I suppose many authors of children’s books will have tested them on their own children. They’ll have had direct feedback on what worked, and what didn’t. When it comes to adult fiction, I think we probably write for ourselves, I know I do. I write the sort of books that I’ve enjoyed reading. As an author of historical fiction, you spend so much time in research, that you simply wouldn’t do it if you didn’t enjoy it.

I make it a fundamental principle of my work that as many characters as possible will be real people. When I needed the Spanish ambassador to Paris in 1567, I found out who he really was. Later when I needed someone who was on the Spanish council of war in 1588, imagine my surprise and delight to discover that my ambassador had been. I have lost count of the number of times my research has led me to people Anthony has met before. I find the web of history fascinating, and I’m drawn into it.

Of course the downside is that some readers won’t be so interested in the detail or the background. Most of my readers love the authenticity and enjoy discovering history that they didn’t know. But some find the detail slows the pace. I’m sorry, but I’m writing what I want to read, and you can’t please everyone. During my short break after The Suggested Assassin, and before getting stuck into book 4, I’ve read two books, Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale, and Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz. They’re very different books, but I really enjoyed them both. They are also both award winners. When I browsed through the reviews I found that they both had a lot of great reviews, but also a few stinkers. I am quite sure that Alan and Benjamin wrote what they would want to read, and we are all slightly different. We write for ourselves.