Book an Appearance: I am available to speak about my Tudor books and/or writing historical novels at book clubs, libraries and writer's groups in California within a 150 mile radius of Sacramento. I'm happy to visit with any book groups in the U.S. via speaker phone. To set a date and time, contact me at jeane@jeanewestin.com.

His Last Letter discussion questions:

1. Elizabeth I has been portrayed countless times in novels, biographies, movies, and plays. Discuss the different versions of her, and which ones you especially like or don't like. How does Elizabeth in His Last Letter measure up to the others?

2. If a movie were made of His Last Letter, who should play Elizabeth? Who should play Dudley and the other major characters?

3. It's been suggested that Elizabeth loved Dudley but was so afraid of sex and childbirth that she vowed early in life that she would never marry. Discuss the emotional and political reasons why she might have made that decision. What were the advantages? The disadvantages?

4. Discuss the mental process Elizabeth might have undergone to both consummate her love for Dudley and convince herself that she was a virgin queen?

5. In your mind, should Elizabeth and Dudley's love be called one of the great love affairs of all time? Must all great loves remain unfulfilled, or is that just an ideal fostered by male writers and myth-makers?

6. Discuss the dynamics of the relationship between Elizabeth and Dudley in His Last Letter. Were they obsessed and emotionally unstable, or do you think their love matured over the years?

7. What particularly interest you about the Tudor period? Why do you think its so popular now?

8. Discuss the role of Lettice Knollys in the Elizabeth/Dudley relationship?

Contact Jeane if you wish to conduct a speakerphone interview or obtain further information as you consider choosing The Virgin's Daughters.

Congratulations to the grand prize winner of the bookreporter.com book club special contest for The Virgin's Daughters: Patti Chew, Bookfield, CT.  She wins a signed copy of The Virgin's Daughters and a bottle of Elizabeth's perfume from her own 450 year old recipe found recently in British Archives.

Click here  for Jeane's own answers to these discussion questions

THE VIRGIN'S DAUGHTERS
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Which female character in the novel do you find most interesting and sympathetic, and why?

2. How does Jeane Westin’s portrait of Elizabeth I differ from others you’ve seen in books, on stage, and in film? Which aspects of her character most fascinate you?

3. What do you consider to be some of Elizabeth’s greatest strengths as a monarch? Her greatest weaknesses? Do you agree that she ushered in a “golden age” for England?

4. Which male character in the novel most fascinates you, and why?

5. There are many references in the novel to people who were executed by one monarch or another for treason. Discuss what might motivate someone to challenge the reigning king or queen, and what factors Elizabeth in particular considered when deciding whether or not to execute someone.

6. Given Elizabeth’s past, in which her father ordered her mother’s execution and her succession to the throne was often in doubt, do you think her fears of treason were justified? In her shoes, would you have acted differently?

7. Do you think Elizabeth should have married Robert Dudley? What might have happened if she had?

8. Discuss Elizabeth’s status as “the virgin queen.” What political purpose did that description serve? Do you think she was technically a virgin?

9. Discuss living conditions at Elizabeth’s various court palaces. Would you have enjoyed living there?

10. Lady Katherine Grey might be considered reckless, even foolhardy, in her pursuit of Edward Seymour despite the queen’s rejection of the match. What aspects of Kate’s upbringing and character might explain her behavior?

11. In contrast, Mary Rogers waits years to find fulfillment with John Harington. What in her background and character might explain such patience?

12. Which secondary character do you find most interesting, and why?

13. What do you think accounts for the current popularity of the Tudors?