Exclusive interview with novelist Linda Porter and a review of her new book about the last wife of Henry VIII‭ **** ‬4‭ ‬stars

By Gabrielle Pantera‭

Katherine the Queen, the last lady to marry Henry the VIII

HOLLYWOOD,‭ ‬CA‭ (Hollywood Today) ‬12/9/2010‭ ‬-‭ ‬“When I did the first of many talks on Katherine,‭ ‬when the book was published here in England in March of this year,‭ ‬I must say I did find it quite strange to be talking about her in the chapel at Sudeley Castle where she is buried,‭ ‬with her tomb right behind me,‭”‬ says‭ ‬Katherine the Queen‭ ‬author Linda Porter.‭ ‬She also found it moving to be in Katherine‭’‬s bedroom at Stowe Manor in Northamptonshire,‭ ‬where she lived in‭ ‬1537‭ ‬and‭ ‬1538.‭ ‬Her second husband,‭ ‬Lord Latimer,‭ ‬left her the manor in his will.‭

Katherine the Queen‭ ‬sheds light on Katherine Parr,‭ ‬the sixth wife of Henry VIII.‭ ‬Little had been written about Parr, and she was not well known in history.‭ ‬Porter paints vivid picture of Parr before she became the Queen and the rest of‭ ‬ Parr‭’‬s life.‭ ‬A must read for anyone who loves all things British.‭

Kathrine Parr grew up in London‭ ‬around the English court.‭ ‬Porter‭’‬s book depicts Katherine as a well-educated,‭ ‬intelligent and cultured woman.‭ ‬Her family was a prominent northern family with Yorkist sympathies.‭ ‬Widowed twice before her marriage to Henry VIII,‭ ‬Katherine becomes a step-mother to Mary,‭ ‬Edward and Elizabeth.‭ ‬Katherine‭ ‬shapes the education and religious beliefs of Elizabeth I and influence her love of fashion.‭

Porter came up with the idea for a book about Katherine while writing a book about Katherine‭’‬s step-daughter Mary Tudor.‭ ‬Porter extensively researched the Parr family.‭ ‬“I used the National Archives and British Library in London and the small but interesting collection of documents at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire,‭ ‬as well as the regional archives in Warwickshire for information on Katherine‭’‬s cousins,‭ ‬the Throckmortons,‭”‬ says Porter.

Porter says she looks to printed sources initially,‭ ‬then searches the catalogs of the major research institutions.‭ ‬“It is rather like being a detective and perhaps not easy to explain to the layman,‭”‬ says Porter.‭ ‬“It is partly experience and partly a gift,‭ ‬I think.‭ ‬But I always go into the archives,‭ ‬normally towards the end of my research,‭ ‬as you need to have a good grasp of the context before you look at documents.‭ ‬You‭’‬d be surprised by how many writers calling themselves historians never set foot in the archives.‭”

Porter‭’‬s New York editor is Charles Spicer at St Martin‭’‬s.‭ ‬“What impressed me was Linda‭’‬s profound knowledge of the Tudor period and her consummate skill at making these historical figures breathe on the page,‭”‬ says Spicer.‭ ‬“When you are reading either this book or her new one,‭ ‬Katherine The Queen,‭ ‬you feel transported back to Tudor England to live for a moment inside the court of England‭’‬s most famous dynasty.‭ ‬Linda gives the reader clear insight into how they viewed each other and their world.‭ ‬She‭’‬s an extraordinary historian.‭”‬

Spicer became aware of Porter through her first book,‭ ‬published by St.‭ ‬Martin‭’‬s,‭ ‬The First Queen of England‭ (‬titled‭ ‬The Myth Of Bloody Mary‭ ‬in its trade paper edition‭)‬.‭ ‬Her editor in London is Georgina Morley at Macmillan.

‭“‬I have yet to meet my American‭ ‬publisher,‭”‬ says Porter.‭ ‬“My British one I met through my agent.‭ ‬The process is standard…submit copy,‭ ‬normally chapter by chapter,‭ ‬take in any changes suggested,‭ ‬forward the finished product and wait for the copy editor to come back.‭ ‬I must admit to not‭ ‬being fond of copy editors.‭ ‬Many are frustrated writers themselves and their tendency to interfere is irritating.‭ ‬A good copy editor should read for sense and obvious mistakes,‭ ‬not try to re-write your book for you.‭”‬

Porter‭’‬s agent in London is Andrew Lownie.‭ ‬They met because someone Porter had made corporate videos with when she worked in business had also worked with one of Andrew‭’‬s authors.‭ ‬“Probably not the normal route used by would-be authors,‭”‬ says Porter.

Porter is currently working on a book on‭ ‬the rivalry between the English Tudors and the Scottish Stewarts in the first half of the sixteenth century and the downfall of Mary Queen of Scots.‭ ‬It‭’‬s called‭ ‬Crown of Thistles:‭ ‬the Fatal Inheritance of Mary Queen of Scots.

Porter is based in Kent‭ ‬,‭ ‬about‭ ‬25‭ ‬miles southeast of London.‭ ‬She wasborn in in Exeter,‭ ‬Devon,‭ ‬in the southwest of England.‭ ‬She has a doctorate in History from the University of York,‭ ‬England.‭ ‬She was the winner of the‭ ‬2004‭ ‬Biographers Club/Daily Mail prize in England.‭ ‬Her web address is‭ ‬www.lindaporter.net

Katherine the Queen,‭ ‬The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr,‭ ‬the Last Wife of Henry VII by Linda Porter

Hardcover,‭ ‬400‭ ‬pages,‭ ‬Publisher:‭ ‬St.‭ ‬Martin’s Press‭; ‬First Edition‭ (‬November‭ ‬23,‭ ‬2010‭)‬,‭ ‬Language:‭ ‬English,‭ ‬ISBN:‭ ‬9780312384388‭ ‬$27.99