Let me introduce you to historical fiction author,
Karen Heenan
But one false note could send her back to her old life of poverty.
After her father sells her to Henry VIII, ten-year-old Bess builds a new life as a royal minstrel, and earns the nickname "the king's songbird."
She comes of age in the decadent Tudor court, where the stakes are always high, and where politics, heartbreak, and disease threaten everyone from the king to the lowliest musician.
Her world has only one constant: Tom, her first and dearest friend. But when Bess intrigues with Anne Boleyn and strains against the restrictions of life at court, will she find that constancy has its limits?
What inspired you to start writing?
I've written since I was little. There were a lot of things kid-Karen wanted to be - an artist, a ballerina - but writing seemed to be both the easiest and most practical. It took work, but I didn't have to be coordinated and I needed no supplies beyond pen and paper. I didn't mind the work idea, but I didn't think I'd ever be graceful. (I was right. Still not graceful).
What started my writing of this particular book was a throwaway fact in a biography of Henry VIII, that he was such a music-lover that he once bought a child to sing in the royal choir. I thought about that, put the book down, and it just wouldn't leave me alone until I started writing about that child.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
When I started writing Songbird, I wasn't thinking of publication. I'd always written for myself, as a creative outlet and a form of therapy when I hated my cubicle job. The hardest part was reining in my impulse to add in ALL the interesting things I found along the way. There's a fine line between facts that enhance the historical aspect of the story and a big old info dump. It took a while to find that fine line under the info dump.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Bess, the main character, holds a special place because I remember what it felt like to be that age, and to be so wrong-headedly certain of what I wanted, even though what I needed was right in front of my face. I love it when readers tell me she made them crazy - and then follow that by saying, "but I remember how that felt."
She's special because I know her from the inside out. But Tom is probably my favorite character, because he's a combination of every quality I'd like to find in a guy: affectionate, loyal, strong, dependable - and easy on the eyes, too!
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
That's a really hard question, because my characters are so complete in my head that I have a hard time imagining them played by anyone. I did make a photo collage at one point that included a very young Catherine Zeta-Jones as Bess and Cary Elwes (either Princess Bride or Lady Jane era) as Tom. Robin Lewis, a secondary character in Songbird (but the main character in my next book) would be Eddie Redmayne. I know they're not all the right ages now, but it's my fantasy movie, right?
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I want them to get to the end, close the book (or their Kindle) with a sigh of satisfaction, and then check to see if I have any more books available. I love finding a new author, and I would like to be that new discovery for readers.
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