On the Wings of the Wind is an historical novel set during the early Reformation period in England. It is based on the life of a famous Protestant martyr, Anne Askew, the last Protestant to be burned at the stake by Henry VIII in 1546. Anne's personal story is intertwined with the intense political and religious upheaval of the Reformation. It is a story of sacrifice, courage and conviciton, hope and triumph. Anne was a rare woman for her time, highly educated and outspoken. She did not fit the stereotypes we think of when we view women of that time. Anne was the daughter of Sir William Askew, a friend of Henry VIII. At age 15, she was forced to marry her dead sister's fiance, Thomas Kyme, a devout Catholic who refused to allow her to read the new English Bible or explore her own religious views. She bore two children by him. When she would not conform, her husband eventually kicked her out of his house, keeping her sons. She left Lincolnshire for London to seek a legal separation in the courts and became involved in Protestant circles, which included her childhood friend, John Lascelles. She attended Bible meetings in the rooms of Henry VIII's queen, Catherine Parr, also a devout reader of the Bible. Anne was arrested and released, then fled London, going to her brother in Lincolnshire. Her husband arranged with Anne's enemies in London to bring her back to the court in London, on the pretense of their troubled marriage. Anne was imprisoned at Newgate, put on trial and condemned to death. In order to extract information from her that would condemn Catherine Parr, Anne was tortured on the rack in the Tower of London. She was burned at the stake in Smithfield on the same day as her friend John Lascelles. She was only 25 years old.
This novel was the author's project for her Master's of Fine Arts Degree, Brigham Young University, Department of English, 2009