Yorkshire Post Literary Lunch: Author's perspective sheds new light on French history

Her latest book Conquest tells of the dramatic years when England ruled France – a time little-known by most English people.

It also dispels some of popular myths about the "Maid of Orleans".

"Before I wrote this book I thought Joan of Arc was the one who threw the English out of France, but she was just a blip," the writer told yesterday's Yorkshire Post Literary Lunch in Harrogate.

"France was desperate to have somebody who could inspire them, and this girl came forward who fulfilled the prophecy that a maid would come to deliver Orleans from the siege. She turned morale around. But then she wanted to lay siege to Paris, even though the king said no, and was defeated. This happened a number of times.

"By the time she was captured and tried for heresy, the French had had enough of her. They could have stepped in and saved her life, but it was more convenient to get rid of her – to be honest, the English played little part in what happened, and it was not because of Joan that France returned to the French."

The second speaker was Judy Astley, standing in for Katie Fforde who was ill.

Ms Astley is one of the contributors to Loves Me, Loves Me Not, a collection of short stories published to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Romantic Novelists' Association.