I’m delighted to share with you my Q & A with Jillianne Hamilton. Jillianne is the author of The Lazy Historian’s Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII (nonfiction) and the Molly Miranda action/comedy trilogy. She lives in Charlottetown on Canada’s beautiful east coast and runs the popular blog, The Lazy Historian.
Thanks to Jillianne’s generosity, I have a paperback edition and 3 ebooks to give away! To go into the draw, simply read the Conditions of Entry below and leave a comment after this post.
Book Blurb:
You can’t spell “Tudor dynasty” without getting “nasty.”
So, you’ve watched The Tudors and you’ve read Wolf Hall, but do you know the real story of Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Katheryn and Katherine? (Best name for an all-woman post-medieval law firm everrrrr.)
Love affairs, court scandal, executions—just your average Tuesday in the Tudor court. Penned by a lifelong “Henry Head,” The Lazy Historian’s Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII combines Jillianne Hamilton’s sassy, fun and snarky storytelling with one of history’s most alluring eras.
Focusing on the lives of the wives, and less about the dudes around them, The Lazy Historian’s Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII gives the six unfortunate queens the biography they almost certainly wouldn’t have asked for.
Conditions of Entry
For your chance to win either a paperback edition of The Lazy Historian’s Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII (only open to US, UK and Canada), or one of three ebook editions (open worldwide) you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter Subscription’).
Then simply leave a comment after this post between now and 5 June 2018. Don’t forget to leave your name and a contact email. Please note that I have comment moderation activated and need to ‘approve’ comments before they appear. There is no need to submit your comment twice.
A winner will be selected randomly and contacted by email shortly after the competition closes. Please ensure you’ve added natalie@onthetudortrail.com to your address book to avoid missing my email.
Good luck!
Q & A with Jillianne Hamilton
What made you want to write about Henry’s wives?
A biography about the six wives of Henry VIII has been on my to-do list for several years. There are so many misconceptions about Henry and his wives that get passed from TV show to movie and then back again, and some people just don’t have the time or interest to read a 700-page non-fiction book. I wanted to write a short book that contained as many facts as possible while still being entertaining to read. Let’s be honest: a lot of non-fiction books can be dry, but history can be fun! I hope this book proves that.
Which wife/queen do you believe affected the most change on the future of England?
It’s easy to say Anne Boleyn and it’s probably the most common answer. If she had just agreed to be Henry VIII’s mistress right from the get-go, it’s hard to know how English history would have unfolded. However, I don’t think Catherine of Aragon gets enough credit for her part. Cardinals Wolsey and Campeggio both asked Catherine if she would consider retiring to a nunnery and letting Henry remarry, but Catherine refused. What if she’d given up? Just given in and went to live in a convent? England may not have broken from Rome in 1533.
Was there a particularly fascinating fact that you found out about one of the wives?
While putting together the family trees for the back of the book, I realized that Anne Boleyn’s ancestry is kind of interesting. Her mother was descended from Edward I. Edward I’s daughter-in-law, Isabella of France, of course, married Edward II but later took Roger Mortimer as her lover. Mortimer is an ancestor of Anne’s father. I thought that was interesting.
What could a true and well-informed Henry VIII fan hope to learn from his guide?
My main goal with this book was to collect as many accepted facts on the wives as I could. If you’re already a Tudor history enthusiast, most of the content in this book isn’t going to be a surprise to you, but I do make a few arguments on a couple different subjects that might make the subject fresh again.
Find out more about the author:
History Blog: http://lazyhistorian.com
Author website: http://jillianne-hamilton.com
Amazon: http://mybook.to/LHGWives
The title alone draws me in! I am very interested in the six wives and while I have read some good non-fiction on the Tudors, especially Anne Boleyn, I really am lazy and I love the idea of a book of facts that is as entertaining to read as fiction! The book sounds humorous and educational.
I’ve only recently become interested in learning about Henry VIII and his wives. There is so much information out there that it really is overwhelming! This book sounds like a good starting point!
Sounds like a delight! Fun and educational. Looking forward to reading this book.
Congratulations on publishing your book, Jillianne!
Thanks for the interview! Short and sweet, just as I would expect this book to be. I’d love to have this one to add to my collection.
I’ve read so much on the Tudors in recent years, a new and funny/quirky take on the six wives seems to be just the icing I need on the delicious cake of history that I’ve been so enjoyably immersed in. Not to mention the author is a fellow Canuck – how have I never heard of her before?! The Googles will get a workout now, and likely the Amazons too. Thanks both for the fun interview, and for giving us all the chance to explore a new take on well-known history!
Great Q&A, really enjoyed it. The book seems very interesting and would be the perfect piece to start my Tudor book collection!
Sounds fascinating!
This sounds so interesting with lots of new info … I can tell there’s been much hard work and research. I’d love this book! Thanks so much. 🙂
Sounds wonderful and very interesting! I love reading about Henry the Eighth and his wives.. and I would definitely love to read this book. Learning about the Tudors is a great interest I have taken up. For quit some time now. Thanks for the opportunity to win this book!
This sounds like an interesting book. The interview was also good. Thank you for sharing – I have now added this book to my wish list
Sounds like a fun read and to learn a few new facts! Thanks for the chance to win!
It definitely goes to my TBR, sounds interesting. Great Q&A! Thanks for the chance!
Wow my Tudor trail of books on my book shelf certainly would welcome this new addition please.
Great interview, would love to have a read
Interesting to hear about Anne s heritage to edward the 1st. I do think that Kathryn must have been a string woman to have suffered being separated from her daughter and being banished essentially. Her faith was really strong! have just started reading about isabella and I think she was a very strong women in history as well! Another to add to list
This book sounds so interesting! I love anything Tudor, especially the 6 wives, so I’m sure I’d love this.
I love all things Tudor! I’d love to win a copy of your book. Thank you!
Great interview! And so true, history can be fun! Adding this one to the list of need to read books.
This book sounds absolutely AMAZING!!! I am a huge Tudor/Plantagenet fan so I would love to win a copy!
Love anything Tudor. Enjoyed the lil interview. Would love to have a copy to add to my collection.
The title alone caught my eye. I agree that sometimes history books can be very daunting. The size and the content can throw off even an advert historian. (As soon as you said 700 page book it out me in mind of a book I read about the wives….it was long and at times boring…lol) I look forward to reading your book! also that little tidbit about Anne and Roger Mortimer…o h my goodness I didn’t know that!!!
The book sounds fantastic! Although I am a huge Anne Boleyn family also I agree that Catherine of Aragon needs more credit – she was a fantastic regent while Henry was in France. Looking forward to reading it!
As a historian myself and a huge fan of the Tudors I love to read things with a different view and this book sounds great ! I am always interested to read more about Catherine of Aragon as I feel she is often overshadowed by Anne Boleyn .
Another new book to add to my growing Tudor library!
The book sound awesome 😮 would be my first book on Henry Tudor. Would love to add it to my other books!!
I have to admit I love the 700 page history books on this time period, but I think a shorter book is great for those that don’t have the time or patience to read. 🙂 I will be adding this book to my already large Tudor library.
Sounds like a very good read! Love all things Tudor and would love to win. Thanks for the chance.
I love British history, Wolf Hall, Downton Abby, Call the Midwife. Learn about history buy Lucy Worsley.
Would love in the future to go visit England. Think Anne Boylan was wronged. You know how to keep history , alive.
I just bought a copy if the ebook for my Kindle, but I would love to win a paper copy!
My favorite time period to read and learn about! Huzzah!
Always up for anything new about the wives and as a long time fan this looks highly fascinating.
Julie
mss50099@yahoo.com
I’m always excited to see a new book about the Wives, people ask if we should move on from them but I totally disagree, there is always something new to learn.
I would love to read this book and learn some new facts about the six wives of Henry VIII!
I must read this book!
A concise ‘go to’ book – as a Tudor buff, THIS is the kind of thing I would keep in my handbag. (begone with the lip liner, spare phone case and ghd’s; they are SO 21st century!)
I’m always keen to add another opinion to the myriad voices on and about the wives of our most controversial monarch, an excellent opportunity!
I would like this book for my Grandaughter who is so interested in the Tudors. She has picked up quite a few myths from school and i want her to have some facts. this book sounds ideal. May have to have a read myself too lol.
Best post-medieval all-women law firm indeed! I’d love to read the whole book, it sounds hilarious
I would love to add this book to my own little English library! You can never have too many Tudor books!!
Love the Tudor period of history, the more you read the more you
find out about these intriguing people. What tangled webs they wove.
My favorite period of history! Nice interview and this book sounds like a very good read. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy!
Love, love, love all things Tudor! Would love to add this to my collection!
Haha sounds like fun! Would love to win 🙂
Tudor England has always been an interest of mine – my history love affair began with the War of the Roses and progressed through to Henry VIII’s reign and beyond. I would love an e-copy to find its way into an Aussie’s hands ? – it would be a fitting homage to a librarian who introduced me to this rich tapestry over 30 years ago.
I am sitting here watching the last season of the Tudors for the billionth time. I would LOVE a copy of the book. I am an ardent fan of the Tudor Dynasty.
I’m an American who is totally obsessed with the Wives. I’ve watched and read and dreamed about them. It was an interesting Q and A
Great!! K_rysma_82@hotmail.com
The name for the all-woman post-medieval law firm was cracking me up!! I love all things Tudor and still find the royals fascinating. I’d love to check this one out too.
I would love to win this book! I went to graduate school for history and studied early modern England. I’d adore having this book on my shelf!!