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S.D. Sykes

Goodreads Author

Born

London, The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.sdsykes.co.uk/

Twitter

SD_Sykes

Genre

Historical Fiction, Mystery

Member Since

October 2013

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SD Sykes (Sarah) lives in Kent, but grew up in Somerset and then South London. She is a graduate from Manchester University and was inspired to finish her first novel, Plague Land, after attending the novel writing course at literary agents, Curtis Brown. She has also written for radio and has developed screenplays with Arts Council funding. She has a passion for medieval history, and her books in the Somershill Manor series, are set in 14th Century England.

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You must do a lot of research before writing one of your Somershill Manor books. Which, by the way, I absolutely love! How do you go about researching the times? What sources do you use? Thank you.

S.D. Sykes Hi Anthony. Thank you for this question, and I'm so pleased that you have enjoyed the Somershill books. I have two main ways of approaching my researc…moreHi Anthony. Thank you for this question, and I'm so pleased that you have enjoyed the Somershill books. I have two main ways of approaching my research before writing. Firstly, I'm lucky enough to live in rural Kent, where there are many buildings that have survived from the 14th century - such as Penshurst Place, Ightham Mote, Scotney Castle and Bodiam Castle to name a few. I make an effort to visit and spend time in as many of these places as possible, just to soak up the atmosphere and imagine how life must have been 650 years ago.

In terms of desk research, I have relied heavily on the following primary sources, all of which date from around the period I'm writing in:
The Luttrell Psalter - a 14th Century prayer book with incredible illustrations of everyday life from the 1340s.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Piers Plowman by William Langland
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville
The Book of Margery Kempe

My secondary sources have included the following books - all of which I can thoroughly recommend if you are interested to find out more.
The Black Death by John Hatcher
The Scourging Angel by Benedict Gummer
The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer

Other than that, it is trips to many museums, the British Library and reading PHD papers from students with a specific interest in medieval history.

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What are you currently working on?

S.D. Sykes I'm currently working on my third book in the Somershill manor series. It's 1358 and my protagonist, Oswald de Lacy has travelled to Venice, as he mak…moreI'm currently working on my third book in the Somershill manor series. It's 1358 and my protagonist, Oswald de Lacy has travelled to Venice, as he makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The city is an overcrowded, thriving and exciting place - but it is also dark and dangerous - full of temptation, corruption and paranoia. When Oswald makes a terrible mistake, he finds himself at the centre of a murder investigation. (less)

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S.D. Sykes’s books

Average rating: 3.73 · 4,970 ratings · 643 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery, #1) 3.63 avg rating — 2,399 ratings — published 2014 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Butcher Bird (Somershill Manor Mystery, #2) 3.81 avg rating — 1,175 ratings — published 2016 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	City of Masks (Somershill Manor Mystery #3) 3.76 avg rating — 672 ratings — published 2017 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Bone Fire (Somershill Manor #4) 3.84 avg rating — 633 ratings — published 2019 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Good Death (Somershill Manor #5) 3.98 avg rating — 257 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery 1) by S D Sykes (2014-09-25) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by S.D. Sykes

Somershill Manor Mystery (5 books)
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S.D. Sykes (Goodreads Author)

3.73 avg rating — 5,136 ratings

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The Secret Place

by Tana French (Goodreads Author)

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Feb 09, 2015 10:46AM

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