No Will But His (36 page)

And then she was done.

Author's Note

In 2003, at the grocery store, I got a phone call from my editor at Berkley.  There between the tomatoes and the radishes, I heard they were contemplating a collection of the lives of Henry VIII's Queens, and the editor wanted me to write two of them.  Which ones did I want.

I immediately said "Anne Boleyn" and "Kathryn Howard."  The editor said she'd do what she could.

Nothing in publishing ever goes as planned.  Months passed and when I asked, they said they were doing a collection under a house name, and the one I could have was Jane Seymour.  I said sure, and the result was Plain Jane by Laurien Gardner, written as work for hire.

Years passed and I'd given up all thought of continuing this series, but apparently the Tudors series caused a revival of sales, and they asked if I would do Kathryn Howard under my own name.

The result was No Will But His, which is now being reissued by Goldport Press which has also asked me to do a series of all the queens from the beginning with Lady from Spain, the story of Catherine of Aragon scheduled for 2014.

I've been fascinated with the tale of Henry VIII and his six wives since I was 14 and watched a BBC mini-series.  Also, I often claim I live part time in Elizabethan/Tudor England because I've written several stories and three novels around Shakespeare.  So, of course, I jumped at the chance to do this whole series and am looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, enjoy No Will But His, the bittersweet story of a young woman lost in the confusion and noise of the Tudor Court.

Sarah A. Hoyt, Colorado, 2013

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