Today I talked with Tudor novelist Rob Jones about his books, forming characters, & self publishing

Rob Jones is a delight to chat with and the very reason I started the Tudor Tracker - to introduce history lovers to new people and their work. These show notes contain my introduction and book review.
INTRODUCTION:
Rob has a varied background, as you'll see, and he has combined his collective experiences with his love of Tudor History and some artistic care and attention. The result is a trilogy, The Micklegate Series, of which we are two books in, featuring the physically adorable and occasionally despairing Micklegate Mouse. You can read my review of the first book, '1541: The Cataclysm' below.
We talked about Rob's characters, but more specifically how he created them and made them who they are. It's important to examine your characters, but not express them through 21st Century goggles. We must also remember that all the challenges people face today, such as struggles with physical or mental disabilities, their sexuality, bereavement and loss and so forth, are the same ones that people have faced for centuries. Rob explained how he had taken all these considerations into constructing his wonderful cast, because authors have a responsibility to the readers who engage with their characters, to make them authentic.
Rob has self-published his novels, and so I took some time to ask his advice on this for people who are contemplating self-publishing as an option. If this something you're considering, Rob has some advice and information that you may find helpful.
BOOK REVIEW - 1541: THE CATACLYSM
(N.B. I am trying to avoid too many spoilers, but there are a few good ones in the video!)
Every novel needs a hero. Or maybe more than one. Or maybe several, who have no idea how remarkable they could potentially be. It's not until they are brought together to try and avert the Cataclysm, that any of them begin to see the magnitude of their own capabilities.
But these are not your obvious superheroes. They are people just like you and I, in fact, exactly like you and I. For although they lived in another time (some literally, as they are based on real people), they face the same difficulties and struggles that we and those around us do today. Everyone is a combination of nature and nurture, but situations change in fundamental ways that people never will.
The novel is set predominantly in York in 1541. Henry VIII is married to Catherine Howard and is frankly as about as unpopular in York and the North as he could conceivably be five years since the Northern rebellion against the Reformation, and it's consequences. And yet he is on his way on his summer progress, and it is everyone's duty to bow and scrape to their king. However, his visit to the Minster is part of a much bigger plan, known to those working against it as The Cataclysm. Uncovered by chance by two monks tortured at the Tower of London, the conspiracy threatens to destroy the fabric of England's faith.
Whilst York is the centre of the plot, our faithful are bought together to then be temporarily separated on their own missions, taking them across England, confused and vulnerable. As they rise - sometimes accidentally - to their challenges, you cannot help but resonate with their spirits. You will meet many Tudor characters you know only too well, but trust when I say a couple of them will surprise you as you find yourself warming to them.
So will the team manage to prevent the Cataclysm? That's for me to know and you to read! And I really recommend you do. This book was so heartwarming in places, even whilst revealing some of the horrors of the reality of Tudor England (the smells!). It was light and easy to read, and I did laugh out loud in places, to the point I was messaging Rob to tell him what had amused me - but also what had touched my heart.
This is a very different type of Tudor novel, but that's a very good thing, as it can be hard to find something new that inspires you to want to read more. I also have a copy of the second book, '1542: The Purge', and I can't wait!
Thank you so much to Rob for sharing his books and time with me!
'1541: The Cataclysm' and '1542: The Purge', books 1 and 2 of the Micklegate Series by Robert William Jones, are available now on Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle editions.