Introductions

[Destiny]

Welcome Zoey & Danielle. You guys are in the right place! Your TBR lists will fatten from being in this group :-)

[Crystal]

I apologize I took so long--had a sick toddler over the weekend and then I was unwell for a few days myself. I am now ready to send out Hart Coursing, my Henry VIII novel to pre-readers. I just sent it to Amber, Sarah and Marybeth. Liz, I sent you an email so I could find out what format you want it in. Once you tell me, I'll send it to you.

Did I miss anybody? If I did, email me: crystalsgarden@hotmail.com.

Destiny already read it and gave me her invaluable feedback. I am so grateful to all of you for your help!

Thanks,
Crystal

[Annie]

Hi! I'm Anya I'm obsessed with all things tudors, I have been since I was about eight. I love looking at Henry VIII's wives especially Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, I have a special interest in the Howard family and the Dukes of Norfolk.

[Margaret]

Annie wrote: "Hi! I'm Anya I'm obsessed with all things tudors, I have been since I was about eight. I love looking at Henry VIII's wives especially Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, I have a special interest in..."
Have you ever read Pour the Dark Wine? The Howard family features quite prominently in the book. It's an old book and quite hard to get now, but it is one of my favourites.

[Crystal]

Annie wrote: "Hi! I'm Anya I'm obsessed with all things tudors, I have been since I was about eight. I love looking at Henry VIII's wives especially Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, I have a special interest in..."

Hi, Annie. I wish I had known about the Tudors that young! Who introduced you to them at that age? Was it a family member or teacher perhaps? Just curious.

[Annie]

Margaret wrote: "Annie wrote: "Hi! I'm Anya I'm obsessed with all things tudors, I have been since I was about eight. I love looking at Henry VIII's wives especially Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, I have a speci..."

No I haven't I'll look out for it whenever I'm next in an old bookshop thanks.

Crystal wrote: "Annie wrote: "Hi! I'm Anya I'm obsessed with all things tudors, I have been since I was about eight. I love looking at Henry VIII's wives especially Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, I have a speci..."

My family always go to the English Heritage Festival of History, seeing all of the people dressed up really brings it all to life and they always have fascinating debates there as well.

[Crystal]

Diana wrote: "Hello everyone! I've been a member of this group for a while and have already benefited from all your great Anne Boleyn recs so thought it was about time I introduced myself :)

I am Diana, a 21 ye..."

So glad you spoke up and introduced yourself. This is one of the best groups to share your insights with. I've been judged on other groups for my odd way of thinking, but never here. Hope you'll continue to share your thoughts with us.

[Mary]

We discuss, we do not condemn. It's too much fun putting our thoughts out there and seeing what everyone else thinks!

[Elaine]

Hello All,
I'm Elaine and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I love anything to do with the Tudor period. It all started many years ago when we studied History in High School.I am currently watching The Tudors series and I find myself chuckling because I don't think any of the original characters are anywhere as good looking as the actors that portray them!!! I am also currently reading the 4th book in C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series set in King Henry VIII's rule. I can't seem to get enough of books written about The Tudors and their lives. Look forward to sharing and seeing what other like minded people are reading.

[Ana-Maria]

Hello,
My name is Mary B and I live in Romania.I love everything that has to do with the Tudor period,from gowns and clothing to all types of books.I'm glad I found this groupe and hope that we'll have a lot of things to talk about.Currently I'm in the last year at High School.

[Crystal]

Welcome, Elaine and Mary! So glad to have more people to talk to about the Tudors!

[Ana-Maria]

Thank you very much!

[Destiny]

Hi Mary,
I am of mixed heritage but mostly Hungarian. It is nice to meet others from all over the world, not just USA and UK.

[Ana-Maria]

Destiny wrote: "Hi Mary,
I am of mixed heritage but mostly Hungarian. It is nice to meet others from all over the world, not just USA and UK."

I live in Transylvania(west Romania) and I am Hunagarian too!I'm very pleased to meet you!

[Kyra]

Hi! I am a freelance academic, author, and stay at home parent from Bloomington, IN. I am really glad I found this group!

[Cassie]

Hello all! My name is Cassandra. I'm a 21 year old, full time university student, and part time worker. I tend to stay very busy, but I will ALWAYS make time for my beloved Tudors :) in general, I'm interested in all of the British royals throughout history, but my passion has always stayed with the Tudors. It was dangerous, glamorous, romantic, dramatic, etc etc. such a dynamic time period!

[Tracy]

Hello! I have been following this page and forgot to introduce myself...lol. I am originally from Mississippi, USA, but now live in England (on the Welsh border) with my husband and "daughter", Molly - a Jack Russell terrier. My mom claims I could read before I could talk and have been obsessed with literature and history all my life. When I was 8 years of age, my mother finally petitioned the library staff to let me read in the adult section of our small library and my first books "allowed" were history books where I discovered the Tudors. My grandmother then bought me a book of Kings/Queens of England and I was lost! So,here I am...books piled up on bookshelves, on my nightstand, in a spare room, and my Nook reader is overloaded - all about the Medieval, Tudor, and Renaissance History eras. My primary interest is Women's History and sociology and I adore all the early personalities - queens, mistresses, ladies waiting - I read them all. I prefer non-fiction over fiction but have read mostly all the fiction books too. When we go to visit castles or historical sites, my husband often laughs as I tend to know more than the guides or guide books...he has learned more about his own country's history in the past years than his entire life! lol I am also an amateur photographer so I ensure I have tons of pics of every site we visit. I hope to meet lots of new friends who enjoy the Tudors and history as much as I do...I love to correspond and share my knowledge...just one funny note: I have a medical condition that affects my short term memory... so I dont recall information for hours or days later or at the oddest times... so basically, all my book reviews will be late...lol

Look forward to meeting you all!

[Denise]

I love those books about the kings and queens of England! I must have four or five of them. They're great for reference, like if I'm watching something set in a past century and want to figure out the real history. When I was watching Pillars of the Earth, for example, I looked up the history being portrayed in that. As I recall, it was pretty accurate, except that for some inexplicable reason, they had changed the name of the female claimant to the throne.

[Grace]

Hi i am Grace


I HATE Mary Tudor. She killed two many kind of my people. I like Elizabeth MUCH better.

[Samantha]

I'm Samantha. I'm a huge Tudors fan! I first started loving the Tudor dynasty from Carolyn Meyers's young royals series. Now I watch the Showtime show The Tudors and I LOVE Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry the VIII. I'm also a fan of Mary Tudor, because of the biography on her by Linda Porter.

[Ashlyn]

Hi Everyone, I'm from Leeds, England. look forward to discussions about the Tudors, as am a mite obsessed. Thanks x

[Catherine]

Am with Grace I hate Mary Tudors!!!!!!!!!

[Irene]

Hullo fellow Tudor-era book lovers!

My name is Irene and of all the historical fiction eras, the Tudors is by far my favorite. I think that's partly because my maternal grandfather's side of the family is largely from England. I enjoy both the fictional and non-fictional aspects of the Tudor era but sometimes the facts get a bit dry. My favorite authors in this genre include Robin Maxwell, and of course, the wonderful Philippa Gregory.

I love the idea of interacting with other fans of the Tudors and hope to make a few new friends.

Thanks! :)

[Chloe]

Hi everyone, my name is Chloe, I'm 17 and live in the UK! I've always possessed an avid interest in History and the Tudors is an era that has gripped me, and I've been hooked! I've started to delve deeper into my obsession and I am just about to start Alison Weir's book "The Lady in the Tower" and I can't wait :)

[Sandra]

hi everyone I am Sandra from ma I have one son he is special needs and I am a book junkie as I like to call it. I love Historical Fiction and have really gotten in to slot of non fiction as well. I also read Amish fiction. I am not married but have been together 8 years now. Son will be 6 in April

[Susan]

In response to the Mary Tudor-haters, I've always thought that, while I don't condone her murder of all persons non-Catholic, I have always felt that she is, in many ways, a tragic, tragic character. Abandoned by Dad, separated from mother, having mother vilified by the powers that be, then that whole sad marriage to Philip, and her false pregnancy--heartbreaking story! It's no wonder she lashed out as she did.

[Liz]

Hi, I'm a native Texan currently attending college in Utah. My first real exposure to the Tudors was Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544from the Royal Diaries series and after that I was hooked on Tudor History. My most recent Tudor book was The Six Wives of Henry VIII over this last Christmas break. I have also given a lecture on the Tudors to the medieval club at my university, so I know this family very well but still feel like I have a lot to learn!

[Samantha]

Hi I'm Sam and a total History nerd. My passion is the Tudors of course and I am pleased to have found this group :)
I am going to be starting a Tudors college course next month which I'm soo excited about!

[Mona]

I've been remiss, as I've been a part of the group for a few months now.
I'm Mona, early 40's, born & raised in Chicago, now living in the burbs. I've always been fascinated with English history, much more so than American; probably why I took American History twice in HS.
So far Philipa Gregory & Alison Weir have been my most-read authors as far as Tudor history.

[Hannah]

I'm Hannah, 18, from North Carolina. I've been in love with Tudor history since I was seven. Elizabeth I is my favorite Tudor, and Jean Plaidy is definitely by favorite author for the Tudors.

[annie]

Sam wrote: "Hi I'm Sam and a total History nerd. My passion is the Tudors of course and I am pleased to have found this group :)
I am going to be starting a Tudors college course next month which I'm soo excit..."

A course dedicated to the Tudors?! That sounds AWESOME!

[Tribperiwinkle]

I'm a long-time fan of all things related to Tudor England. Favorite historical figure? Definitely Elizabeth I. Favorite non book about the era: Anne Somerset's biography of Elizabeth. Favorite work of fiction about the Tudors would have to be theYoung Bess trilogy by Margaret Irwin. My pipe dream is to someday write my own novel centering on Elizabeth's childhood, especially during the Catherine Howard era.

As for myself, I'm a middle-aged teacher living in the mid-Atlantic states and very happily single. I'm looking forward to taking part in this group!

[Nancy]

Hello, my second novel set in Tudor England, "The Chalice," was published this month. I thought I would share an online conversation I had with British historian Mathew Lyons about the differences in writing fiction and nonfiction about the same century.

http://mathewlyons.wordpress.com/2013...

[Tamara]

Hi my name is Tamara. I am 17 years old and I come from small European country called Slovenia. I love everything about Tudors. Today I am sick and staying home. I just watched The other Boleyn girl for about 100 time and started searching for more Tudor related information ( I didn't believe there are more) and i found this club. I can't wait to discover more and i hope the club is great.
A lovely hello from Ljubljana :D

[Christine]

Hi everyone, my name is Christine and I live in Sacramento, California. I am 34, married (13 years) and we have two children a boy and a girl, who I also homeschool. I have been interested (please read that as "alarmingly obsessed") with Tudor history since I was quite young, maybe around 8 years old or so. I enjoy both His Fic and academic takes on the period. I have other historical periods that interest me, but none so much as this. I am particularly interested in both Elizabeth and Mary Stewart and the different paths their lives took and the political pressures each faced. Nice to meet you all!

[Hannah ⚔️ Jaedia]

Ooh I don't believe I ever introduced myself here despite joining.. no idea! So anyway.

I'm 24 and an eclectic reader but ever since we studied them back in year 4 (age.. 8? 9?) I've had such a fascination with Tudor history. All history, really, but the Tudor period especially. A book only has to mention "Tudor" and I know I need it in my life.

Sadly since the little scrapbook I put together back when I was 8 or 9 containing all of the print-outs and photocopies I could get from the library a lot of my knowledge has slipped away, so I'm hoping to get reading some non-fiction soon to refresh my memory and teach me further!

I also love historical fiction. I have many Philippa Gregory's but I don't enjoy her quite as much as others seem to. However, there are many, many others on my shelf too.

Hopefully I'll join in with some more discussions from now on and discover some of the must reads I might be able to find in the library.

[Lisa]

Hello :) I am 48 y/o and married to a great guy and living in 'amish country' in Pennsylvania (think horse/buggies). We have no children but we have a cat that thinks she runs the house. I have been a tudorphile for too many years to count, and a voracious reader. My husband indulges my tudor mania by going to Renn Faires with me for the last 20 years and looking like he's paying attention when I ramble on about the latest book I am reading or watching Anne of the 1000 days for the upteenth time. :)My dream is to go to England and spend days walking through the areas where history really happened. I have read too many authors like Phillipa Gregroy, Alison Weir, David Starkey, Diane Haeger, and recently found Claire Ridgeway. Am looking forward to being a part of this Tudor Group. Blessings :)

[Rachael]

Welcome Lisa!! I am also from Pa very near "amish country" :-)

[happy]

Welcome Lisa,

We have the same dream. I did get to to England a few yrs ago, but two weeks wasn't nearly long enough!!

I'm planning on going back when I retire and spending a couple of months there (I hope)

[Nancy]

Rachael wrote: "Welcome Lisa!! I am also from Pa very near "amish country" :-)"

I'm from that area, too! Well, born and raised in Harrisburg - went to F&M - now living in Houston!

[Hannah ⚔️ Jaedia]

Interesting introduction, Bruce! Would love to learn more about my family history but don't have the money or know-how to get on that.

[Anne]

hi there, im anne from berlin, germany.
believe it or not, i discovered tudor england for myself when i had a very passionate history teacher in year 12 which i spent in england.

[Eefje]

Hello, my name is Eefje and I live in Belgium. I'm really interested in history, especially everything about the Tudors. I'm looking forward to be a part of this group, meet new people and to discuss about the Tudors.

[Colm]

I've just come from the Lord of the Rings discussion but please bare with me.

My name is Colm and I'm an alcholic! hehe (joke)

However my name is Colm and I'm from Ireland.

I've always had a passion, although I think it's an obsession about history. Although I've found an unusual bond with history from the middle ages, and in particular I'm become obsessed with the tudors since I watched the tv show with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. (I hope watching that show doesn't count against me)

Still I find my bond with the English monarch quite unusual considering I'm an Irish person.

Although I can't quite explain why I love history and The Tudors/History of the English Monarch as much as I do.


I just feel a bond with it, I've lost count of the times I've rewatched the entire tv series. Then at christmas I started to increase my viewing and reading.

Santa(hehe) was king enough to get me the History of the English Monarch by David Starkey on boxset and King Henry VIII: King and Court by Alison Weir.

(I find Starkey a genius when it comes to history and making it even more enjoyable than it already is)

Any other Starkey fans?

I've only started to read them after trying to finish other books.

Then lately the BBC mostly and other channels have been doing shows on King Henry VIII on his personality, was he a tyrany or who was he. There has been countless shows on his wives and his enforcer as they called Mr.Cromwell.


You will probably get sick and tired of me asking so many questions.

I don't know where to start in the discussions currently ongoing but I'll try my best so bare with this confused Irish guy :)

[Caity]

Colm wrote: "I've just come from the Lord of the Rings discussion but please bare with me.

My name is Colm and I'm an alcholic! hehe (joke)

However my name is Colm and I'm from Ireland.

I've always had a pas..."

I'm the same in that I have no idea what draws me to the Tudor era!
Let me know what you think (or thought) of Henry VIII by Alison Weir, please!

[Colm]

That is no problem Alice, I will do just that. I'm nearing the end of Agincourt by Juliet Barker right now. I'll get onto Henry VIII by Alison Weir after this.

I think I'll quite like this group, somewhere else where I don't come across as mad, for my love of history :)

[Caity]

Thanks! :D
haha ikr?!

[Bonnie-ann]

Hi, I'm married with 5 kids (29, 26, 23+, 12 and 7 -- God loves us). We also have a grandson due in November. I am a lifelong student of the Tudors and Stuarts, my late father was a medieval historian whose area of expertise was the 100 years war and the War of the Roses. To say my love of all things Tudor/Stuart is intense would be an understatement. I majored in history before going to law school and wrote my own senior thesis on the game of chess played by Elizabeth I with Mary Stuart as her personal pawn.

It's almost always obvious that, in today's vernacular, I am "Team Mary". That said, I read everything -- much like politics today, there are two sides to every story. I read both fiction and non-fiction. I have to say Alison Weir is the most readable non-fiction (although she is majorly pro-Tudor). I am, of course, reading Philippa Gregory's "White Princess." Tonight.

Looking forward to discussions with other fans of a long lost time.

[Daisy]

Hello everyone! Nice to "meet" you!

My name is Apollonia. I'm deeply passionate about all things related to history. I'm the girl sitting in class reading my history book for fun :)

I love learning new things and I want to know all I can on what interests me! Very excited and happy to join this group.

[Denise]

Hi Apollonia! I keep seeing you all over the place!