I should have paid more attention at school—Tricia McGill

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I have just been watching The White Queen on Netflix and this amazing series adapted from Phillipa Gregory’s best-selling books, The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter, brought home to me explicitly that I did not fully take in all that my history teacher was trying to drum into me way back then. I knew basically of the Wars of The Roses, and the brutal battles, feuds and intrigues that went on through those years as the House of Lancaster and the House of York battled for supremacy, but I had no idea, or perhaps forgot, that both Houses were off shoots from the greater House of Plantagenets. 

I even had to look up The House of York’s King Edward 1V who took the throne from Henry V1. To be honest I knew little of his love for the Lancastrian Elizabeth Woodville, the beauty who swept him off his feet. She was one of the three women who played such vital roles in the power struggles that ensued. The Royals of today with their sometimes sordid scandals and their arranged marriages have nothing on what went on back then. I guess everyone has at least one member of their family who is considered the black sheep, but I wonder what the Queen really thinks of her bunch of feuding ancestors.

Another woman who played an absolutely fundamental part in this phase of history was Margaret Beaufort, the Lancastrian (Red Queen). Her determination to see her son Henry Tudor taking his rightful place in history borders on religious obsession. Certain that his fate was destined by God himself, she never falters in her belief.

The third female in the triangle, Anne Neville, daughter of The Earl of Warwick (The Kingmaker), was far from happy, apart from a short period of bliss, as disaster seemed to follow her. Never has there been a more cunning and determined advisor to the king than Warwick. Not only cunning but cruel he was the most conniving of all at the King’s court, willing to see his daughter wed when barely out of childhood to a nasty Frenchman who thankfully soon made her a widow. Anne went on to play her part in Britain’s history as the wife of the handsome young Duke of Gloucester—King Richard 111. 

I am in awe of Ms. Gregory’s painstaking skill, and wonder how proud she must be of the producers of this amazing historical series for gathering such an experienced group of actors together.

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Technicolor Dreams...by Sheila Claydon

I don't visit the cinema that often, although when I do I thoroughly enjoy it, but I do watch TV box sets back-to-back. I prefer it that way to the old terrestrial 'episode once a week' system. I like to immerse myself in the ongoing story, the main characters, the secondary characters, even the settings.  I also like to think about the storyline and try to work out what is going to happen next. Nothing unusual in that, especially for a writer. It's what happens afterwards that challenges me. You see I like to imagine how my stories would perform on the small screen.

I know exactly how each character would look and behave. I can even take my books apart in my head so that they fit the requirements of a series.  And should I be lucky enough to be asked to advise when my fictional TV producer decides to make an offer, what fun I will have.  To be able to re-visit places I've written about and actually populate them with my imaginary characters would be the journey of a lifetime. Would he/she want the book that's set in London and Florence, or maybe the one set in Moscow would be better, or Florida, or Los Angeles, or the Canary Islands, or the story that takes place on a cruise ship, or the one in London and Paris. And if those would break the budget well there are the less exotic ones set in  country villages, small towns, a country estate, even a riding stables.

I know which one I'd want to start with, and because it is part of a trilogy it would inevitably stretch out to sequels. A box set with series1, 2 and 3. How wonderful. And so many characters to develop. And of course it would be such a success that the producer would be compelled to buy up the options for all my other books and I'd have to advise on those as well.

If only, when even I know that famous writers with best sellers have had books optioned that never ever made it to a film. Having said that, many of the books published by Books We Love would make terrific films, it's just finding that producer...and if we ever do, it's bags me first!

Ah, technicolor dreams. Far fetched maybe, but better than black and white, far, far better.

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