Guest Post with Sarah J Hodder

I am absolutely delighted to welcome Sarah to my blog on the anniversary of the birth of Margaret of York (3 May 1446). Sarah has been kind enough to answer all of my questions about her writing and books, so let’s dive straight in.

Tell us a little about yourself

Aaargh a hard question, as I always find myself so completely uninteresting! In a nutshell, I work as a copyeditor and proofreader for several amazing publishers, and as well as that I am a mother to a beautiful teenage daughter and a writer on the lives of women.

How did you get into writing?

I started writing seriously about ten years ago. I’ve always loved books and the printed word, having been an avid reader since a very young age, and when I left school after my A-Levels I managed to land what I didn’t know then would be my dream job working for a publishing house. Starting at the bottom, I worked my way up to production manager, working as a typesetter and project manager and seeing the books through from manuscript to print. By the time I reached my early 40s, I had pretty much worked on all aspects of book production apart from actually writing one myself. To that end, I chose a subject and put pen to paper to see if I could create a book myself. Having now just seen my 5th book published, I feel I can finally sit back and be proud of what I’ve achieved!

What era do you write about and what drew you to that time period(s)?

I write about the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor periods. My niche, if you like, has been to find and research subjects that are not covered as much by other authors. My love of history began with a fascination with Anne and Mary Boleyn. Exploring their lives and reading all that I could on the Boleyn ladies (and Henry VIII) led me back an era to Elizabeth of York and then back again to Elizabeth Woodville. And I settled there, during the Wars of the Roses and all the excitement and intrigue that can be found in that period of English history.

And in Elizabeth Woodville I found a character with a real personality; one who is able to divide audiences, contemporary and modern, much like Anne Boleyn, and her story gripped me. And as I read more and more about Elizabeth Woodville and exhausted my reading and research into her, I had the idea to try and see the events she experienced from the viewpoint of other females in her life. This is pretty much the core of most of my books, having now explored and written about the lives of her sisters, her daughters and many other of her female relatives.

Can you tell us a little bit about your most recent book?

My most recent book is on the sisters of Richard III (and of course Edward IV): Anne, Elizabeth and Margaret of York. Published in February this year by Pen & Sword, I delve into the lives of these 3 women from the House of York who have been overshadowed by their famous brothers. I already had some knowledge of Margaret of York: the infamous Duchess of Burgundy who features heavily in our history books as she was a thorn in the side of the Tudors in the early days of their
reign. Those interested in the tale of the Lost Princes in the Tower will know well about Margaret’s involvement with Perkin Warbeck / Richard IV, depending on your viewpoint. But both Anne and Elizabeth of York also led hugely fascinating lives and I hope I’ve managed to bring to life the tales of all three women in this book in an interesting way.

Where can people order your book(s)?

My first 3 books (The Queen’s Sisters, The York Princesses and Cecily Bonville-Grey) are all available from Collective Ink Publishing (previously John Hunt Publishing). My latter two, The Woodville Women and Sisters of Richard III are available from Pen & Sword. They are all, of course, also on Amazon and will variously be available elsewhere.

Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you spill the beans a little?

Sadly, I’m not currently working on anything; my current role as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader pretty much takes up all of my time at the moment, which is fine because as well as paying the bills it affords me a great opportunity to read so many other amazing books by some of the great authors we have writing today. I think I’ve probably also exhausted Elizabeth Woodville’s family on the female side. But I hope to put pen to paper again in the not-too-distant future; I’m sure there are many other great female sisters, daughters and cousins whose lives are still unexplored!

How do you go about your research?

I like to write my books in chronological order, so I can really experience the lives as these women led them. So I tend to start with a timeline… when were they born, where did they live, when were their siblings born, where were they when big events happened? I think that way you can really tell their life story. I then add in the big events… the bits of history we know, like coronations and battles and wives having their heads chopped off! And then I try and weave the story of my characters around these events to show what they may have known or seen or experienced. I have quite a good memory so I often recall where I’ve seen information in either a primary or secondary source so I can really utilise these as I work my way through my character(s) lives.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring authors, what would it be?

If you have an idea for something you want to write, draw up a plan. This is something I always do and it really provides me with inspiration. When you start writing it’s always a bit daunting… 75,000+ words seems so many! So jot down your ideas … a list of proposed chapters, a timeline, an outline of the book. Once you have that, your project has begun and that, for me, is always exciting. I can see the way forward, how I want my story to develop, the main points I want to add in along the way and then it becomes real, rather than just an idea floating around your head. Once you have something in black and white, it’ll give you the inspiration to just get started. Whether you have a publishing deal or not, just having something to create is hugely exciting … and even more so when it’s finished. The path your book will eventually take… taken up by a publisher, self-published, filed on your shelf and read years later by your grandchildren… that part can come later. Just begin…!

Can you tell us your favourite fiction and favourite non-fiction book?

So hard to choose as there are so many great books out there. But if I had to choose my favourite fiction book would be Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. My favourite non-fiction is Jane Austen at Home, by Lucy Worsley; a period I don’t specialise in but absolutely love!