Susan Higginbotham's Blog: History Refreshed by Susan HIgginbotham, page 36

It's Official: The Queen of Last Hopes Cover!

Here's the brand new cover for my forthcoming Margaret of Anjou novel, The Queen of Last Hopes (an earlier version you might have seen got on Amazon UK before it was quite ready)! As you can see, it's a new look, and check out the nice red rose. (Now to just-er-finish the book.)

Richard the Mourner?

(First, thanks to Joan for discussing this with me over at the Richard III Society's private Yahoo group.)

On a number of places on the Internet, including both the Richard III Society and the Richard III Foundation websites, it's stated as a fact that Richard wept openly at his queen's funeral. The Richard III Foundation adds the touch that he shut himself up for three days afterward. None of these accounts cite a source for their information.

So did Richard weep at Anne's funeral and shut him...

Back to Bloggin', Sort Of

Eek! How long has it been since I've blogged? I've been doing a blog tour, and Margaret of Anjou has been a hard taskmistress (as you might expect), but I hope to be back to some more posting soon. In the meantime, here's Stripes in what passes for my office (which is actually a wall of the kitchen that has gradually been overrun by bookshelves). Note those half-empty shelves begging to be filled!

I wanted to thank everyone who enjoyed my post on the Wars of the Roses on Facebook, and in parti...

The Wars of the Roses on Facebook, Part 2

Here's the continuation of my previous post. (I did you a favor and jumped over some of the more obscure years.) And be sure to check out the second part of Edward II on Facebook and of Henry VIII and Friends on Facebook!

Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England and Don't You Forget It, Either! loves it when men do some serious groveling.

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick has sore knees.

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick joined the I Love the House of Lancaster! No, Really! group.

Edward IV, King of Eng...

Blog Tour!

The Stolen Crown goes on sale officially tomorrow, and I'll be starting my blog tour!

Here's a list of where I'll be visiting:

March 1: Christy English's blog (looking forward to her own novel, The Queen's Pawn)!
March 3: Pop Syndicate's Book Addict
March 4: Rundpinne
March 5: Queen of Happy Endings
March 9: The Burton Review
March 10: Psychotic State
March 15: Fresh Fiction
March 16: Devourer of Books
March 22: Beth Fish Reads
March 24: Historical Hussies
March 26: Peeking Between the Pages
March 29: Lau...

The Wars of the Roses on Facebook: Part I

After howling over Kathryn's and Rachel's joint post on what would happen if Edward II joined Facebook, I was, naturally, compelled to speculate what would happen if some fifteenth-century folks joined as well (with the occasional sixteenth-century visitor). So here it is: The Wars of the Roses on Facebook (more to come):

Margaret of Anjou joined the Frenchwomen Don't Get Fat and French Girls Make Better Brides groups.

Henry VI needs a marriage manual. Fast.
William de la Pole, Marquis of Suffol...

Rumors, Milanese Style

One of the more entertaining sources for the Wars of the Roses is the Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts in the Archives and Collections of Milan, which gives a valuable outside perspective on the events happening in England.

During the tumultuous year of 1461, especially before and after the battle of Towton, the ambassadors were trying frantically to sort out the news they were hearing. This led to considerable misinformation being circulated, including rumors that Margaret of Anjou h...

The Death of Edmund, Earl of Rutland

One of the most infamous episodes of the Wars of the Roses is the death of the 17-year-old Edmund, Earl of Rutland, at the hands of John Clifford following the battle of Wakefield. As depicted by Shakespeare and a number of modern historical novelists (and even historians), Clifford kills the young man, who is unarmed, helpless, and pleading for mercy, with the cry, "By God's blood, thy father slew mine, and so will I do the and all thy kin!" But is this actually how Rutland died?

The account ...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, and none of the posts I've planned are quite suitable for the occasion, so here are a couple of romance covers for you, courtesy of this romance novel cover generator:






For some past Valentine's Day fun, check out these candy hearts I did a few years back.

I promise to be perkier soon!

Queen Margaret of Anjou and the Robbers

One story that's common to almost all chronicle accounts of Margaret of Anjou is one where Margaret encounters robbers and narrowly escapes. But when and where Margaret was robbed is a matter of some confusion, which this post will do nothing to clear up.

The first reported encounter dates to 1460, after the battle of Northampton. The English Chronicle reports that when she and her son were fleeing to Wales, Margaret was robbed of ten thousand marks. William of Worcester claims that she was ro...