06: Nancy Bilyeau (The Joanna Stafford Trilogy; The Blue; Dreamland)

Charlie Place and Nancy Bilyeau (The Joanna Stafford Trilogy; The Blue; Dreamland) discuss the lifestyle of Dissolution-era nuns, using a website's 'contact me' form to great success, there being more relics than there were items, using your family's name in your work, and the grand amusement parks and luxury hotels of New York's past. Some podcast apps do not show description links properly unless the listener subscribes to the podcast. If you can't click the links below and don't wish to subscribe, copy and paste the following address into your browser to access the episode's page on my blog: http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/podcast/episode-06-nancy-bilyeau/ Nancy will be discussing Dreamland at the Astoria Bookshop (31-29 31st Street, Astoria NY) on Thursday 16th January, 19:00-20:00 Dartford Museum's website Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun, the artist who painted Marie Antoinette Question Index 00:50 You've been on the staff of various magazines – did you always hope to write novels? 04:23 Where do you head to, sources-wise, when you're first thinking about a book? 17:48 How much work was it to get around the issue of Reformation? 23:13 Was there a particular reason you wanted to focus on Catherine Howard rather than Henry's other wives? 27:20 Is Joanna based on anyone in particular? 29:56 The Athelstan crown – is it real object or inspired by anything? 33:18 The part about the nun's having to host a Lord for a feast – was this something that happen in convents at that time? 39:18 What was the position of women artists in the 1700s? 42:02 How much of the idea about shades and discovering what other factions were doing is based on fact? 44:13 So Genevieve's grandfather's surname is Billiou… 49:00 (Introducing Dreamland) 55:09 What can you tell us about The Ghost of Madison Avenue? 58:56 Do you have a favourite time period to write in out of the three you've used so far? Purchase Links The Crown: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Book Depository Barnes & Noble The Chalice: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Book Depository Barnes & Noble The Tapestry: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Book Depository Barnes & Noble The Blue: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Book Depository Barnes & Noble Dreamland: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada Waterstones Hive Book Depository Barnes & Noble The Ghost Of Madison Avenue: Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon Canada I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Photograph used with permission from the publisher. Credit: Joshua Kessler.