An Interview with Nicola Cornick!

Christina here and today I’m delighted to be interviewing Wench Nicola Cornick about her new book The Last Daughter, which is published in paperback, ebook and audio here in the UK in three days’ time, on 8^th July. In the US, it will release in paperback on 16^th November as The Last Daughter of York, and both have amazing covers, although I will admit to favouring the UK one as it has such wonderful jewel colours.

Nicola, it’s lovely that it’s my turn to welcome you as a guest to chat about this story, which is one of my absolute favourite books this year. I was lucky enough to read an ARC and I loved it – the mixture of history, mystery and timeslip is just superb and I simply couldn’t put it down!

The Princes in the Tower by Millais

Please can you tell us briefly what The Last Daughter is about?

The Last Daughter is a dual time novel set in the present and the Wars of the Roses. The historical strand looks at the mystery of the disappearance of the princes in the tower in 1483 through the eyes of Anne Lovell, wife of Richard III’s best friend Francis. This is linked to the modern day story where Serena Warren is trying to discover what happened to her twin sister Caitlin, who disappeared at Minster Lovell ten years before.

I loved that The Last Daughter is based on the many stories about the Princes in the Tower, the two young sons of King Edward IV, who disappeared after their uncle Richard of Gloucester took the throne for himself and became King Richard III. There have always been a lot of rumours and speculation about their fate, but the truth is that no one knows what actually happened. When did you first become aware of this story and what fascinated you about it?

I was about eleven years old when my stepfather gave me a copy of Josephine Tey’s crime novel The Daughter of Time which is of course a very famous and influential book about the disappearance of the princes. This roused my curiosity in the whole topic and I read everything I could about Richard III. Living in Yorkshire, which had been very loyal to Richard (and vice versa) I was by romantic inclination a Ricardian especially as it seemed to me he had been betrayed at Bosworth and horribly maligned by the Tudors. Forty plus years later my heart is still romantically inclined to be on Richard’s side even if my head – and my studies of the era and the evidence – might suggest a more nuanced view!

We all have pet theories about ancient mysteries – what is your feeling about the fate of the two princes? Do you think Richard had them killed? To my mind, it seems inconceivable that he didn’t at least know about whatever happened.

I love that so many people are engaged with real historical mysteries! They are endlessly fascinating, perhaps for the very reason that we can’t solve them, only speculate. In fact I think that if some sort of definitive evidence emerged to show the fate of the princes a lot of people would be very disappointed that the mystery was solved!

It also seems extraordinary to me that we don’t know what happened. A number of people simply must have known at the time. Yet the evidence appears contradictory and difficult to interpret. With my historian’s hat on, I haven’t ruled out that Richard might have had them murdered but I do struggle with that idea on several levels. What seems plausible to me is that we’re looking at what I call a “Thomas Becket” situation where someone thought they were doing the monarch a favour in getting rid of a problem for him only to find that they had created a far bigger one.

Minster Lovell Hall

What are your feelings about the boys/men who came forward later, claiming to be one or other of the princes – were they all charlatans and adventurers, or could there be a grain of truth there?

I don’t believe that any of the people who came forward later to claim that they were one or other of the princes really were. I think they were either adventurers or that they were being used for political ends by people more powerful than they were.

Your story concentrates mainly on Anne, the wife of Lord Francis Lovell, who was a real historical character. What made you choose her as your main protagonist? (And btw, I really liked her because she was so intelligent and headstrong, and yet totally lovable).

Thank you! I loved Anne and tried to make her as true to life as I could. I was drawn to her because she is a woman from the footnotes of history. There isn’t a lot about her in the historical record but what there is suggests that she was loyal, brave and quite a formidable character. I’d also read a few fictional depictions of her where she had been portrayed quite negatively and I didn’t see why this needed to be so. It was good to redress the balance.

Ruins of Ravensworth Castle

Anne doesn’t seem to have had any children – did you find any evidence of her having miscarriages at least or was she barren? How devastating do you think that must have been for a wife at that time, whose main function in life was to provide her husband with heirs?

This is a theme in history that interests me. I wrote about it in my previous book The Forgotten Sister because, like Anne, Amy Robsart was also childless. I think it must have been devastating for a wife, and for a couple, not to have a family at a time and in a class of society where so much emphasis was placed on heirs and inheritance. There is evidence to suggest that Anne Lovell had a miscarriage, which I think would have been even more devastating.

In your story, Anne and Francis have a marriage based on love, even though they were wed as children. Did you find any historical evidence of this?

There is certainly evidence of a strong mutual respect and loyalty between them as a couple which is reflected in letters, Francis’s will and the fact that after he disappeared, Anne made strenuous efforts to find him (presumably not to turn him over to Henry VII!). I like to think that they loved each other; they had grown up together and known each other for a long time. I think there was a strong bond there.

The legend of the Mistletoe Bride is fascinating and I had heard some version of that before – where did you come across it?

It’s a strange legend, isn’t it, the story of a bride who disappears on her wedding day. I first heard it in connection with Minster Lovell Hall when I went on a visit years ago, then I discovered it was a well known ghost story connected to quite a few different houses. When I researched it, I found it was first written down in the early 19^th century but was supposed to be much older and passed down through the generations as oral storytelling. Whatever the case it’s a bit of a horror story but it gave me the idea that Minster Lovell is a place where people disappear…

Middleham Castle

Anne was presumably not such a prominent person at the time – how did you go about researching her? It’s always difficult to find information about someone like that, especially a woman.

Yes, it’s tricky finding references to people like Anne in the historical record. They are such shadowy characters which is one of the reasons I enjoy bringing them out into the light. In this case I was hampered even more by the fact that record offices and libraries were closed during the pandemic so I had to do most of my research online and from books. My main reference for the lives of Francis and Anne Lovell was Michele Schindler’s brilliantly detailed biography of Francis, Lovell Our Dogge: The Life of Viscount Lovell which was invaluable and a must-read for anyone wanting to know more about Francis and Anne. The other thing I was able to do was to visit Anne’s childhood home of Ravensworth Castle in Yorkshire and Middleham as well, which was amazing. To be able to stand in the same spot as my characters did five hundred years before was very inspiring.

The real Francis disappeared after the Battle of Stoke Field, didn’t he – what do you think happened to him really?

Like the fate of the princes, it remains a mystery! There are various theories that Francis fled to Scotland or to Burgundy, or that he hid at Minster Lovell or even that he died after the battle and was buried secretly nearby. This presented me with the opportunity to come up with my own solution in the book, of course, and I must admit I much prefer it!

Although The Last Daughter is a stand alone story, there are a couple of brief cameo appearances of characters from the previous book. As a reader, I was thrilled about that – it’s like meeting up with old friends. Did you plan for that to happen or was it something that just occurred to you while you were working on the manuscript?

I’m glad you liked it! I hadn’t planned for Lizzie and Arthur from The Forgotten Sister to appear in The Last Daughter. I was writing about Serena coming back to Minster Lovell and realised that it was just down the road from Burford so it made sense for Serena and Lizzie to be friends… it developed from there and I really enjoyed it as I loved Lizzie as a character and was happy to see her again. In fact she’s just popped up in my next book as well!

What’s next for you – what are you working on now?

I’m writing another dual time story set in the present and the late-Tudor period. It focusses on Catherine Catesby, wife of gunpowder plotter Robert Catesby, another woman from the footnotes of history!

Thank you so much for chatting to me about your lovely book! If anyone would like to find out more about this, or about Nicola’s other stories, please visit her website here. And to buy a copy, please click here.

We look forward to hearing your views on the princes in the Tower, King Richard III or anything else discussed in this post, so please leave a comment below. If you’d like to be the lucky commenter who will win a signed copy of The Last Daughter, please also answer the following question from Nicola between now and midnight on Tuesday:-

Do you like characters from previous stories to pop up in later ones, and if so, what is your favourite series where this happens?

 

Comments

[Patricia finnegan]

I like stories that Happen to. Julia quinn and jen turano books comes to mind.

Thank you for giveaway opportunity!

[Anne Gracie]

Lovely interview, Nicola and Christina. Like many others, Josephine Tey was a gateway book for me re Richard III . It's a fascinating story, and as you say, we'll never knew the truth.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you for your comment Patricia - good choices!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Anne, so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, if only we knew the truth, but as Nicola said maybe we’d be disappointed if the mystery was solved.

[Nicola Cornick]

It's amazing how many people read and were influenced by the Josephine Tey book!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks for sharing, Patricia!

[Sue McCormick]

I enjoyed the interview. Oh-hum, another new book in the offing, and I must waith until November?! Maybe I'll just curl up my little pink toes and die (a quite from one of my college professors, who taught history).

[Andrea Penrose]

What a fascinating interview, Nicola and Christina! Nicola, I love how you take the women in the shadows of the more well-known personages of an era and weave a story through their point of view. Your meticulous research always gives such a interesting take on events, as well as bringing a more nuanced view of the people involved. It's an art to weave wonderful storytelling with actual history and you do it so brilliantly.

I'm lucky enough to have an ARC of the book--am halfway through and loving it!

[Jane Risdon]

How interesting, love the photos. I wish you much success. Great blog ladies.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Sue, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Love the quote!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much, Andrea, I am so pleased you are enjoying it! I do love looking into the stories of lesser-known women from history!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Jane - I enjoyed going on my tour of Northern castles and taking the photos!

[Ruth]

A very interesting post and lovely photos which I enjoyed. A series which involved characters through the series which was memorable was The MacDonald Family Trilogy by Carla Laureano.

[Anne]

Dual time novels are captivating and of great interest to me since they give me the history which is important. Reading historical novels is unforgettable. When I read The Star and The Shamrock series it is heartbreaking but also fascinating due to the characters within the books.

[Margaret]

Thank you to you both for such an interesting interview. I look forward to reading your book, Nicola! I love it when characters - or books(!) appear in subsequent books. One of this summer's hits, The People We Meet on Vacation, has one of the main characters reading a book written by a protagonist from the author's previous book, Beach Read. How wonderful! And I think it was Julia Quinn who had characters in several books reading a wildly silly romance, and then we later meet the author of that romance.

[sharon]

Wonderful interview and fabulous photos. I wish when I was younger I appreciated history as I do now since it is meaningful and has so much importance in our lives. Any series which transports me to another era and place is beautiful.

[Anne Humpage]

Thank you both for this interview! I have been a Ricardian all my life and am thrilled that you have this book coming out,Nicola. So many are disparaging of Richard and "his dogge" it will be refreshing to read.

I would like to enter the contest but for the life of me (and it's been a long life filled with books) I can't remember any books with recurring characters other than those intended to be a series.

Thank you again for the interesting and informative interview.

[Jane Nelson]

I cannot wait to read this book! I am an avid Ricardian -- like you, Nicola, I read Daughter of Time at an impressionable age, and have continued to read both fiction and nonfiction about that era. I love it when characters from a previous story show up, it's like meeting old friends (unless, of course, a bad guy returns!).

[Annette N]

Thanks for the wonderful post. I simply cannot figure out that Richard suddenly lost his mind and killed two little boys. But, then, what do I know? I probably would have found Jack the Ripper to be charming. I am not always a good judge.

I like it when characters from a previous story appear in a book I am reading.....but it can be quite confusing if I have not read the previous book.

The Amelia Peabody series was one where previous villains and/or good guys appeared all through the series. I loved it. But, I loved Amelia and Emerson and Ramses and ...everything about the series.

Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

[LilMissMolly]

I enjoy stories that include appearances by former featured couples and relatives, especially in a series. It’s like welcoming old friends to your home that you haven’t seen in a while. One of the first series where I remember this occurring was Catherine Coulter’s Sherbrooke Bride series. Mary Jo’s Fallen Angels series does this too. Plus, I can’t imagine Anne Gracie’s Chance Sisters series without all of the sisters included in the later stories. In truth, reappearances are what I love most about series.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much, Ruth. I'm happy you liked the post and that's a great recommendation of the trilogy.

[Nicola Cornick]

Ooh, I'll have to look that series up, Anne. It sounds great!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you very much, Margaret! I do hope you enjoy the book. I like the sound of The People We Meet on Vacation. Must catch up with that!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks so much, Sharon! Yes, it's so true that history has such a strong influence on now. It's not just in the past!

[Nicola Cornick]

How lovely of you to drop into the blog, Anne! I'm delighted to hear that you are also a Ricardian! Good choice!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Jane! I'm thrilled you are another Ricardian! It's interesting how influential The Daughter of Time has been on all of us.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Annette! Yes, it's hard to reconcile the story of the Princes with what is known of Richard's character but we can't always see below the surface of history...

The Amelia Peabody series is wonderful, isn't it!

[Nicola Cornick]

There's definitely something really strong and appealing about series, isn't there. I love stories with linked characters like the ones you mention - and Christina's Runes books as well!

[Kareni]

Nicola and Christina, thank you for an informative interview. (I have to admit to being partial to the UK cover, too!) Those who don't wish to wait for the November release could order a copy through Book Depository which has free shipping worldwide.

I do enjoy when characters from previous books make an appearance though sometimes it can be overdone when six prior couples and their two or three children all descend in the final chapter. I like a more subtle touch! I enjoyed the reappearance of Ian Mackenzie in follow on books by Jennifer Ashley. I particularly enjoyed the presence of Hawker in many books by (retired Wench) Joanna Bourne!

[Teresa Broderick]

A great interview! I came to the Josephine Tey book much later in life but it definitely piqued my interest in Richard. I watched the funeral on tv when they re interred his bones. I'm quite fascinated by him now.
Really looking forward to the book Nicola.
Lisa Kleypas wrote a series about four friends who fall in love. Each book featured a friend but they were all popping up in the stories. I enjoy when this happens. It's like meeting old friends and getting to know what happened to them after their own story.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Nicola - I’m looking forward to meeting your Lizzie again in the next book!

[Christina Courtenay]

I loved the Mackenzie books too Kareni! They were great!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Nicola, like you I read Josephine Tey at a tender age and became a confirmed Ricardian. I thought her arguments were compelling, and I really like your theory that the boys might have been killed by someone thinking they were doing the king a favor. Pia, thanks for doing the interview, and Nicola, keep bringing historical women out of the shadows!

[Rita Boucher]

I really enjoy when minor characters develop lives of their own in their own book. It's like becoming part of a circle of friends who introduce you to other people you come to cherish. Whether it's Grace Burrowes or Mary Jo Putney, Anne Gracie or Loretta Chase, the anticipation of that next character's story is like a present on my wish list.
Nicola Cornick is new to me and my "to be read" pile has just grown again. Luckily, I don't have to physically find shelf space for my ebooks.

[Patricia Franzino]

I always enjoy previously explored characters from earlier stories to appear in later ones.

Julia Quinn and the Bridgerton series. Deanna Raybourn and the two series, Veronica Speedwell and Lady Julia. Also, Tasha Alexander and the Lady Emily mysteries.

[Nicola Cornick]

Teresa, I adored that series by Lisa Kleypas too! There's something really nice about catching up with characters you love!

The discovery of Richard's body seemed to fascinate the nation if not the world, didn't it. Another extraordinary chapter in his story even if it didn't get us closer to solving the mystery of the Princes!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much, Mary Jo! Yes, it seems to me that the "doing a favour" explanation may well have happened more than once in history!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Rita! I love those series you mention! And I'm very happy you have found my books. Thank you!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Patricia! It's fun to catch up with characters again, isn't it! I love those series you mention!

[Janet Murdoch]

I liked all of Josephine Tey's books but loved Brat Farrar and Daughters of Time. It changed my whole perspective on how and by whom history is written. Would really like to read your book as I love a good historical mystery - read all the series mentioned.
Thanks for the opportunity!

[Cindy A]

Yes, I do! The Bridgerton series has many who pop up.
Johanna Lindsay had families that continued throughout the books. Mary Balogh has a couple of family series, so of course the sibs pop up. There are so many and I love them!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Janet! Oh, I loved Brat Farrar too! Her books are so clever. I only wish she had written more of them.

[Nicola Cornick]

It's fun to follow the further adventures of characters you've fallen in love with, isn't it, Cindy!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much, Kareni, I am very happy you enjoyed it and thank you for mentioning The Book Depository as a way for people in the US to get hold of the book quicker - and with the UK cover!

[Kareni]

You are quite welcome, Nicola. Wishing you and the book every success!