 She felt that John, now largely unknown today, was ideal because he was a "great man" who lived during the entirety of her selected time period and was the most trusted brother of Henry V. However, Heyer failed to complete the trilogy, finding herself distracted with the writing of her popular Regency novels to please her fans and offset her tax liabilities.She died in 1974, and "My Lord John" was published by her family a year later.It covered only the early life of John of Lancaster, from 1393 to 1413.