We are having a giveaway going on for Daniel Diehl’s new historical thriller ‘Nothing Left
Sacred’. We will be giving away three eBook copies of ‘Nothing Left Sacred’. (Anyone can win
the item by going to the rafflecopter on the right hand side of the pg.)
First why don't you tell us a little about yourself?
I have been a full time writer and author since 1994 and ‘Nothing Left Sacred’ is my twenty-
fourth book. My first twenty books – co-written with Mark Donnelly – were all historically
based nonfiction. Prior to ‘Nothing Left Sacred’ I wrote three novels and they are all grounded
in historical events. These novels are ‘Deluge’ – the story of Noah and the Flood and a fantasy
trilogy entitled ‘The Merlin Chronicles’. Despite the fact that my Merlin Chronicles series is a
fantasy, the character of Merlin and his back story follow closely to both the Arthurian legends
and the story of the real-life, historical Merlin. And, yes, Merlin was real and while he certainly
wasn’t a wizard he was believed to have had the power to see into the future. The final volume
in ‘The Merlin Chronicles’ trilogy will be released next month, on the first of April.
Newest release?
That would be ‘Nothing Left Sacred’ which is the story of England’s king Henry VIII and his
war with the Roman Catholic Chruch. The story line runs something like this:
In 1525 England’s King Henry VIII was outraged when Pope Clement VII refused to grant him a
divorce from his wife of 18 years, Katherine of Aragon. The result of Henry’s fury was a decade-
long war against the church and his own people which led to the destruction of England’s entire
religious structure and claimed the lives of 150,000 English men and women. It really is must
read for all lovers of history and mystery.
What can we expect from your stories, action, drama, romance,sex, blood and guts?
‘Nothing Left Sacred’ carries the reader from the pomp and splendor of Henry VII’s glittering
and corrupt royal court to the seldom-glimpsed resistance network created by the common
people and the monastic community who defied Henry's greed and lust for power. The struggle
between these opposing forces takes the reader on a twisting, panic-filled journey of dark
political paranoia, lust, love and betrayal not found in an historical novel since Umberto Ecco's
'The Name of the Rose'.
Do you have a favorite character in your stories? Who? and Why?
To be honest, there aren’t a lot of likeable people in this story, particularly not among those in
power. On the opposing side – the side of the people – there are a lot of good, kind ordinary
folks. I suppose, if I had to pick one favorite character it would be King Henry’s uncle, the Duke
of Norfolk. Norfolk was a bluff, hard bitten man, a professional soldier, but he was about the
only sane person among the nobility and it was to his credit that he hated his nephew and did
everything he could to hold him in check.
Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book:
It took me more than 2,000 hours to write ‘Nothing Left Sacred’ and more than half of that time
was spent carrying out research. Among the hundreds of hours I spent in the private records
room of the British Library’s main branch in London I was permitted to see hundreds of original
copies of letters and diaries from Henry VIII’s court – among them were lover letters that Henry
had written to Anne Boleyn. For a working, professional historian it was pretty exciting stuff
.
Has there been any other authors who have inspired your work or helped you out with your
stories?
The work of dozens of authors inspire me in hundreds of different ways. I know it sounds weird
but just coming across a particularly well written sentence, or even a particularly descriptive
word or phrase, is really exciting for me.
What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
If you enjoy any of my books I will be eternally grateful if you leave a short reader’s review on
Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Good Reads or other online sites.
Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
Writing isn’t the same world as it was before the crash of 2008. Before then a mid-range writer
could make a decent living off of their author’s advances. A writer who could turn out two good,
solid books a year could survive on their earnings. Not any longer. So, I guess my advice to up-
and-coming writers is: ‘don’t give up your day job’.
Do you have a favorite author? If yes, what draws you to that person’s work?
Mark Twain, hands down. I think he was the finest writer in the American language. There may
have been better writers who worked in British English, but in American English Twain has it. I
recommend his ‘Life on the Mississippi’ for some of his finest prose.
Can you remember one of the first things you wrote? What makes it memorable?
Before I turned to fulltime writing in 1994 I had been writing occasional magazine articles since
1980. I wrote for Old House Jo9urnal, Conde Nast Traveler, Gilded Age, Sacred Spaces and a
raft of others. I enjoyed it and it was a good way to hone my craft.
fun background
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