Wendy's Writing World.
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good. - William Faulkner
Dear Reader,
My dear friend Kristie Dean and I are packing up today before leaving tomorrow morning our comfortable little apartment in Whitechapel for our nomadic part of our stay in Europe. Our first stop is a weekend in Norfolk – Wymondham, to be exact. Wymondham was where Amy Robsart, the wife of Robert Dudley, was born and raised. I suspect she would have stayed in Wymondham if a very handsome young man hadn’t entered her life. History strongly suggests Amy’s marriage to Robert Dudley was a love match. While writing my new novel, Shades of Yellow, a novel about a woman writing a novel about Amy Dudley, I wondered if all the tragedies that followed the Dudleys after John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, overplayed his hand in his attempt to place the tragic Lady Jane Grey on the throne resulted in destroying this love match.
During my second visit to the Tower on Wednesday, when Kristie, Danny, and I were treated to a private tour of the Bell Tower, I thought a lot about Jane Grey. I thought about Robert Dudley and Elizabeth Tudor – wondering if they ever stood on the ramparts, like I did on Wednesday.
According to the archives of the Tower, this is likely. Both Elizabeth and Robert gained permission to exercise in the gardens in the Tower and on the ramparts. On Wednesday, we also viewed the prison cell of Cardinal John Fisher, a prison cell where legend claims Elizabeth also stayed.
As a princess of the blood, that is extremely doubtful. She was more likely housed in apartments at the Tower.
This private tour of the Bell Tower was another ‘pinch me’ moment of my time in England Not only did I meet again the raven that stole my lunch on my first visit, but I feel very blessed by the generosity of so many – from those who arranged these private tours of Lydiard, Ditchley Park, Cobhall Hall and the Tower, to those who gave up their time to take us around and share their knowledge of these places rich with so much history.
After our weekend in Norfolk, we head for Antwerp for two days. Then it is back to London for a short time before we go home - Kristie to the States, and me to Australia.
Both of us will be returning home with so many wonderful memories.
Until next time,
Wendy
Tony Riches has a new release!
FRANCES - TUDOR COUNTESS
Book five of the Elizabethan Series
New from Tony Riches, Author of the best-selling Tudor Trilogy
“A thrilling portrait of a remarkable woman who witnessed the key events of Elizabethan England.”
Based on extensive research, original letters and records of the Elizabethan Court, this new account explores the life of Frances Walsingham, the only surviving child of Queen Elizabeth’s ‘spymaster’ Sir Francis Walsingham. Better educated than most men, her father arranges her marriage to warrior poet Sir Philip Sidney. After Philip is killed in battle, Frances becomes Countess of Essex, and is banished from court after her husband Sir Robert Devereaux’s
rebellion against the queen. Can she marry for love, if it means turning her back on her faith and all she knows?
The story which began with the Tudor trilogy follows Frances, Countess of Essex and Clanricarde, from her first days at the Elizabethan Court to the end of the Tudor
dynasty and the rise of the Stuarts.
🇬🇧 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1YQYL8G
🇺🇸 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1YQYL8G
#Elizabethan #Tudors #HistoricalFiction
Author Bio
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his new Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit hiswebsite tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter