Caroline asked Sharon Kay Penman:

Who is your favourite of all the purely fictional characters you've written?

Sharon Kay Penman Probably Ranulf fitz Henry, the illegitimate son of Henry I, in the histories. Ranulf was my first purely fictional character who had a major part in the plot; the fictional Veronique was a minor character in The Sunne in Splendour. I created Ranulf because Stephen and the Empress Maude were often their own worst enemies and I thought readers needed a character they could cheer on unreservedly in the interim before young Henry grew up. Since Henry I is known to have had at least 20 illegitimate children, I figured one more couldn't hurt, and thus Ranulf was born. I had not expected my readers to take him to heart the way they did, so that was a lovely surprise. For the mysteries, Justin obviously is my favorite, although I am fond of most of my fictional characters in the series, even the villains. Next to Justin, I am very fond of Molly, his childhood crush, sister of his best friend as he was growing up, a woman who was dealt a bad hand and played it as best she could.

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