Q&A With Tony Riches  

I am delighted to be doing this Q&A with British historical fiction author, blogger and podcaster Tony Riches! Tony’s Tudor Trilogy reached #1 historical fiction on Amazon US, UK and Australia, and was followed by his Brandon Trilogy and his popular Elizabethan series. Tony was the first historical fiction author to be shortlisted for the Amazon Storyteller award. You can find out more at Tony’s website www.tonyrriches.com his blog, The Writing Desk and his podcast Stories of the Tudors.  

Q: Tony, would you please give a brief description of your historical fiction novels?  

A: I tell the entire story of the Tudor dynasty, from Owen Tudor’s first meeting with the widowed Queen Catherine of Valois to the final days of Queen Elizabeth Ist. Although historical fiction, I spend at least a year researching each book, tracking down primary sources, such as letters and papers, and enjoy visiting the actual locations used in the books.

At Henry Tudor’s Forteresse de Largoët, in remote Brittany

Q: I enjoy reading historical fiction and I know you obviously enjoy writing it! What drew you into writing historical fiction? What made you choose to write about Tudor figures that haven’t been covered as much?  

A: I was born in Pembroke, close to the medieval castle, birthplace of Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII and began the Tudor dynasty. I started looking into its history when I returned to the area as a full-time author and took part in the successful campaign for a statue of Henry Tudor to be placed in front of Pembroke Castle. 

Henry Tudor at Pembroke Castle

I found several accounts of Henry’s life, but no novels which brought the truth of his story to life. The idea for the Tudor Trilogy occurred to me when I realized Henry Tudor could be born in book one, ‘come of age’ in book two, and rule England as king in book three, so there would be plenty of scope to explore his life and times. 

Q: How long does it take you to research and write historical fiction novels? What wisdom have you learned by writing historical fiction that you would want future historical fiction writers to know so they may strengthen their craft? 

A: I am a full-time author and write one book a year, researching through the summer, writing through autumn and winter, and editing in the spring. People tell me they would never have the time to write a book, but if you can write just one page a day, that’s a book a year. The best advice for future writers of historical fiction is to learn from the best by reading their work. I learned how to write from Hilary Mantel and CJ Sansom, as well as many other authors. 

Q: Which historical figure will your next book be about?  

A: My next book, the last in the Elizabethan series, is about Bess Raleigh, wife of Sir Walter Raleigh. One of Queen Elizabeth’s ladies in waiting, Bess, was imprisoned in the Tower of London for marrying Walter without the queen’s permission.  Currently with my editor, I hope Bes will be published by the summer.

Q: Speaking of period shows and films, what did you think of the series The Tudors and later The White Queen series that covered the War of The Roses?  

A: While I completely understand these were not intended as entertainment and not to be historically accurate, I am concerned that others might misunderstand the Tudors from these dramas. Some of the changes are unforgivable, such as ‘merging’ Henry’s sisters, Margaret and Mary Tudor.

Q: Would you like to talk about your podcast and your blog and provide links to them here? 

A: My podcast, Stories of the Tudors, began to talk about the research behind my books, and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify.