India, July 6 -- How did you get the right language and motivations of the time in The Pretender, and what were sources you relied on?

I read a lot of excellent modern historians such as Thomas Penn, but also used as many primary sources as I could: the chronicles written by the historians of the era, the letters of kings and ambassadors, the records of parliament, church and law courts. These were very patchy, however, and incredibly partisan. It was actually the accounts of the royal household, which unexpectedly gave me the strongest sense of the real people behind the history. (I'd recommend Tracy Borman for more on this.)

As a first-time historical novelist, I underestimated the research I'd need to do. I realised it wasn't enough ...