To celebrate the publication day of Sharon’s latest book Scotland’s Medieval Queens we asked Sharon about her experience with her podcast A Slice of Medieval.
So grab a cup of tea, or a glass of wine (or whatever your beverage of choice is) and let’s begin!
Welcome Sharon and congratulations on the publication of Scotland’s Medieval Queens
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Tell us a little about yourself
I am the author of several non-fiction history books, which is still a surprise to me. My first book, Heroines of the Medieval World, was published in 2017. And my latest, book number 8, Scotland’s Medieval Queens; From St Margaret to Margaret of Denmark, has just come out. I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and I love History. I studied it at university and have also been a tour guide at Conisbrough Castle. My blog, www.historytheinterestingbits.com has just celebrated its 10th birthday and I also co-host the podcast A Slice of Medieval, alongside historical novelist Derek Birks, which is great fun. I regularly gives talk, mainly on women's history, for historical groups, festivals and in schools; my book Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest is a recommended text for teaching the Norman Conquest in the National Curriculum. I have also been on TV – in Australia, on their version of 'Who Do You Think You Are?'
Can you tell us about your podcast? How long have you been podcasting?
It’s called A Slice of Medieval and we have just recorded our 60th episode. My co-host Derek Birks and I concentrate on the medieval era with a combination of guest authors, historians and investigative episodes where the two of us pick a subject and discuss all aspects of it – the last one we did was How Great was King Cnut? We also Go Rogue sometimes – where we go outside the medieval era and have discussed diverse topics such as the Romans, the Tudors, Napoleon and the American Revolution. Guests have included Bernard Cornwell, Ian Mortimer and Elizabeth Chadwick who have all said how much they enjoyed our easy going chats
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What influenced you into starting a podcast?
It never crossed my mind. Derek Birks emailed me one day and said he was thinking of starting a podcast and asked me if I would be interested in co-hosting. I said I would give it a go, thinking we’d probably be fed up by 6 episodes In – Instead we are into our 3rd year. Derek is a historical fiction novelist and we both thought the combination of a fiction and non-fiction host would be an interesting angle and it does seem to work really well.
What is the best thing about what you do?
It is great fun and I get to talk to some of my favourite authors. I have also discovered authors I had not read before. Plus, I get to talk History with all these people. What’s not to love?
What is the worst/hardest thing?
Remembering to press record! Luckily, I have only forgotten twice. And Derek and I both record the episode – just in case. So, at least we haven’t had to sheepishly ask someone to record the whole thing again.
Can you tell us your most memorable moment relating to your podcast?
Getting Bernard Cornwell on! I have been a huge fan since I was a teenager, and it was wonderful to be able to chat with him about the Battle of Agincourt and writing historical fiction and historical research. I was petrified I would go all fan girl-y, but I think I held it together enough. It was such a fabulous experience.
Oh, and hosting a panel at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Devon in September 2024 – we had Elizabeth Chadwick, Matthew Harffy and David Gilman talking about what it takes to write historical fiction to a packed audience. Then introducing myself to Ian Mortimer afterwards, for him to say ‘oh, I know who you are. I just watched your panel.’ That was brilliant!
Can you tell us about your most successful episode.
Well, it has only been out a few weeks, but I think it will be the episode we recorded with Ian Mortimer, Medieval Speed. It is something we don’t talk about a lot, but Ian was fabulous in discussing the speed of travel and communication in the medieval era – and the difficulties inherent in travelling long distances when you only have – or don’t even have – a horse.
What do you think is a common misconception about podcasting?
That it is hard to get guests. We have had a wonderful variety of guests and most people we have asked to come on have said yes without hesitation – though it is sometimes hard to pin them down on date and time.
Are there other eras of history you have an interest in? If so which and would you expand your current focus to include it?
I love the French Revolution and Napoleonic era but I don’t think we will expand the podcast to include it. The medieval era covers 500-1500, so I don’t think we will be running out of discussion topics any time soon. And we can always find a different angle on a topic we have already covered.
What piece of advice would you give someone wishing to start something similar?
Give it a go – its great fun. You do need some equipment though, a decent microphone and some editing software (or a co-host who is really good at editing!)
Is there anyone you would love to interview but haven’t yet? If so, who and why?
Oh, that is a difficult one to answer. There are still sooooo many people we would like to chat to. I wouldn’t mind having Tracy Borman on, or Alison Weir, just because they have both been a huge inspiration to my own writing over the years. I would have also have loved to be able to chat with Sharon Penman, who was such an incredible writer of historical fiction but sadly is no longer with us.
Do you have a favourite podcast yourself? What do you like about it?
I don’t think I have a favourite – there are so many. I love Rock, Paper Sword with Steven A. McKay and Matthew Harffy, which has a fun combination of History, writing and music discussion. Royals, Rebels and Romantics with Carol Ann Lloyd has a great variety of guests, discussion and topics. And then there’s If It Ain’t Baroque, which is such a fabulous name (especially if said with a Yorkshire accent); the host, Natalie, just loves History and it really shines through when you talk with her. Oh, and then there’s Talking Tudors podcast, which has been going for ages and is just amazing. I could go on…
Where can people find you?
I am all over social media:
Website: https://historytheinterestingbits.com/
Podcast: A Slice of Medieval
Facebook: History the Interesting Bits
Threads/Instagram: sharonbennettconnolly
Bluesky: @thehistorybits.bsky.social
X/Twitter: @thehistorybits
Thank you for joining us for today’s guest post! We do hope you have enjoyed reading more about Sharon’s work and podcast. Her favourite podcasts may just give you a hint of some upcoming guests!
Exciting to see more Scottish history being written pre 16th century! I remember traveling there in 2019 and found it surprisingly difficult to find any books on Scottish kings and queens. I finally managed to find one at Linlithgow but it was quite a short read.
Ah I love Sharon! Great interview!