Susan Higginbotham's Blog: History Refreshed by Susan HIgginbotham, page 46

A New Richard III Novel: This Time

One of my friends from the Richard III Society, Joan Szechtman, has written a novel about Richard III, which is due out shortly from Basset Books. It's called This Time, and it has a twist: instead of dying on Bosworth Field, Richard is brought by a team of Americans into present-day Portland, Oregon.

Normally, I don't go for time-travel, but this was an enjoyable read, not the least for Richard's various fish-out-of-water experiences as he copes with modern-day technology and modern-day mores, e

Dorset the Evil Guardian?

While doing some research for a blog post last night, I looked up the entry for Thomas Grey, first Marquess of Dorset, in W. E. Hampton's Memorials of the Wars of the Roses. This book, put out by the Richard III Society in 1979, contains descriptions of memorials and tombs connected to various Wars of the Roses personages, with a potted biography of each one. Though most of the biographies are fairly straightforward, Hampton's account of Dorset, Elizabeth Woodville's eldest son by her first marr

I'm Not Cheap

While checking my Amazon ranking (it's a compulsion, and will someday be duly recognized as such in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), I noticed that a merchant was attempting to sell the Lulu version of Hugh and Bess for a whopping $364. The name of the seller: cheapbargainbook. (Two other sellers are trying for a more modest $90 or so.)

Somehow I doubt anyone will be paying this (especially since the Sourcebooks edition, which has been revised slightly, is coming out on

A Letter From Henry, Duke of Buckingham

Much to the frustration of the historical novelist who chooses Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, as a main character, few of his records survive. Many records were destroyed in 1483, where the Vaughan family raided Brecon Castle after Henry left it for his ill-fated rebellion against Richard III, and more were destroyed by Welsh rebels after Henry VII came to the throne in 1485.

Here, however, is a transcription of one letter by Henry that's held at the Staffordshire Record Office. No smoking g

April Showers Bring . . . Search Terms!

Searches people used in April to find my website (for those who have asked, my server keeps track of them):

the life during the reign of edward the first

Ah, those were the days, my friend.

kind edward ii

Alianore will love that one.

hugh despenser the still young

What were his beauty secrets?

why do isabella and edward break up?

They have relationship issues, and he's just not that into her anyway.

fun image of joan of acre england

That Joan was a party gal, all right!

when did elizabeth the 1 have a brot

The Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham Pay Homage to the Prince of Wales

Last night, when revising My Heart Split with Sorrow, I ran into the annoying scenario of having to rewrite a scene in order to account for one of my historical characters' known whereabouts. Once I realized that I could do so without sacrificing a big chunk of necessary dialogue, I was a happy camper.

Anyway, here's the record in British Library Additional Manuscripts 6113, folio 74de, as transcribed for me, that made me do my rewrite. It's an account of a dinner hosted by Edward, Prince of Wal

Richard III, "The Simpsons"-Style

The other night, "The Simpsons" did an episode which featured Homer attempting to build a diorama of Westminster Abbey. Anne of Cleves showed up briefly, which reminded me that some time ago, "The Simpsons" presented its own version of Henry VIII and his wives. Which got me to thinking (always a dangerous thing), isn't it time that "The Simpsons" did a show on Richard III? The Shakespearean Richard III, of course--the nice guy Richard wouldn't work at all for these purposes.

So in order to give t

Emily Sarah Holt, and the Despensers Meet Jane Austen

As longtime readers of this blog know, I've mentioned Emily Sarah Holt a few times here. Holt, who wrote historical fiction in the nineteenth century, wrote one of the first novels about the Despenser family, In Convent Walls. Her novels aren't for everyone--among other things, they're intensely anti-Catholic, and most of her good characters are incipient Protestants--but they were quite well researched. In Convent Walls centers around the Despenser girls who were forced into convents by Queen I

The Company One Keeps

Being a little lazy tonight, instead of revising My Heart Split with Sorrow, I started poking around in the Library of Congress catalog for some familiar names. I liked this list of entries adjacent to Hugh le Despenser the younger:

Despenser, Hugh le, the younger, d 1326.
Despentes, Virginie, 1969-
Desperado City
Desperado (Motion picture)
Desperadoes (Musical group)
Desperadoes Steel Band
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra
Desperadoes Steelband
D'Esperance, E. (Elizabeth), 1855-1919
D'Esperance, Elizabe

Current Reading, Some Link Love, and Dead Existentialists

Over my vacation I got less reading done than I thought I would (which is a good thing; I always pack an excess of books in fear of getting stranded at the airport or shut up in a hotel room on a rainy day), but I did get two books finished: The King's Confidante by Jean Plaidy and The Rose in Spring by Eleanor Fairburn.

The King's Confidante is a reissue of St. Thomas's Eve, first published in 1954. Like Plaidy's other early Tudor novels, it's held up quite well for a book that's over fifty year