Episode 340 - The Pretender Who Shook the Throne: Jo Harkin on Lambert Simnel

Talking Tudors

Natalie Grueninger

History

4.7 • 967 Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Author Jo Harkin joins Talking Tudors to discuss her novel 'The Pretender', which imagines the life of Lambert Simnel — a farm boy thrust into Yorkist plots, crowned in Dublin, and swept through courts from Oxford to Burgundy and Ireland. Jo explains her five-year research process, the vivid locations and powerful women who inspired her, and her approach to balancing historical fact with imaginative storytelling. She also shares reading and viewing recommendations, a glimpse of her next project set in Spain, and practical insights into writing historical fiction. Find out more about your host: https://www.nataliegrueninger.com Support Talking Tudors on Patreon!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Talking Tudors, a podcast about the ever fascinating Tudor dynasty.
0:06.8	My name is Natalie Gruniger and I'll be your host and guide on this journey through 16th century England.
0:13.5	Are you ready to step through the veil of time into the dazzling and dangerous world of the Tudor Court?
0:19.4	Without further ado, it's time to talk Tudors.
0:27.0	Talking Tudors is an independent and listener-supported podcast that is freely available online.
0:33.5	If you'd like to support the work I do, please consider joining the Talking Tudors Patreon
0:38.0	community.
0:39.0	Visit patreon.com forward slash talking tutors for more information.
0:43.3	Once you sign up, you'll have access to exclusive posts, additional monthly live talks,
0:47.7	a member only book club, patron only monthly giveaways to name just a few of the rewards.
0:53.0	Now, on to today's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome
0:55.8	Joe Harkin to the podcast to discuss her latest novel, The Pretender. Joe studied literature at
1:02.0	university. She daydreamed her way through various jobs in her 20s before becoming a full-time writer.
1:08.1	Her debut novel, Tell Me an Ending, was a New York Times book of the year,
1:12.1	while her novel, The Pretender, was Sunday Times historical fiction book of the year and a book
1:16.8	of the year for The Guardian and Daily Mail. Let's dive straight into our conversation.
1:21.6	Welcome to Talking Tutas Joe. How are you? Hi, thank you for having me. I'm really good.
1:27.0	Oh, fabulous. So lovely to have you on the show. And I suppose a really good place to begin is just by you saying hello to our listeners and viewers and just telling us a little bit about you and your background. So yes, hi everyone. Thanks for watching or listening. It's still quite surreal to me that people are watching and listening. So this is wonderful.
1:44.6	My background is a funny one.
1:46.0	This is kind of being asked, this has maybe contemplated my background, which is just
1:51.0	really short on drama or interest.
1:54.0	I think that what's kind of characterized my life is really a love of reading and wanting to to write and which is why I find myself here
	...

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