I’m Carolyn Hughes, and I write historical fiction set in the 14th century England.

My series, The Meonbridge Chronicles, begins with Fortune’s Wheel, in the immediate aftermath of the Black Death. The novel explores how the people of fictional Meonbridge, and especially the women, coped with such horror, and with the social upheaval that ensued. The other novels tell further stories of different Meonbridge folk. Each book can be read as a standalone but most readers agree that reading the series in order is better!

I love exploring the different social “issues” of the period, and setting my stories, which are very much character-led, within the context of the historical background, events and mores of the time. Currently, there are six main “chronicles”, together with one companion novel and a trilogy of novellas. More will follow!

I am also working on a standalone novel that spans the entire 14th century, and explores the ups and downs of medieval life, and the principal historical events that defined the century, through the eyes of the sort of people who would have experienced it first hand.

I am J.P. Reedman (you can call me Janet, I use the initials in case guys won't read a female author) and I write mostly Wars of the Roses fiction (pro-Yorkist, I might add) and novels about various medieval women from the 11th c right up to the beginning of the Tudor  era. My bestsellers are MY FAIR LADY, about Queen Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, who is buried somewhere in the town where I live, and I, Richard Plantagenet, which chronicles the life of Richard III through his own first person viewpoint. I also have written about Stonehenge (I have studied  it over 40 years) and a fantasy Robin Hood, which is a tribute to  my favourite TV series, Robin of Sherwood. I used to be  one of the convention organisers for the show some 20 years back! My current WIP, due out soon, is WIFE OF THE DEVIL, about the unfortunate Adnes, wife of the notorious Robert de Belleme. Then I am going to have a little foray into fantasy, which used to be my main genre back in the 80's; a retelling based on Poe's poem 'Annabel Lee.'

My name is Judith Arnopp. I am the author of 18 (I think) historical fiction novels, one non-fiction book on Tudor clothing and fashion. I also have fiction and non-fiction and work included in several anthologies. My novels are mostly set in the late medieval and Tudor period, focussing on the main players of the day. I like to write in the first person, choosing troubled, often angry characters and giving them the chance to justify themselves.  My best-selling books are The Beaufort Chronicle – a trilogy detailing the life of Lady Margaret Beaufort, and The Henrician Chronicle – another trilogy in which Henry VIII gives his own version of events.

When I was younger I was firmly in the Yorkist camp but having studied and written so intimately about both sides of the war of the roses, I am now on the fence. They were all as bad as the other. In addition to the aforementioned, I have written about Anne Neville, queen to Richard III, Elizabeth of York, queen to Henry VII, and Henry VIII’s queens Anne Boleyn, Katheryn Parr and his daughter, Mary I. The other queens turn up in The Winchester Goose, which highlights the differences between women at the royal court and those working as prostitutes on Bankside. Once I discovered how few novels there were tackling the dissolution of the monasteries I wrote Sisters of Arden, from the point of view of a small priory of nuns and their experiences during the pilgrimage of grace.

I love an unreliable narrator and select historical figures who have been misrepresented, misunderstood or just plain maligned. My most recent release Marguerite: Hell Hath NO Fury! Is narrated by Marguerite of Anjou as she resists York’s attempt to usurp her husband, King Henry VI’s throne and remove her son from the succession. Marguerite is justifiably furious and absolutely determined to win. She was a joy to write.

My books are available on kindle, paperback, KU and quite a few are now on audible.

I live on the west coast of Wales, where I enjoy the beach and cliff walks and when I am not writing or marketing, I like to garden, crochet and restore antique dolls houses.