Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham.  US and UK release March 1, 2010.  When six-year-old Kate Woodville’s beautiful sister Elizabeth makes a shocking—and secret—marriage to King Edward IV in 1464, Kate and her large family are whisked to the king’s court. Soon a bedazzled Kate becomes one of the greatest ladies in the land when she marries young Harry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. But Kate’s fairy-tale existence as a duchess is shattered when the ongoing conflict between the houses of Lancaster and York engulfs the Woodville family.  As Edward IV fights to keep his crown, Harry’s relatives become hopelessly divided between Lancaster and York. Forced constantly to struggle with his own allegiances, Harry faces his defining moment when his dear friend Richard, Duke of Gloucester, determines to seize the throne for himself as Richard III. With lives in jeopardy and nothing less than a dynasty at stake, Harry’s loyalties—and his conscience—will be put to the ultimate test.












 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 










 
 

The Elizabeth Files – If you have a fascination with Elizabeth I then this blog is for you! Run by Claire (who also runs the awesome Anne Boleyn Files), you will find all kinds of information related to Elizabeth I and the people around her.


Bippity Boppity Book – I just love the title of this blog! Holly reads mostly historical fiction with a few classics and other genres thrown in occasionally for variety.


Plaidy’s Royal Intrigue – For Jean Plaidy fans everywhere, this blog is dedication to one of the grand dames of historical fiction.

Summary:  At Queen Elizabeth’s palace, intrigue abounds. And when a naive girl with a gift for keen observation enters the court, she can hardly imagine the role she will play in bringing England—indeed, the whole of Europe—to the brink of war. Nor can she foresee her own journey to the brink of ecstasy and beyond. . . .

When she becomes a junior lady of Queen Elizabeth’s bedchamber, Rosamund is instructed by her cousin, the brilliant and devious secretary of state Sir Francis Walsingham, to record everything she observes. Her promised reward: a chance at a good marriage. But through her brother Thomas, Rosamund finds herself drawn to the forbidden, rough-and-tumble world of theatre, and to Thomas’s friend, the dramatic, impetuous playwright Christopher Marlowe. And then Rosamund meets Will Creighton—a persuasive courtier, poet, and would-be playwright who is the embodiment of an unsuitable match.  The unsanctioned relationship between Rosamund and Will draws the wrath of Elizabeth, who prides herself on being the Virgin Queen. Rosamund is sent in disgrace to a remote castle that holds Elizabeth’s cousin Mary Stuart, the imprisoned Queen of Scots. Here, Walsingham expects Rosamund to uncover proof of a plot against Elizabeth. But surely, nothing good can come of putting an artless girl in such close proximity to so many seductive players and deceptive games. Unless, of course, Rosamund can discover an affinity for passion and intrigue herself. . . .

Well, nothing like waiting until the last minute! I"ve been on the lookout for the cover of one of next's week Plaidy releases - A Favorite of the Queen (the story of Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I) - and it finally appeared this morning.   This is one Plaidy I don't have so I think I'll get this version - I love the colors!  It will be released on March 2 in the US and UK. 

Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the house of Neville, York and Lancaster alike.  In England’s glittering, treacherous court, not all wish to see the Nevilles raised high. The Earl of Warwick’s ambition and pride lead him to an attempt to depose the Yorkist King: his treason forces his family into exile.  Humiliated and powerless in a foreign land, Anne must find the courage and the wit to survive in a man’s world.  (I posted about this one a while ago, but now it has a cover!)











Tudor Queenship: The Reigns of Mary and Elizabeth by Anna Whietlock.  Non-fiction.  US and UK release August 17, 2010.    This book brings together a selection of recent, cutting-edge research which, for the first time, challenges commonplace arguments about Mary and Elizabeth's relative sucesses or failures in order to rethink Tudor queenship.


Dracula My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker by Syrie James.  US and UK release August 3, 2010.  Many have read and loved Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But questions remain. What is the true story of Dracula’s origin? What in Mina could not bring herself to record the true story of their scandalous affair – until now? In Dracula, My love, Syrie James explores these questions and more. A vibrant dramatization told from Mina’s point of view brings to life the crucial parts of Stoker’s story while showcasing Mina’s sexual awakening and evolution as a woman and revealing a secret that could destroy her life. Torn between two men – a loving husband and a dangerous lover – Mina struggles to hand on to the deep love she’s found within her marriage, even as she is inexorable drawn to Dracula himself – the vampire that everyone she knows is determined to destroy.


The Princess of Nowhere by Lorenzo Borghese.  US and UK release December 7, 2010.   From a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother in law comes a historical novel about his famous ancestor, Princess Pauline Bonaparte Borghese, a story of passion, betrayal, and a woman who truly conquered all – even death. Love is never perfect and certainly the relationship between Princess Pauline Bonaparte Borghese – the sister of Napoleon – and Prince Camillo Borghese is no different. Seen through the eyes of the young woman who served as Pauline’s lady in waiting and surrogate daughter, the princess was both complicated and straightforward. Pauline knows that her purpose is to make advantageous marriages to further her ambitious brothers’ goals. But her joie de vivre cannot be stifled – much to the dismay of her new husband. Constantly seeking the attention of other men, Camillo and Pauline’s relationship is tempestuous at best, especially after a heartbreaking loss. But the love that brought them together can never truly be stifled. Devastated by tragedy, desperate for attention, and searching for answers, Pauline’s life is a study in the excesses of the time and the power of a woman strong enough to defy expectations.



I think it's interesting that there are two books being released about Dracula from the viewpoint of the same woman (and within a week of each other!).

His mission is dramatically thrown off course by a series of grisly murders and a spirited and beautiful young woman. As Bruno begins to discover a pattern in these killings, he realizes that no one at Oxford is who he seems to be. Bruno must attempt to outwit a killer who appears obsessed with the boundary between truth and heresy.

Written as part the Shadow of the Tower series in the early 1970’s Richmond and Elizabeth gives a brief account of the lives of Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York before and during their marriage. Although told in third person, the point of view is often that of either Elizabeth or Henry.


At only 255 pages, the story is a series of snippets of the major events from their lives as well as other relevant pieces of information. So we get a young Elizabeth overhearing her mother and grandmother talking about someone named Stillington and Henry musing the futility of his life in exile and his jealousy and hatred of Richard of Glouchester. A thread running throughout the first half of the story is Elizabeth’s growing infatuation for her uncle Richard who is not at all interested in his pretty, young niece.

The second half of the book covers Henry and Elizabeth’s marriage. Elizabeth often thinks about her dead uncle and the feelings she had for him as she sits on the outside of power looking in. Henry is cold and distant – attributes explained early on by his uncle Jasper as the result of living in virtual captivity most of his life and constantly being watched.

For some inexplicable reason, I really have very little to say about this book. It’s not that I didn’t like the book – on the contrary, I did. Maybe it’s just that it didn’t really have anything that memorable. Or more likely, I waited too long to write my review - when I was in school one of my teachers told my mom that I was an excellent reader but that I didn't remember what I had read...

For anyone interested, the other books of the series are:

The Warrior King also by Brenda Honeyman

The Rose in Spring by Eleanor Fairburn

The Warwick Heiress and The Son of York by Margaret Abbey

The Rose, Both Red and White by Betty King


Brotherly love: “You’re like two children smashing each other’s toys, only a great deal more dangerous.” Richard to Edward as the two discuss George’s outrageous behavior following the death of his wife.

The sins of the mother:  “Never judge other people. They have motives as compelling as your own.” Elizabeth Woodville to her daughter as she confesses some of her own sins following the death of her sons.

Rating:  Good (3 stars)

I only have a few minutes here but I just spotted this on Amazon UK and had to post it - especially since it already has cover art!

A few days ago I finished up a book about Henry VII.  Today's mosaic is a picture of a young Henry (Musee Calvet in France; artist unknown).  Born January 28, 1457, he was the only son of Margaret Beaufort by Edmund Tudor.  He would eventually become the hope of the Lancastarians in regaining the throne of England - a feat he accomplished in 1485 with the defeat of Richard III at Bosworth Field.  In 1486 he married the eldest daughter of the House of York - Elizabeth - bringing about an end to the Wars of the Roses.  Henry died in 1509 and is buried in Westminster Abbey - his tomb (along with that of his wife) is quite elaborate.

Several weeks ago I posted a black and white cover for Philippa Gregory's upcoming book, The Red Queen.  Here it is in color (the final version may be slightly different).   It will be released in August.

The second book in Philippa's stunning new trilogy, The Cousins War, brings to life the story of Margaret Beaufort, a shadowy and mysterious character in the first book of the series - The White Queen - but who now takes centre stage in the bitter struggle of The War of the Roses. The Red Queen tells the story of the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, who, although widowed in her early teens, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England. Through collaboration with the dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The next to last installment in Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles (a more "realistic" approach to the story of King Arthur) is the story of Clothar. Wait, who the heck is Clothar? Well, it turns out that Clothar has a particular talent with lances and he would become known as “The Lance Thrower”. Later, he would become Lancelot.


 Clothar is a Frank who lives in Gaul, the youngest son of King Ban and his wife Vivianne. But the family has a secret and when Clothar is about ten years old he finds out what it is and it turns his world upside down. It is decided that Clothar should leave his family and attend a school run by the bishop Germanus who will help Clothar prepare for what destiny has in store for him.

For more than 600 pages Whyte gives us a rambling account of Clothar’s life full of excruciating detail about not much of anything. The majority of the book seems irrelevant and pointless. Clothar wanders around Gaul waiting for the day when he can claim what is rightfully his. And then he is suddenly sent to Britain to deliver a message from Germanus to Merlin, leaving the implications of the family secret to just disappear.  So then what was the point?

It seems that this series started out pretty well and has just gone downhill. It’s all building up to the last book – The Eagle- which I have considered not reading. But, since I already have it sitting in the bookcase, I will probably give it a shot mostly because I don’t like to leave things unfinished. Or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment. You could seriously read the prologue, the first section on Ban and the last 25 or so pages and get everything you need out of this book.

Rating: Poor (1 star)

The Face of Queenship investigates the aesthetic, political, and gender-related meanings in representations of Elizabeth I by her contemporaries. By attending to eyewitness reports, poetry, portraiture, and discourses on beauty and cosmetics, this book shows how the portrayals of the queen’s face register her contemporaries’ hopes, fears, hatreds, mockeries, rivalries, and awe. In its application of theories of the meaning of the face and its exploration of the early modern representation and interpretation of faces, this study argues that the face was seen as a rhetorical tool and that Elizabeth was a master of using her face to persuade, threaten, or comfort her subjects.







The tears of Alexander shall flow, giving bread and freedom . . .612 AD. Egypt, the jewel of the Roman Empire, seethes with unrest, as bread runs short and the Persians plot an invasion. In Alexandria, a city divided between Greeks and Egyptians by language, religion and far too few soldiers, the mummy of the Great Alexander, dead for six hundred years, still has the power to calm the mob – or inflame it . . .Aelric, the young British clerk who has become a senator and the trusted henchman of Emperor Heraclius, has come to Alexandria to send Egypt’s harvest to Constantinople and to force the unwilling viceroy to give its land to the peasants. But the city – with its factions and conspirators – thwarts him at every turn. And when an old enemy from Constantinople arrives, supposedly on a quest for a religious relic that could turn the course of the Persian war, he will have to use all his cunning, his charm and his talent for violence to survive.




Katherine Swynford: A Medieval Mistress by Jeannette Lucraft. Non-fiction. UK release (papberback reprint) March 1, 2010.
Katherine Swynford was a medieval English noblewoman, the daughter of one of Edward III's heralds. Marrying into a leading aristocratic family, she became part of the household of Blanche of Lancaster, and mistress to Blanche's husband, John of Gaunt. She bore him four illegitimate children - from one of whom Henry Tudor was descended - and eventually married him, thus becoming Duchess of Lancaster and step-mother to Henry Bolingbroke, who later ascended the throne. But beyond her starring role as the sexual temptress, the immoral governess who diverted her lover from his political concerns, what can we know about her? Katherine Swynford emerges from this groundbreaking historical biography as a powerful figure in the politics of fourteenth-century England, an example of how a woman could manipulate the social mores of the time for her own interests.

Elizabeth I: The Voice of a Monarch (Queenship and Power) by Ilona Be. Non-fiction. US release June 22, 2010.
This book focuses on the ways in which Elizabeth represented herself in her own words, especially in speeches, reported conversations, and private poems from the first half of her reign when she was simultaneously establishing her political authority and negotiating marriage at home and abroad. Although Elizabeth’s novel and unprecedented art of courtship garnered considerable resistance and disapproval, by the end of her reign it had sparked or merged with a wider, ongoing social controversy over conjugal freedom of choice and women’s lawful liberty that helped make the Elizabethan era an extraordinarily fertile and creative period in English literature.


Mary Queen of Scots: Truth or Lies by Rosalind Marshall. Non-fiction. UK release July 1, 2010.
Mary, Queen of Scots is one of the most famous Scots in history. And yet the debate rages on as fiercely as ever about what this enigmatic Queen was really like. To some, Mary was a naive fool who allowed her errant heart to rule her head. To others, she was a clever, strategic thinker who secured the Scottish throne and the direction of the British monarchy. Murder, infidelity and intrigue permeate this story of one of the most turbulent times in history. Rosalind Marshall is renowned for her work on 'Mary, Queen of Scots' and she takes us through the key myths that surround this fascinating story.


The People’s Queen by Vanora Bennett. UK release August 5, 2010.
Set in late fourteenth century England, Vanora Bennett's rich, dramatic new novel presents an England uncannily like our own. The country is in turmoil, The King is in debt to the City, and the old order had broken down - a time of opportunity indeed, for those who can seize the moment. The king's mistress, Alice Perrers, becomes the virtual ruler of the country from his sickbed. Disliked and despised by the Black Prince and his cronies, her strong connections to the merchants make her a natural ally for the king's ambitious second son, John of Gaunt. Together they create a powerful position in the city for one of his henchmen, Geoffrey Chaucer. In this moment of opportunity, Alice throws herself into her new role and the riches that lay before her, but Chaucer, even though her lover and friend, is uneasy over what he can foresee of the conspiracies around them. At the centre of these troubled times and political unrest stands the remarkable figure of a woman who, having escaped the plague which killed her whole family, is certain she is untouchable, and a man who learns that cleverness and ambition may for him sit too uneasily with decency and honesty.


Desiree: The Bestselling Story of Napoleon’s First Love by AnneMarie Selinko. US release (reissue) October 1, 2010.
The passions and intrigues of Napoleon Bonaparte's court are brought vividly to life through an unusual point of view: that of a merchant's young daughter from Marseilles who became Napoleon's fiancée and rose to become queen of Sweden. A massive international bestseller, the film version starred Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons.

Insurrection by Robyn Young. UK release October 28, 2010.
The year is 1286 and Scotland is in the grip of one of the worst winters in living memory. Some believe the Day of Judgement has come.  The King of Scotland is murdered by one of his squires, a deed pre-meditated by his own brother-in-law, the King of England, a thousand miles away in France. The Prophecy of Merlin has decreed that only when the four relics of Britain have been gathered will one man rule a united kingdom, and Edward I is determined to fulfil it. The murder of Scotland’s king is thus just the first in a chain of events that will alter the face of Britain forever. But all is not destined to go Edward’s way. Out of the ashes of war, through blood feuds and divided loyalties, a young squire will rise to defy England’s greatest king. His name is Robert the Bruce. And his story begins in INSURRECTION.

I seem to recall that my first real exposure to Shakespeare was in 9th or 10th grade when we had to read Romeo and Juliet. I honestly don’t remember much about the play itself – what I remember more is the 1968 Franco Zeferilli film which I simply loved (and still do!). When I heard Robin Maxwell’s next book would be some sort of retelling of the story I was intrigued and so I was excited when she offered me an ARC.


Juliet Capelletti leads somewhat of a charmed life – her father is a successful silk merchant, her best friend Lucrezia is about to be married into the powerful Medici family and she has been given a first rate education. She is a dreamer and a poet. And in the way of the times, she is about to be used by her father and married off to Jacopo Strozzi, a man who can help financially stabilize his business. A man who totally disgusts Juliet.



For reasons that don’t appear to be totally understood by Juliet’s family, they have been targeted by the Monticecco family who are trying to ruin the Capelletti business. Their youngest son Romeo hopes to bring about peace between the two families by enlisting the aid of Cosimo de’ Medici. He chooses the occasion of Lucrezia’s betrothal ball to plead his case and there he meets Juliet. Even though neither knows who the other one is, they are both smitten.

What follows is a somewhat modified version of the well-known story, but one that maintains the critical elements that lead to the tragic ending. Using a love of the works of the poet Dante, Maxwell’s Romeo and Juliet are kindred spirits, bound together by more than just physical attraction or hormones and are slightly older than in Shakespeare . The result is a light, entertaining story that will appeal to romantics and likely, teenage girls.

The story is told in first person, mostly from Juliet’s point a view. A few chapters (where Juliet could not have possibly been present) are narrated by Romeo, a nice change from the usual methods authors employ in those circumstances. The language is a little flowery and over the top at times, but seems appropriate given that they are the words of teenagers in love for the first time. I’m sure I would be horrified if I were to read some of the stuff I wrote the first time I was in love!

Most of the characters are rather thinly drawn and one dimensional.  Juliet can not talk about the man her family intends her to marry without referencing how much she dislikes him and his personal attributes (yellow teeth, smelly breath).  On one hand, that is probably a pretty accurate assessment of how a teenager would see things; on the other, I'm not sure it was done that deliberately and seemed more like a cliche` - the evil, foul man the heroine detests.  One of the things I really enjoyed were various aspects of Renaissance life which are often richly detailed and create wonderful visual images.

Rating: Good (3 stars)

Was there something in particular that made you decide that you wanted to be a writer?


I'm sure my mother would insist I've always been a writer. She'd point to poetry-filled birthday cards I wrote to everyone in the family, and my first short story written at age eight -- a love story about Bernie the Bagel and Lottie Lox. The main thing is that I was a storyteller from a very early age. I anthropomorphized EVERYTHING from bugs to 3-inch nails (you wouldn't believe the whopper I made up about a nail that wouldn't allow himself to be pounded into a board!). Every night before I fell asleep I'd concoct stories about the (original) Mickey Mouse Club mouseketeers (all talented orphans) living together in a Hollywood mansion -- their lives, loves and their sometimes kinky adventures.

I got good grades in English composition and on history papers, and I tried my hand at acting, so I clearly had a dramatic streak and, I think, a good ear for natural sound dialogue. It wasn't until my later 20s, when I moved to Hollywood, that I found myself in an unemployment line with an old friend who'd just finished up the second season as a staff writer on "Mork and Mindy." He asked if I wanted to write a spec comedy sketch with him -- which I did. He was very supportive of my efforts and got me hooked up (in the old fashioned sense) with my first literary agent. Within a few years I'd sold my first screenplay. But it was fully 20 years in the future before I'd write my first novel - SECRET DIARY OF ANNE BOLEYN. And that came about because my comedy screenwriting partner, Billie Morton, was so sick of hearing me blather on incessantly about my passionate obsession with Anne Boleyn, that she finally shouted at me to write a damn book and get it over with. And my mother, a big reader, was also hoping I'd write a novel. I came up with my first "bright idea" -- an angle that nobody else had ever used in telling Anne and Henry's story -- tying it to their daughter reading her mother's secret diary. The rest, as they say, is history.

Most of your books have focused on the Tudors. What drew you to write about this time period?

Ever since I'd graduated from college I'd been fascinated with Anne Boleyn in particular, as well as everyone who played a role in her outrageous story. I'd read two of Norah Loft's historical fictions about her, and others about Henry VIII's other wives, children, and the European monarchs who'd come into play during the Tudor years. I just couldn't find another period that was so filled with real-life drama, larger-than-life personalities, and weird, convoluted love stories (Anne and Henry, Anne and Henry Percy, Elizabeth I and Robin Dudley, the old Elizabeth I and the cute young Earl of Essex, Elizabeth of York and Richard III, Elizabeth of York and Henry VII to name a few). I also, for some strange reason, felt completely at home in the period. Writing it came naturally to me, as did the language. It didn't hurt that I had loads of English friends and bosses.


With your last book (Signora DaVinci) and your new one (O, Juliet) you have shifted to Renaissance Italy. Was there something in particular that made you go in this direction?

After six Elizabethan/Tudor books, I have to say I was a bit burned-out with the period and felt that I'd told most (if not all) of the stories I wanted to tell. It wasn't so much the Italian Renaissance that drew me to write SIGNORA DA VINCI as it was the extraordinary figure of Leonardo da Vinci. I believe he is the single greatest and most creative mind in western civilization. I wanted to write a novel about him, but my publishers were adamant that I needed a female voice. Since Leonardo didn't have any wives, daughters or mistresses, I lit on his mother. There was good news and bad news about Caterina -- there was almost no historical record of her, and there was almost no historical record of her. With next to nothing to go on (except the masses of info about Leonardo, the Medici and the birth of the Renaissance in 15th century Florence) my imagination took fanciful flight and I was able to delve deeply into young Leonardo and the world in which he developed, as well as create the loving and multi-faceted mother he deserved to have.


Why a new take on Romeo and Juliet?

I've always wanted to write a great love story. All the novels I've written involve thwarted romances, or love/hate relationships, and in none of my books is the love story its only theme. There's always politics, religion and philosophy mixed into the stew. The story of Romeo and Juliet is only about love, and its classical elements were impossible to surpass. It hit me hard (but wonderfully) when I realized that if had never been told in the form of a novel. I feel honored to be the first to write it that way.


Did you feel intimidated at all in taking on such a classic work?

I wasn't actually intimidated because I knew I wasn't going to compete with Shakespeare. I was simply going to use the storyline and some of his characters (I've added a few and changed a few) as the skeleton for my take on the legend. I always felt, when watching the play (or the movie versions of the play) that I wanted to know more about these two young peoples' lives. To go deeper inside their heads and hearts, understand their fears and dreams, their families, the society in which they lived and against which they rebelled. Shakespeare's version takes place over a few days. O, JULIET runs the course of several months during which the romance flowers, falters and climaxes. I think I've brought some very interesting details and layers to what was already a brilliant story. Shakespeare's wasn't the first telling (there were three Italian short stories, and a long English poem. There were ballets, operas, Broadway musicals, countless movies, and Taylor Swift's "Love Song", and O, JULIET won't be the last. I'm just proud to be another writer in this long literary tradition.


What do you think of the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film?

I LOVED it (much more than the Baz Luhrmann version). I first saw it in my early 20s, and I sobbed for a half hour after leaving the movie theater. The music, the costumes, the sets, the youth and beauty of Zeffirelli's actors, were all deeply ingrained in my consciousness when I sat down to write O, JULIET.


In researching your books, have you traveled to Europe and if so, do you have any favorite places?

I've only physically been to England (thrice) and Ireland (once). Now, thanks to Google Earth and YouTube, I can take extraordinary walking tours of the streets of Paris, the Chateau Amboise, the mountain village of Vinci, climb to the top of the Cathedral Dome in Florence. Of course it's not the same as being there in person, but when a writer is limited by time, money and responsibilities back home, she is still able to "travel" for research. That said, having written two Italian stories, I'm dying to go to Tuscany, and I hope to visit this year. And when THE WILD IRISH is produced as a feature film (based on my screen adaptation) my husband Max and I will be on the set in Ireland as much as we can be.


When you are not writing, what else do you like to do?

Max and I enjoy birding and hiking in the high desert paradise we call home. The area surrounding our property is about to be named a national monument, and it's teeming with wildlife for which we take great joy in providing sanctuary. I'm also a gourd and pine needle basket weaver. And I'm a movie freak. There's nothing I love more than a great flick -- historical epics ("Gladiator" "Braveheart" "The Last Samurai" "The Madness of King George" "Lion in Winter"), special effects extravaganzas, as long as they have great storylines and characters I care about, and broad, bawdy comedies ("Death at a Funeral"). I was also quite addicted to "The Tudors."


Can you tell us what you are working on next?

I can't really talk about my next book, as it's not quite a done deal yet, but I can say I will be moving to a new period and new continent. I'll also be doing rewrites on two movie scripts, "The Wild Irish" and with my partner Billie, "Trouble in Toyland."


Thanks again Robin!  O, Juliet was released today.  Look for my review later this week and this month's bookmark giveaway will be related in some way to the book, so stay tuned!

I recently finished reading Robin Maxwell's new release, O, Juliet (look for my review and an interview with Ms. Maxwell within the next few days) and one of the characters is Lucrezia Tornabuoni.  Born in 1425, she would marry into the great Medici family of Florence by marrying Piero, son of Cosimo de Medici in 1444.  One of the leading women of her time, Lucrezia was a poet and a collection of some of her poems (translated into English) was published in 2001.  Her son Lorenzo would later become known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. 

Congratulations:

NurseExec and Amanda

Since NurseExec was the first name selected by Random.org, she will get first choice.  I am sending both of you an email - please send me your address by Wednesday so I can get your bookmarks out to you! 

Thanks everyone for entering and look for this month's bookmark giveaway in the next few days.