Today we welcome
Rosemary Morris – and the rest is history
First of
all, thank you very much for inviting me to be your guest.
I am often asked
where I get my ideas from. More often than not while I am reading historical
non-fiction, something sparks my imagination. For example, I was reading about
James II younger brother of Charles II. In my author’s note at the beginning of
Far Beyond Rubies I explained. “When the outwardly Protestant Charles II died
in 1685, he left a country torn by religious controversy but no legitimate
children. The throne passed to his Catholic brother James.
It was an
anxious time for the people, whose fears increased when James II, became so
unpopular that he was forced into exile. In 1688, James’s Protestant daughter,
Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, became the new king and queen of
England.
Some English
Protestants, who had sworn allegiance to James II, refused to take a new oath
of allegiance to William and Mary and, after their deaths, to Queen Anne, and
joined him in France. How, I asked myself, did this affect the children of
Jacobites, and wrote Tangled Love.
Subsequently,
I set two more novels, Far Beyond Rubies and The Captain and The Countess, in
the reign of Queen Anne Stuart, 1702-1714, and two novels, Sunday’s Child, and
False Pretences set in Regency England.
I like choosing dramatic events as a background. If the Duke of Marlborough had not won The War of Spanish Succession and The Duke of Wellington had not defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, it would have had far-reaching consequences for the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.
At
the moment I am writing Monday’s Child the second of a series set in the period
before and after the Battle of Waterloo. I am also revising a novel set in the
reign of Edward II who was defeated by Robert the Bruce at The Battle of
Bannockburn. This battle, in which the last large English mediaeval army took
to the field, changed the history of England and Scotland.
I
dislike historical fiction in which the characters act like 21st
century people. I don’t think it is possible to get every single detail about
the past correct, but my bookshelves and local library bear testimony to my research.
Apart from reading, I visit places of historical interest and exhibitions. In
recent months, I visited the Georgians Revealed exhibition at The British
Library, The Vikings exhibition at The British Library and The Wedding Dress exhibition
at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and I visited The National Army Museum. I
also visit stately homes and gardens. At Hatfield House I saw Queen Anne
Stuart’s coronation chair. Elsewhere I viewed palanquins, a gypsy caravan,
carriages and much more. Such visits are instructive, bring me closer to the
past and always give me ideas.
If
you would like to know more about me, view my book trailers and read the first
chapters of my novel please visit my website.
My
novels are available from MuseItUp Publishing, at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and elsewhere.
Far Beyond Rubies is available as an online e book and print book.
Thank you so much for taking time to share, Rosemary
This blog is brought to you by Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman. We
are always interested in blog interviews and craft articles. Please contact us
at elaineeverest@aol.com
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