A giant of the genre: A celebration of the life and work of Sharon Kay Penman
WRITTEN BY JENNY QUINLAN
Sharon Kay Penman and Stephanie Churchill Ling
Every once in a while I have what I call a “reading moment.” When the stars align in the right place, at the right time, with the perfect book, and the result is an incredible and memorable reading experience. And possibly the most memorable one of all was when I discovered Sharon Kay Penman.
It was a dark, rainy, cold October Saturday. I had the house to myself for the entire weekend. I had all my favorite snacks and beverages, I had a fire going in the fireplace, my dogs at my feet, and I settled in to crack open a book I’d picked up from the library called Here Be Dragons. And I read it in one sitting. For sixteen hours, I was thoroughly transported to 12th– and 13th-century Wales. I couldn’t pronounce half the names, and I’d never even heard of Llywelyn Fawr, but I was riveted. The next morning I was at the library when it opened to check out the other books in the trilogy. And then I found The Sunne in Splendour and When Christ and His Saints Slept. And thus began my love affair with Sharon Kay Penman’s books.
Of course I had to find out more about this amazing writer who could bring the past so vividly to life, who could write novels spanning decades with hundreds of characters and keep me hanging on to every word. I found her website. I found her fan forum (back in the days before Facebook). I learned that her first manuscript for Sunne was stolen and it took years for her to find the heart to rewrite it from scratch. (And thank goodness she did!) I learned that a demon famously inhabited her computer and that she was a dog lover, like me. I started chatting with fellow fans. I asked a question. And I fell over when Sharon herself answered me. Then Devil’s Brood was released and a stop on Sharon’s book tour was an hour away from me. So I went to my very first author event. And I’ll never forget when it was my turn at the table and I introduced myself…and she knew who I was! She remembered me from her forum! I was already a fan of her writing, but now I was a fan of her as a person.
And I’m not alone. Among her fans are such giants of the industry as George R.R. Martin, Bernard Cornwell, and Margaret George, all of whom formed friendships with Sharon. “She was always concerned for other people, thinking of them,” George says. “Because of this, as everyone who knew her can attest, she knew more about us than we did about her, since she was always more interested in hearing what we were doing than telling us what she was doing. Her selfless relationships with others made her beloved by all.”
Bestselling historical novelist Elizabeth Chadwick also counts Sharon as an influence and a friend. “From my teens I had wanted to write historical adventure/romance fiction and I wanted it to feel real and right for the period…Sharon showed me that it was also possible to write about real people and keep the adventure and romance going without warping the history out of true. As a reader, this was what I loved about her novels—that she was able to steep you in the life and times of her characters and even make the politics understandable and fascinating—that to me is a magnificent feat!”
In an age of ever-shortening attention spans and endless entertainment distractions, Sharon was able to consistently reach the bestseller lists with lengthy tomes taking place centuries in the past. “Perhaps the biggest reason her books connected with readers so well comes down to what I think was her biggest gift,” observes author Stephanie Churchill Ling, who became a close friend of Sharon’s after penning a fan letter. “I have met very few people who had the gift of empathy as strongly as Sharon did. She observed human behavior so closely and understood the nuances of the deeper why behind people’s outward actions. So she took what she knew of people today and translated it into the context of the historical people she wrote about. That’s the instinctual, intuitive part of writing that can’t be taught. She was a natural.”
On the topic of lengthy tomes, George says: “It was always comforting to know that I had a fellow writer who wrote long, detailed books! As our careers progressed, the pressure to write shorter books and turn them out faster increased, but Sharon showed me that you must remain true to how best you work to produce the standard of work that you ask of yourself. She did not suffer for it, on the contrary, she gained more readers and even more respect.”
One of the reasons Sharon’s readers were so devoted to her was that she always made time for them. She replied to emails, answered questions on social media, and even organized trips for lucky fans to France and Wales based on the locations in her novels.
Ling, who became administrator of Sharon’s fan group, marvels at Sharon’s reaction to her fame. “Despite all her popularity, fame, and success, she was the least pretentious person I’ve ever met. She absolutely could not comprehend her own fame or how she could strike her fans speechless when meeting her. She valued people, loved getting to know them, and had the biggest, kindest heart.”
Sharon also had a reputation for devotion to historical accuracy. She even kept a running list on her website of all of the errors she found in her books after they were published, some discovered by her and others pointed out by readers over the years.
“She was a stickler for historical authenticity,” Ling reflects. “She would spend days researching the smallest facts and details to get them right.” Ling believes Sharon’s dedication to accuracy is one trait that marks all of her books. “Sharon felt she had a duty to bridge the distance between fiction and nonfiction. She saw herself as the gateway to people learning history, and for that reason, she felt obligated to pay meticulous attention to historical detail. Her personal reference library could honestly rival that of many small-town public libraries.”
In her 2020 article about the importance of historical accuracy in novels for the History News Network, Sharon asserted that novels “can add a valuable dimension to the study of history” and “novelists have learned that our books can reach a wider audience than many academics can…And learning about history is great fun, especially if camouflaged in fictional form!” And it certainly is in Sharon’s fantastic books.
Sharon was also known for her wry sense of humor. On the topic of her favorite book, Chadwick says, “Sharon would probably roll her eyes at me and be wryly amused as I pick one of the frontrunners in Here Be Dragons. She once said to me in a letter, ‘Is The Greatest Knight the fan favorite of your books? With me, Dragons usually wins, followed closely by Sunne. Which could mean that I peaked early and it has been downhill ever since.’”
Chadwick also notes Sharon’s crush on Sean Bean in the Sharpe TV series. In a letter written during one of her bouts with illness, Sharon said, “You know I must have been at death’s door, for I kept getting chills, and how could any woman get cold while watching Sean Bean? Uniforms and high boots do wonders for a man!”
Which brings me back to that “reading moment” that started it all for me. As a huge fan of Sharon’s books, I was thrilled to discover over the course of the ensuing years that she was a kind, gracious, witty woman. I credit Sharon with inspiring me to want to write books like hers. To read all the historical fiction I could get my hands on. To join the Historical Novel Society. To make friends with other readers and writers. When I finally worked up the nerve to attend an HNS conference, I got to meet Sharon in person again. Sharon was a generous supporter of the Historical Novel Society, attending conferences, sharing her expertise on panels, and appearing as guest of honor, alongside Margaret George, in 2009. Her presence at the conferences will be greatly missed. As will her name on the new-releases lists. I had not yet had the chance to read her final release, The Land Beyond the Sea, before she passed, and I confess I’m now putting it off because I know it is the last time I will read a book of hers for the first time.
But we can take comfort in her massive contributions to the historical fiction genre and the legacy she leaves behind. “I hope that she will be remembered, read, and cherished,” George says. “In today’s world, things are set aside so quickly, but the historical novel community, by definition, thinks in different time frames. We should revere her as one of our giants and inspiration.”
Chadwick concurs. “She is one of the giants of the genre. She brought people together and gave them a passion for history…I think readers will still come to her novels and, through their depth and richness, become lovers of historical fiction. I hope she will inspire readers and writers alike.”
I think it’s safe to say she will. With Sharon’s Facebook fan group and blog still going strong and readers continuing to recommend her books, Sharon’s memory is primed to make fans for generations to come.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR: Jenny Quinlan is the founder of Historical Editorial and Historical Fiction Book Covers. She serves as an HNS website feature writer and the North America Conference chair. She has been an ardent supporter of historical fiction through her book blog. She lives in Virginia with her family and a spoiled-rotten German Shepherd.
Published in Historical Novels Review | Issue 98 (November 2021)
