See http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p015vhp1 for more information on the programme.

I am particularly interested in this programme because Anne Boleyn’s downfall is the subject of my book, The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown. As well as taking readers through Anne’s fall a day at a time, I also examine the different theories regarding her fall and share my own view on who was ultimately responsible. Here is the blurb for my book:

During the spring of 1536 in England, events conspire to bring down Anne Boleyn, the Queen of England. The coup against the Queen results in the brutal executions of six innocent people – Anne Boleyn herself, her brother, and four courtiers – and the rise of a new Queen.

Drawing on sixteenth century letters, eye witness accounts and chronicles, Claire Ridgway leads the reader through the sequence of chilling events one day at a time, telling the true story of Anne Boleyn’s fall. The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown is presented in a diary format, allowing readers to dip in, look up a particular date, or read from start to finish. Special features include mini biographies of those involved, a timeline of events and full referencing.

Claire Ridgway, creator of The Anne Boleyn Files website and author of The Anne Boleyn Collection, continues her mission to share the real truth about Anne Boleyn.

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We’re happy to announce that we’ve made some “Fall of Anne Boleyn” themed merchandise available – and they all look amazing!

See the range here: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/the_fall_of_anne_boleyn_mug-168043197039765977

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The list is based on the previous months’ book sales, so a big thank you to those who have bought copies of  The Anne Boleyn Collection and The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown and who have spread the word – thank you!

I have been blown away by the support I have received and please know that I am eternally grateful. I feel truly blessed to be able to research the Boleyns and Tudor history on a full-time basis.

You can see the Top 100 list at Top 100 Indie Authors for July 2012. I’m at 77!

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Arleigh concludes:

“Claire, from The Anne Boleyn Files blog, deftly walks readers through the final days of this fallen queen, giving every possible detail and bringing her dissertation to a satisfying conclusion. This is clearly the product of exhaustive research and a labor of love, and should be a staple among Tudor enthusiasts.”

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“What is a virtual book tour?”, some of you may be asking; well, it’s an online book tour. I will be visiting ten Tudor themed blogs over the next two weeks, writing guest articles or being interviewed, and giving away prizes too. It’s a great way of thanking blogs for the support they’ve given me and introducing people.

Here’s the schedule:

Week One – 28th May to 1st June

• 28th May History Refreshed by Susan Higginbotham – I’ve written a special article on Anne Boleyn and witchcraft for historical fiction author Susan Higginbotham’s blog and I’ll be giving away an Anne Boleyn prize. See you there!
• 29th May Niki Incorvia – I will be doing a Q&A session over at Tudor history buff and PhD student Niki Incorvia’s blog on Tuesday. There will also be a prize up for grabs!
• 30th May Anne-Boleyn.com – I have written a guest article about my adventures with Anne Boleyn for Sylwia’s website. Another prize too!
• 31st May Being Bess – Thursday sees me visiting Ashlie’s Elizabeth I’s blog for a Q&A session and another prize!
• 1st June Lady Jane Reference Guide Blog – On the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s coronation, I will be writing a guest post at Tamise’s Lady Jane Grey blog and, surprise, surprise, giving away a prize!
• Weekend – A well-deserved rest after all that hopping!

Week Two – 4th June to 8th June

• 4th June Anne Boleyn: From Queen to History – Monday will see me hopping off to Australia to visit Sarah Bryson’s Anne Boleyn blog for a guest article on Anne Boleyn and the myth of the extra finger, plus giveaway.
• 5th June The Tudor Tattler – Gossip, fashion and scandal are the themes of Elizabeth’s blog so I will be examining Anne Boleyn’s love-life and giving away a fashionable Anne prize.
• 6th June The Tudor Cafe – On Wednesday, I will be sharing a guest article on the maligned Boleyn family at Bridgett’s website. A prize will also be on offer!
• 7th June The Tudor Monarch – A Q&A is the order of the day at Anthony’s blog on the Tudors. Another prize too!
• 8th June The Tudor Roses – Last but not least, I will be rounding up my book tour with a guest article on the blog of the beautiful Tudor Roses. The last prize of the tour will be on offer here.

As I’ve said, I will be giving away a prize on each blog. All you have to do is follow the rules given by that particular blogger to enter. I do hope you enjoy the next two weeks and thank you to the bloggers involved and also to you for your ongoing encouragement and support.

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It’s perfect for sending to Tudor history lovers or for spreading the message about Anne Boleyn. It’s free too!

Click on the image to be taken to the card and to send it to friends.

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You can check out my interview at http://sandrabyrd.com/toberead/the-anne-boleyn-collection/

Sandra is the author of one of my favourite Anne Boleyn novels – To Die For – and the upcoming The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr which is due out on 5th June 2012.

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1. I’ve done a video trailer for The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown
2. The book is now available as a paperback on Amazon.com – yay!

In the video, I talk about my aim in writing the book and what the book’s about. I hope you enjoy it!

The paperback can be purchased at Amazon.com – click here. It will also soon be available on Amazon UK.

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The majority of books out there on Anne Boleyn have a portrait of Anne as a cover and as my book is not a full biography of her life I didn’t think a portrait was appropriate. I wanted the cover to symbolise the subject matter of my book, i.e. Anne Boleyn’s fall and execution, and I wanted it to be different and eye-catching. I chose the B necklace because it is linked to Anne Boleyn, she is wearing it in most of the portraits we have of her, and it was obviously something she wore on that “little neck” of hers. I also wanted the image to symbolise the brutality of Anne’s end – the horror and the violence – so I picked an execution sword. I had photos of 16th century German execution swords and I figured that the French executioner’s sword would have been similar.

I gave a graphic artist friend a B necklace and my photos of the execution sword and explained what I wanted. He then played around with the concept and sent me different ideas until I was happy (I’m not too hard to please). Tim, my amazing, multi-talented husband (must suck up to him!), then took the image, added a background and made the cover. I had used John Stow’s “Annals of England to 1603″, which was published in 1603, in my research and the script used was beautiful. Tim had the idea of using the account of Anne’s execution from Stow’s book as the background for the sword and necklace image, and I agreed. I was really pleased with the finished cover image.

You can click on the image here to see a larger image and do let me know your thoughts. Do you like it?

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown is available now from Amazon. See Buy the Book for further details.

Cover design: David Leppenwell, Tim Ridgway and Claire Ridgway

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Here are the Amazon US and UK links:-

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown – The Kindle version from Amazon.com
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown – The Kindle version from Amazon.co.uk

I’m more than happy to ‘virtually’ sign and add a message to your Kindle copy. You can request this through http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/AnneBoleynFiles

The paperback version is not yet available but it will be out shortly and I’ll let you know as soon as it is.

Reviews and Likes

Once you’ve read The Fall of Anne Boleyn it would be wonderful if you could spare a moment and leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are so important to new authors and it only has to be brief – every little helps! I read every single review and really appreciate the effort.

You can also help by clicking “like” on the book’s Amazon page. Thank you so much!

Thank you for all the support you gave me with my first book, The Anne Boleyn Collection, and I hope you like The Fall of Anne Boleyn as much.

The post The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown is Released! appeared first on The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown.