Do you know what makes a great historical fiction writer?
When you know how the history works out but you're still holding out hope that something else will happen or you are still worried about a character even though you know they will have success. I'm reading The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory which is about Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII's first wife. She's just declared to the court that despite several months of marriage to Henry's older brother, she is still a virgin and she is waiting, hoping the king will betrothe her to his other son. And even though I know that it happens, I'm still ripping through the pages and on the edge of my seat. I know that I will also be hoping history doesn't play out the same as history dictates when Anne Boleyn comes into the picture. Which is odd because I love Anne Boleyn and have read several sympathetic books about her. How can I love competing queens? Ach, I love it!