On the morning of May 19th 1536, Jane Seymour sits in a mansion in Chelsea waiting for the summons to the king's palace. In just a few minutes the big cannon on Tower Hill will boom and the Queen, Anne Boleyn, will be dead. Now Jane herself will become queen with all that entails, living with Henry's up and down, fiery temperament and coming to terms with his ever changing moods. Her challenges will be fierce, not least producing a male heir for Henry VIII.

Derek Ansell was born in London and has lived in Berkshire for the past forty years. His first novel, The Whitechapel Murders was published in 1999. He has written biographies of jazz musicians Jackie McLean and Hank Mobley and the novel My Brother's Keeper, published in 2014. He is a regular contributor to Jazz Journal and Newbury /Weekly News.