Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

The winner of Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith is:


Congratulations Brenna - I'll be sending you an email shortly.  Thank you to everyone who entered and to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the giveaway.

Richard III (Yale English Monarch Series) by Charles Ross.  Non-fiction.  US reissue May 31, 2011.

Richard III ruled England for a mere twenty-six months, yet few English monarchs remain as compulsively fascinating, and none has been more persistently vilified. In his absorbing and universally praised account, Charles Ross assesses the king within the context of his violent age and explores the critical questions of the reign: why and how Richard Plantagenet usurped the throne; the belief that he ordered the murder of "the Princes in the Tower"; the events leading to the battle of Bosworth in 1485; and the death of the Yorkist dynasty with Richard himself. In a new foreword, Professor Richard A. Griffiths identifies the attributes that have made Ross's account the leading biography in the field, and assesses the impact of the research published since the book first appeared in 1981.





Burghley:  William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford.  Non-fiction.  US reissue May 31, 2011; reissued in the UK in February 2011.
 
William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520–1598), was the closest adviser to England’s Queen Elizabeth I and—as this revealing and provocative biography shows—he was the driving force behind the Queen's reign for four decades. Cecil’s impact on the development of the English state was deep and personal. A committed Protestant, he guided domestic and foreign affairs with the confidence of his religious conviction. Believing himself the divinely instigated protector of his monarch, he felt able to disobey her direct commands. He was uncompromising, obsessive, and supremely self-assured—a cunning politician as well as a consummate servant.

This comprehensive biography gives proper weight to Cecil's formative years, his subtle navigation of the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I, his lifelong enmity with Mary Queen of Scots, and his obsession with family dynasty. It also provides a fresh account of Elizabeth I and her reign, uncovering limitations and concerns about invasions, succession, and conspiracy. Intimate, authoritative, and enormously readable, this book redefines our understanding of the Elizabethan period.



Cnut:  England's Viking King 1016-35 by M.K. Lawson.  Non-fiction.  UK reissue June 1, 2011.

By his death in 1035, King Cnut was the most powerful monarch of Northern Europe. With his father, Swegen Forkbeard, king of Denmark, he invaded England in 1013, driving its king, Aethelred II into temporary exile in Normandy. Aethelred’s son, Edmund Ironside, took up the struggle; but the deaths of Swegen and both Aethelred and Edmund in 1016 left Cnut master of the entire kingdom. He subsequently added Denmark itself and Norway to his territories, and probably a part of Sweden too. King Cnut was able, ruthless, and more than just a successful opportunist.






 
 
Pompeii:  City on Fire by T.L. Higley.  US and UK release June 1, 2011.
 
Pompeii, a city that's many things to many people. For Cato, it's the perfect escape from a failed political career in Rome. A place to start again, become a winemaker. But when a corrupt politician wrongfully jails Cato's sister, he must oust the man from power to save her.

For Ariella, Pompeii is a means to an end. As a young Jew, she escaped the fall of Jerusalem only to endure slavery to a cruel Roman general. She ends up in Pompeii, disguised as a young man and sold into a gladiator troupe. Her anger fuels her to fight well, hoping to win the arena crowds and reveal her gender at the perfect time. Perhaps then she will win true freedom.

But evil creeps through the streets of Pompeii. Political corruption, religious persecution, and family peril threaten to destroy Ariella and Cato, who are thrown together in the battle to survive. As Vesuvius churns with deadly intent, the two must bridge their differences to save the lives of those they love, before the fiery ash buries Pompeii, leaving the city lost to the world.




Her story not his, the English monarchy through the private and public lives of the queens of England. Nearly eighty women have sat on the throne of England, either as queen regnant or queen consort and the voices of all of them survive through their own writings and those of their contemporaries. The primary role of the queen over the ages was to provide an heir. Catherine of Aragon found this to her cost, divorced by Henry VIII for failing to produce a healthy son. Anne Boleyn was executed shortly afterwards for the same reason. The birth of an heir was also a route to power for a queen and Eleanor of Aquitaine became the most powerful woman in Europe during the reigns of her sons. Emma of Normandy was so desperate to be queen mother that she manipulated her three sons in an attempt to ensure that one would be king. One was murdered when he attempted to reach his mother but her remaining two sons became kings in turn with their mother as a leading advisor.

Strong relationships could also develop between the queens and their husbands. Richard II and Anne of Bohemia made an arranged marriage but quickly fell deeply in love and, on Anne's death at Sheen Palace, Richard's grief was so intense that he ordered the palace to be destroyed. Edward VIII even abandoned his throne when forced to choose between the crown and his lover, Wallis Simpson. Not all marriages were happy and queens such as Isabella of France and Catherine Howard took lovers to escape their marriages. The unhappy Sophia Dorothea of Celle was imprisoned for over thirty years by her husband George I when her affair was discovered. Her lover, Count von Konigsmarck was murdered. Most queens made arranged marriages and were used by their families to build alliances. Some queens were able to break away from this control. Queen Victoria spent her childhood secluded with her overprotective mother, even sharing the same bedroom until the day when she was proclaimed queen and finally freed herself from her mother's control. For the first time, the voice of each individual queen can be heard together, charting the course of English queenship through nearly two thousand years of history. Each queen played her own part in shaping what the role of queen would become and it developed through the lives and actions of each of the women in turn.



Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley.  US and UK reissue June 1, 2011. (2nd in trilogy)

In a country still reeling from the collapse of the Roman Empire, the young King Arthur and his wife Guinevere struggle to keep the barbarians at bay even as they establish the Fellowship of the Round Table. The spirited and outspoken Guinevere skillfully combats an accusation of planning to poison Arthur in a country simmering with unrest and scandal. But Guinevere's greatest battles are dangers Arthur cannot see-ones she'll have to fight on her own. And all the while, she must reconcile her thirst for freedom with her duties as queen, and her growing love for Lancelot with her loyalty to her husband. Vibrantly human and touchingly real, Guinevere reigns as a woman poised to discover the true peril and promise of the human heart.






Mary Tudor by David Loades.  Non-fiction.  US and UK release June 1, 2011.

Daughter of Henry VIII, half-sister to the future Elizabeth I, the dramatic story of the first woman to rule England - and the cruel fate of those who opposed her iron will. Mary Tudor was the first female English sovereign - a ruling queen who was not simply the consort of the king. Yet little is known about this complex woman, whose reputation for ruthlessness belied her emotional fragility and who, like her half-sister Elizabeth, had to survive from childhood in the turbulent Tudor court.

David Loades explores the twisting path whereby Princess Mary, daughter of a rejected wife, Catherine of Aragon, and a capricious father - Henry VIII - endured disfavour, personal crisis and house arrest to emerge as Queen of England with huge popular support. The high promise of her reign contrasts with the personal tragedies and disappointments that followed, from the Smithfield burnings and the loss of Calais to her doomed, loveless marriage to Philip of Spain. Loades' probing yet sympathetic account reveals an intriguing personality, impelled by deep-set beliefs and principles yet uncertain how to behave in a 'man's' role.


Agincourt:  The Story of a Battle by Rosemary Hawley Jarman.  Non-fiction.

The story of the battle of Agincourt. A small English expeditionary force in Northern France battling to reach the coast before being cut off by an enemy superior in numbers and equipment; a victory plucked from the jaws of certain-seeming defeat - this story is familiar in the twentieth century. It is also the story of Agincourt in the fifteenth. The distinguished historical novelist Rosemary Hawley Jarman here recreates the whole of the brief, foolhardy expedition mounted by a 28-year-old English king determined to regain the realm across the Channel he believed was his by right. The siege of Harfleur, the ravages of disease, the gradual encirclement, the decision to break out and march through hostile territory to Calais, all lead up to the rainy dawn of 25 October 1415 - St Crispin's Day - when the ragged, hungry English came face to face with a mighty and magnificently accoutred French army and won one of the most overwhelming victories in the chronicles of war.


 
Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick.  UK release June 2, 2011.
 
Two very different women are linked by destiny and the struggle for the English crown. Matilda, daughter of Henry I, is determined to win back her crown from Stephen, the usurper king. Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to William D'Albini, a warrior of the opposition. Both women are strong and prepared to stand firm for what they know is right. But in a world where a man's word is law, how can Adeliza obey her husband while supporting Matilda, the rightful queen? And for Matilda pride comes before a fall ...What price for a crown? What does it cost to be 'Lady of the English'?
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Crusade of Darkness by Giulio Leoni.  UK release June 2, 2011.
 
A medieval murder mystery - can Italian poet turned sleuth Dante Alighieri uncover who is behind the ritual murders of young women in Rome?
Italy, October 1301. Dante Alighieri, Prior to the city of Florence, is sent to Rome to meet with the Pope. Sinister omens greet his arrival; the river Tiber is threatening to burst its banks and the corpses of several young woman have been found eviscerated and ritually murdered. Dante has no power to order an investigation but when the authorities show little interest in the deaths he promises the mother of one victim that he will bring the murderer to justice. But when Dante visits the Vatican, and makes the acquaintance of an ambitious senator named Spada, he discovers that the city hides yet more dark secrets…
 
 
 
 
With a Sword in my Hand by Jean Claude van Rijckeghem.  Young Adult.  UK release June 3, 2011.  Previously released in the US.

Shaking off the strict expectations of court life, Marguerite roams free - learning to ride, to fence and to outwit the boys. But the Count of Flanders has plans for his wayward daughter. Will Marguerite be able to resist the combined pressure of politics, power and a foreign prince? And has she met her match in Philip, the valiant knight in shirtsleeves? Based on the real life of Marguerite van Male (1348-1405), With a Sword in My Hand is an intense medieval adventure, and Marguerite herself is a brave, headstrong and thoroughly charming heroine.

Arundel Castle in West Sussex - home to the Dukes of Norfolk




The part in the foreground contains apartments used by the Empress Matilda in 1139.    When Henry I died, the castle was left to his widow, Adeliza.

A few more books for the wishlist this week:


The Borgias by Jean Plaidy.  US and UK release July 5, 2011.
For the first time in one volume, Jean Plaidy’s duet of Borgia novels brings to life the infamous, reckless, and passionate family in an unforgettable historical saga.


Madonna of the Seven Hills:

Fifteenth-century Rome: the Borgia family is on the rise. Lucrezia’s father is named Pope Alexander VI, and he places his daughter and her brothers Cesare, Giovanni, and Goffredo in the jeweled splendor—and scandal—of his court. From the Pope’s affairs with adolescent girls, to Cesare’s dangerous jealousy of anyone who inspires Lucrezia’s affections, to the ominous birth of a child conceived in secret, no Borgia can elude infamy.

Light on Lucrezia:

Some said she was an elegant seductress. Others swore she was an incestuous murderess. She was the most dangerous and sought after woman in all of Rome. Lucrezia Borgia’s young life has been colored by violence and betrayal. Now, married for the second time at just eighteen she hopes for happiness with her handsome husband Alfonso. But faced with brutal murder, she's soon torn between her love for her husband and her devotion to her brother Cesare… And in the days when the Borgias ruled Italy, no one was safe from the long arm of their power. Not even Lucrezia.



The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bedier.  US reissue October 1, 2011.




Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn.  US release April 2012.

Of Faith and Fidelity by Evan Ostryzniuk.  UK release June 9, 2011.


Of Faith and Fidelity: Geoffrey Hotspur and the War for St. Peter’s Throne takes place in 1394, at the height of the schism of the Western Church when the throne of St. Peter was contested by rival claimants in Rome and Avignon. For nearly sixteen years the papacy was been divided between claimants in Rome and Avignon. Unable to settle the dispute peacefully, both sides resorted to war. The key to winning the throne of St. Peter was always control of the Patrimony, a band of territory stretching the breadth of Italy that owes fealty to whichever pope who can rule it. From Scandinavia to Sicily, there is great anticipation that the campaign of 1394 will culminate in a battle that will secure the Patrimony of St. Peter for one man.

Before Henry V won his miraculous victory at Agincourt, before the Borgias had done their infamous deeds, there was Geoffrey Hotspur, a man as tall as Charlemagne and armed with a sword that rivals Excalibur. Thrown off the established path to knighthood, the ambitious and hot-tempered Geoffrey finds himself caught up in the war between the two popes, where he must adapt his beliefs and apply his training as a squire in order to survive. To this end, Geoffrey founds the English Free Company and fights in the battles between the armies of the two popes. With little money, fewer friends and no name, yet with his faith in chivalry firmly set, Geoffrey Hotspur possesses the confidence that what he does is right for him and for those he had sworn to serve.

Helping and hindering Geoffrey Hotspur in equal measure in his quest for knighthood is a gallery of characters with their own agendas, from professional debt collector Jean Lagoustine, to the Chancellor of Florence Coluccio Salutati, to a mysterious astrologer named Catherine, who seems to have a suspiciously impressive set of connections in the world of Italian politics.

A thrilling start to the story of Geoffrey Hotspur and his English Free Company, Of Faith and Fidelity is at heart a squire’s tale of hope, adventure and ambition during a time of great uncertainty.


Fortune's Son by Emery Lee.  US release November 1, 2011.
From the author:  Passion, drama and excitement fill the pages of my follow-up to THE HIGHEST STAKES. Set deep in the world of 18th century gaming, FORTUNE'S SON immerses the reader in a time and place where nothing is sacred, and virtually anything might be wagered on the turn of a card or roll of the die.

Beginning with their first chance meeting over a Hazard table, and with motives known only to themselves, FORTUNE'S SON chronicles the tumultuous romantic journey between a young but seasoned gamester, and a widowed courtier who refuses to be the next Royal Mistress, regardless of what it might cost.

Experiencing the agonies and ecstasies of the gaming tables, Philip Drake and Lady Susannah Messingham precariously navigate their way in the high-stakes world of card sharps, courtesans, and the intriguers of Georgian England. As their tale of passion and drama plays out, they are led through hardship, heartbreak and loss, before final culmination in redemption and enduring love.

With romance, a bit of adventure, and the excitement of gaming, coupled with a supporting cast of the wits, gamesters, sporting men, and roués of Georgian England, I promise great fun and a riveting read!



 Devil's Sonata by Elizabeth Aston Edmondson.  US release November 1, 2011.

Devil’s Sonata is a brand new book releasing first in the U.S. from an internationally renowned author. This haunting tale follows two cursed families in a saga of romance, black magic, and music set in an ancient abbey where the lines between the past 500 years and the present are blurred into oblivion. The handsome, mysteriously compelling owner of Beauregard Abbey, Nicholas Beauregard, must help Zuleika Rathbone as she traces the path of a murderous ancestor, rousing an unimaginable evil centered around a mystical violin. An unlikely romance amidst the havoc wreaked by practitioners of the dark arts takes the reader deep into the thrilling world of the occult.






My Glorious Brothers by Howard Fast.  US reissue November 1, 2011.

For years, the people of Judea suffered under the oppressive rule of King Antiochus and the Syrian-Greeks. Under his reign, Jews were massacred and Judaism was effectively outlawed. Fed up with the injustices, peasant farmer Judas Maccabee and his brothers lead a revolt against the king and mold the people of Judea into an army.

Judas’ older brother Simon stands beside him as his faithful lieutenant and second in command. But while these brothers are united in ideals on the field of battle, their love of the same woman threatens to tear them apart



Lord James by Catherine Hermany-Vielle.  UK release January 1, 2012.


Told from his final days in a Danish dungeon, James Bothwell's tragic story, centring on his intense relationship with Mary Queen of Scots, unfolds. Set against the backdrop of French and Scottish history, in a climate of revenge, ruthless killings and religious strife, James finds himself divided between his loyalties and his conscience. The life of this fierce warrior and passionate lover is followed from his troubled childhood to the events of his final betrayal. Yet it is his meeting with the beautiful Mary Stuart that would ultimately secure his fate. Whilst Scotland, England and France grapple for power, tragic consequences await the lovers, with repercussions that would alter their country forever.




Masques of Gold by Roberta Gellis.  US reissue February 1, 2012.

Bold and beautiful, Lissa de Flael is caught up in a plot to prevent the signing of the Magna Carta when her husband is murdered. Sir Justin FitzAilwin, the noble and feared leader of the London watch, is sent to investigate. A single glorious night of desire between them becomes a shining, embattled alliance as intrigue and romance unfold in the turbulent and richly described setting of King John’s 13th-century England.

Five years ago I discovered the world of historical fiction and one of the first books I read (actually I believe it was the third book) was A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith about Richard III. I loved it and was hooked on the genre forever. Smith’s latest release, Queen by Right, is again set during the turbulent Wars of the Roses period, but this time, in the years leading up to the conflict.


Cecily Neville is the beloved and indulged daughter of Ralph Neville, earl of Westmorland and Joan Beaufort (daughter of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford). Her outspoken nature tends to get her smiles from her father and reproaches from her mother. When her father takes in a young ward, Richard of York, little does Cecily know her life will be changed forever.

Cecily and Richard form a friendship and father Neville sees the benefit of a marriage between the pair. The friendship begins to grow into something more and by the time the pair is actually married, they have a true sense of love for each other and their marriage is a happy and productive one. But stormclouds are gathering in England and their lives will be consumed by the fallout – and Richard’s own claim to the throne.

This period of English history can be very confusing with lots of characters and political ins and outs and twists and turns. Smith does a good job with the history behind the story, providing lots of details that helped explain not only what happened, but why and for the most part, it’s fairly straightforward. Sometimes the detail becomes a little much though and at times it made me more confused. The genealogy charts and list of characters definitely helps!

In many books that focus on this time period, Cecily is a secondary character portrayed as befits her nickname, “Proud Cis”. Given a nearly 500 page book to herself, Cecily is well developed as a woman, wife and mother. Her pride still gets in the way sometimes, but most of the time I liked and admired her and at times my heart broke for her as some of her children are taken from her and she fears for her husband’s safety as his ambition leads to his untimely death.

The book is broken into sections with each one prefaced by Cecily working through her grief over the death of her husband and son and then remembering earlier times and how her family got to this point. Although told in third person, the point of view is mostly Cecily’s so we do get a bit of telling at times as events are related to Cecily either by Richard when he returns home or by messenger. It often works though since the way that it is done allows the reader to hear and react to it as Cecily might have done.

In much the same way that I loved the “love story” in A Rose for the Crown, I loved the romance between Richard and Cecily. Their relationship isn’t perfect – they disagree, fight, and say things they sometimes later regret – but through it all, they love and support each other. There is some sex, but it is not overly graphic. I also liked Smith’s fun explanation for the whole “Edward-is-the-son-of-an-archer” rumor that would crop up in the family’s future.

An Author’s Note, partial bibliography, glossary and Readers Guide are also included.



In case the FTC asks: The publisher sent me a copy of the book to review as part of the author’s virtual book tour.

Make sure you check out the other dates on the tour.  And don't forget to enter the giveaway (ends today!).

Carolly Erickson's next book (about Jane Seymour) was included on Weekly Wishlist a while back with the cover in black and white.  I love the color version!  The book will be released September 27, 2011.


Avon will be releasing this edition of The Darling Stumpet in the UK August 8, 2011.  I want that dress!




Although this was released a couple of years ago (with the title Mistress Shakespeare), this edition will be released in the UK in November 2011.



This story of Cleopatra as a vampire was released in hardcover a few weeks ago.  This is the UK paperback cover which will be released July 21, 2011.

It’s 1729, and the Palio, a white-knuckle horse race, is soon to be held in the heart of the peerless Tuscan city of Siena. But the beauty and pageantry masks the deadly rivalry that exists among the city’s districts. Each ward, represented by an animal symbol, puts forth a rider to claim the winner’s banner, but the contest turns citizens into tribes and men into beasts—and beautiful, headstrong, young Pia Tolomei is in love with a rider of an opposing ward, an outsider who threatens the shaky balance of intrigue and influence that rules the land.




Shield Wall by Justin Hill.  UK release May 26, 2011.

The year is 1016 and England burns while the Viking armies blockade the great city of London. King Ethelred lies dying and the England he knew dies with him; the warring kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex and Northymbria tremble on the brink of great change. One man lives to bear witness to the upheaval: Godwin, barely out of boyhood and destined to become one of his country's great warriors. When Ethelred's son Edmund takes the throne, determined to succeed where his father failed, he plucks Godwin from domestic peace to be right-hand man in his loyal shield wall. Godwin must traverse the meadows, wintry forests and fogbound marshes of Saxon England, raising armies of monks, ploughmen and shepherds against the Viking invader. With epic courage and ferocity, Godwin and Edmund repel the butchering Danes in three great battles. But an old enemy, the treacherous Earl Eadric, dogs Godwin's footsteps, and as the final battle approaches, around the valiant English the trap begins to close.

Although Elizabeth Chadwick's next book - The Lady of the English - is set for release in the UK in a few weeks, it won't be available in the US until September 1, 2011.  It looks like Sourcebooks has gone with a different cover than the UK version - which do you prefer?

I am happy to welcome Anne Easter Smith today as part of her virtual book tour for the recently released, Queen by Right, who graciously agreed to answer a few questions.  And make sure you read to the end for a chance to win your own copy!

I’m always interested in how authors became writers. How did it come about for you?


By accident, Daphne. I never had aspirations to be a writer--became an executive secretary after leaving high school and eventually landed in the US at 24 with a girlfriend on a lark for two years. Forty-two years later, I am still here! I have had so many different kinds of jobs, I can’t go into them, but I finally got landed one in Plattsburgh NY at the daily newspaper writing features and went on to become the features/arts editor for ten years there. And so I learned to write. Then my oldest friend from home suggested I write a book about my obsession, King Richard III, and so I tentatively began “A Rose for the Crown” in 1997. In 2004, after finding an agent in New York, Simon & Schuster acquired it and gave me a two-book deal, which meant I had to write “Daughter of York” immediately. It was a bit daunting, to say the least.


As the writer of historical fiction you must have an interest in history. Was there something in particular that sparked that interest?

Being English helped a lot! I grew up with 1,000 years of history all around me (in the London area) and whenever I was in a castle or gothic church I always got the feeling that it was where I belonged. But my more in-depth interest came from a history teacher I had at boarding school in my teens, who turned me on to the people of history, not just the dates, battles and politics.


Queen by Right is your fourth novel set during the Wars of the Roses. What drew you to write about this particular period of history?

When I was 21, my godmother gave me a book by the popular mystery writer of the 1950 and 1960s, Josephine Tey, called “Daughter of Time.” Her detective protagonist “solved” the mystery of the disappearance of the princes in the Tower and “proved” their uncle and usual chief suspect, King Richard III, had no motive to kill them. I was fascinated, because we had always been taught that he was a really Bad King, and so I started to read everything I could about Richard, and, to put it bluntly I became a groupie!! It meant I became very steeped in 15th century English history, and eventually I became obsessed to tell my own story about the real Richard I had discovered in my research.


During your research did you discover anything unusual or unexpected about Cecily Neville?

I knew that my research into the earlier part of the 15th century and Cecily’s youth would lead me to mentioning the Joan of Arc tragedy. But I was stunned to find out that Cecily was actually in Rouen at the time of the trial and burning of the Maid. It lead to me using Joan as a role model for Cecily throughout the book. I had no idea she would turn out to be so important to the writing of “Queen By Right.”


I have a fascination for book covers. What do you think of the cover for Queen by Right?

I am so lucky in my designer at Simon & Schuster and I believe she has created a series of covers that really jump out at you when you go to choose a book at the store. I have to confess when I saw the first draft design for “Queen By Right”--and yes, they are nice enough to ask my opinion--I really wanted a bright yellow banner with the title to match the other “gem” colors of the books, and I thought the white looked a bit ordinary. But now I see the finished product (and the artist won that little battle!), I think it is very classy and just right for Cecily. They gave me several gowns to choose from--and the first few were totally out of period--but I fell in love with this green one. The castle at the top is Raby Castle, where Cecily grew up and which is still lived in by the descendants of Ralph Neville. Every location at the top of the books is real: Ightham Mote in Kent on “Rose for the Crown”, Bruges on “Daughter of York,” and the Tower of London on “The King’s Grace.” You will also notice that there are white roses somewhere on every cover. I was horrified to see red ones on “The King’s Grace” in the draft, but my editor had already spotted that and told the artist: “You’d better change the color on those roses, or Anne will never forgive us!”


Do you have the opportunity to travel to the places you write about and if so, what has been your favorite place to visit?

Oh, I cannot write about a place unless I have seen it, so yes, traveling to all these castles, towns and villages constitutes a huge part of my research. I would say that Ludlow has been the place where I really felt the presence of one of my protagonists the most (Cecily), but Ightham Mote is my most favorite of all English historic houses (it is also featured in Anya Seton’s “Green Darkness” a favorite book of mine). And I can’t tell you how much I fell in love with Belgium while researching “Daughter of York” and “The King’s Grace.”


If you could be one person in history for a day, who would it be and why?

Well, it would NOT be Joan of Arc on May 30, 1431!! This is the first time I have been asked this question and it was the hardest to answer and had me stumped for a while. Lots of people and events come to mind, but finally I thought I would have liked to have been Charles II on May 30, 1660 when he arrived back in London from exile to a wild and warm reception from his subjects after they had had 20 years of Cromwell’s cruel and rigid Parliamentarian rule. They let out all their pent-up emotions on that occasion, and that must have been thrilling for the exile. I’d also like to have been Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on VE-Day. Another incredible London celebration after many years of war and deprivation.


What do you like to read for “fun”?

Ah yes, reading for fun. It doesn’t happen very often, I’m afraid. I feel guilty while I’m on a deadline for the next book if I’m not reading something on 15th century English history! But I have just lately made myself read a couple of contemporary novels, one of which I really loved “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.” It was so English and I felt I knew most of the characters from my own village in Surrey. I still read historicals though--I have a Margaret George, Edward Rutherfurd, Ken Follett and Sharon Kay Penman on my shelf unread and giving me “read-me, read-me” vibes!


When you aren’t writing or doing research, what else do you like to do?

I love movies--love having someone else tell me a story that I can just sit there and let wash over me. But I really am passionate about theater--I’m very involved in our local theater community as an actor and director, and I am chair of the New Works Playwrighting Festival in Newburyport, MA, where I live, as well as a board member of the local arts center.


From your books, who is your favorite character? Your least favorite?

All of my protaganists hold a special place in my heart for very different reasons, but I have to say that Fortunata in “Daughter of York” stole my heart while I wrote that book! Oddly enough Richard of Gloucester in “A Rose for the Crown” ought to have been my favorite leading man because of fascination with him over 40 years, but he isn’t. That honor goes to his son, John of Gloucester in “The King’s Grace,” followed closely by Tom Gower in the same book. There was just enough “bad boy” in John to make his loyalty and honorableness interesting! My least favorite characters are Henry VII in “The King’s Grace” (a weasly man!) and Jacquetta of Bedford in “Queen By Right” (a sly, manipulative woman if ever there was one!). Oh, and Charles the Bold’s nasty bastard sister, Marie de Charn in “Daughter of York,” was right up there too!


Can you tell us what you are working on next?

My first book was about Richard of Gloucester’s mistress, and so the last book in the York series will be about Jane Shore, Richard’s brother, Edward IV’s mistress. W know quite a lot about her, and I have enjoyed researching the London guilds and merchant class for this book. She had quite a dramatic life once she became Edward’s last mistress.

Thank you Anne for being my guest today!
Thank you very much for taking up so much blogging space for my long-winded answers, Daphne! I hope you and your intrepid followers enjoy “Queen By Right.”


About the book:

From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories. Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability “to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.” * In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour.

Now, for the giveaway:

To enter, please complete the below form by midnight, May 25, 2011.  You must be a resident of the US to enter and the winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. 

Eleanor de Montfort by Louise Wilkinson.  Non-fiction.  UK release January 1, 2012.  (reposted with cover)

This book deals with the remarkable life of a powerful and fiery woman at the heart of the turbulent Barons' Wars. As sister of Henry III and aunt of the future Edward I, Eleanor de Montfort was at the heart of the bloody conflict between the Crown and the English barons. At Lewes in 1264 Simon de Montfort captured the king and secured control of royal government. A woman of fiery nature, Eleanor worked tirelessly in supporting her husband's cause. She assumed responsibility for the care of the royal prisoners and she regularly dispatched luxurious gifts to Henry III and the Lord Edward. But the family's political fortunes were shattered at the battle of Evesham in August 1265 where Simon de Montfort was killed. The newly-widowed Eleanor rose to her role as matriarch of her family, sending her surviving sons - and the family treasure - overseas to France, negotiating the surrender of Dover Castle and securing her own safe departure from the realm. The last ten years of her life were spent in the Dominican convent at Montargis. Drawing on chronicles, letters and public records this book reconstructs the narrative of Eleanor's remarkable life.




The End of Sparta by Victor David Hanson.  US release September 27, 2011.

In this sweeping and deeply imagined historical novel, acclaimed classicist Victor Davis Hanson re-creates the battles of one of the greatest generals of ancient Greece, Epaminondas. At the Battle of Leuktra, his Thebans crushed the fearsome army of Sparta that had enslaved its neighbors for two centuries.

We follow these epic historical events through the eyes of Mêlon, a farmer who has left his fields to serve with Epaminondas-swept up, against his better judgment, in the fever to spread democracy even as he yearns to return to his pastoral hillside.

With a scholar's depth of knowledge and a novelist's vivid imagination, Hanson re-creates the ancient world down to its intimate details-from the weight of a spear in a soldier's hand to the peculiar camaraderie of a slave and master who go into battle side by side. The End of Sparta is a stirring drama and a rich, absorbing reading experience.



Fires of Winter by Roberta Gellis.  US and UK reissue November 1, 2011.
Melusine of Ulle, daughter of Scottish nobility, is given in marriage to Bruno of Jernaeve, who secures her land for his sovereign, King David. Born enemies, the pair has an inauspicious beginning when Melusine attempts to kill her new husband on their wedding night. But what makes this more than just a story of two people's rocky relationship is Gellis's wonderful style. Alternating chapters are written from the perspective of husband and wife, the work is historically accurate, and the narrative is sensitive and insightful. For Gellis fans, the fact that some characters appeared in Tapestry of Dreams makes this work all the richer.


 
 
 
 
 
Prophecy:  Death of an Empire by M.K. Hume.  UK release January 5, 2012. 
 
Merlin's epic quest continues as he journeys to Constantinople in search of his father.

Myrddion Emrys of Segontium is the product of a brutal rape, but when King Vortigern hints at his father's identity, Myrddion embarks on a journey across France and Italy to Constantinople. It is a voyage that is to turn the young healer into a man of great renown. Serving under General Flavius Aetius at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, Myrddion saves the lives of thousands of warriors and, on his arrival in Rome, he heals many more, including Cleoxenes, Envoy to Emperor Theodosius of the East, on his way to a delegation with Attila the Hun. But a deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian of the West and Senator Petronius Maximus is still to come and Myrddion must use all his strength to carry out his work in a world that is evil.

However, in the form of Savonarola, an unprepossessing provincial monk, Lorenzo found his nemesis. Filled with Old Testament fury and prophecies of doom, Savonarola’s sermons reverberated among a disenfranchised population, who preferred medieval Biblical certainties to the philosophical interrogations and intoxicating surface glitter of the Renaissance. Savonarola’s aim was to establish a ‘City of God’ for his followers, a new kind of democratic state, the likes of which the world had never seen before.The battle which this provoked would be a fight to the death, a series of sensational events – invasions, trials by fire, the ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’, terrible executions and mysterious deaths – featuring a cast of the most important and charismatic Renaissance figures.

This famous struggle has often been portrayed as a simple clash of wills between a benign ruler and religious fanatic, between secular pluralism and repressive extremism. However, in an exhilaratingly rich and deeply researched story, Paul Strathern reveals the paradoxes, self-doubts and political compromises which made the battle for the soul of the Renaissance city one of the most complex and important moments in Western history.



Memoirs of a Bitch by Francesca Petrizzo.  This had an original date of May 19th, but it looks like it was released a week early (on the 12th ) in the US and UK.
The bitch. That's what the crew call me. The bitch. They say it behind my back. But I can hear them. My name's Helen, I was born in Sparta, but I went away for love. They used to say I was the most beautiful woman in the world. The minstrels are already making up stories about how little I've won and how much I've lost. Lying tales. They weren't there, after all. But I was. From her childhood in Sparta, through the turbulent years of her marriage, and of course her disappearance with Paris and its consequences, Helen of Troy tells her own story. In a lyrical and musical style, Helen sheds her legendary persona and walks from the page as a real woman of flesh and blood; the archetype of all the women who, throughout history, have followed their hearts, forsaking wealth and power.