I have now written about half of the sequel and hope to complete it by the end of this year. However, I am not sure yet what I am going to call it. The only title that seems suitable to me at the moment is ‘A Foreign Country’. This is from a famous quote: The past is a foreign country. they do things differently there’, because in this book Rose gets to visit Richard in the fifteenth century and of course it does all seem foreign to her. So what do my readers think of this? I know it seems a bit boring, but I can’t think of anything more appropriate! It will have a subtitle, yet to be decided, but in the meantime, please comment and let me know what you think of this and, if you don’t like it, any other suggestions.
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Hi Joanne, Just finished your novel and was totally enthralled by it! we were at the cathedral when you were and I’ve been in love with Richard since reading ‘The Sunne in Splendour’. Also an animal lover like you . My name is Linda Lowery and I’ve just sent you a facebook ‘friend’ request. Wrote you an excellent review – 5 stars under my pseudoname ‘felinefemale’ Sometimes your descriptions of emotional scenes really got to my heart, other parts were so funny and it was all extremely interesting, a real ‘page-turner’!
‘imagination is the highest kite you can fly’ – and boy! you were great at putting into words everything I would wish for myself. so glad you’re doing a sequel. Where can I buy a paperback version of your book, I want to share it with a friend?
I’m also in love with that other Richard who lived so close to Bosworth and wants to bring the film of his namesake to the big screen, and tell the truer story, Richard Armitage, in collaboration with Philippa Langley who has written the script.
Also we’ll be at the re-enactment of the battle and I am very interested in ‘Destrier’ talked to the knights when we were there in March. SO – we are even both married to a ‘John’. We live in S.W ireland Co. Kerry but our family are in Cambs. ( We used to ride out on our horses so enjoyed your descriptions)
‘A foreign country’ although apt, might not obviously draw Richard’s ‘fans’. Think you have to have his name in the title .. Howabout ‘Richard’s NEW Rose’? Very Best wishes and very well done on your first book!
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Thank you for your kind word, Linda – I have accepted your friend request. And thank you so much for the review – they really mean a lot. I think Richard Armitage would be perfect to play Richard and his background is so appropriate, plus, as a Ricardian himself, we would be guaranteed a positive portrayal.
I will also be at the re-enactment. I haven’t actually been to one before so it will all be new to me too – when I wrote about the re-enactment in the story I had to do a lot of research and Destrier were fantastic.
Thanks for your suggestion of an alternative title for the sequel. I am still in two minds because the one I have, A Foreign Country is SO appropriate and for other reasons than the one I have given above, but I don’t want to reveal too much. I may use your suggestion as a subtitle if I decide to keep with AFC – Amazon uses subtitles to search as well, so that might work.
As regards a paperback version, it is available on Blurb here: http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/6325020-richard-liveth-yet, but I am trying to get it on Amazon – I am having so much trouble with Create Space, it’s driving me mad, but hopefully it will be there in a few weeks. The cover on the Blurb version is better though, in my opinion.
Thanks again! Joanne
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Hi Joanne Thankyou for replying to me, just wanted to say -Oh! I didn’t realise that YOU had done the picture on the cover as well! You can draw, paint AND write… it’s very good! You’ve managed to make him look like a modern regular (good-looking) guy .(I’ve also done similar head portraits – but of Richard Armitage as Thorin. Came out quite well using black ink pastels and white chalk and watercolours.)
P.s In your book you said Richard was about 5’5″ tall which was fairly average for those days but Philippa Langley said on looking at his thigh bones that they were the same length as her own, and she’s 5′ 9″ They confirmed that later in the programme, so he was quite a decent height although not as tall as 6′ 4″ brother Edward.
I found ‘Blurb’ and ordered the paperback book, hopefully get it by about the 18th August, Want to share it with a friend. – It’ll be crowded at Bosworth, we’ll be there on Saturday AND sunday (Keep hoping the result will change -as in your story!) Hope it stays fine. Have you seen the Grahame Turner paintings of Richard at Bosworth and other pictures? He was a ‘Destrier’ knight for 10years and now paints medieval battle scenes etc fantastically well.. you can see them on his website. We have the one of Richard at Bosworth on our wall and Grahame waited before painting his face in, to see first the reconstruction so he could be more accurate. ( I still don’t believe Richard had fair hair, it looks all wrong, I think you were most likely right with dark hair… people who saw him said he was so different from his other two brothers who were so fair (hair and complexion) ! Richard took after his father who was dark haired. Very best wishes Linda (felinefemale)
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Hello, again, Joanne…
So glad to read that your book is selling well. A visit to the 15th century sounds intriguing and I agree that the famous and evocative saying is entirely appropriate, except in so far as I would choose to expand it to ‘The Past is a Foreign Country’. It will be good to revisit Richard in all his splendour within the context of his own time once again. Another of his devices was ‘A Vous Me Lie’ (‘I bind myself to thee’) His detractors paint him as acquisitive but I have always thought that he sought to serve. Having read so many biographies I have always felt he strove to be the perfect Prince, a perfect knight in the chivalric tradition. Being a man he fell short by a wide margin but, looking at the significant episodes of his life, he strove to conquer frailty, upheld the honour of his House, followed his brother into extreme danger, battle and exile and stood four-square for him through thick and thin, rescued his own damsel in distress from the clutches of his treacherous and covetous brother when she was destitute and abandoned and, through eloquence and a good command of the law, won for her her family inheritance, (which came in handy for him too, of course), plus the freedom of her mother, (which he may later have regretted as she lived with them ever after.) He won the love of the common people and sought to alleviate their lot, tried to govern wisely and with justice for all as he kept the country safe whilst Edward partook in great measure of all the deadly sins and fought bravely and ferociously to the death for his crown and his country. If ever the wrong man won!! I think we lost one of our greatest kings. There is so much in his life to expand upon you don’t even need to make it up. You couldn’t make it up! When even the finest legal minds have determined that in law he has no case to answer regarding the ‘Princes’, all he is remembered for is ‘The Murder of the Princes in the Tower’. Not for one moment do I believe he murdered them. Why did Tudor never claim that he did? I hope this presents an opportunity for you to write a great book, Joanne. Revisit Kendall and Halsted and, somewhere in their pages, you will find the perfect title. Good luck!
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Thank you both for your comments, Linda and Dawn. As regards his height, Linda, they estimated it would have been about 5′ 8″ (so could perhaps have been 5′ 9″) but that was without taking into account his scoliosis. I spoke to Dom Smee when I was at re-interment week and his scoliosis is almost identical. He was told by the orthopaedic consultant that he had lost 3 inches because of it, so that’s what I based ‘my’ Richard’s height on. In any case, it certainly wasn’t 4′ 8″ as has been said elsewhere!
Dawn, I thought of using ‘The Past is a Foreign Country’, but there are a couple of parts of the story that ‘A Foreign Country’ sits better with. I don’t want to explain why because it will spoil the plot!
I agree with all of your assessment of Richard’s character, I am sure he would have been our best king,had he lived on. I will think more about the title anyway and will reveal it in good time!
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