Raglan Castle's Tudor V weekend - 28th and 29th July 2018 - mark it in your diary.

It isn't long now until the annual Tudor event at Raglan Castle, the childhood home of Henry Tudor. (Read more about that here)  Rain or shine it is always a great weekend with a warm welcome for everyone. Raglan is a big castle with plenty to explore and refreshments and activities to suit all.

Every year the Tudor event offers something new, something fun, and surprisingly educational with living crafts, historical talks, refreshments, battles, executions!! mock jousts and archery. This year there will be a fun Tudor joust and a talk on Anne Boleyn by fellow historian Lesley Smith. Even without all that, you will not want to miss the wonders of Raglan Castle itself. 

Above is a photograph taken by a visitor to last year's event. It shows me and my trusty servant primed and ready to begin the day. My biggest fear this year is not fitting into my Tudor gown, the combined effects of middle-age spread and too much ice cream to combat the heat this summer has made it ... erm ... a little tight but I am pretty confident my French Hood will fit 😂

Bring your princes and princesses along to meet me and take a photograph outside the magnificent gatehouse. I will selling signed copies of my books at a considerable discount, including the third in The Beaufort Chronicle series that some of you have been waiting for. 

The King's Mother relates the final years in the life of Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King Henry VII. There will be plenty of freebies and giveaways on hand and I am always happy to answer questions about Tudor history, writing or publishing.

Can't wait to see you there!

Raglan Castle is easy to find. Just over the Welsh/English border, on the A40 in Monmouthshire, the postcode is NP15 2BT.

My Humble Apologies and an update

I have neglected this blog badly this year, and here we are almost at the end of September. This year has not been kind to me so far and I have struggled to keep writing, let alone blog and socialise as much as I usually do. I did manage to attend Raglan Castle for their Tudor Weekend (who would miss that) where we had a fantastic time. It was great to meet readers, both old and new to my work. We did so well that I sold out on some titles. The season of book fairs began last weekend at Narberth where my books were also very successful. It was great to catch up with my fellow authors from Wales, and meet the readers once again. It was a reward for a rotten year and I am so glad I managed to keep up with is my work in progress, The King's Mother which, you will  be glad to hear, has just entered the editing stage.

Margaret Beaufort's latter years are not as dramatic as her earlier life. Established as The King's Mother, she is gratified to finally see her son, Henry Tudor, on the throne of England, and the royal nursery filling with grandchildren. However, Henry's reign is not an easy one and there are hidden dangers: his early years as king are fraught with uprisings, imposters, and the fear of possible assassins. As the years pass and one by one their enemies are vanquished, a more personal tragedy strikes. For once, Margaret finds herself powerless as slowly and inexorably, death takes those that Margaret loves best. 

It has been an uphill struggle for both Margaret and I, yet finally against all odds, the book is undergoing the first round of edits, the illustrator Kate Murray, and cover designer Cover Girl have done marvelous things with the exterior. It won't be long now until the book hits the shelves and all my fears of not making the deadline seem to have been vain.

I have also been involved in a non-fiction project with a authors, Annie Whitehead, Jessica Cale, Hunter S. Jones, Gayle Hulme, Dr Beth Lynne and Emma Hadden Wright which is to be published by Pen & Sword Books in March 2018. The book comprises of a collection of scholarly essays examining love and romance through the ages and the impact it may or may not have had on British history. I shall provide more information on this when I have it.

So, please forgive my neglect. I promise I shall strive to do better in the future. On my facebook page you will find an on going competition to come up wth ideas for the historical woman to be featured in my next book - preferably Tudor or late medieval. I shall peruse your ideas, and select my favourite. The person who comes up with the most inspiring idea will be mentioned in the dedication and receive a FREE copy of the book when it is published. So please, have a think and join us.

https://www.facebook.com/thetudorworld/

www.judithmarnopp.com