke. When I turned to face him he was still sitting in the window seat, watching me. He appeared thoughtful, and his shoulders were hunched.

‘What is it Izzy? Let me help you.’

‘You can help me by telling me what you know.’

***


Amanda Roberts has worked as an Editor in business-to-business magazines for over 30 years, specialising in out-of-home coffee, vending and foodservice/catering, including Editor of the global gastronomy title: ‘Revue internationale de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’.

She currently freelances, editing UK-based healthcare titles – HEFMA Pulse, Hospital Food + Service and Hospital Caterer. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Historical Novel Society and West Oxfordshire Writers. She also volunteers for Tea Books (part of Age UK) to run a book club/reading group for elderly people in the community.



Website: https://amandarobertsauthor.co.uk/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095191090333 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda_roberts_author/ 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/lady-of-the-quay-isabella-gillhespy-series-book-1-by-amanda-roberts 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amanda-Roberts/author/B00N0RQBAI  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231816264-lady-of-the-quay 





Monday, 9 June 2025

The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour presents: Nothing Proved by Janet Wertman



Book Title: Nothing Proved

Series: Regina

Author: Janet Wertman

Publication Date: May 19, 2025

Publisher: Janet Wertman

Pages: 376

Genre: Historical Fiction


Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-nothing-proved-by-janet-wertman.html 



Nothing Proved 

by 

Janet Wertman


Danger lined her path, but destiny led her to glory… 

Elizabeth Tudor learned resilience young. Declared illegitimate after the execution of her mother Anne Boleyn, she bore her precarious position with unshakable grace. But upon the death of her father, King Henry VIII, the vulnerable fourteen-year-old must learn to navigate a world of shifting loyalties, power plays, and betrayal. 

After narrowly escaping entanglement in Thomas Seymour’s treason, Elizabeth rebuilds her reputation as the perfect Protestant princess – which puts her in mortal danger when her half-sister Mary becomes Queen and imposes Catholicism on a reluctant land. Elizabeth escapes execution, clawing her way from a Tower cell to exoneration. But even a semblance of favor comes with attempts to exclude her from the throne or steal her rights to it through a forced marriage.  

Elizabeth must outwit her enemies time and again to prove herself worthy of power. The making of one of history’s most iconic monarchs is a gripping tale of survival, fortune, and triumph.


Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bM8Vrk 

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nothing-proved-janet-wertman/1146831389

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/nothing-proved

Apple:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/nothing-proved/id6740549129



By day, Janet Wertman is a freelance grantwriter for impactful nonprofits. By night, she writes critically acclaimed, character-driven historical fiction – indulging a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she was eight years old and her parents let her stay up late to watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R. 

Her Seymour Saga trilogy (Jane the Quene, The Path to Somerset, The Boy King) took her deep into one of the era’s central families – and now her follow-up Regina series explores Elizabeth’s journey from bastard to icon.

Janet also runs a blog (www.janetwertman.com) where she posts interesting takes on the Tudors and what it’s like to write about them.


Website: https://janetwertman.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janetwertmanauthor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-ambrosi-wertman-b5531aa/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetwertman/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/janetwertman.bsky.social

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janetwertman

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/janet-wertman

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Janet-Wertman/author/B01CUSMWFA

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2028387.Janet_Ambrosi_Wertman





Sunday, 8 June 2025

Delighted to host Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift for the Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour


Book Title: Last Train to Freedom

Series: n/a

Author: Deborah Swift

Publication Date: 8th May 2025

Publisher: HQDigital

Pages: 361

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: WW2, so mild violence 

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-last-train-to-freedom-by-deborah-swift.html 



Last Train to Freedom

by Deborah Swift


'Taut, compelling and beautifully written – I loved it!’ ~ DAISY WOOD

'Tense and thought-provoking' ~ CATHERINE LAW

1940. As Soviet forces storm Lithuania, Zofia and her brother Jacek must flee to survive.

A lifeline appears when Japanese consul Sugihara offers them visas on one condition: they must deliver a parcel to Tokyo. Inside lies intelligence on Nazi atrocities, evidence so explosive that Nazi and Soviet agents will stop at nothing to possess it.

Pursued across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Express, Zofia faces danger at every turn, racing to expose the truth as Japan edges closer to allying with the Nazis. With the fate of countless lives hanging in the balance, can she complete her mission before time runs out?

‘Such an interesting and original book…. Informative, full of suspense and thrills.’

~ Netgalley Review 


An Excerpt from Last Train to Freedom 

Deborah Swift 

Otto massaged his chest to try to relieve the tension. For more than a year he had done daily battle with the diplomatic mail in the quiet hush of this office. He’d watched spies and diplomats from every country come and go, and all had been received by Sugihara with a polite smile.

He suspected the time for smiling was over.

Sugihara’s diplomatic immunity would cease. Where would he, Otto, go then? He had a doctorate in East Asian languages and civilizations from Harvard but, still, this was his home. And if they had to move, what could he do about his mother? She wouldn’t want to leave. She barely went out of the front door now as it was.

He tidied the pens on his desk back into their pots, stacked his papers into a neat pile again, aware he was procrastinating. How he loved the painting above his desk! The vista of misty sky with a lone tiny figure set against milky half-hidden mountains. He liked the row of minute jade netsuke precisely arranged on the shelf above his desk, the little fox curled around its own tail, the jade frog, the little waterlily that opened to reveal a dragonfly, each one perfect, the size of a single typewriter key.

His eyes grew wet. It seemed strange to carry on as normal when it was all about to end. No, that would never do. He swallowed and stood up, turning to where Sugihara had returned to his desk to ask him if it was okay for him to go home.

Sugihara looked up at the scrape of Otto’s chair and gave him a nod. It was the same routine every day, and Otto was used to his employer’s manner of dismissal. Automatically, he shrugged on his jacket, despite the suffocating temperature, and headed for the door.

Voices beyond the window made him pause to look out and he stopped, a frown on his face. ‘What’s going on outside?’ he asked.

Sugihara came to stand beside him. Below the window a restless queue had formed, despite the late afternoon heat. A crowd dressed for winter, all with anxious faces, shuffling from foot to foot in the wash of low sun. Some carried luggage with them, and one old woman, her head bowed under a scarf, was sitting on her bags, obviously intent on being there for some time.

Sugihara’s eyes remained fixed on them. Without turning he said, ‘Would you mind going out there and asking them who they’re waiting for?’

Otto wasn’t keen on tackling this disturbance, but he could hardly refuse. His leather heels tapped briskly on the stairs as he descended and creaked open the wrought-iron gate at the front of the consulate. At his arrival, the crowd clustered like flies, but Otto closed the gate again and stayed firmly on his side of the barrier. The number of people made him uneasy, and he guessed they must be Jewish because one of the elderly men had the long sideburns, and most were talking in Yiddish. Jews were nothing new in Kaunas, about a quarter of the city’s total population was Jewish and they ran many of the city’s businesses with good-natured efficiency.

‘What is it? What do you want?’ Sweat formed around his collar.

Several men tried to answer all at once and he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Many seemed to be Poles or from other parts whose languages he couldn’t immediately grasp.

‘Slowly!’ he shouted. ‘One at a time.’

‘The Japanese consul is our last hope,’ yelled a wiry youth, gripping on to the metal railings.

‘We want the ambassador to issue transit visas to get us out of Lithuania.’ This older man was clearer and his Lithuanian better. The word ‘visas’ echoed through the crowd.

Otto held up a hand for quiet. ‘Why? What makes you think we can help?’

‘There’s a route to an island – Curaçao, somewhere in the Indies. A Dutch colony.’

It was a name he’d never heard of.

His blank look brought another tumble of words: ‘Vladivostok.’ ‘Shanghai.’ ‘Trans-Siberian Railway.’

‘We can pay,’ shouted a well-dressed woman in a dusty hat, two small children clamped to her skirts. ‘Please. We have to get out, or the Germans will kill us.’

Otto blinked. The Germans. Surely it was the Russians who were the problem right now. A burst of outrage in his chest at the insult to his father and his country of birth. ‘I don’t think we can help.’ He turned to go back inside but caught a glimpse of two men trying to climb, monkey-like, over the fence, and others pulling them back. If he didn’t do something, the whole building might be overwhelmed.

‘All right,’ he said, shouting over the hubbub in Lithuanian. ‘All right! Choose people to represent you. No more than five. Tomorrow five of you can have an appointment with Mr Sugihara to make your request. But only if the rest of you go away immediately.’

‘If we go, more will come,’ the young lad said morosely. ‘And we’ll lose our place in the queue. There are thousands on the way here.’

Thousands coming to queue. For what? Otto felt himself waver. He tried a shooing gesture with his hands. ‘Move away from the fence!’

Nobody moved. They remained stubbornly where they were.

‘We won’t move until we’ve spoken to the consul.’ This man in the grimy yellow cravat had steel in his eyes, and a belligerent tone. Otto took a step back. He felt like an exhibit in a zoo with all these people staring in. He was reluctant to turn his back on them in case they swarmed over, but he mustered his dignity, braced himself, and returned upstairs.

Sugihara was still at the window, calmly looking out, one finger holding open the blind. ‘They look tired, these people.’

‘From what I can make out, they’ve heard we can issue visas to get them through Russia to Japan. They’re fleeing the German army.’


Universal Buy Link: http://mybook.to/TransSiberian


Deborah Swift is the English author of twenty historical novels, including Millennium Award winner Past Encounters, and The Poison Keeper the novel based around the life of the legendary poisoner Giulia Tofana. The Poison Keeper won the Wishing Shelf Readers Award for Book of the Decade. Recently she has completed a secret agent series set in WW2, the first in the series being The Silk Code.

Deborah used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV and enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. She likes to write about extraordinary characters set against a background of real historical events. Deborah lives in England on the edge of the Lake District, an area made famous by the Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Website: www.deborahswift.com 

Twitter https://twitter.com/swiftstory

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordeborahswift/

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/deborahswift1/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/deborahswift.bsky.social

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/deborah-swift

Amazon Author Page: http://author.to/DeborahSwift

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deborahswiftauthor/





Friday, 16 May 2025

The Coffee Pot Book Club is pleased to introduce Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology by Wendy J. Dunn


Book Title: Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Katherine of Aragon Story

Series: Omnibus Edition

Author:  Wendy J. Dunn

Publication Date:  February 28th, 2025

Publisher:  Poesy Quill 

Pages: 1030 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Tudor Fiction

Any Triggers: This is a story for adults, with adult themes and situations.


Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-falling-pomegranate-seeds-duology-by-wendy-j-dunn.html 


Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Katherine of Aragon Story

Wendy J. Dunn


In the Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology, readers are transported to the rich historical tapestry of 15th and 16th-century Europe, where the lives of remarkable women unfold against the backdrop of political upheaval and personal struggles. 

In the first book, beginning in 1490 Castile, Doña Beatriz Galindo, a passionate and respected scholar, serves as an advisor to Queen Isabel of Castile. Beatriz yearns for a life beyond the constraints imposed on women, desiring to control her own destiny. As she witnesses the Holy War led by Queen Isabel and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, Beatriz dedicates herself to guiding Queen Isabel's youngest child, Catalina of Aragon, on her own path. Beatriz's role as a tutor and advisor becomes instrumental in shaping Catalina's future as she prepares to become England's queen. 

Fast forward to the winter of 1539 in the second book, where María de Salinas, a dear friend and cousin of Catalina (now known as Katherine of Aragon), pens a heartfelt letter to her daughter, the Duchess of Suffolk. Unable to make the journey from her London home due to illness, María shares her life story, intricately woven with her experiences alongside Catalina. Their friendship has endured through exile and tumultuous times. María seeks to shed light for her daughter on the choices she has made in a story exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, hatred, and forgiveness. Through María's narrative, the eternal question Will love ultimately triumph?

Read a Snippet

 María giggled at Catalina’s sour expression as she sat for breakfast. On the table was a dish of grey mass lumped into a bowl. Catalina pushed aside the bowl, reaching for the fresh white bread and hard cheese. She nibbled at these, picked up a goblet and sipped the beer.

 “They cannot expect me to drink this,” Catalina said, pushing the goblet aside too.

 María chuckled again. On one of their first days in England, Catalina had turned to her when first tasting this English brew, whispering for her ears alone: “This is the sponge of ice and vinegar given to our Lord.”

 Gulping back another bubble of laughter, she swilled down a mouthful from the rejected goblet. “I’m becoming accustomed to it. It is different from what we are used to at home, but I do not mind it.”

 Catalina pushed her bowl towards her in answer. “If you like English beer, taste this then.”

 María picked up the bowl, sniffed, and put it down again. “Even for the love of you, I will not eat this. It may be that English dish of sheep brains Doña Elvira told us about.”

 

From All Manner of Things

 

 https://books2read.com/u/bax5n6 


***


Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. 

Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.




Website: www.wendyjdunn.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorwendyjdunn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyjdunnauthor/ 

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@wendyjdunnauthor 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/wendy-j-dunn 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004FRTZFA 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/197156.Wendy_J_Dunn






Tuesday, 13 May 2025

The Coffee Pot Book Club is happy to host Apollo's Raven – Audiobook – by Linnea Tanner

 


Audiobook Title: Apollo’s Raven

Series: Curse of Clansmen Kings 

Author: Linnea Tanner

Narrator: Kristin James

Publication Date: May 24, 2017 (Audiobook Publication)

Publisher: Apollo Raven Publisher, LLC

Listening Length: 11 hours and 56 minutes

Genre: Historical Fantasy, Historical Romantasy, Myth & Legend


Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-apollos-raven-audiobook-by-linnea-tanner.html 



 Apollo’s Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings, Book 1)

Author Name: Linnea Tanner

Audiobook Narrator: Kristin James

A Celtic warrior princess is torn between her forbidden love for the enemy and duty to her people.

AWARD-WINNING APOLLO'S RAVEN sweeps you into an epic Celtic tale of forbidden love, mythological adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. In 24 AD British kings hand-picked by Rome to rule are fighting each other for power. King Amren's former queen, a powerful Druid, has cast a curse that Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise and destroy him. 

The king's daughter, Catrin, learns to her dismay that she is the Raven and that her banished half-brother is Blood Wolf. Trained as a warrior, Catrin must find a way to break the curse, but she is torn between her forbidden love for her father's enemy, Marcellus, and loyalty to her people. She must summon the magic of the Ancient Druids to alter the dark prophecy that threatens the fates of everyone in her kingdom.

Will Catrin overcome and eradicate the ancient curse? Will she be able to embrace her forbidden love for Marcellus? Will she cease the war between Blood Wolf and King Amren and save her kingdom?

Book Trailer on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSdT5wK4aI


https://soundcloud.com/user-713878612/chapter-51-betrayal


“Mystery and intrigue with each word, Tanner is a master wordsmith. Her vivid imagery and imagination are captured in her story and character development.” ~ The Audiobook Reviewer


" Many surprising twists enrich the historically drawn plot. Points of view shift between different characters effectively, heightening the tension from one moment to the next." ~ Historical Novel Society Review


Universal Buy Link for Apollo’s Raven: https://books2read.com/Apollos-Raven


Audible US: https://www.audible.com/pd/Apollos-Raven-Livre-Audio/B072C2NK8H 


Audible UK: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Apollos-Raven-Livre-Audio/B072C2NK8H 

*AUDIOBOOK GIVEAWAY – UK Only*


Linnea Tanner is giving away an audiobook copy of Apollo’s Raven to listeners in the UK. Visit the blog tour page and leave a comment to enter the giveaway: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/04/blog-tour-apollos-raven-audiobook-by-linnea-tanner.html 

A winner will be chosen at random and announced after the tour has finished.


Award-winning author, Linnea Tanner, weaves Celtic tales of love, magical adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. She is particularly interested in the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.

Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include Apollo’s Raven (Book 1), Dagger’s Destiny (Book 2), Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3), and Skull’s Vengeance (Book 4). She has also released the historical fiction short story Two Faces of Janus. 

A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.

Website: https://www.linneatanner.com/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/linneatanner 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/linneatanner.bsky.social 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinneaTannerAuthor 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnea-tanner-a021932b/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linneatanner/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@linneatanner 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/linneatanner/_created/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linnea-tanner

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linnea-Tanner/e/B01N6YEM04

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16474282.Linnea_Tanner





Friday, 2 May 2025

Tony Riches on the subject of his new book, BESS

 


Tony Riches on the subject of his new book, BESS

Bess Throckmorton, the queen’s gentlewoman, catches the eye of the captain of the queen’s guard, adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, and has to choose between loyalty and love, duty and desire. Can she risk her queen’s anger by marrying without permission? 

Like most Elizabethan women, her education was limited to what she might need to run a household. Her children’s tutors helped her to improve her writing, but I was impressed at how her phonetic spelling didn’t stop Bess writing to the most powerful men at court, such as Secretary of State of England and Lord High Treasurer, Sir Robert Cecil. 

I always like to have a sense of the ‘voice’ of a character when writing historical fiction, and to imagine what might be on her mind as Bess struggles to protect her family in a dangerous world. I was able to track down several of her actual letters, and used the original text in italics, as in this short excerpt:


Taking a fresh sheet of parchment, Bess dips her pen in the black ink and begins to write. Ignoring what Walter told her, she thanks Robert Cecil for his help and support. 

Sur Walter’s remembranse of me to you at his last deeparting shall add and increese if it wer possibl more love and dew respect to him.

Bess stops to read back her words, regretting her poor spelling, and undecided whether she should travel to see Robert Cecil, to appeal to him in person. She has spent long enough away from her son and from Sherborne. She will have Alexander Brett deliver her letter.

A Devon man, and distant cousin, Alexander Brett is bright and capable, taking over the work started by Adrian Gilbert to improve the supply of fresh water to Sherborne. Keen to better himself, he will relish the challenge of meeting such an important man as Sir Robert Cecil.

He is one of the few unmarried men at Sherborne, and Bess is flattered by how Brett flirts with her. The twinkle in his eye when he makes her laugh reminds her of Walter before they married. She suspects Alexander Brett admires her, and tries not to think of what could happen if Walter never returns. She frowns as she dips her pen back in the ink and continues. 

Sur I am in hope ere it be long to hear of Sur Walter, thow not of long time to see him, being for a time thus disevered from him as I am. 

She waits for the ink to dry in the spring sunshine streaming through her window, satisfied this is enough of a preamble. Bess doubts Robert Cecil will be familiar with the debt owed by Henry Huntingdon, but hopes he will realise the seriousness if she threatens to go to law. 

I must entreet your favourable word to my Lord Keeper. I desire no favour, only suferance. The bearer of this leter can tell you the matter. I choose this time to follow it in Sur Walter’s absents, that myself shall beare the unkindness, and not he, the money being long time past due to me.

Once the ink is dry, she folds the letter. One way or another, Henry Huntingdon will become aware that she will not forget the money he owes her. With luck, Robert Cecil will find some quiet way to avoid the matter going to law. Bess smiles as she presses her signet ring into the hot red wax. She has rolled the dice, and has little to lose.


BESS – Tudor Gentlewoman is available from Amazon in eBook and Paperback:


🇬🇧 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D46XQP59

🇺🇸 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D46XQP59



Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling Tudor historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the Tudors. 

For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on  Facebook, Twitter  and Bluesky (see links below).

You can find out more about his research on his popular podcast series, ‘Stories of the Tudors’ 


Website: https://www.tonyriches.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tonyriches

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyriches.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyriches.author/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyriches/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyriches.author/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Riches/e/B006UZWOXA

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5604088.Tony_Riches