Sent: Frequently Asked Questions

Note: My answers may contain some spoilers for the book—please don’t read this if you haven’t finished the book!


How much of this story is true?
I didn’t make up anything in Sent that would contradict known historical fact. But, luckily for me, there are gaping holes in the historical record. And it’s kind of funny what information has and hasn’t survived the past 526 years. We can say definitively what kind of cloth was ordered for Richard III’s inauguration robe. But we don’t know what happened to Edward V or his brother? That is bizarre. And… it really makes it seem like someone was deliberately trying to hide the information.

Do you think Edward and Richard could have escaped from the Tower of London?
It’s not outside the realm of possibility, especially if they had some help. It’s likely that some people within the tower were more loyal to the boys than they were to their uncle. And, even though women in 1483 England didn’t have much power, the accounts that have filtered down through time indicate that the boys’ mother was unusually good at working around those limitations.

Do you think someone should do more extensive testing on the skeletons that were assumed to be Edward and Richard’s when they were found in the Tower of London in 1674?
Only if 1) it could be done in a completely objective way—i.e., not by scientists who know what they’re “supposed” to be finding; and only if 2) there was a good possibility that something could conclusively be proved. After so many years, I’m not sure how much of the bones would even still be around to be tested.

Why do Jonah and Katherine need to take a dog with them on their next trip through time?
Oh, for that one you’re going to have to read the next book, Sabotaged!