Today I welcome Katherine Longshore to World Reads, a blog that features interviews with authors who’ve written a story set outside of the United States for children or young adults.
What is the title of your book? The pub date and publisher? Genre? Targeted age group?
*BRAZEN, June 12 2014, Viking/Penguin, historical fiction, ages 12+
Where is it set?
*Tudor England
In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story.
* When Mary Howard is married off to Henry Fitzroy, King Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, she rockets into the Tudor court’s inner circle, joining a tight clique of rebels who test the boundaries of court’s strict rules with their games, dares, and flirtations. Mary falls hard for Fitz, but is forbidden from seeing him alone. The rules of court were made to be pushed…but pushing them too far means certain death.
Links to reviews or blurbs you wish to share
How are you connected to the setting of your story?
*I lived in England for five years—it’s where I fell in love with history!
What inspired you to write this story?
*The true life story of Mary Howard, who became one of the few women in Tudor England with the means and inclination to live independently.
What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?
*The history itself. I overcame the challenge by ultimately accepting that the events can be woven into a compelling story despite the fact that I’d want it to end differently.
What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it set outside of the United States? If so, where? And what is it about?
*My historical loves are almost entirely English—though they cover a broad expanse of time.
Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?
*The Cat in the Hat. At five years old, I decided that I was never going to learn to read, because it had made my sister boring—she never played with me. But I got The Cat in the Hat out of the library, and sat down with it and got sucked in. So much so, that I decided to read it again, even after my best friend arrived for a playdate. So I guess reading made me boring, too!
For more information check out Katherine’s web page and her blog. You can also follow Katherine on Facebook or Twitter.
Thank you Katherine, for joining us at World Reads!
