Happy birthday to my imaginary Richard III
- aksmith304
- Oct 13, 2024
- 2 min read
I usually write these blogs around other people and their writing, but as my first novel, The Solace of the Common People, approaches its second birthday, I thought I’d reflect a little.
In the novel I imagine an alternative history for Richard III. During the crisis following the premature death of his brother, Edward IV, in 1483, the real Richard was faced with a lot of tough decisions. My Richard makes one different choice which inadvertently helps him to win at the battle of Bosworth two years later. With the would-be usurper, Henry Tudor, safely removed, my Richard goes on to reign for around forty years. He is faced with many of the same challenges that beset the early Tudors – after all while his life has taken a different path, the early modern world develops just as it always did. There are key differences of course. While the Reformation takes place in Europe, with no Henry VIII needing an heir there is no particular desire to push change through in England. Richard’s queen, Anne Neville, dies in 1485, but he lives to seek other marriages, find other loves. Similarly, he still loses his first son, but there are other children who help to shape his life and his reign. Other familiar characters pop up along the way. He is a work of pure fiction, constructed within a world of historical accuracy.
I also just need to mention the near future subplot that allows the reader to see the long-term impact of this altered history. Six hundred years later, another King Richard faces different choices in a society subtly unlike our own.
Enough. That’s my first novel, but what is next? I’ve been busy working on two new books. One is a First World War novel that explores the relationship between a young British soldier and a Belgian girl, set against a backdrop of the battle of Passchendaele. The other is a novel about the women’s suffrage movement, a bit more of a family saga, set from 1905 to 1919. The challenge, as ever, will be getting these books published.
The Solace of the Common People was self or indie published. In many ways this was great as I kept complete artistic control. I remain very grateful to my readers and proof-readers and to the artists who worked on the book, internally as well as designing the cover art. But the real challenge was and remains marketing. I know that this is also a real problem faced by many traditionally published authors. I haven’t yet worked out the answers.
All that said, thank you so much everyone who has read The Solace of the Common People so far and for the brilliant feedback I have received. And if anybody reads this who hasn’t yet discovered my alternative history of Richard III, do take a look. He might surprise you!
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