Diana talks to Kristie Dean

Hi Kristie, lovely to catch up with you and have a chat...
I have loved all your books but particularly your two Richard III related books...

''Richard III is probably the House of York’s best-known figure, but the other members of the family are just as intriguing as the king who fell on Bosworth Field brings to life the people and their  places in her latest book, On the Trail of the Yorks (with brilliant maps and photographs*)''

What made you choose this genre? I love non-fiction because it allows me to research the history I love and then present it to others. I like explaining what actually happened, although I’ve been toying with the idea of writing fiction as well.

How do you get ideas for plots and characters? I get the ideas for my books from what I love. Both Richard III and his family have always interested me, so they were my focus when I decided I wanted to write a travel history. Actually, the idea of the travel history book came about because I’d always wanted a book to give me locations for my favorite figures from history, especially Richard III.

If, as a one off, (and you could guarantee publication!) you could write anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do you already have a budding plot line in mind? I would love to write a thriller. I have had an idea in mind for a while based on an incident that happened to me when I was in college. I’m not sure if I will ever put it on paper, though.

Was becoming a writer a conscious decision or something that you drifted into (or even something so compelling that it could not be denied?) How old were you when you first started to write seriously. It was a conscious decision. I’ve been writing since 4^th grade (around nine years old) and it’s always been something important for me to do. I can’t stand a blank piece of paper.  I studied journalism in school as an undergraduate prior to earning my master’s in history, so writing non-fiction has been a good fit.  

Marmite? Love it or hate it? I have never been able to bring myself to try it… ((Smile))

Do you have any rituals and routines when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...?? I have to begin the day with coffee and play with my pets for a few moments before I start working. I love to work at my desk, but in all honesty, I am so messy that it’s often covered and I have to write in the family room.

I promise I won’t tell them the answer to this, but when you are writing, who is more important, your family or your characters? My family is more important, but I do neglect them while writing. It becomes an all-consuming passion. I have started at 7 a.m. and finished at 10 p.m. without noticing. I love what I do!

Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job? I would love to be a travel guide and take people to my favorite destinations.

Coffee or tea? Red or white? Coffee and white

How much of your work is planned before you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way? For non-fiction I plan it out, but if I find another location or something I need to add through my research, I will add it.

Imagine that you could get hold of any original source document. What would it be? Oh, that’s an easy one for me. Titulus Regius.

How much research do you do and do you ever go on research trips? For a non-fiction book, meticulous research is necessary.  In addition to primary research for the historic background, I traveled to almost every site I discuss. I liked the chance to get the ‘feel’ of the location.

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure? I read just about anything. This morning I read the back of the Cheerios box. It hadn’t changed since the last time I read it, but it was there and I was bored. Seriously, I will read just about any genre, although I’m not big on fantasy. My preference is either history or thrillers.

What drink would you recommend drinking whilst reading your latest book? White wine. ((I read it at the airport whilst drinking coffee. I can recommend that too!))

Last but not least... favourite author? This is a difficult one for me. I like so many authors, but I do enjoy Susanna Kearsley and Barbara Erskine (Lady of Hay is a favourite!) For non-fiction, there are many authors I admire, so it would take forever to list them all. I do have a book that I’m chomping at the bit to read, which hopefully will be released soon. Sharon Bennett Connolly is doing a book about medieval heroines, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

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Kristie Dean has an MA in History and now enjoys teaching the subject, following a successful career in public relations. Her particular historic interest is the medieval era, specifically the Plantagenets, the Wars of the Roses and the Tudors.
She has been published in several online magazines and local newspapers, and presented a paper at the International Congress on Medieval Studies. She has also published a series of short guidebooks (less than 20 pages) to help visitors to the UK find great locations

You can follow Kristie on Twitter @kristiedavisdea, or like her Facebook page, The World of Richard III. She also has a blog at KristieDean.com. When not traveling for research, you can find Kristie at home in Tennessee with her husband, three dogs, and two cats.

© Diana Milne January 2017 © Kristie Dean February 2017

* Maps in the book by Lady White Art and Sharon Connelly provided some wonderful photos

Lisl Reviews: The World of Richard III

The World of Richard III by Kristie Dean

Review by Lisl

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The World of Richard III

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Link to Kristie Dean's prior guest post at The Review for an excerpt from 
The World of Richard III

With the recent re-internment and increased interest in Richard III, it is not surprising there would be a flurry of new publications related to the last Plantagenet king. While we all read at least a smattering of the Wars of the Roses (WoR), for many these studies belonged to bygone days, but the attention generated by these new books has brought the monarch to a wider audience. With The World of Richard III author Kristie Dean takes a new approach by bringing us to Richard. As closely as it is possible to do, she escorts us to and around the world he inhabited via the places he had visited, seeing or imagining what he observed and how he may have perceived it.

St. Mary's Church, Barnard Castle~
A carving of Richard's emblem, the boar

The work is a combination of travel information and history focused on places lived in or visited by Richard Plantagenet, from birth to his time as Gloucester, through his two years of kingship and finally, his death. Organized in seven major parts that span these courses of Richard’s life and in a loose chronological order, subsections then turn their attention to specific places associated with him on various occasions. As the author takes us from point to point there is some overlap, given that Richard visited certain locations several times, and Dean handles this seamlessly and without repetition. An extensive collection of beautiful photographs enables readers to follow along visually as they move forward. 

Gatehouse at Middleham Castle~
This is the entrance Richard would have
used to reach the inner courtyard

The book is set up in a very practical manner, and the convenience will appeal to armchair traveler as well as visitors to these amazing monuments. The table of contents lists the locations—including geographical—within each section in the event one wanted to access information about a specific site. While readers come in close contact throughout the book with the medieval practice of “recycling” names (first as well as surnames), Dean also provides a York family tree that sensibly and easily maps out the “who’s who,” helping to alleviate common confusions, for instance between Richard III (Gloucester) and his father, also called Richard (York). Years also are provided for clarification of events, such as the Duke of York and Salsbury’s flight to Ireland and Calais (1459), and their deaths in 1460, the latter of which is necessarily presented first.

A “how to” also briefly introduces the setup and points out helpful details such as contact information (phone as well as website), opening times, prices and postcode, which struck me not only as practical but also a blessing in disguise because many travelers—myself included—might get bogged down in their movements. In such instances it has happened that it doesn’t occur (to me and others) to check ahead about such additional details as cash machine availability, non-regular closures or waiting periods. Dean covers these and other crucial details and tips to contribute to a fascinating and rewarding journey.

The World of Richard III is presented in language that is a combination between necessarily practical and beautifully rhythmic, and one of Dean’s strengths is being able to fuse the two in passages that complement each other. Ordinary words have the power to transfix, and the sense of peering through a veil is never far off. “But pause for a moment,” she advises at one point. “You are standing where he would have stood, with only the thin veil of time between you. It is a heady feeling.”

Church of St. Mary the Virgin and
All Saints, Fotheringhay

Dean speaks of Fotheringhay, Richard’s birthplace, in conjunction with how the “River Nene winds around the mound and disappears in the distance”; of the spires of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints and a “sleepy river,” adding that “[d]uring Richard’s time, the river would have been humming with activity. On Richard and Edward’s visit in 1469 the view would have been one of constant commotion as people scurried about to meet the king.” As readers we are privileged to catch this glimpse of Richard re-visiting his roots and taking care of and pride in who he is.

Nottingham Castle~This was one of Richard's most visited
castles, and where he and Anne learned the dreadful
news of their son Edward's death.

The ideal of knowing who you are based on where you are is deeply embedded in the travelogue and the author awards sense of place its rightful due by “illuminat[ing] his character through the places and events that shaped him into the man he became.” Indeed, many occasions prior to Richard contribute to place and shared history, and to this end the author also unpacks some of these moments to give readers a greater sense of what it may have meant to Richard himself. She often invites readers to imagine Richard at a certain place, or to see something lovely or meaningful through his eyes, and it is not difficult to contemplate Richard as an individual rather than a noble, duke, monarch or distant historical figure. Speaking of the Painted Chamber, once the scene of a momentous occasion, Dean elaborates how

…the sun would cast a rosy glow through the four windows in the chamber, illuminating the decorative paintings that graced its interior. Even the arches over the windows were covered with paintings, mostly heraldic images. It is easy to imagine Richard pausing from his duties as king and admiring these magnificent works of art with their deep hues of vermillion, ochre, and verdigris.

Penrith Castle, Cumbria~Dean writes of the "sandstone glowing in the sun" and tells readers
that "English Heritage credits him with adding large windows." It is easy to
imagine how breathtaking the scenery would have been, from inside and out. 
Photo Wikimedia Commons, user Northernheng

The author does not, however, romanticize Richard as someone he was not, and to that end she retains an extensive and admirable neutrality regarding his controversial life and opposing views as to what kind of person he was. Indeed more than once she references Lancastrians and Tudors within their humanity and expresses compassion regarding their losses. She does not seek to disparage and the questions raised about Richard pertaining to his nephews et al. are not addressed here.

The World of Richard III is likely to appeal to admirers of any era, WoR, prior or subsequent to, as well as those unfamiliar with even key players or events of Richard’s time. Those mildly or deeply interested in the Middle Ages, castles, cathedrals, architecture, travel, monarchy, and where we come from all will find rewards within the pages of this book. It is a history and reads not unlike a story, accessible and fascinating, bringing to life not only details of past lives, but also portraits of individual people who lived and loved, and sometimes lost in a time they recorded, deliberately and not, in the places they lived. We are brought to these magnificent locations and shown their splendor within the framework of one life influenced by countless others. We follow the trail of Richard, whose memories might include much of what is presented here, and in so doing learn a great deal more about who we ourselves are.

Warwick Castle was an historic structure even in Richard's day. Despite frequenting
magnificent buildings, Dean writes, "Richard may still have been awed by the castle's grandeur."

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All photos courtesy of the author and ©2014 unless otherwise noted

About the Author: 

Kristie Dean has an MA in History and now enjoys teaching the subject, following a successful career in public relations. She has been published in several online magazines and local newspapers, and presented a paper at the International Congress on Medieval Studies. She lives in Tennessee, where she is currently working on her upcoming book, The World of the Yorks, which features locations associated with the York family. 

You can find more about Dean and her work at her website, her Facebook page and that of The World of Richard III.

The World of Richard III by Kristie Dean is published by Amberley Publishing, 2015. It is available to buy at all good bookstores, as well as online at the Amberley website, Amazon, Amazon UK and the Book Depository.

Added Notation: This review has been updated to include photograph credits