To begin at the beginning
Three years ago, I tentatively started writing the opening sentences of a hypothetical book. Prompted by conversations over the Christmas dinner table, there was no specific intention when I began writing, save having a much needed counterbalance to the all-encompassing demands of becoming a solicitor. But while that otherwise unremarkable winter’s day may have heralded the start of my writing journey, it was not the true beginning. For that, I need to take you back to the summer of 2013 and the BBC’s lavish adaption of Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen.
Daring and sumptuous, over ten episodes it set out the twists and turns of the thirty-year civil war picturesquely referred to as the Wars of the Roses. Needless to say, sixteen-year-old Tabitha was hooked! Amongst all the drama and frenzied brutality, one character’s steadfastness and loyalty stood out to me for how starkly such qualities contrasted with those around him. When, a few months later, I had to select a topic for my school essay competition, there was no doubt in my mind on whom the focus would be. When I told my idea to my history teacher, Keith Hay, I was afraid he might dismiss it. But instead, like the wonderful teacher he was, he smiled at me knowingly. “Ah,” he said, with a characteristic mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Uncle Jasper.”
It was all the permission I needed, and I launched myself into learning all I could about this elusive historical figure that had so caught my imagination. Over the next ten years, I devoured every book I could find that even had a passing mention to Jasper. Nearly all of them are now sitting on my bookshelf. But aside from occasionally dragging my friends around Pembroke castle, my interest remained purely academic. That is, until someone asked a the familiar question of ‘if you had to write a book, what would it be about’. I joked that given all the research I’d done, Jasper Tudor would be the likely candidate. Other people weighed in with their ideas and the conversation soon turned to different topics, but I couldn’t shake the thought of, well what if I did.
It was January. I was in the midst of my legal studies and quite frankly I needed a creative outlet; something to escape into when deciphering the intricacies of the Civil Procedure Rules became too much to bear. And so I sat down to write. Three years have passed since then. One chapter became two, then four and so on until what started as a curious experiment became a tangible reality. We have been on a journey together, this book and I. From countless writing sessions in the shadow of castle walls, to reviewing beautiful cover designs whilst taking my lunch-break in Lincolns Inn Fields. Along the way it has taught me the importance of making time for creativity and the joy of pursuing one’s passions. It has been a privilege to navigate the process of bringing this story to life, and I could not be prouder of what I’ve achieved.
So whether you are a history enthusiast like me, or think the Wars of the Roses are something to do with chocolates, I hope you get as much enjoyment from reading it as I did from writing it.
