Monday, November 02, 2009

A Winner!

Congratulations to Julianne Douglas, who will be receiving a copy of The Traitor's Wife! Hope you enjoy it, Julianne!

While I'm here, I'd like to remember Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, the co-narrator and hero (antihero if you will) of my forthcoming novel, The Stolen Crown. Henry was executed at Salisbury on November 2, 1483, for his role in the rebellion against Richard III that bears his name. Henry's own motives for rebelling against the man he helped to bring to power will probably never be known, but it's worth pointing out that for the men of lesser rank who were planning the rebellion weeks before Buckingham himself joined the conspiracy, the initial objective was to restore Edward V to the throne. Some of these men might have been motivated by self-interest, but many others had lost nothing materially by Richard's seizure of the throne; a number of the rebels, indeed, had gained at the hands of Richard III. For these members of the gentry, loyalty to the memory of Edward IV, and their belief that Richard had acted wrongly in deposing his son, drove their actions. To me, these brave men were the heroes of 1483.

5 comments:

Julianne Douglas said...

Thank you so very much, Susan! I've heard such wonderful things about your novel. I'm really looking forward to reading it!

Kathryn Warner said...

RIP, Henry. I remember standing outside a supermarket in Salisbury a few years ago, when quite by chance my eye fell on a plaque commemorating his execution there (or near there). I love it when that happens!

Lisa said...

Congrats to the winner! I'm reading it right now and you will LOVE it!

Carla said...

Congratulations to the winner! I read the novel a while ago and enjoyed it

Jules Frusher said...

I, too, am looking forward to reading the new novel. Let's hope that you some more awards!