Q & A with Carlyn Beccia

What inspired you to write the Raucous Royals?

Mary Queen of Scots was my first love, now there’s a woman who caused a lot of raucous! Over 450 years later and still no one can agree on whether she was a silly tart or a victim of unjust rumors.

I wanted to get readers involved in the debate and have them question what they read. When I do school visits, I ask kids if what they read on the Internet is true. More than half always say yes. With the way kids research today, critical thinking is so important. I want young readers to own their research and play history detective because history can be really boring when it is taught as a static subject. So many teachers make history interactive in their classrooms but they still need some books to help. With both The Raucous Royals and I Feel Better with a Frog in my Throat I tried to show how history constantly changes, and how stories are formed and evolve over time. I like to think books can be just as interactive as any digital medium.

Your illustrations are wonderfully witty. When did you discover your talents as an illustrator?

Thanks! I think most artists are told by a very young age that they can draw. I never took lessons and I really didn’t draw much as a child. I did love to sculpt. I was constantly sculpting things as a child – making animals out of cotton balls and tooth pics…trying to push the playdo to do things it just wasn’t meant to do. Even today, I will take a ball of clay over a pencil any day.

What is the most outrageous historical royal scandal or rumor you have come across?

I like the rumors surrounding what someone actually looked like because I think they are rumors that kids can relate to very easily. The untrue rumors that Napoleon was short or Anne Boleyn had a sixth finger are the perfect example of how someone’s image can be distorted over time.

Your books are aimed at young readers (although I am sure they appeal to many adults as well); have you ever considered writing non-fiction for adults?

I am working on an adult nonfiction book and an adult novel along with several children’s book right now.  It’s too early to reveal any details but I am definitely going to be exploring the adult side. It is actually a lot easier to write for adults!

A large amount of your book is dedicated to Henry VIII, his wives and daughters. When was your interest in the Tudors ignited?

I had a lot of fiction authors that inspired me but Jean Plaidy was the woman who really got me hooked. I still love all her books. They are my guilty pleasure.

Why do you think readers are insatiable when it comes to the Tudor period?

That is a really good question but I am terrible at understanding trends. To start, American history is so closely tied to English history that it makes it very easy to get hooked.

I think another reason why the Tudors are so marketable is that they have a very modern appeal and their customs and practices don’t feel as foreign as say Italian history. We can all relate to the jilted Anne Boleyn or the Elizabeth I who keeps her heart so protected. These personalities fit neatly into stereotypes that people can transpose onto their modern day lives.

Their monarchial society is also less complex than Italian Renaissance history or the area that would become “Germany” where you have a jumble of city states with shifting alliances.  Tudor history has one dominant figure (Henry VIII) instead of a drama where the lead role is constantly changing.  It also has something that the Italian Renaissance severely lacks – a beginning and an end.

Lastly, it may also be that this period is one of the most well documented periods in history. If you again compare it to Italian history, so much is still under lock and key yet to be uncovered. It will be interesting to see if Showtime’s The Borgia gets as many fans as The Tudors did. I know that I will watch!

Who is your favorite of Henry VIII’s queens and why?

I love them all for different reasons, but I have always had a soft spot for Anne of Cleves. In the end, I like to see people come out on top and although she certainly didn’t get exactly what she wanted, she was given a level of autonomy and had that certain comeuppance that I love to see in a historical figure.

In your research into Tudor life, have you come across any activities, customs or traditions that you’ve found particularly interesting or peculiar?

I am obsessed with Tudor fashion and concepts of beauty. It is a subject that comes up frequently on my blog. I especially love how Elizabeth I crafted an image of power and wealth through her dress. As a child, I would look at the painting of her and think – “wow, that serious looking woman is just dripping in pearls”. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized the pearls were just fish scales made to look like pearls and that serious expression was hiding a mouth full of rotting teeth!

In your new book, I Feel Better with a Frog in my Throat, you investigate historical medical practices and strange cures. Could you share any from the Tudor period with us?

Bezoar stones and unicorn horns were very popular in Tudor medicine. I don’t want to give too much away because I will be doing a future post on Elizabeth’s I unicorn horn.  I also find Henry VIII’s talents as an amateur apothecary fascinating. I think Henry would have been a doctor if he had not been a king. I would like to go back in time and try out his “King’s Plaster” just for fun.

I have read that your biggest wish is to go back in time and share a glass of ale with Henry VIII and his six wives. If your wish was granted and you had the opportunity to ask one of them a question to which a truthful answer was guaranteed, what would you ask?

I would want to know if Henry’s conscience was clear. Did he have any regrets? It is impossible to judge him by modern standards so I would want to know how he judged himself. Did he feel he was a good ruler, husband and father?

For more information visit Carlyn’s official website here.