As you all know I have recently had my first book, The Most Happy, published and released. I could not be happier or more proud of the book. It is the greatest thing that I have ever achieved and I could not feel more overwhelmed or thankful for the support I have received from day one. There is one person who deserves an immense amount of love and thanks from me and that is the woman herself, Anne Boleyn. Without her this book would never exist and it is because of the inspiration and strength that I was able to draw from her that I was able to write her story. My relationship with Anne has changed completely. I have always adored her and found her to be someone I look up to but putting her life into words has only strengthened that connection for me. To the point where I feel like she is a part of my family. A sister to me almost. She influences so much of my life and is taken into account with many of my decisions. At moments throughout my day I find myself thinking "What would Anne do?" or "Anne could handle this and so can I." She is my strength. She drives my determination and I would be truly lost without her input.
This may sound strange considering I have never met the woman. She is from a different time and world altogether but I feel a kinship with her. The trials I face are nothing in comparison to the trials she faced but I can take a lot from the way she handled herself. From the way she rose above all of her hurt and held her head high each and everyday. Of course she and I have never actually spoken a word to each other. However, when writing so intimately about a person and their tragedies you really get inside of their head and heart. You start having to think like the person. You have to put yourself in their shoes and consider how situations would have felt to them. The things that hurt them begin to hurt you. I cried while writing about some moments in her life and found my heart bursting with joy at others. I felt the great love she had for her brother and sister. I felt her happiness at being reunited with George and the deep despair at his sentence. I even felt her love for Henry. Though some believe that did not exist. I truly believe that it did. My heart jumped for her at their marriage and broke in half at his betrayal. To say I love Anne is an understatement. I absolutely adore and admire her. I only wish that I could tell her in person just how much she means to me. I have always had an admiration for her. For as long as I can remember I have found her and her life absolutely fascinating. I cannot say what initially drew me to this woman but I am so glad that whatever force was at work pushed me to read and learn about her. From watching every last documentary on her, watching every film and reading every book. It started at a young age and has only blossomed since that moment. I remember dreading the completion of my book for fear that I would be letting her go. I thought that by writing my last sentence I was saying goodbye to one of the most important people in my life. But I could not have been more wrong. She is and always will be held within my heart. I feel her so strongly even now and I believe that she will continue to be with me for a long time to come. So really this is my love letter to Anne Boleyn. Only unlike Henry I will continue to love you for a long time to come. She is a sister to me and I will never run out of things to say about her. I am not done with her story. Will I ever be? I really cannot answer that, but what I can say is that I am eternally thankful to her and the honour of being able to tell her story. I just pray I have done her the justice she deserves.
Holly-Eloise.
Comments