Meet My Main Characters - Judith Arnopp

Meet My Main Characters - Judith Arnopp

Today I’m taking part in a blog hop about my main characters.

Thank you to Rachael Thomas for tagging me in 

Meet My Main Character Blog hop. You can 

read all about Rachael's main character here.

For next week I am tagging Wendy Steele to tell us about her main character.

What is the name of your character?

There are two main characters in A Song of Sixpence, is that cheating? The first is Elizabeth of York,

Elizabeth of York Wikimedia commons

the second Perkin Warbeck. Historically of course, we don’t know Perkin’s real identity but in my book he is one of her brothers, Richard of York, escaped from the Tower of London after Richard III ascension to the throne.

When and where is the story set?

A Song of Sixpence is a historical novel set in England during the reign of Henry VII, the father of the Tudor dynasty.

What should we know about the character?

Elizabeth is the daughter of King Edward IV of York. After his death, her brother’s claim is overturned and her uncle Richard III takes the throne. After the Battle of Bosworth where Richard is slain, she is married for dynastic reasons to her old enemy Henry VII. Her life as queen is full of uncertainty; in the beginning she doesn’t love or trust her husband, she doesn’t like her mother-in-law and doesn’t know if her brothers are alive or dead. When Perkin Warbeck claims to be Richard of York Elizabeth is unsure of his real identity but her quandary is that, if put the test, should she side with her brother or fight against him to ensure her son inherits his father’s throne?

Perkin knows who he is; he knows what he wants, and nothing will stand in his way of attaining it. He matures from a small boy with a few friends into a formidable enemy of the Tudor king and severely shakes Henry VII’s grasp on the crown.

Henry VII - wikimedia commons

What is the character’s goal?

Elizabeth longs to return to the peace she enjoyed as a princess during her father’s reign. She craves stability for England. She needs Henry to open up to her, to allow her to take her proper role but he is suspicious of all surviving Yorkists, even his wife, and ensures her power as queen remains minimal.  Hemmed in by suspicion, malice and uncertainty, her fight to be recognised as a woman of influence  is sustained and desperate.

Perkin (Richard of York)'s only goal is to win back his crown and exact justice on those who disempowered him.

What is screwing up your character’s life (the main conflict)?

Elizabeth needs to discover the real identity of the man claiming to be her brother but her husband,

Perkin Warbeck -wikimedia commons

King Henry VII, who is suspicious of everyone including his wife, forbids her to meet or even look upon the usurper (Richard of York). Elizabeth is queen of England with no power, no authority, and no influence on either her own life or that of her children. She is a strong woman deprived of the key to unlock the truth and to destroy the barriers between her and her husband.

Perkin (or Richard of York) is fighting to regain his rightful throne. With the might of Europe behind him, his quest is to vanquish the English king but in doing so he knows he must destroy his sister and her children

When is the book to be published?

I am about three quarters though the first draft  - hopefully it will be available before Christmas but perhaps, more realistically, it will be early next year. All my books are available in paperback and on Kindle. For information on my other historical novels please visit my official webpage: www.juditharnopp.com

or my Amazon page