Today we are delighted to welcome author and historian Beverley Adams to The Tudor Notebook to answer all of our questions about her writing career and books.
Tell us a little about yourself
Hello, my name is Beverley Adams and I am writer and historian. I was born in Preston, Lancashire and have lived in Leyland all my life. I worked in Life Assurance for just over 20 years but thanks to COVID I managed to save enough money for me to quit my job to try and be a full-time writer, I am pleased to say that was 3 years ago and I am still going strong!
What inspired your interest in history?
Both my mum and grandma are keen history lovers and during a six-week summer holiday when I was about 8 my grandma gave me a Jean Plaidy book about Mary, Queen of Scots and it was that moment that hooked me in. I quickly absorbed everything she wrote and fell in love with history. I have a broad range of eras that I love but the Tudor/Stuart eras keep drawing me back.
When did you start writing and what was the influence behind you taking that step?
I did my Masters degree in 2018 and my dissertation was on the Brontë sisters and found I loved the process of pulling lots of research together to create a lengthy piece of writing. One day I was sat at work talking to a colleague about a lady called Edith Rigby, she was a suffragette from Preston that lived a remarkable life and I wanted people to see that she was just as important and influential as the Pankhursts and others. I happened to say I’d love to write a book about her so my colleague said, ‘go on then, why don’t you?’ I had no idea how to even begin to get a book deal so I put a tweet out that I had a great subject and was desperate to write a book. Amazingly a lady reached out and said she could help me. Basically, I got a deal pretty much straight away and began my first book.
Can you tell us a bit about your books
I write historical non-fiction books that primarily look at the lives of women that I feel deserve to have their stories told, women that perhaps history has overlooked. My first book was the Rebel Suffragette about Edith Rigby a local suffragette that did some amazing things in the fight for the Votes of Women campaign. My second was about the Life of Ada Lovelace, she is credited with having written the first computer program and she was also the daughter of Lord Byron (whom I have studied for my degrees and find utterly fascinating) and I was curious to know how much of her father’s character she inherited.
Next came The Forgotten Tudor Rebel this is about the life of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. Again, a remarkable woman, she was the mother of Lord Darnley, niece to Henry VIII and grandmother to James VI/I. So far this has been my favourite to write, I loved finding out all about Margaret’s life and how she managed to keep her head on her shoulders is a miracle! Next came The Tragic Life of Lady Jane Grey, a woman who has long fascinated us, I wanted to explore if she was wholly innocent in taking the crown. Was she really the puppet of powerful men or did she covet the crown once she had it on her head? Either way she was a courageous young woman and writing her execution scene was probably the hardest piece of writing I have ever done. The latest to be published was Elizabeth York & the Birth of the Tudor Dynasty. I felt Elizabeth’s life is overlooked because her son was Henry VIII, her granddaughters were Mary I and Elizabeth I, all powerful people whose life stories are so well known to us that we can perhaps rhyme off most facts about them. But I wanted to look at where they came from, who was the matriarch of this great dynasty and did she have the same characters as her children and grandchildren.
What is the best thing about what you do?
Starting a new project, making a reading list and having that first deep dive into their lives finding things out that I never knew and bringing all that together. One thing I love about research is the different tangents you can go off. When I was researching Ada I wanted to look at her marital home and found out it is now a beautiful hotel, I was so close to booking a trip! I can spend hours going down various rabbit holes but I love that, it is how I learn and sometimes it is how I come across my next subject.
What is the worst/hardest thing?
Writing is very much a solitary job and getting motivated can be tricky. I find I can procrastinate for hours and get little work done which then makes me feel disappointed.
Can you tell us your most memorable moment relating to your writing/history career
I did a book signing in Haworth for The Rebel Suffragette and all the books sold out and one lady came and asked for a photo with me, I felt like a proper celebrity! I was also asked to speak at an event in Preston regarding Edith Rigby and was then asked to be on a Q&A panel.
What is your most recent book?
Well, my latest published book was about Elizabeth York but my next book is due to be published this summer titled The Race for Elizabeth I’s Throne: Rival Tudor Cousins. What I have tried to do here is bring together all those who at some point during Elizabeth’s reign actually stood next in line. She was stubborn in that she was unwilling to name her heir, playing one off against the other, it is a fascinating look at who maybe could have been King or Queen of England! I am currently researching and writing a book about Elizabeth Stuart and her children, that is due for publication in 2026.
What do you think is a common misconception about being an author?
That you make lots of money from writing! Most writers have to supplement their earnings to make ends meet. I am also a proofreader and editor and open for business!
I also find that people expect me to have read every book ever published and to every historical fact from 1066 to the present day!
Are there other eras of history you have an interest in? If so which and would you expand your current writing to include it?
I love European royal history and would love to perhaps find a forgotten woman from the continent that needs her story telling. The book I am currently working has taken me to the continent and plenty of names have come up so watch this space! But I also really enjoy reading all about the current royals both here and in Europe so maybe I will write something for the modern day.
What piece of advice would you give someone wishing to start writing?
Just write. If you have a topic you love or a kernel of an idea get writing and see where it takes you. Reach out to fellow writers on social media for tips, talk about your work and get yourself known. It can be difficult and at times you will feel it is not worth it but it really is, there is no better feeling than when you hold your own book in your hands, or when you see it on sale in Waterstones!
Where can people find you?
X: @WriterBeverleyA
Instagram: beverleysreads
Facebook: Beverley Adams Historian and Writer
Email: beverleya2011@gmail.com
Thank you so much to Beverley for a fantastic interview. I can certainly agree there is nothing better than holding your own book in your hands, or seeing it in shops!
If you have enjoyed this post we have more guest posts coming soon as well as some books reviews and history posts.
Sounds fascinating. One of the problems with reading actual history books is that, not as often as in the past thankfully, the authors write so academically and pedantically. Not so much at all nowadays. I started out doing my local history writing like that but then thought my articles , in books about local history, should be much more readable as the books weren’t aimed at historians. I shall definitely be looking out for your books Beverley.
What a great interview - I’m off to look for some of Beverley’s books now 😊