Introducing Rosemary Morris - Author of Historical Romances

 At Watford Writers there are many authors and poets of great talent, so let this blog post introduce you to Rosemary Morris who writes historical romance novels.

There is a gigantic canvas for a historical novelist to choose from. So far Rosemary Morris has chosen to set her published novels in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart 1702 – 1714 and the ever popular Regency era 1811 - 1820. She is now writing Tuesday’s Child a Regency novel and revising Proud Norman Nest set in the reign of Edward II.

Rosemary Morris - Historical Romance Author

She chose those three periods because each of them affected the course of history. If the Duke of Marlborough had not won The War of Spanish Succession and The Duke of Wellington had not defeated Napoleon at The Battle of Waterloo the history of Britain and that of Europe would have been very different. Defeat would also have had far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. If Edward II had won the Battle of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce would have probably been killed. It is feasible that King Edward II would have conquered Scotland and, perhaps, as it is claimed, he would not have been murdered.

The more Rosemary reads about her chosen eras the more fascinated she becomes and the more aware of the gulf between those periods of history and her own.  She believes people who lived in the past shared the same emotions as we do but their attitudes and way of life were in many ways quite different to ours. One of the most striking examples is the position of women and children in society during bygone ages.

Rosemary presents men and women who are of their time, not those dressed in costume who behave like 21st century people. Of course, it is almost impossible to completely understand our ancestors. However, through extensive research Rosemary ensures her characters observe the social etiquette of their lives and times. If they didn’t, they would be outcasts from society.

Research of Rosemary’s chosen eras sparks her imagination. The seeds of her novels are sown. From them sprout the characters and events which will shape their lives.

Rosemary Morris was born in in Sidcup Kent. As a child, when she was not making up stories, her head was ‘always in a book’; and she has always loved learning about history, reading historical fiction and non-fiction. In her mind’s eye she visualises many people who lived in past times. Eyes closed she can visualise Princess Elizabeth sitting on the steps outside the Tower of London afraid that like her mother, Anne Boleyn, she would be beheaded. To name a few more, there she imagines Alfred burning the legendary cakes, the smoke from the fire stinging his eyes, tragic but foolish Charles I, grim faced Oliver Cromwell and The Merry Monarch, Charles II

She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t engaged in creative writing – particularly historical fiction. To research, Rosemary has read dozens of non-fiction books and visited places of interest. On a visit with a friend to Hatfield House, where Princess Elizabeth received the news that she was Queen Elizabeth the First, they saw Queen Anne Stuart’s Coronation chair. While they looked out over the knot-garden, Rosemary shared anecdotes about the queen. When she and her friend turned around a group of American tourists had gathered to listen. ‘Pass the hat around,’ her friend joked.

While working in a travel agency, Rosemary met her Hindu husband, who was reading law at Middle Temple. He encouraged her to continue her education at Westminster College.  In 1961, Rosemary and her husband, now a barrister, moved to his birthplace, Kenya, where she lived from 1961 until 1982. In Africa she was privileged to see herds of elephants. She also saw rhinos and lions besides many other animals. Besides visits to the game parks she enjoyed the white sands and warm seas at the coast.

After an attempted coup d’état, she and four of her five children lived in an ashram in France. Rosemary and her children enjoyed the alternative way of life and studied Sanscrit literature. Rosemary has read and re-read the Bhagavadgita As It Is by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the great epics The Mahabharat and The Ramayan, which rival the Greek classics, and The Srimad Bhagavatam.

Back in England, Rosemary wrote historical fiction and joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Historical Novel Society and Watford Writers.

As well as writing historical fiction, Rosemary enjoys reading, visiting places of historical interest, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts.

Time spent with her five children and their families most of whom live near her is precious.

Titles of Rosemary’s Books:-

Sunday’s Child, False Pretences, Tangled Love, Far Beyond Rubies, The Captain and The Countess.

The novels are available as e books from MuseItUpPublishing, amazon.co.uk, Nook, Omlit, Bookstrand Mainstream, Kobo and elsewhere. Far Beyond Rubies is also available as paper back.

You can read the first three chapters of the novels and view the book trailers on Rosemary’s website www.rosemarymorris.co.uk.

Rosemary would like to hear from you and receive your comments and reviews. She can be contacted at: rosemarymorris@hotmail.co.uk.