Books-n-Kisses is please to welcome Susan Higginbotham to the blog for the first time.
Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself?
I have been writing since I was about seven, when I used to write and illustrate stories about my cats. It wasn’t until a few years ago, though, that I tried my hand at writing historical fiction. I became interested in the reign of Edward II and discovered the story of his niece Eleanor de Clare, which I found so fascinating I decided to write a novel about her, The Traitor’s Wife. Since then I’ve published four other novels set in England, spanning the fourteenth century through Tudor England.
Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?
Yes, I have. There have been some times when writing had to take a back seat to making a living or going to school, especially when I was in law school, but there’s never been a time when I gave up on writing altogether.
Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?
Some of my favorite authors are William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Anne Tyler, Barbara Pym, and P. D. James. I think they’ve all influenced my writing to some extent. All are very strong in creating characters, and I aspire to emulate them (though I certainly don’t pretend to be on their level!). I also admire their wit, sharp in some cases and gentle in others. I try to add a touch of humor to all of my novels, even the ones that deal with grim subjects. For historical fiction in particular, I’ve learned a lot from authors like Sharon Penman, Margaret George, and Jean Plaidy about bringing the past to life.
Q4) How did you get into writing in this specific genre? Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?
As I said earlier, it was Eleanor de Clare’s story that brought me into historical fiction in a serious way, both as a writer and as a reader. I had read the occasional historical novel in the past, and even had dabbled in writing juvenile historical fiction, but it wasn’t until I began reading about Eleanor that I became fascinated by the genre.
As for whether I’ve thought about writing in a different genre, I’m actually under contract to write a nonfiction book dealing with the Woodville family, whom I encountered when researching the Wars of the Roses for my previous two novels. I kept bewailing the fact that there was no objective history of the family that’s been commercially published, and I finally decided to write one!
Q5) What are some of your writing rituals?
I really don’t have any, unless you can call checking my Facebook page when I should be writing and nibbling cookies when I’m at a loss for words rituals.
Q6) Can you please tell us about your latest book?
is the story behind the crowning and execution of Lady Jane Grey, told by her mother, Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, and her mother-in-law, Jane Dudley. Lady Jane is an important character in the novel, but the central characters are Jane Dudley and Frances, whose stories will be new to most readers.
Q7) How did you come up with the idea for this story?
When I read Leandra de Lisle’s biography of the three Grey sisters, The Sisters Who Would Be Queen, I was shocked to find how distorted the character of Frances Grey had become over time. Like most other people, I had always heard that she was a vicious woman who spent her days alternating between beating her daughter and killing sad-eyed does, and Lisle made me realize how badly this very ordinary mother has been maligned by history. I decided she would make an excellent subject for a novel. In researching Frances’s story, I came across a couple of documents written by Jane Dudley, Guildford Dudley’s mother, and they moved me so much I had to tell her story as well.
Q8) Can you share with us your current work in progress?
It’s a novel about Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, known mainly as being the mother of Henry, Lord Darnley, and the mother-in-law of Mary, Queen of Scots. Margaret was Henry VIII’s niece, whose romantic entanglements and intrigues landed her in the Tower on several occasions.
Q9) What would you be if you were not an author?
I work full-time as an editor for a legal publisher, so I suppose I would still be that! All my favorite jobs have involved working with words at some level—editing, writing legal briefs—so I don’t think I would stray far from the publishing industry.
Q10) What is in your To Be Read pile that you are dying to start or an upcoming release you can’t wait for?
Once I get past the part of my work in progress in which Anne Boleyn plays a part, I want to read Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies—I’ve been saving it as a reward. I’m also curious to see Philippa Gregory’s upcoming novel about the daughters of Warwick “the Kingmaker” and Alison Weir’s novel about Katherine Grey, Jane Grey’s younger sister. I have a biography of Eleanor de Montfort, Simon de Montfort’s wife, on order, which I’m very eager to read.
Thanks for interviewing me!
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Fantastic interview! Her Highness the Traitor sounds like an intriguing book. I’ve read several books – non fiction- about Lady Jane Grey but I’ve never thought about her mother – mostly dwelt on her father and his issues. I have always felt that Jane was a tragic figure and a victim of the times. I am very interested in find out about her mother and her mother in law. Thanks for the highlight.