Today, May 19, is the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s execution. According to what the Guard at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula told us, there will be a dozen red roses gracing Anne’s burial place today. And more besides, I imagine…I wonder what she would think about her story being currently so popular in the modern consciousness? I’m pretty sure she would love it.
Last night I read from The King’s Rose at a “New England Voices” reading arranged by the Foundation for Children’s Books. It was a wonderful event and I purchased books from my fellow readers: Giles LaRoche, Grace Lin and Julie Berry. I’ve met Julie before and she is not only a talented writer but also a sweet, warm, delightful human being. I read third right after Giles LaRoche; it’s not ideal to have to follow a man who creates a sillouette of a pagoda in front of our eyes with a piece of construction paper and a pair of scissors, but I perservered. I was very nervous but the audience was receptive so I hope it went well. I also heard a lot about authors doing school visits…I wonder if I would ever do a school visit. What in the world would I talk about? It’s worth considering.
In other excitement, I received word about a review for The King’s Rose that will be published in the May issue of Historical Novels Review. This review made me simultaneously clap and smile, then wave my arms around like a helicopter. I’ll see if I can post it here on my blog.
In reading news, I finished the wonderful novel, The Red Queen’s Daughter this morning. However, I didn’t have another book with me as back up, so I had (had to!) go to the Simmons College Library and take out a book. Which means I took out three: Feed by M.T. Anderson, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, and Tolkein’s The Hobbit (which is already on my reading list). At home I have Skellig and two Francesca Lia Block books from the local library. I’m also considering adding Margaret George’s Memoirs of Cleopatra to my reading list, because the only thing that would interrupt me from reading all 900-some-odd pages of it would be if I heard back from my literary agent about the latest revision…so perhaps if I start reading it will be like tempting fate. Perfectly logical, yes?
Alisa M. Libby 
I too wonder what Anne Boleyn would think of all the attention she is still getting 473 years after her death – the biographies, the novels, the movies, the documentaries, the guided tours of the Tower of London, the Tudor products we buy… I think she’d be pleased and I think she’d find it really funny. RIP Anne.