Two hundred years ago a prince who was third in line for the throne set his heart on an actress. Her name was Dora Jordan. Born in poverty, she’d become Great Britain’s most famous comic and grew fabulously wealthy and beloved. The two set up a home together and were happy and blessed with an embarrassing number of children. Then, he became heir to the throne and she was dead. Her fans were outraged but her children and Prince William remained silent. I wrote a novel about what happened after, giving her a secret daughter who takes up her grievance. I just signed a contract for it with Rouge Phoenix Press. The e-book will be published in September, 2018 with paper backs available a little later.
Here’s the synopsis:
Grace Clare works at the Royal Institution under the direction of the well-known chemist Michael Faraday. But science isn’t all she has on her mind. She learns that her birth mother was famous comic actress Dora Jordan. Grace is dangerously drawn into the tale of Dora’s mysterious, unjust death after her twenty-year relationship with the prince who now occupies the throne–a man who betrayed his life partner and mother of his children. As the only child free to do so, Grace travels to Paris for work and to view her mother’s lonely grave. Awash with the injustice of the cruel betrayal, will Grace be doomed to the curse of her mother’s broken heart?
This novel is different from my others in that it’s written in third person –an appropriate point of view for the British Empire. The protagonist is more emotional and more vulnerable than my others. And, in keeping with the times–1832–the book is less absurd. The science is 100% realistic–based in 1832.
It’s filled with historical name dropping. Have you heard of any of these people?
They’re all in Wolves and Deer: A Tale Based On Fact.
My previous novels had two-word titles. How did I get this long title for my third one? Here’s the story: Dora Jordan and Prince William lived on an estate in Bushy Park, famous for its fine deer. There was no retiring or resting for this actress. She worked to support the prince’s lavish tastes. She spent lots of her hard-earned cash fixing up the dilapidated estate, only to be tossed to the wolves and the house given to the Queen who replaced her. Dora’s not the only one thrown to the wolves in this novel. My heart bled all over the pages as I read about the betrayals suffered by the lower classes during this era. There were lots of “deer” and fewer but more powerful “wolves”.
How much of this book is based on fact? I did plenty of research on Dora’s life and times. I read letters she wrote (the best I could, her handwriting was difficult to decipher). I read plays she was in. Some such as Twelfth Night and As You Like It are old favorites. Others such as She Would and She Would Not are still published with the long S, (This was used at the beginning and middle of words but rarely at the end and can be found in typography before 1803.) Try reading that.
I became an amateur expert on Dora Jordan. I even found a sketch of her that her biographer had never seen. I have a Pinterest Board dedicated to her. I’ve written about her before. I purchased old newspaper clippings about Dora and even have one of her theater handbooks. I discovered that she was prone to telling tall tales. She was skilled at her own PR. Her lover, the Prince, acted as her agent and manager. It was difficult to tell truth from the fiction surrounding her. I put all of my data together and came up with the best story I could. Due to gaps and inconsistencies in history, I was compelled to fill in the blanks. I made up my own theories about her, logical and in keeping with how theater folk were expected to act at the time. As they said in the 1800s, it’s “a tale based on fact”, but it is, indeed, a tall tale of my own–a logical one created from the information gathered, but still, a tale. And it goes against the historical record, which I considered highly fabricated.
I also did research on Michael Faraday that included reading his biography and some of his letters. For my portrayal of William IV, I read his biography and that of Queen Adelaide. The Diaries of Charles Greville provided some upper crust gossip–describing William as “something of a blackguard and something more of a buffoon.” And forgive me, mathematicians Babbage and Galios, I researched you too, and I’ve painted you as eccentric.
Wolves and Deer: A Tale Based on Fact is an 85,000-word historical novel that re-examines history and provides a happy ending along with tongue-in-cheek fun, early 19th century-science, and mild social commentary. I hope you’ll love it as much as I came to love Mrs. Jordan.
Here is the first chapter.
And here’s a review:
 Not just a romance December 2, 2018I never would have read this book if it hadn’t been recommended by a friend. I hate romance novels and historical fiction, but this book is so much more! The story of Dora Jordan is a fascinating one. She was an actress who became involved with a British prince, and they had 10 children together. She supported him for many years, but when he suddenly inherited the crown, he dumped her to find a more “respectable” wife. This novel is told from the point of view of their fictional 11th child, who was born in secret after their relationship ended, and is the story of her quest to find the truth about her mother. Along the way, she meets her siblings, famous scientists, and her father, who is now the king. Lots of drama and comedy ensue, with Shakespearean incidents of hidden identities and even some cross-dressing capers. The characters are well-rounded and interesting, and the historical research seems to be accurate. Overall, this is a smart, funny book, and the characters have stayed with me for months after reading it. I recommend this if you’re tired of the same old romances – it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever read.
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Catherine Haustein 