Tudor Times - Conflicting Religious Perspectives

 

I'm delighted that Tudor Times have published my guest article about conflicting religious perspectives - a challenging mix when Elizabeth became Queen!

Tudor Times | Conflicting Religious Perspectives 1517-1558 by Karen Haden

Heidi's Heroes Support

Yesterday, a Gloucestershire Radio reporter visited our Heidi's Heroes exercise class, at the start of Breast Cancer Awareness week.

The charity was launched in 2013 as an ongoing tribute to Heidi Wood, a former world championship swimmer from Cheltenham, who died of cancer in 2012 at the age of 51.

Heidi’s Heroes, Cheltenham-based charity (heidisheroes.co.uk)

After interviewing Heidi's daughter Millie, fitness instructor Kelly and resident physiotherapist  Rhidi, the reporter asked for contributions from those of us who had benefited from the group's support. With a couple of minutes warning, I said something like this ...

"At the start of 2021, whilst working as a consultant at GCHQ, I registered to run the Great South Run in Portsmouth on my 60th birthday, then had to pull out when diagnosed with breast cancer. Although previously capable and self-reliant, going through chemo I reached a point where I knew I needed outside help, especially as my Dad was dying from cancer at the same time.

After the main treatment, I continued to get as much as help as I could, initially from Maggies Centres and MacMillan Next Steps, then on-going support from Heidi's Heroes.

The fitness classes enabled me to recover physical fitness, but the emotional support has been invaluable too, meeting with other people who know what it's like.

As a result, I've run the Cheltenham 10K, left consultancy and published my first historical crime novel Paying in Blood. Next Wednesday I'll be speaking about it at Cheltenham Literature Festival.

None of this would not be possible if I had not regained sufficient strength through support from Heidi's Heroes."

Lou Kemp Interview

Lou Kemp had some great questions in her Celwyn Series interview

Check out her web-site at: Celwyn Series Link

Newsletter 17 Sept 2024

Karen Haden's debut novel Paying in Blood was published by Sharpe Books in March 2024.

How would you compare Paying in Blood to other styles of mysteries? 

Set in England, during the last years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, Alexander Baxby’s quest to solve the mystery of a young woman’s suspicious death leads him into the murky world of Tudor politics and court rivalry.

More unusually, the novel shows their impact on ordinary people’s lives, as powerful statesmen and bishops exert increasing control through espionage, surveillance and limiting access to books. Baxby tells his story from gaol, so the precarious nature of early 17^th century life is never far-away.

Of all your characters, which is the most like your personality? 

Baxby shares character traits and life events with my late father and myself. Like many working in Defense and Security, we understood the need to keep secrets, even from closest family and friends, and the resulting tensions that can bring. I am glad to have retired from that environment to write.

Who is your favorite villain of all time and why?

Disney villains such as Cruella de Ville and Snow White’s wicked Queen remain strong favorites. Growing up, I was closer to my father than mother in a competitive home, which may explain my on-going fascination with the complexities of female malevolence and power.

Can a villain be sympathetic, or do good deeds to be redeemed?

In my childhood and whilst working as a consultant, I saw how minor differences can spiral into major conflict. Issues were rarely black and white. People with different perspectives often saw different parts of the whole.

As a result, my heroes and villains are more nuanced. Although courageous, loveable and loyal, Baxby has multiple weaknesses. Antagonist Archbishop Bancroft does what he deems necessary to protect national security, with lethal consequences.

Will there be a sequel to Paying in Blood, and if so, what will it focus on? 

The next Alexander Baxby mystery will be published in the autumn of 2024, in which his attempts to start a new life in Amsterdam will be shaken by a series of unexplained deaths. Suspecting Bancroft’s spy-network has spread beyond England’s coast, Baxby’s own life will be threatened as he pursues the truth.

                    Celywn Series Newsletter No 17 September 2024

Moving Between Cultures & Classes - CRA July 2024

Growing up in Portsmouth, I learned about the history of ordinary people from a young age. Although the excellent Mary Rose Museum was yet to be built, the sailors who conducted tours around HMS Victory recounted the horrors of floggings, weevil biscuits and anaesthetic-free surgery. Despite his elevated position in Trafalgar Square, Horatio Nelson came from lowly origins. His sailors were press-ganged from nearby Portsea streets, where my paternal grandparents grew up.

After joining the Marines and serving in both world wars, my grandfather could only find unskilled work. Struggling to feed his nine children, he sought apprenticeships for those who survived to adulthood, through which my father, the youngest, found relative prosperity in the Ministry of Defence.

As I learnt more about my family’s history, and ordinary people in previous centuries, I admired their bravery and resilience. When I started writing historical crime fiction, I wanted to include their everyday pre-occupations and aspirations, not just those of royalty and nobles at court.

From these strands, the fictitious young Alexander Baxby and his friends were ‘born’, in the Tudor/Stuart generations who lived through seismic change. With increased literacy and access to printed publications, many broke free from earlier constraints to find respectability and economic security in the emerging middle class.

In 1600, Baxby proves his potential by removing the soldier John Crackleton’s injured foot at the Battle of Nieuwpoort, enabling his patron Geoffrey to arrange for him to train as a physician in Lincoln. Having formed a close bond, Baxby vows to help Crackleton discover how his wife Catherine died in suspicious circumstances in the city.

As he starts his apprenticeship, the young man struggles to adapt to Lincoln life. He is incensed when wealthier locals will not answer his questions about Catherine. What are they hiding? What are they afraid of?

He grows increasingly nervous when called to a grisly murder scene, then more nervous still when Geoffrey introduces him to politics at court. But as he battles ‘demons’, within and without, Baxby never forgets his promise to his friend. His loyalties will be tested, but the mystery of Catherine’s death must be solved. 

Modern psychology diagnoses anxiety, post-traumatic stress and imposter syndromes now. Nevertheless, anyone who moves between cultures and classes, may recognise the challenges Baxby faced.

Read more about Karen and her books here

Paying in Blood - Launch Photos

 

I was VERY nervous about having a book launch for Paying in Blood. A friend told me hers was like attending her own funeral ahead of her death. She had clearly enjoyed the experience, moved by compliments from family and friends, but the engineer/pragmatist within me preferred a couple of good Amazon reviews.

However, when neighbours suggested a joint "Celebration of Creativity" event - with an opportunity for local artist Richard Williams to show his work, and others to bring items they had made - I relented. This sounded more fun for everyone involved. 

Highbury Church provided an excellent venue, with plenty of space and light. It was built in the 1930s, after the congregation sold their old roofless Victorian building in the centre of Cheltenham to Odeon cinemas.

Church Secretary Mary helped photocopy publicity. Another friend Jane Jones agreed to interview Richard and me. Helen, from the church Cr-afternoon group, arranged the displays. Others organised refreshments, moved furniture and provided music.

By the time I collected the helium balloons, I was enjoying myself. Sharing the load really helped.

It was great to be able to discuss the background to Paying in Blood, and vibrant Amsterdam in the early 1600s - the setting for Book 2. Also, to learn about Richard's art and see the beautiful things people had made, including items that had never been shown outside immediate family before.

On reflection, the book launch felt like a "rite of passage" - something I was privileged to share with lots of wonderful people. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.

                                                                                           

              

Photos with thanks to Zoe Haden and June Tremlett.