Helene Harrison's Blog, page 4

Book Review – ‘The Queen’s Musician’ by Martha Jean Johnson

Publisher: SparkPress Period: Tudors Big thanks to Martha Jean Johnson for gifting me a copy of this for review. I really enjoyed this book, based around the life of Mary Smeaton, a Tudor musician who became completely entwined in the life of Henry VIII’s second queen, Anne Boleyn. As a Tudor historian specialising in Anne […]

‘The Queen’s Musician’ by Martha Jean Johnson

Publisher: SparkPress Period: Tudors Big thanks to Martha Jean Johnson for gifting me a copy of this for review. I really enjoyed this book, based around the life of Mary Smeaton, a Tudor musician who became completely entwined in the life of Henry VIII’s second queen, Anne Boleyn. As a Tudor historian specialising in Anne […]

Being a Neurodivergent Historian and Author

My Experiences of Writing, Research, and Life in General I’ve known since around the age of 17 that I was autistic and probably dyspraxic as well. I was told that it’s 99.9% certain but that I was too old to diagnose. Now at the age of 34 I am pursuing that formal diagnosis though I […]

Book Review – ‘Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage – and Why He Failed’ by Jerry Rabow

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Period: Tudors Thanks to Amberley Publishing for a copy to read and review. This book intrigued me from the first time I heard about it. Writing a book myself at the moment about Henry VIII’s Great Matter I thought that this could be a very interesting alternative point of view, and one […]

‘Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage – and Why He Failed’ by Jerry Rabow

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Period: Tudors Thanks to Amberley Publishing for a copy to read and review. This book intrigued me from the first time I heard about it. Writing a book myself at the moment about Henry VIII’s Great Matter I thought that this could be a very interesting alternative point of view, and one […]

Who Didn’t Make the Cut for Tudor Executions?

Other Executed Nobles of the Tudor Period Writing my second book Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block I couldn’t write about every single noble executed under the Tudors just for space reasons. I had to narrow it down, so I wanted to make sure I covered the full span of the period from Henry […]

Guest Post – Sharon Bennett Connolly on Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Today I’m excited to welcome Sharon Bennett Connolly! Sharon has written eight books now, and her latest is Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From Saint Margaret to Margaret of Denmark. Her focus is largely on the women of the medieval period, having written on women of the Anarchy, Tudor heroines, and women of the Norman conquest. I […]

Book Review – ‘Cecily’ by Annie Garthwaite

Publisher: Penguin Books Period: Wars of the Roses, Medieval What a triumph of historical fiction! It’s rare to find a book that is so well-written and engaging yet with a very obvious historical accuracy. Garthwaite has done her research, going back to the primary sources to find what actually happened, and who was where when […]

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: More Than the Rhyme

Why the Six Wives Deserve Their Own Stories Told The six wives of Henry VIII are often condensed down to the children’s rhyme ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived’. However, these were interesting women beyond their relationship with Henry VIII, and beyond their connection to each other as a result of Henry VIII. Katherine of […]

Guest Post – Rebecca Batley on Anne Neville

Today I welcome Rebecca Batley, whose most recent book is Anne Neville: Queen and Wife of Richard III. I was delighted to share a publication date with Rebecca for her Anne Neville and my Tudor Executions! Her first book was ‘Ann Walker: The Life and Death of Gentleman Jack’s Wife’ – very diverse periods of […]