Elizabeth Kelly

 Tell us about your latest book? I've just published "First Lady of the Realm," the story of Anne Stanhope. She was a lady-in-waiting to the six wives of King Henry VIII. She was the wife of Edward Seymour who became the Lord Protector of the Realm during the reign of Edward VI. So, she experienced a remarkable rise to power followed by a disastrous fall. Tell us something unexpected that you discovered during your research. Anne Stanhope was the step-daughter of Sir Richard Page. He was a gentleman of the privy chamber to King Henry VIII. It's likely that he managed to arrange a position for her at court as a maid of honour to Queen Catherine of Aragon. However, when Queen Anne Boleyn was accused of adultery and treason in May 1536, he was one of the seven courtiers who were arrested and sent to the Tower. Five of those men were executed on 17th May 1536. However, Richard Page and Thomas Wyatt were both released from the Tower the following month. No-one knows why Richard Page was arrested nor how he managed to escape the axe. But it's likely that he was spared because Anne Stanhope had married Edward Seymour in 1535 and the Seymour's were in great favour at court. What was the hardest part of the book to write? The most challenging part was researching and writing about the great progress to the North in 1541. Henry VIII wanted to strike fear into the hearts of his subjects after the Pilgrimage of Grace and show off his beloved new wife Catherine Howard. I wondered what Anne Stanhope might have seen and suspected about the young queen's liaison with Thomas Culpeper. In the end, the ill-fated progress became a fascinating story to tell. What a blow it must have been to Henry VIII's esteem to learn that his wife preferred the attention of another man! First Lady of the Realm is Book 7 in The Tudors Series on Amazon. 

 Elizabeth Kelly is a former teacher with a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology. She is fascinated by historical research and the discovery of lost stories from the past. She has a passion for investigating the Tudor period and exploring its dramatic potential. Her novels vividly bring to life the Tudor court, featuring a diverse cast of characters with unique perspectives. Her stories delve into the lives of kings and queens, noblemen and noblewomen, ambitious ladies-in-waiting and humble seamstresses, child actors, and royal fools. Her imaginative writing offers readers an enthralling escape into the alternative reality of creative historical fiction. 

 If you love the Tudor era you must read this series! History tells you the facts in either black or white. What it cannot do is give you the "thoughts and feelings" behind the person history involves. What Elizabeth Kelly has done here is remarkable. Each book encompasses a real person that was part of the Tudor Dynasty and its courtly intrigues and gives you a fictional, internal dialog of that person from their point of view. Each book truly stands up to the test of possibility . Kelly has taken more history than most historians would be willing to wade through, and gives you an opportunity to see things from a different perspective. Will you get sick of reading about the Tudor Dynasty over and over? No! You will be engrossed in each person's own story, what they saw from their perspective, what they may have thought, and it will in some cases, it will turn you on your head. I utterly despised Anne Boleyn from reading her history from the side of Henry VIII (because of course, history is written by the victors, right?). I almost skipped her book and I'm SO glad I didn't. I got to see a "side" of Anne that I never would have considered before and it has changed the way I view her. She may be innocent, she may not, but you'll have to read her story and judge for yourself. This is SO well written and incredibly interesting and if you love this period of history, I highly encourage you to read it for yourself. You may never look at this time in history in the same light ever again. This series is a true labor of love. Excellent work! 

 An excellent collection of novels portraying Tudor times from a disparate group of characters whose stories often overlap but who present events from their particular aspect and experience. 

 Good Tudor court drama with fresh perspective I've read quite a few Tudor books over the years, so I was curious about this one focusing on Anne Stanhope instead of the usual Anne Boleyn story. It was refreshing to see the court intrigue from a different characters point of view, especially someone who's trying to navigate all the politics as an outsider. The author did a nice job showing how dangerous and complicated life was for women at court during that time period. Anne Stanhope felt like a real person dealing with real choices, not just another pretty face trying to catch the king's attention. I liked seeing her figure out who to trust and how to survive in that environment. 

 Good Tudor court drama with fresh perspective I've read quite a few Tudor books over the years, so I was curious about this one focusing on Anne Stanhope instead of the usual Anne Boleyn story. It was refreshing to see the court intrigue from a different characters point of view, especially someone who's trying to navigate all the politics as an outsider. The author did a nice job showing how dangerous and complicated life was for women at court during that time period. Anne Stanhope felt like a real person dealing with real choices, not just another pretty face trying to catch the king's attention. I liked seeing her figure out who to trust and how to survive in that environment.