Falling for Henry
synopsis of a work in progress
Falling for Henry is a new manuscript currently being written (thanks to a grant from the Canada Council). It relates the story of fifteen--year-old Kate Allen who escapes the challenges of her own life in modern-day London by traveling back in time to the court of Henry VII in the year 1507. While there, she encounters the young and gallant prince who is to become Henry VIII, and, mistaken for his betrothed--Katherine of Aragon--she begins to relax into a setting where her past troubles are forgotten. No life is without its share of trials, however, and as Kate glimpses the dark and self-centred monarch whom the youthful Henry will become, anticipating that her marriage to him will be his first out of six and end in imprisonment following a much politicized annulment, she also realizes that getting back her old life might be impossible. Rich in historical fact and emotional climate, this manuscript celebrates the valuable lessons we can learn from history.
The picture below shows the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England; it is built on the site of Greenwich Palace, where Henry VIII was born, and where most of the action of Falling for Henry takes place.
 Bev IN ENGLAND |
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This picture is of Hampton Court, the palace where King
Henry VIII spent much of his time. Because there are no existing floor plans of Greenwich Palace, Hampton Court serves as the model for castle life in Falling for Henry.
These shots show some of the interiors of Hampton Court as they might have looked in the early and mid 1500s.
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These photos are of present-day London, and the student housing complex where Kate Allen lives with her sister Willow--an apprentice in the Royal Academy for Dramatic Art (RADA). I stayed here on my honeymoon in 1986, and lived in adjoining accomodations called William Goodenough House (the setting for one of my previous titles, Spider Summer) between 1992-94.
 BIG BEN |
 Tower Bridge |
 London House For Overseas Graduates |