Royal Finish
Posted Saturday, 03/04/23
I finished the first draft of In the Shadow of the King at 1:33pm on 03/03/2023. I wonder what all the 3's are trying to tell me? ;)
The book has 675 pages and includes a prologue, 50 chapters, an epilogue, a cast of characters, Bryan family tree, five appendixes (timeline of Sir Francis Bryan, positions & titles of Sir Francis Bryan, historical timeline of Henry VIII, Tudor Castles & Palaces, and royal household positions), chapter notes & citations, resources & credits and my ending author's note.
This is the last excerpt I'll place online from In the Shadow of the King until the book is fully edited.
The snippet is from Henry VIII's death scene.
Francis was sitting in a chair by the fireplace in the King's chamber, sipping wine and intermittently glancing at Henry.
"My end is near, Francis," the King mumbled as he stared at the ceiling from his bed. "And I am alone in it."
"I'm here, Hal. I won't leave you."
Henry sighed. "I was chosen by God to be King, but in the end I am much the same as all mortal men." He swallowed with visible struggle. "My one consolation is I will be able to see those I love again, but my dreams are haunted by those I sent to their deaths, or contributed to as such."
"Sire?"
"The Duke of Buckingham, Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, George Boleyn, Mark Smeaton, William Brereton, Henry Norris, Francis Weston, Nicholas Carew, Robert Aske, Thomas Cromwell, Katherine Howard, Thomas Culpepper, Francis Dereham, Margaret Pole, Anne Askew - so many others - none of them deserved to die as they did. I was a monster in the throes of my power, which could not be denied in the moment." A look of fear came across his face. "What if I go to the other place, Francis? What if I reawaken in hell rather than heaven?"
Next step? Editing the entire lot. I can hardly wait. ;)
*POSTSCRIPT 03/22/2023: After two rather arduous editing sessions, the final In the Shadow of the King came in at 672 pages (260,767 words). To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day when the novel was finished. It's been a long road to get here, but I'm quite happy with the results. :)
