I’ve previously mentioned here my husband’s latest book, Katherine Parr: A Guided Tour of the Life and Thought of a Reformation Queen.  We’ve both been long interested in this fascinating woman, so there was no question that she would be among the major figures we featured in our third History Lives book, Courage and Conviction (she and her famous husband even appear on the cover).  I was thrilled when my husband decided to do a whole book on her, and especially that he included the two books she wrote, letting her speak for herself.  

But I’ve said all this before.  So what’s the news?  

Well, last Friday Brandon did a radio interview with a network out of Chicago and got to talk about some of the reasons people today are still so interested in her life.  (Unfortunately, the interviewer had not read the book, so some of the more fascinating questions I had hoped for never got asked—but if you pay attention to the key things Brandon mentions, you’ll get a sense for all the real-life drama she experienced, including political intrigue, sexual betrayal, and religious revolution!)  You can listen to the interview online via a link at Brandon’s website.

And there’s a second and related bit of news.  Because of our interest in Queen Katherine, we started watching (and were immediately hooked on) the Showtime series The Tudors.  We—along with a lot of other fans—have been waiting anxiously to find out who would be cast to play Katherine in the fourth and final season of the show.  And that news broke just last night.  Brandon wrote about it on his blog this morning; you can read it at the same link above.  I haven’t decided what I think about the choice yet, but it continues to prove interesting. I always enjoy seeing various artistic portrayals of historical figures, comparing which aspects and interpretations the artists have chosen to emphasize.  Brandon and I both will certainly be talking more about it when the final season airs.

Anyway, I hope you’ll read the book and listen to the interview—and leave some questions for Brandon on his website!  He’d love to hear from you, and I can attest that he really knows a lot about Katherine and the time in which she lived.

A MindyWithrow.com exclusive! Two weeks ago, Lori Smith released her second book, A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith. Regular readers of this blog know I really can’t be considered a Janeite, at least not according to contemporary criteria (I think she’s a remarkable novelist, but I’ve never watched the 6-hour version of P&P, don’t find Colin Firth attractive, and would more likely have swooned over Heathcliff than Darcy). But I’m intrigued by Lori’s book because it’s not another biography or yet another fan novel, but a memoir of parallels between her own life and Jane’s, and the insights she gleaned from visiting places that held particular meaning to Austen. (It’s also unique in that it began as a “blook,” a book written in portions on her blog to allow the earliest interaction with readers.) I’ll be reviewing the book here in the near future, but in the meantime I’ve been getting to know Lori via email and she graciously agreed to an interview. So, readers, meet Lori!

Lori, my first question to a writer is always: how do you define “the writing life”? Every writer seems to have a different take on it.
Well, I think anyone who writes is a writer (published or not). If you feel like you just have to write, if you can’t make that go away, you’re a writer. But I’m incredibly privileged at this moment to be able to do this full-time. It’s a joy—and at the same time, a difficult life I wouldn’t wish on anyone! It can be pretty tough emotionally, financially…but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. (Um, except maybe health insurance.) (more…)

A MindyWithrow.com exclusive! This month is a significant one for Dr. Susan Wise Bauer, who successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation last week and whose ninth book, The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome, releases March 26 (already available at Amazon). So I asked her to tell me and my lit-loving readers a little more about her new book series, her research strategies, and how she balances family, farm, and fans! (more…)

A MindyWithrow.com exclusive! Andrée Seu is a senior writer for WORLD Magazine, instructor at the World Journalism Institute, and a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary, where she manages the cafe. In May she published her first book, Won’t Let You Go Unless You Bless Me, a collection of 30 of her favorite WORLD columns. I reviewed it here. Her second collection, Normal Kingdom Business, released last month; watch for my forthcoming review. She is so gracious, she agreed without hesitation when I audaciously asked for an interview only a week before Christmas! (more…)