Anne Boleyn and the Colonel: A Tale of Hever Castle

I welcome every message from readers, but there's one I particularly cherish. It concerns an acorn, a castle, and a gallant Colonel.

Here’s the story.

Several years ago I was in England researching The Queen’s Lady, the first book in my Thornleigh Saga series, and I spent a day exploring Hever Castle in Kent. This was the home of the Boleyn family, and Henry VIII came here to court Anne. That tempestuous affair, as we know, changed the course of England’s history—and is pivotal to my book’s plot.

As I strolled the grounds in a happy haze of imagination, I picked up an acorn. I squirreled it away in my pocket and brought it home to Canada, and it sat on my desk beside my computer, a potent reminder of its birthplace as I wrote The Queen’s Lady.

The acorn was still on my desk when I wrote my next Thornleigh Saga book, The King's Daughter. It had become a touchstone that spirited me back to the Tudor world. I was very fond of it.

Then my husband and I moved, and in the shuffle the little acorn got lost.

A few months later I got a cheery email from a reader telling me he was on his way to England for an “Anne Boleyn Tour” during which he’d be staying at Hever Castle. There would be dinners in the great hall where Henry and Anne ate, plus lectures, plays, and demonstrations – “A once in a lifetime experience,” he said. I replied to wish him a happy trip and told him about my acorn. He's a retired US Air Force colonel. His name is Elmer K. Follis and he lives in Tennessee.


Some time later a small package arrived in my mailbox. It was from Colonel Follis. Inside was a note: “I looked for an acorn to replace the one you lost but couldn’t find one. I did get you this.” Nestled under the note was a pine cone. He had scoured the Hever grounds for it. “It’s from the area where Henry courted Anne, according to the castle staff,” wrote the Colonel.

I was so touched. Since then, the pine cone has had pride of place on my desk beside my computer as I've written four more Thornleigh Saga books.

Thank you, Colonel Follis, for what you gave me: a once in a lifetime experience.



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