In promoting a book, you come across a lot of great writers. Some are begging you to help them, some are the beggars. You know what I mean. When promoting The Deserter, I was graciously hosted by Rachel Elwiss Joyce, who is an excellent author in her own right. Because Mama raised me right, I’m returning the favor and talking about her excellent book, The Lady of Lincoln.
So, Rachel. Tell us about yourself.
I’m Rachel (Elwiss) Joyce, a newly retired scientist and newbie British historical fiction author who, following the type of fiction I’ve loved since I was a teenager, seems to have fallen down a very deep medieval rabbit hole and isn’t quite sure she’ll ever crawl out again (although I do plan to expand the conventional definition of medieval/ middle ages to include the Saxon and Tudor eras).
My current obsession is the formidable twelfth- and thirteenth-century noblewoman Nicola de la Haye, who defended Lincoln Castle during two wars and held the position of castellan for nearly forty years. I first heard about her when visiting Lincoln Castle’s Magna Carta exhibition during a COVID-19 enforced ‘staycation’. I’d never heard of her, but I should have, because if it hadn’t been for her, we (the English) may well have ended up with a French King. Chroniclers barely mentioned her (she was a woman, so it was amazing they mentioned her at all!), yet she played a crucial role, on more than one occasion, in the survival of the English crown. Discovering her story felt a bit like finding a missing piece of history that had been hiding in plain sight.
When I’m not writing, I’m usually researching for my novels, wandering around old castles, cathedrals, and ruined abbeys (and dragging my husband and two adult children with me), walking my dog, Griffin, or catching up with stories in novels, TV and film.
What is the book about?
Lady of Lincoln is the first novel in a trilogy about Nicola de la Haye, the woman who held Lincoln Castle for the Angevin kings during one of the most turbulent periods in English history.
The story begins when Nicola is a young woman whose father refuses to believe a daughter can inherit and defend his lands without a husband. Through two marriages, political intrigue, rebellion, and war, Nicola learns to survive, and unusually to thrive and command in a world where power belongs almost entirely to men.
In the second book, due out in the autumn, she will play a pivotal role during the time when Richard the Lionheart goes on crusade, and the kingdom starts to fall apart.
Decades later, during the period of Magna Carta and the great rebellion against King John, she defends Lincoln Castle against rebel barons and a French invasion army. By then she is nearly seventy years old—but still refusing to surrender. That period is covered in the third nove in the series—Lady of England—that is due out in early 2027.
Hers is a story about resilience, power, loyalty, and what it means to hold your ground when the world expects you to step aside.
What was it about the period and this character that drew you (although I can guess)?
The late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries are one of the most dramatic periods in English history—rebellions, crusades, Magna Carta, and a full-scale French invasion. Yet when you look closely, you find women quietly shaping events in ways that are rarely acknowledged.
Nicola fascinated me because she wasn’t simply a noblewoman watching history happen. She commanded a major royal fortress, negotiated with kings, and was trusted with enormous responsibility at a time when women were rarely allowed any formal power.
Once I started digging into the history, Nicola’s story practically demanded to be told.
Totally unfair question, but what’s your favorite (or favourite) scene in the book?
One of my favourite scenes comes near the beginning of the story, when Nicola secretly trains a young squire to ride in close formation with a lance.
It completely captures her character. He was being bullied because he hadn’t mastered all the skills, and she wants to put it right. She’s grown up watching the world of knights and warfare from the sidelines, and although she’s not expected to take part, she understands it well, and in that scene she steps across the boundary that society has placed around her.
It’s also the moment when you realise Nicola isn’t going to accept the limits other people place on her life.
Where can we learn more?
Readers can find Lady of Lincoln on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQQKQ87L
Universal Booklink: https://books2read.com/u/4980nW
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213742243-lady-of-lincoln
Website: https://rachelelwissjoyce.com
Twitter/X: https://x.com/RachelElwJoyce
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/racheljoycehello/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelElwissJoyceAuthor
The Deserter- a Tale of the Foreign Legion, is “a remarkable, thoroughly researched, gripping tale. A two-fisted adventure set in the African desert.” Available in paperback anywhere, and on Kindle.
