Caroline
asked
Sharon Kay Penman:
Who is your favourite historical figure that you know you'll never write about?
Sharon Kay Penman
I love this question, Caroline. There are more than one, but I'd put Charles II near the top of the list. I've always had a soft spot for Charles, who reminds me a bit of Edward IV. It would be fun to write about his favorite mistress, Nell Gwynn, too. BTW, an excellent novel about Nell is Exit the Actress, by Priya Parmar. About ten years ago, I was giving serious consideration to writing a novel set during the American Revolution, which I consider our first civil war; John Adams said that a quarter of the people were Tories, a quarter were rebels, and the rest were perched on the fence, waiting to see what would happen. I eventually had to abandon this idea, but I'd have loved to create some scenes with my favorite Founding Father, Ben Franklin. e
More Answered Questions
Charity Sheppard
asked
Sharon Kay Penman:
I recently saw BBC Documentary "How to Get Ahead at Court - Medieval Times" Stephen Smith said, "In the Middle Ages, Court was a place for the chaps. Going to war, defending the realm, that was the stuff that the boys got up to. A powerful woman around the place tended to mean instability, even civil war." What are your thoughts on this statement and of women, great and common, in this time period?
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