I’ve been obsessed with Tudor history from an early age. When I was 6 or 7, I was sick and my mom let me stay up to watch TV with her. It was the BBC’s Six Wives of Henry VIII, and that was all it took. I read fiction until I ran out, and then I read biographies and histories, before trying to write my own fiction set in the era.

I have a decent library of Tudor history to pull from, plus there’s a ton of other Tudor-obsessed people online, with websites and blogs and podcasts, and they often pull from original sources I haven’t seen or am not able to get access to. My computer and my phone are full of links and screenshots and random things I’ve saved until later.

Songbird came from a throwaway fact in a biography of Henry VIII – that he was such a music lover he once purchased a child to sing in the royal choir. When I read that, it just wouldn’t let me go until I created a life for that child, and wrote until I knew what happened next.

Songbird took literal decades to write, but much of that was because when I started, I truly was just writing for myself, to see if I could, and as a form of stress relief from a job that I hated. I joke that if my book were a child, it would be accruing college debt by now.

In contrast, my second book took about 15 months from idea to completed manuscript, then another 2-3 months for edits. It was interesting to see how little time it took when I was writing because something was expected of me, instead of just writing “for the fun of it.” (Though it was still fun).

Songbird refers to Bess Llewellyn, the main character. She’s a talented singer, and the king calls her his songbird. There were several names prior to that, but Songbird seemed the most appropriate.

All my characters seem to have one thing in common – they’re all trying to figure out where they belong. Whether it’s finding their place in the world, realizing that they have to accept themselves before they’ll fit in anywhere else, or learning that giving people what they need often leaves little for themselves, they’re all on that journey.

Bess Llewellyn is a child sold by her parents. Into a far better life, as it turns out (and which she appreciates), but she has a difficult time building relationships because of it – she either attaches too hard or she’s afraid to become close for fear something will happen.

I got an agent back in 2015 for Songbird, and she tried for a year to find a publisher, with no success. We parted ways, and I stopped writing for a while. But the story wouldn’t let me go, and in the autumn of 2018, I pulled up the book on my computer and did a full rewrite. In December, 2018, I did a pitch contest on Twitter, just to push myself to get out there again, and I got interest from two agents and a small publisher. I ended up going with the publisher because they offered a very collaborative experience and it was more immediate than having an agent pitch the book again.

Because of the collaborative aspect of their business, I had input into the cover of the book, the blurb, and I was able to supply my own voice actor for the audiobook, which has only just been released (and which I’m still waiting for Audible to upload, though it’s everywhere else).

My second Tudor historical will be published in April, 2021. It features a secondary character from Songbird, who spoke up and said he wanted his own story. I’m about 2/3 of the way through the first draft of my third novel, which – not surprisingly, features a minor character from the second book. It’s coming along pretty well. The characters are now acting independently and making me swear at them, which is always a good sign. When I finish that draft and let it rest, I’ll go back to editing my 1930s novel, which is a completed first draft which needs to be changed from third person POV to first person.

My first thought was invisibility, but I know I’d end up seeing or hearing something that I shouldn’t. Maybe that’s the wisdom that comes with age – that I know I’m better off not knowing some things? I think I’d go with super strength, because I could accomplish all my projects in one day without having to wait for help. And then I could sit back and enjoy them.

I’ve got two geriatric cats at the moment, Harriet and Nicky. They’re 17 year old littermates, and I’ve had them since they were tiny. They’re the last of what once was a house full of cats (13). I’d love a kitten or two, but it just seems an unkind thing to do to the old crankies, so I’ll wait.

It’ll Work. It’s something I’ve said for years, and it’s often driven friends crazy, but it’s what I believe. Over, under, around, or through – I’ll find a way.

I would either take on the role of Mistress Edith (age-appropriate, and she’s a great small role – she “mothers” the children among the minstrels) or assist the costumer and drive her crazy by insisting on accuracy in the costumes.

That’s a hard one, especially now, since we can’t travel. My favorite destination is usually the one I haven’t been to yet, and we had to cancel a trip to Edinburgh because of the pandemic. I’m still setting part of my third book there, so I guess you could say I’m an optimist. I’ll get there eventually.

“Shouldn’t you be writing?”

I would like to say a big thank you to Karen Heenan for sharing with us details of her writing life and for a wonderful interview.

Share your thoughts on our interview with Karen Heenan in the comment section below!