Guest Post: Kristie Dean presents an excerpt from The World of Richard III

The World of Richard III 
by Kristie Dean

To read Lisl's review of The World of Richard III, click here

I had such high expectations for Middleham Castle that I was afraid it might disappoint. I shouldn’t have worried. From my first visit I was enthralled by the castle, and a subsequent visit just deepened my appreciation for this impressive building situated in Wensleydale. On my first visit, I had seen Middleham glistening in the sun. The day had been mild and I had rambled around the ruin for hours, poking my head into every nook and cranny.

For my research trip – the trip where I would be taking the pictures to be used in the book – I hoped for a similar day. I knew rain was a possibility, but I figured I would be in the area long enough for rain to stop. My eternal optimism was rewarded by a torrential downpour. Rain was hitting me in every direction. I had brought a rain sleeve with me, but it was useless in this deluge. Every picture I took had water beading on the lens. Finally I gave up, hoping that I would find someone to take a picture for me later. I would concentrate on the layout and my research.

The castle looked even more formidable as I peered at it through wet, stringy hair. Richard would have seen Middleham Castle in both states – on sunny days and in the worst weather possible. Somehow, this made me appreciate the view of Middleham in the rain. It added a layer to the experience. I could no longer just write about how beautiful the castle appeared; I would need to explore its intimidating side as well. In the course of researching and writing The World of Richard III I had so many wonderful experiences but this day at Middleham was a special one.

--Kristie Dean

Middleham Castle, North Yorkshire

Rising up out of the dales, Middleham Castle is every bit the fortress it appears. The large, impregnable walls still look formidable, even in a ruinous state. In 1823, English geographer E. W. Brayley said, ‘As it is, majestic in decay, Middleham Castle, as an object, is the noblest work of man in the County of Man.’ You will find the castle is as striking today as it was then.

The first stronghold at Middleham was a motte-and-bailey castle likely built in the eleventh century. Its position can still be seen from the present location of the castle. After the new stone castle was built, the old site was deserted. The new site was not in a highly defensible position; however, evidence remains to show that protective fortifications were built, including a moat around the castle, as well as an outer courtyard.

Through the years, the castle passed from Alan the Red, a Norman who came over with William the Conqueror, to his brother, finally falling into the hands of the Nevilles through the marriage of Robert de Neville to Mary, daughter and heiress of Ralph FitzRanulph. The Neville family would expend money to enlarge and enrich Middleham during their time as its owners. The castle would eventually pass to Richard after the death of the Earl of Warwick.

Perhaps no other place held more meaning for Richard than the imposing stone walls of Middleham Castle. So many significant events in his life took place within the keep of this impressive edifice – events that would change Richard as well as the country. From his days in the earl’s household to his days as King of England, Middleham would hold both happy and depressing memories.

The Gatehouse

Despite centuries of decay, the gatehouse is still imposing. It stands three storeys high, with an arched stone entry. This was not the original entrance to the building, but was a fifteenth-century addition, and would have been the entrance that Richard would have used to reach the inner courtyard. Look up at the gatehouse and find the turrets. While there is little evidence that sculpted stone figures of armed men would have adorned the battlements, these men can be seen on other Neville properties, such as Raby Castle, and it is likely they would have graced Middleham’s battlements as well. Channels in the gatehouse show evidence of a portcullis, which would have offered extra protection.

Arriving at Middleham, Richard would have observed a very different town than the quiet town we see today; there had been a settlement there since Roman times. By the time Richard arrived, it was a bustling market town and important centre for the Earl of Warwick. It is easy to imagine Richard passing through the town and spotting the formidable towers for the first time, easy to picture his pride in his surroundings – pride that he was placed in the household of the greatest lord in the land to begin his training. Maybe he looked up at the turrets of the gatehouse as he entered into the castle through the north entrance. Whatever his thoughts, he had been placed in the care of the Earl of Warwick, and he would come to love this retreat from court.

Richard entered into the household of the Earl of Warwick to complete his education, and it is likely that he spent some of his time at Middleham. Paul Murray Kendall has Richard entering into the earl’s household as early as 1461, but as David Baldwin points out, references to Richard during this time period place him in other locations. Very little is known about Richard’s education, which probably resembled that of most nobles at the time, but it is known he spent time with the Countess of Warwick and her two daughters, Isabel and Anne. Isabel was nearer to Richard’s age, but Richard would have been acquainted with both of the girls, and perhaps a friendship was formed at this time that would later foster a caring marriage between Richard and Anne.

Middleham is also the most likely place for Richard to have established friendships with the nobles who would eventually die fighting with him in battle. Another friendship that Richard presumably fostered at Middleham was with Francis Lovell, who proved time and again to be intensely loyal to Richard. It is conceivable that the two of them became close during their time at Middleham and other Warwick holdings, even though there is dispute as to whether Lovell and Richard were in his household during the same years. It seems likely they did meet while in the earl’s care given their lifelong friendship.

Standing inside the inner courtyard, you will see a wooden staircase leading up to the keep. In the fifteenth century, this would have been a massive stone staircase. Walking towards the keep, you can just make out some remnants of the stone stairway. The twelfth-century keep dominates the area today, just as it would have in Richard’s time.

Middleham Castle, Wensleydale. Richard likely spent some of his childhood here in the 
palatial home of the Earl of Warwick. After Warwick’s death, the castle passed into Richard’s 
hands. His son, Edward of Middleham, was born, and probably died, here.

The Great Hall and Privy Chamber

When Richard came back north after the death of Warwick, he made Middleham his principal residence. From here, he would have administered justice in the area. By entering into a mutually advantageous marriage with Anne Neville, he was able to secure the loyalties of people in the North previously loyal to the Neville family. But he also generated loyalty in his even-handed treatment of the people, and he would keep this northern support for the years of his reign.

All that is left of the Great Hall where Richard would have conducted much of the business of the North, entertained guests and held court is a shell. If you pause long enough, in your mind’s

eye you can recreate the scene. Hear the laughter and the thump of dishes being placed before Richard and his guests, and see the servants scurrying to and fro attending to everyone. It would have been a lavish scene, as Richard spent heavily on feasting. One of the guests he entertained here as king was a German nobleman named Nicholas von Poppelau. The king made a good impression on Poppelau, who described Richard as having a ‘great heart’.

Richard’s council would have met in the Great Hall and administered justice for the area. As Paul Murray Kendall points out in his book The Yorkist Age, ‘Richard of Gloucester’s council at Middleham became such an effective instrument of justice in the 1470s that after Richard became king, he created the Council of the North, which the Tudors continued.’

One of the earliest problems Richard would have to deal with during his tenure in the North was the Bastard of Fauconberg. Thomas Neville, an illegitimate son of Lord Fauconberg, and the Earl of Kent, William Neville, had led an uprising against Edward IV. Neville had been pardoned and sent north with Richard into Yorkshire; however, he returned south without permission and was arrested. Richard dealt swiftly with him, having him executed at Middleham.

From the hall, there would have been access to the great chamber and the privy chamber. These rooms would have also been well used by Richard during his tenure at the castle, and were equipped with a fireplace and access to latrines in the tower. A chapel lies to the east wall of the keep. Little remains, but if you take a closer look, you can make out the tracery windows in the walls. With the destruction of time it is harder to picture, but try to imagine the household meeting in the chapel to observe morning prayers. Take the stairway to the viewing platform for views of the site of the original motte-and-bailey castle, as well as the panoramic view of Wensleydale.

The South Range

The two-storey south range of the castle had towers located at the south-east and south-west corners. This range held several rooms at the first-floor level, with the one at the east end having a fireplace and south-facing windows. Two more chambers were in the west end of the range, with very similar layouts. These rooms were large and were described in the 1538 survey as a lady chamber with a gallery to the presence chamber.

The south-west tower is also known as the ‘Prince’s Tower’ because legend has it that Richard’s only legitimate son, Edward of Middleham, was born here. This is certainly plausible, because the 1538 survey names a room next to the tower in the west range a ‘nursee’. In the nursery, Edward’s wet nurse, Isabel Burgh, and his governess, Anne Idley, would have played an important role in his young life.

At Middleham, Edward would have spent his days playing in the courtyard, watching mummeries in the Great Hall, and spending time with his parents when they were at the keep. It was also here he would die. The Croyland Chronicle said that he was ‘seized with an illness of but short duration …’ His death left Richard bereft of his son and heir at a critical time in his reign. After Edward’s death in 1484, Middleham would cease to be one of Richard’s favourite residences. The memories that he had enjoyed would now be tinged with pain.

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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. 


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




The World of Richard III by Kristie Dean is published by Amberley Publishing, 2015. The book 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 post has been updated to include a link to Lisl's review for The World of Richard III

Linda's Reading Lounge: The God of Sno Cone Blue

The God of Sno Cone Blue by Marcia Coffey Turnquist

Review by Linda Root

Please see below for information about the giveaway!!

Occasionally  I find a book which exceeds my highest expectations even when it has overwhelmingly positive reviews and peer recognition such as Marcia Coffey Turnquist's debut novel, but rarely have I  found a piece of literary fiction as compelling as The God of Sno Cone Blue, a B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree. As suggested by the title, the book is a masterpiece of visual imagery but it is also a penetrating commentary on the human condition. It is a showpiece not only in the quality of its writing but in the author’s management of its sensitive content. While the protagonist is an adolescent throughout most of the book, this is not a classic coming-of-age story. When I learned it had been a selection of the Mother and Daughter Book Club, I was apprehensive it was going to be a two-hankie family saga, but it is far more complex than an intrusion into the misadventures of a dysfunctional family. It is a two-tiered mystery with a built-in tragic love story. Thanks to the author’s wordsmithing, none of the twists in plot seem contrived. Since one level of the story unfolds in the form of letters sent at intervals from a long-dead mother to her coming-of-age daughter, I expected a heavy dose of the paranormal. However, while the novel is highly inspirational it is not fantasy. The God of Sno Cone Blue is not a ghost story. Its devils are flesh and blood. 

I asked to review Sno Cone Blue because of its captivating title and the cover image of a young girl with one blue eye and one brown, but I was reeled in by the beginning pages describing an event familiar to anyone who has lain in fresh hay or new grass and looking skyward to see images in the clouds, perhaps even glimpses of the face of God. Grace, the protagonist in the story, views her clouds against a sky of a color she calls sno cone blue. Like most cloud watchers, she finds her images illusive and short lived. Sometimes she sees herself until her image morphs into that of someone else. Not only is her description arresting, it is portentous of the ending of the novel.

The story is two-tiered. The first involves Grace in her teenage years during the latter 20^th century, but it is the second tier which drives the plot. The protagonist in the second tier is Grace’s mother Sharon, speaking to her daughter though a chain of letters received at intervals long after Grace’s mother’s death. When Grace receives the first one, she expects they contain a mother’s guidance but what she finds is a confessional. By using the format provided by the letters, the author is able to jump from one point of view to another without offending the reader’s senses. 

Another outstanding feature of Ms.Turnquist’s writing is what I call voice.  The beliefs, behavior and word choices of the adolescent Sharon in the 1960s are very different from those associated with Grace in the 1980s. The settings are also discrete. While this is not a historical novel, it is one which exhibits a high level of historical accuracy.

Both major and minor characters are well developed. As example is Sharon’s mother Astrid, who does not like children and had no desire to be a parent. In the early story, she manifests her loathing by forcing her children to address her by her given name. In essence, in Sharon’s world there is no such person as mother. There is only Astrid. On the other hand, in Grace’s world, her female parent is almost always Mom or Momma as opposed to Sharon. She sometimes refers to herself as the preacher’s wife.  In essence, she defines herself by her relationship to others. We are introduced to her through the recollections of her daughter as she recalls her mother’s first meeting with members of her husband’s congregation.  They are unexpected until later, and the scene begins when Grace’s mother has just stepped out of the shower onto a slippery floor.

At the table they froze, for here came Sharon Carstend, still in her early 20s and fresh as Eve in a fig leaf. I tried to warn her, but it was too late. She slipped to the floor like a seal on wet rock. Slap! Worse still, the towel flew: There were her breasts and all the rest, without even a square of bikini for cover.

   "Oh Momma."

The phrase "Oh Momma" in the above excerpt says a great deal about the relationship between Momma and Grace, and is characteristic of Marcia Coffey Turnquist’s ability to share much information in a single word. Similarly, she often uses a subtle change in title or address to reflect a change in Grace’s attitude. For example, in the early dialogue she commonly refers to her father as Father and addresses him as Dad, but after she has confronted him with the revelations in her mother’s letters, what had been respect has become contempt, as reflected in the following narrative. 

Before long, I knew the preacher was snooping through my things.

As her mother’s adolescent love story unfolds, Grace realizes she is presently the same age as the young Sharon in her mother’s latest letter and she suspects her mother planned to have the letters released in that manner. However, it is a pace she cannot tolerate, and she no longer believes what she has been told. She embarks on a quest to resolve her heritage by trapping the accomplice who delivers them, but she fails. The journey is not painless for her or those who must deal with her. In essence, she is a teenager in rebellion, but one with more cause than most. The letters themselves become more frenetic, obviously written by a woman approaching death, and Grace feels she is running out of time. She is convinced the boy in the letters is her biological father who abandoned her mother due to the stigma of her mother’s pregnancy. She is the caretaker’s daughter and he is the aristocrat’s son. However, there is a more sinister aspect to her mother’s story than an overworked Hardy theme—a darker truth than the ravishment of the servant's daughter by the scion of her masters. When Grace pieces it together from the letters and her own intuitive investigation, it is uglier than she dreamed. Yet Grace is committed to avenge her mother’s tragic youth at whatever cost and her determination places those she loves in danger.

While Grace is always the focus of the plot, both her story and her mother's are populated with rich characters of considerable complexity, including one of the most despicable villainesses in my wide reading and personal experiences. The author’s mastery of the descriptive phrase allows the most jaded reader to build an almost uncanny desire to see Sharon and her progeny avenged. For example, when Grace and her friend Sandy rescue a disabled child they find in Astrid’s care, Grace becomes injured. In this scene, the child is helping treat the wound.

I sat on the stool and she planted the bucket, plopping down on the floor behind it. Soon as she hit the concrete, Sandy gasped and covered her mouth. I had to lean around the bucket to see why: horrible scars marred the insides of her thighs. The skin looked melted, like Apple McEgan’s head. I stared at the crotch of her shorts, trying not to imagine what was underneath. It set my own skin on fire.

   "What happened?" Sandy said, her mouth still covered.

   Patsy’s face went pink, and she folded her legs to hide the scars. "I wath bad."

   "Bad?” I asked, “How do you mean?”

   “Athtrid punished me…She thed nobody would make a baby with a twat like that.”

The child was scalded with chicken fat for saying hello to the boy who delivered hay for the horses. In the story, Grace’s friend Sandy had to leave the room. I had to close the book, but not for long.

There are some artful twists toward the end of the story. Many of them are predictable, and I suspect are meant to be. However, the ultimate revelation in the letters and its resolution are artfully plotted, and the bittersweet ending makes perfect sense. In the words of Grace Carstend, herself a mother of three teenage children in the closing pages of the book:

Suddenly I was a child again, back in that weedy grass, staring at the sky over my backyard fence and that face, the blue eye on the right and brown on the left—exactly opposite mine. It wasn’t my own face I’d seen in a sky of sno cone blue, it was hers.

There is much of life revealed in The God of Sno Cone Blue. If I were to select a single word to summarize the theme of this significant work, I would choose the word redemption.

I highly recommend this powerful book to lovers of fine fiction.   

Marcia Coffey Turnquist has so graciously offered a free copy of The God of Sno Cone Blue to one lucky winner: a signed copy to a North American winner or Kindle book worldwide.  

To enter, simply comment below OR at the Facebook thread for this entry, located here. 

It's that easy!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marcia Coffey Turnquist is a writer, journalist, novelist and blogger. She is also a devoted wife and mother. The God of Sno Cone Blue is her debut novel, and it has already been awarded the coveted B.R.A.G. medallion. Prior to writing novels, Marcia worked as a television journalist, anchoring and reporting for KOIN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Portland, Oregon. For most of her seven years there, she anchored the noon news and reported for the evening newscasts. With the birth of her second child, Marcia made the choice to “retire” from television news to raise her children, a tough decision but a decision she has never regretted. She holds a B.A. in communications from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon where she also minored in political science. She has a Master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University near Chicago. For more about Marcia and her next projects, visit her website. 

The God of Sno Cone Blue is also available at Amazon, Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble.

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Linda Root is the author of the three books in the Legacy of the Queen of Scots series; next in the series launches April 2015. Root also writes historical fantasy fiction: The Green Woman with a sequel set to be released in summer 2015. 

Emma Reviews: 1066: What Fates Impose

1066: What Fates Impose by G.K. Holloway
Review by Emma Powell

Please see below for information about the freebies!

England is in crisis. King Edward has no heir and promises never to produce one. There are no obvious successors available to replace him, but quite a few claimants are eager to take the crown.

I don’t know why but for some reason I had made my mind up that I was about to embark on yet another version of Earl Harold getting the English crown, nasty Norman William comes over and takes it by force and subsequent battle scenes. I have no idea why I thought that if I’m honest. And was so very pleased to be proved wrong.

The first part of the book dedicates itself to giving a background of Godwin, Harold’s father and the players at King Edward’s court. I’m ashamed to say I began to feel like I was reading an Anglo-Saxon biopic and was worried about becoming a tad disillusioned. However, what dawned on me was I had felt exactly the same when I read my first Sharon K. Penman novel-- lots of background players and lots of political games. Ironically, in both instances, the pages kept being turned because they are exactly that-- page-turners. The characters were superbly fleshed out and the ending of each chapter just left the reader needing to know what happened next. We all know how successful Penman is with her novels thanks to her meticulous research and her gift for weaving the fictitious with the non-fictitious.  G. K. Holloway shows the same talent with 1066: What Fates Impose.

Of course we need to know the background players! Politics was royalty and this tale is a fabulous, enthralling yellow-brick-road of insight, story-telling and research. I was pleased to learn of events-- such as Harold rescuing Norman soldiers from quicksand-- that I had never come across before. There are mini tales within bigger tales in this book. When I researched situations I had never heard of, such as that previously mentioned and when Harold visited the pope in Rome, I was so pleased to see they had indeed taken place. It makes that part of our colourful history all the more real and shows the level of research that went into this story.

The book also reiterates how hard and dangerous life was. The jealousy, tempers, conniving, double-crossing all come alive. The love, hate, kinship, loyalty also all leap of the page at you and makes Harold come alive as a person, not just a heroic leader but as a man who was undoubtedly brave but who had faults, warts an’ all. It also portrayed Edward the Confessor as the king he was but one who seemed to prefer sitting on the fence. My personal opinion of Edward is an effeminate, pale, weak-willed king who could have a dark side and this book fitted in with my preconceptions.

This is not just another book about Harold and 1066. This version takes episodes from when Harold was a young boy and plays them out against the backdrop of Anglo-Saxon England. Earlier on in the book we have periods of storytelling of William and his Norman territories, and these gradually develop until you suddenly start another chapter and bang, William is there, no longer viewed from a distance but a real threat. And this is what I liked about this book-- it makes the reader think more about, for example, why William was so hell bent on getting the English throne. It makes you question the rationales of the main players, seeing them not as figures from a far-off distant past but real no-holds-barred personas that shaped our futures. 

So whilst I may deem the book ‘slow to get going’, there is most definitely a reason for this and as things gather pace, it all makes sense.  You can see why things were done the way they were and it all comes together as one big jigsaw. The book definitely gathers momentum but it is exquisitely timed and helped someone like me, who likes explanations in layman’s terms, understand the politics of it all. 

1066: What Fates Impose weaves a deep, rich tale of such an important era of England. It lays a foundation, builds the players and lets us watch it all tumble down. It is told by linking real episodes in a timely manner giving a more over-arching tale than just a story. It really feels like the Bayeux Tapestry  in book format and really has set a high standard of story telling with this most important era of English history. Very well written, good use of the English language  and marvellously researched but not to be rushed. A fabulous read if you like your facts woven into a glorious tale. Soak up every chapter and you will have a most satisfying and informative read.

G.K. Holloway is also so graciously offering TWO FREE COPIES of 1066: What Fates Impose to two lucky winners. To claim your chance to win, simply comment below OR at the Facebook thread for this review, located here. 

You can follow Glyn on Twitter and Facebook.

G. K. Holloway left university in 1980 with a degree in history and politics. After spending a year in Canada he relocated to England's West Country and began work in secondary education. Later he moved firstly into adult ededucation and then into further education before finally working in higher education.

After reading a biography about Harold Godwinson he became fascinated by the fall of Anglo Saxon England and spent several years studying events leading up to and beyond the Battle of Hastings. Eventually he decided he had enough material to make an engrossing novel using characters from the Bayeux Tapestry, the Norse sagas, the Domesday Book and other sources. He feels that he has brought the period and its characters to life in his own particular way. Following the major protagonists, as well as political, religious and personal themes, the downfall of Anglo-Saxon England is portrayed by a strong cast. 

Nowadays he lives in Bristol with his wife and two children. When he's not writing he works with his wife in their company.

1066 is his debut novel and was originally published as an e-book. It has received very positive reviews and this has encouraged him to publish it in paperback. Currently he is working on a sequel. One day he hopes to write full time.

1066: What Fates Impose can also be purchased at Amazon and Amazon UK. 

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Emma Powell has been reviewing for us since The Review started. She has now joined the admins team and you can find more of Emma's scribblings on her blog here.

Edit: This entry has been updated to reflect the dual freebie status.