For this Throwback Thursday, we’re stepping back to where an enduring historical series first began. The Meonbridge Chronicles have drawn readers into the richly textured world of 14th-century England, bringing ordinary lives to the foreground against a backdrop of extraordinary upheaval.
In this interview, author Carolyn reflects on the origins of the series, from the initial spark that led her to the medieval period to the challenges of recreating an authentic “thought-world” for her characters. She shares insights into research, character development, the evolution of her writing process, and how a small English community has continued to grow across multiple books. It’s a fascinating look back at the creative foundations of a much-loved series — and where it may yet go next.
Mary Anne: Looking back to the very
beginning of The Meonbridge Chronicles, what first inspired you to set a series in 14th-century England?Carolyn: When I was studying for my Masters in Creative Writing, I had to write a novel. But, what to write? I had been writing women’s contemporary fiction, and I didn’t want to continue with that…
I’d long been intrigued by the medieval period, for its relative remoteness in time, and, I think, for the very dichotomy between the common present-day perception of life in the Middle Ages as “nasty, brutish and short” and the wonders of the period’s art, architecture and literature. The briefest of investigations quickly convinced me that I wanted to know more about the period, and I suppose I also realised that, by writing an historical novel, I’d have the opportunity both to learn more about the medieval period and to interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do.
A second inspiration – in effect, the storyline for the first Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel – came from reading more about the 14th century. Catastrophic events affected every part of the century, including terrible famines, the start of the Hundred Years War, the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt. So, plenty of background there for interesting storylines…
Such events would have meant (as they do in every century) huge changes to people’s lives, at all levels of society. But I was particularly interested in how events affected the lives of ordinary people, and I wanted to write—and still do—about ordinary lives (and in particular ordinary women) within the context of these big social changes. So, for Fortune’s Wheel, I chose to write a story about the aftermath of one of the greatest catastrophes of all time, in terms of the havoc it wrought to populations, the Black Death.
Mary Anne: When you wrote Fortune’s Wheel, what were your biggest hopes for the series — and did you imagine it would grow as it has?
Carolyn: When I was writing Fortune’s Wheel I didn’t even think about it becoming a series. But, having written that first story, I’d already grown to love the characters so much that I simply had to write more about them! To date, I’ve published six Chronicles, and also a companion novel and a trilogy of prequel novellas. I would never have imagined I could write so many books, let alone come up with so many stories!
Mary Anne: What was the greatest challenge you faced when writing your first book in this series?
Carolyn: I suppose, finding out about all the stuff I didn’t know! Researching physical details, such as houses, clothes, food, tools, is relatively easy. It’s also not too difficult to discover something of the social and political history of the time, so that the context for my stories have a ring of truth. But what is more difficult – and this applies to all historical fiction, I think – is to depict a reasonably convincing medieval “thought-world”. Yet, it is this that can give a novel depth, and a sense that the characters are “real” medieval people.
Trying to portray, with any degree of authenticity, the way people thought – how they understood the world and the way it works, the part religion played in their lives, their belief in magic and superstition, their attitudes towards sexuality and gender, their sensibilities and mindsets in general – can be tricky. But it’s my job to draw characters with whom readers can associate but who do also seem truly “of their time”, and I work hard to try and ensure I do that as “authentically” as possible.
Mary Anne: How did you decide which characters and social classes to focus on within the world of Meonbridge?
Carolyn: I’m fascinated by social history. As I said above, catastrophic events always bring huge changes to people’s lives, at all levels of society. So, even if I’m more interested in how events affected the lives of ordinary folk, and in particular the lives of ordinary women, it was essential to portray those lives within the context of the whole community in which they lived.
Years ago, a reviewer compared Fortune’s Wheel to BBC Radio’s long-running drama, The Archers – “An everyday story of country folk” used to be its strapline. The comparison hadn’t occurred to me before, but I could readily see the similarity. And it was essentially what I was doing, writing stories about the ups and downs of the lives of lots of different people in a small community, people of all ages and from all walks of life.
For Fortune’s Wheel, I had already developed a cast of characters that reflected that: men and women, old and young, children, gentry, peasants of different stations, artisans and officials. In that book, I imagined huge conflict arising between the higher and lower strata of society as a result of the upheaval caused by the plague, and I gave three particular women a role in resolving that conflict.
Subsequent novels tell the stories of different characters from the first book, with new characters being introduced as necessary. It is fun choosing which character(s) should be in the spotlight. And, of course, as time has passed for the folk of Meonbridge – each book starts roughly two years after the end of the previous one – those characters have grown and, in some cases, changed, and it has been fascinating to describe and to “witness” that change.
For four of the six books in the series, the principal characters are women, and this applies also to the companion novel and the novellas, but two of the books – and indeed the new one I’m writing – have male leading characters. But what you read about every time is a community, and I believe it is that broad and vibrant picture that those readers who love my books really enjoy.
Mary Anne: Since publishing the early books, how do you feel your writing or research process has evolved?
Carolyn: I hope you don’t think I’m bragging when I say that I do feel I am a better writer than I was eight years ago! To be honest, it shouldn’t be surprising, when I’ve put in so many hours of practice, learning what works and what doesn’t in terms of structuring a book, and how to draw engaging and believable characters. That’s not to say I now find writing “easy” – I certainly don’t! But I do feel that I now understand how to write. How to construct mellifluous sentences, and paragraphs and chapters, how to structure a novel with highs and lows, crises and calms – narrative arcs! That helps a lot. On top of that, and for me the most important aspect of my novels, is understanding how to bring characters to life.
I’m not sure I did so for the first couple of books but, for each of the rest, I have made a plan. And, for me, that has been a huge advance. Now, I couldn’t write a book without having some idea of its structure and broad content. Before I start drafting, I write an outline of the whole story. The book’s ending is usually fairly vague at this stage, but I’ll have some idea of what will happen.
At the same time as this “plotting”, I clarify in my mind the “motivations, anxieties and transformations” of my characters, maybe even writing character outlines for the main players. Of course, when you write in series, by the time you’re on to book 7 you do know your characters quite well. However, the whole point of a story arc is to have your central characters change or develop in some way, so it’s vital to revisit your understanding of “who they are”.
When I start writing the first draft, I follow the outlines (plot and character), but not at all slavishly. Nothing is set in stone. I expect change. The plan is just a framework, which I expand and round out with description, character interactions and dialogue as I write.
Anyway, I really do feel that this “planner” strategy has made a huge improvement to my writing.
Mary Anne: Which book or character in the series marks the biggest turning point for you as a writer?
Carolyn: I don’t really think any individual book or character fulfils the role of “turning point”. All I can say is that my two favourite Chronicles are perhaps two books that I feel worked best. Those two books are Children’s Fate and Sister Rosa’s Rebellion. Children’s Fate is memorable because the return of the Black Death is central to the story, and I wrote it during Covid, our very own pandemic. It was a weird experience. However, I think the reason I like it so much is that it has two “villains”, both of whom I thoroughly enjoyed writing and, at the time, felt were the best villains I’d written to date. Maybe much the same is true of Sister Rosa’s Rebellion, where the principal antagonist I feel is a really well-drawn villain. So, maybe my ‘turning point” moment is a realisation that I have learned how to draw villains that readers love to loathe!
Mary Anne: What achievement in your career since starting this series are you most proud of?
Carolyn: Nothing specific. I have of course been delighted that The Coffee Pot Book Club has been kind enough to award a medal to each of the Meonbridge Chronicles: two gold, two silver and two bronze, plus golds for each of the currently available audiobooks. Thank you so much!
Mary Anne: If you could go back and give your earlier author self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Carolyn: I’ve been writing on and off all my adult life but family and career always took precedence and, in fact, it never occurred to me that writing might be something I could do full-time. Or even that I could have any of my writings published. I didn’t start writing “seriously” until I was retired and my children had left home, mostly because, in a sense, I didn’t know I could have started sooner. So, I guess I might say to my younger self, “Start sooner!”
Mary Anne: How has reader feedback over the years shaped the direction of the series?
I don’t think reader feedback has “shaped the series” as such, but I have certainly taken notice of comments in reviews – especially anything negative!
Mary Anne: Finally, what are you working on now, and what can readers look forward to next from you?
I’m now writing the seventh Chronicle, which might be the end of the series proper, though I think there is plenty of scope for writing more “companions” – offshoot stories from the main novels.
But I do also have another project waiting in the wings: the novel I wrote for my PhD in Creative Writing. It’s called The Nature of Things and is complete but still needs a good deal of editing to make it publishable. Here's the blurb:
Medieval England. Devastating poverty and disastrous famine. The violence of war. The calamity of plague. Society’s unravelling. An innocent’s betrayal. The ever-present prospect of untimely death….
A carpenter, a soldier, a merchant and a priest; a prostitute, a countrywoman and a city wife. Each tells their own story; together they chronicle the century.
Each year I hope that “this” will be the year I publish it, but I haven’t yet managed to complete it alongside the work on the Chronicles. But maybe 2026 WILL be the year! We’ll see…
Our sincere thanks to Carolyn for taking the time to share her reflections on The Meonbridge Chronicles and the creative journey behind them. Her insights into history, character, and community offer a deeper appreciation of a series that continues to captivate readers. We’re grateful for the opportunity to look back with her — and we look forward to seeing where the story leads next.
Check out the blurb:
How do you recover from the havoc wrought by history's cruellest plague?It's June 1349. In Meonbridge, a Hampshire manor, many have lost their lives to the Black Death, among them Alice atte Wode’s beloved husband and Eleanor Titherige’s widowed father. Even the family of the manor’s lord and his wife, Margaret de Bohun, has not entirely escaped.
But, now the plague has passed, the people of Meonbridge must work together to rebuild their lives. However, tensions mount between the de Bohuns and their tenants, as the workers realise their new scarceness means they can demand higher wages and dictate their own lives.
When the tensions deepen into violence and disorder, and the men – lord and villagers alike – seem unable to find any resolution, the women – Alice, Eleanor and Margaret – must step forward to find a way out of the conflict that is tearing Meonbridge apart.
However you love to read, this book is waiting for you — available on #Kindle, in paperback, as an audiobook, and with #KindleUnlimited. Pick up your copy HERE.
Carolyn Hughes has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, word-smithing for many different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.
Although she wrote creatively on and off for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest that writing historical fiction took centre stage. But why historical fiction? Serendipity!
Seeking inspiration for what to write for her Creative Writing Masters, she discovered the handwritten draft, begun in her twenties, of a novel, set in 14th century rural England… Intrigued by the period and setting, she realised that, by writing a novel set in the period, she could learn more about the medieval past and interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do. A few days later, the first Meonbridge Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, was under way.
Six published books later (with more to come), Carolyn does now think of herself as an Historical Novelist. And she wouldn’t have it any other way…
Connect with Carolyn:
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