Currently I am writing a historical fiction novel about Anne of Cleves the 4th wife of King Henry VIII in 1539 in England. Anne managed to escape getting her head cut off and in return for their annulment King Henry awarded her 3,000 ducats a month and Richmond castle and several other castles an manors that had renters paying rent. This made her one of the richest women at the time in England. What makes it difficult to write is all the known historical facts already part of history and following that time line accurately.  I had to read and research several books on Anne of Cleves, King Henry VIII and his wives in addition to blogs on the topic and get everyone’s view of the annulment and the events surrounding the place in time.

Setting up an accurate time line was a first priority. I am writing the book from her viewpoint which has not been done before, therefore, a lot of information she was not privy to I can leave out. My sub-themes are to show who well she adapted even though at first she could not speak English and knew very little about the English culture. She was a major influence on Lady Elizabeth when she was a child. She got an agreement front the King to allow her to visit with Elizabeth on a regular basis. Anne was 24 and Elizabeth 7 at the time of the annulment. Anne was also a friend and confident of Lady Mary who became Queen after Edward VI died at age 15. This helped Anne to survive after Edward and his council took away most of her estates and monthly allowance. Getting all these facts straight is indeed a challenge and sometimes I have to force myself to write, but I know in time I will eventually finish the Personal Diary of Anne of Cleves.