Featured on Friday: Eve Edwards

Eve Edwards is the wonderful lady behind The Lacey Chronicles, the third of which, The Rogue’s Princess, was published yesterday here in the UK. Eve also writes under the pen names Julia Golding and Joss Stirling.

1. What is it about the Tudor period that attracts you?
I usually approach a historic period from the literature and this is true about the Tudor period. Shakespeare – that’s where it all starts for me. So clever, so deep – I could go on and on but everyone knows about him so I‘ll resist. John Donne is one of my favourite poets – born an Elizabethan though his writing is mainly after the queen’s death. Then you get the fabulous music of Dowland, Tallis, Byrd and others (all on my iPod). It is a period of exploration, new ideas and new arrivals (potato anyone?). The egos of the royals of this period are so huge that they are fascinating if uncomfortable to contemplate. So many stories to tell – so much at stake, not least the survival of the English state in the religious turmoil of the time.

2. Do you have other areas of history that you want to write about?
Under another pen name, Julia Golding, I have written for younger readers about the Georgian period (Cat Royal Books) and Vikings, so yes, I find history a wonderful resource. As Eve Edwards, I now want to write about the early Twentieth century so am enjoying the research for that.

3. Which of your three heroes and three heroines did you prefer writing about?
I enjoyed all of them but I have a soft spot for Kit and Mercy because they come from such different worlds and make a lot of funny mistakes as they take the first steps in love.

4. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
I am assuming you are allowing me the Bible and Shakespeare? If so, I’d take The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice and My Name is Asher Lev (Chaim Potok).

5. Is there a novel you wish you’d written? Why?
I really enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna and found myself wishing I’d written some of her descriptions, particularly one of the boy swimming underwater – I could see it so clearly I had to read it aloud to my husband!

6. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us anything about it?
I’m writing the first of two novels sets in the First World War, provisionally entitled Dusk after a Wilfred Owen poem (Anthem for Doomed Youth). My editor calls it ‘Birdsong for teens’ so as you can see it is a little more sober in tone than the Lacey Chronicles but still with a beating heart of romance.

Thanks, Eve! You can read my reviews of The Other Countess, The Queen’s Lady and The Rogue’s Princess and visit Eve at her website here.

Sophie