Book Launch ~ The Lost Tudor Princess: A Life of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox

New on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Royal Tudor blood ran in her veins. Her mother was a queen, her father an earl, and she herself was the granddaughter, niece, cousin and grandmother of monarchs. Some thought she should be queen of England. She ranked high at the court of her uncle, Henry VIII, and was lady of honour to five of his wives. Beautiful and tempestuous, she created scandal, not just once, but twice, by falling in love with unsuitable men. Fortunately, the marriage arranged for her turned into a love match. 

Throughout her life her dynastic ties to two crowns proved hazardous. A born political intriguer, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London on three occasions, once under sentence of death. She helped to bring about one of the most notorious royal marriages of the sixteenth century, but it brought her only tragedy. Her son and her husband were brutally murdered, and there were rumours that she herself was poisoned. She warred with two queens, Mary of Scotland and Elizabeth of England. A brave survivor, she was instrumental in securing the Stuart succession to the throne of England for her grandson.

Her story deserves to be better known. This is the biography of an extraordinary life that spanned five Tudor reigns, a life packed with intrigue, drama and tragedy.

Special Guest Post: The Price of Blood, by Patricia Bracewell

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

1006 AD. Queen Emma, the Norman bride of England’s King Æthelred, has given birth to a son. Now her place as second wife to the king is safe and Edward marked as heir to the throne. But the royal bed is a cold place and the court a setting for betrayal and violence, as the ageing king struggles to retain his power over the realm. Emma can trust no one, not even the king’s eldest son Athelstan,

the man she truly loves.

The Price of Blood is the middle book of my trilogy about Emma of Normandy, 11^th century queen of Anglo-Saxon England. The book spans the years A.D.1006-1012, and as with my first book, Shadow on the Crown, I turned to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles for the history that informs the story. 

But here’s the rub: the Chronicle entries for that period make absolutely no mention of Queen Emma or any other woman. Instead they are a litany of murders, treachery, deceit, and betrayal woven in amongst desperate battles fought against Viking armies. They were produced by cloistered monks who, at least in this period, were noting major political upheavals some years after they had occurred. What did they know of the lives of women, even royal wives and daughters?

It was up to me to consider the history of the period and then imagine what role Queen Emma might have played in it. Later events would convince historians that Emma was politically astute, so that is how I imagined her. She was only the second crowned queen of England. How did she go about staking out a role for herself and thus setting a precedent for queens who would follow? What relationships did she forge with powerful earls and bishops who made up the king’s court? How did she respond to news of a Viking attack or to word of a murder, especially when the murder had been ordered by the king? For that matter, how did she respond to the king? What happened in the royal bedchamber when they were alone?

Historians may speculate about these things – well, probably not what went on in the bedchamber – but it is up to the novelist to bring historical figures to life, place them in that intimate setting and nudge them into action. It was up to me to step into the minds and hearts of my characters in order to give readers the emotional impact that is what we all look for in a novel.

So The Price of Blood is, among other things, a story of family relationships in a time of war. In it there are moments of great fear and turmoil, but also moments of tenderness and loss and heartbreak. It is the story of a queen who strives for power in a world of ruthless men; of a mother who seeks to protect her children; of a woman who loses her heart to a man she cannot have. It is a very old story indeed.

Patricia Bracewell

# # #

About the Author

Patricia Bracewell was born and raised in Los Angeles and majored in English Literature.A Masters Degree was followed by a California teacher’s credential and she taught high school English. Eventually moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, she  met and married a Canadian and now has two sons. Her passion for writing began with short stories before she fulfilled a long ambition when she discovered an English queen whose name was unfamiliar. Intrigued, Patricia began research, including journeys to England and France  - and wrote  the novel that became Shadow on the Crown. The second book of her trilogy, The Price of Blood, begins about a year after the final events in Shadow on the Crown and covers a further seven years of Emma’s story. 

Pat says, "Frankly, this sequel doesn’t end where I originally intended. A certain character tried very hard to wrest control of the plot line and make it all about her. I had to fight her every step of the way, and I had to add scenes just to get her to behave. That’s called revision and it, too, is a fact of publishing life. Now I am at work on Book Three, and it’s taking me to places I hadn’t originally intended: Viborg in Denmark and Rouen in Normandy, for example. Much of the story, though, will take place in London. In the year 1016 London was under siege by a Danish army, and that will be a central event in this third book." 

In July 2016 University College London is sponsoring A Millennial Conference to Commemorate the Siege of London in 1016.  New research, new theories, new discoveries will be presented at that conference, and Pat will be there as part of her research to incorporate them into her final volume. Find our more at Pat's website www.PatriciaBracewell.com and find her on Facebook and Twitter @patbracewell.

Guest Interview with Candace Robb, author of The Margaret Kerr series #HFVBT

Available on Amazon

The Margaret Kerr series chronicles one woman’s search for the truth amidst the Scottish struggle for independence against the tyranny of the English crown. 

In A TRUST BETRAYED, Margaret searches for her missing husband after his disappearance in Edinburgh, but finds that the simmering rebellion has turned the ruined city into a web of lies and hidden motives that threaten anyone who digs too deep for the truth. 

In THE FIRE IN THE FLINT, Margaret and her family become the target of a series of violent raids, but what the raiders are looking for remains a mystery. As Margaret becomes more deeply involved in the rebellion, attention turns to her mother, a seer who has had visions of the “true king of Scotland.” 

In A CRUEL COURTSHIP, Margaret heads to Stirling Castle on a mission to discover the fate of a young spy for the rebellion. As her travels bring her closer to the castle, however, she begins to have dreams—or are they visions?—of impending danger. The historic battle of Stirling Bridge is nearing, and the fate of Scotland rides on the outcome… 

Together, these stories offer a richly detailed and beautifully written account of medieval Scotland and a young woman’s awakening.

Here is my intrerview with Candace, one of the most prolific historical fiction authors I know:

Please tell us about your latest novel?

I’ve just received my editor’s notes on the first Kate Clifford mystery, The Service of the Dead (Pegasus Books, May 2016). In this new series, set in York slightly later than the Owen Archer series, the conflict between King Richard II and Henry of Lancaster/ Henry IV provides an edgy political climate in which York became deeply, and tragically, involved. But the focus is on Kate Clifford, a young widow with a background that has prepared her for trouble. She’s handy with knife, axe, and bow. And she’s found a rather unorthodox way to pay off her late husband’s debt—running what might be considered a high-end brothel. Most recently published under my non-mystery pseudonym, Emma Campion, is A Triple Knot (Broadway Books 2014). It’s a novel about Joan of Kent, famous as the fair maid of Kent, who married her cousin Edward, the Black Prince. But before that marriage, her marital state was, well, a triple knot. 

What has been your favourite part of the book publishing journey?

• The moment I held my first book in my hands. 

• When a docent at the Treasurer’s House in York burst into tears upon learning my name and why I was asking her so many questions: she was a huge fan of the Owen Archer mysteries. 

• The bookseller in Edinburgh who grinned when I exclaimed over the stack of A Trust Betrayed that awaited my signature: “You’re a Robb, you’re one of us. Of course we’re supporting you.” Same thing happened in Glasgow with Margaret Kerr’s debut. 

• That moment when I read through a draft and I know I have a book—it needs work, but it’s all there. 

• When a publisher offers me a contract—they believe in my book! 

• The creative, talented people I get to work with—writers, publishers, agents, scholars in medieval studies across the disciplines.

What inspires you?

I can never predict what’s going to inspire me. My interest in Scotland in the late 13^th century (for the Margaret Kerr series) was sparked by research for the 7^th Owen Archer novel, A Spy for the Redeemer. It involved some back-story for Owen’s wife’s aunt. As I played with ideas, I was caught by the haunting images in the news of ordinary people trying to go about their lives in the midst of war. And about that time I was contacted by someone doing research on the buried drain on the site of the great Hospital of the Trinity that was built atop Soutra Hill in Lothian—he was curious about the cures I included in The Riddle of St. Leonard’s. I was fascinated with the large drain they had excavated, discovering a great quantity of blood and bits of herbs and roots. All of this added texture to Maggie’s story.

I also love to know how things work, how they’re assembled. How buildings were constructed in the middle ages, how locks worked, how merchants financed their trading, how coins were minted—all of these avenues of research have provided interesting bits of detail and even plot points for my books. The coins are significant in The Fire in the Flint; Maggie’s ability to pick locks plays a part in A Trust Betrayed.

I think of reading primary and secondary sources in medieval studies as priming the pump.  I jot down bits and pieces of information as I read.

I’m fascinated by the creative process. For me, getting quiet and clearing my mind works as an invitation to my subconscious.  It seems the moment I settle on my meditation cushion or take off on a long walk my mind begins to play with the material swimming around in my mind, teasing out connections I’d not noticed. It can be maddening when I meant to escape from work, but these insights are invaluable. I don’t squander them. So I’m a squirmy meditator and a distracted hiking companion.

What is your favourite book?

I can’t imagine having one favorite book. For a long while I would just say, JRR Tolkien. Or Wuthering Heights (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read it). Then it was Anne Sexton’s Transformations. But really, it depends on my mood, the season, what I just read, what I’m writing…. My favorite discovery this past year has been the fantasy of Robin Hobb. I devoured the Farseer Trilogy and now I’m disciplining myself—no more Robin Hobb until after The Service of the Dead is completely finished, copyedited, proofed, finished.  And then there are plays! My favorite play is Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (and the film). Close seconds are Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Peter Weiss’s Marat/Sade, and James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter (and the film).

Who is your favourite author?

See my answer to the previous question for why I would never even try to pin this down!  Some of my perennial favorites—Ursula K LeGuin, Chris Nickson, Donna Leon, Henning Mankell, the Brontës (I know they’re dead, I know), Zoketsu Norman Fischer (his poetry and his dharma writing), CJ Cherryh (her science fiction), Mary Oliver, George Elliot, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, William Blake. Historians Chris Given-Wilson and W. Mark Ormrod. 

What is your advice for other writers?

Stay actively curious. Never think you know all there is to know about anything. Delve. People love to talk about their passions—ask! Listen! Follow your curiosity. Write to satisfy your curiosity. And write write write. 

# # #

About the Author

Growing up, Candace Robb wanted to be a ballerina, tap dancer, folk singer, journalist—but on the day that she walked into Liz Armstrong’s undergraduate class on Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, that all changed. A gifted teacher, lively, witty, always laughing even when cringing at a lazy response, Dr. Armstrong launched into the opening stanzas, and within a few lines Candace’s ears adjusted to the middle English—and she was hooked. Chaucer’s psychological study of the two lovers was a revelation to her. The next quarter was The Canterbury Tales. That clinched it. Candace went on to graduate work in medieval history and literature, and ever since she’s been engaged in bringing to life the rich culture of the period, from the arts to the politics. She is the internationally acclaimed author of thirteen crime novels featuring the sexy, brooding, clever Owen Archer, who solves crimes for John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England, and the young Margaret Kerr, searching for her missing husband and her role in a Scotland overrun by English soldiers. Candace is currently under contract with Pegasus Books for a new crime series set in 15th century York, the Kate Clifford mysteries, which will debut in 2016. Writing as Emma Campion, Candace has published two historical novels about the women of the English court in the 14th century, A Triple Knot and The King’s Mistress. Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Candace grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has lived most of her adult life in Seattle, Washington, which she loves for its combination of culture, natural beauty, and brooding weather so like Yorkshire, Wales, and Scotland, which she visits as often as possible. She has taught the art of writing the crime novel in the University of Washington’s certificate program, and offers workshops in writing the historical novel and in creating and plotting the crime series. Find our more at Candace's website www.emmacampion.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @CandaceMRobb.

Blog Tour Schedule:

Monday, October 12 Interview here at The Writing Desk
Tuesday, October 13 Review at Worth Getting In Bed For (A Trust Betrayed) Spotlight at Just One More Chapter
Wednesday, October 14 Review at Book Nerd (A Cruel Courtship) Spotlight at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Thursday, October 15 Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf (A Trust Betrayed) Spotlight at Buried Under Books
Friday, October 16 Review at Worth Getting in Bed For (The Fire in the Flint)
Monday, October 19 Review at A Book Geek (A Trust Betrayed) Character Interview at Boom Baby Reviews Review & Interview at Singing Librarian Books (A Trust Betrayed)
Tuesday, October 20 Review at Singing Librarian Books (The Fire in the Flint) Spotlight at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, October 21 Review at Singing Librarian Books (A Cruel Courtship) Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Thursday, October 22 Review at Worth Getting in Bed For (The Fire in the Flint) Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Friday, October 23 Review at A Chick Who Reads (A Trust Betrayed) Review at History From a Woman's Perspective (A Trust Betrayed) Spotlight at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Giveaway:

To win one of three (3) Sets of A TRUST BETRAYED and THE FIRE IN THE FLINT in eBook, enter using the Rafflecopter Widget below. Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 23rd. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open internationally. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. 

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Book Launch - Darkness Echoes: A Spooky YA Short Story Collection

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Six spooky never before seen YA short stories

just in time for Halloween!

Til Death Do Us Part by L.A. Starkey: Jennifer and Zach have been best friends since birth, but as their senior year approaches, things change drastically. With little time left to reveal her heart before college, Jen plans a night to remember at the old haunted Vandercamp Mansion for Zach's birthday. It's just to be the two of them, and no one was to know, but upon arrival, they realize that their presence was expected. Their connection is forged as realization of their past is granted. A love that stands outside of time and space will not rest - Til Death Do Us Part.

Witch Moth by Kelly Hall: Dominic Dane has endured his sister Dahlia's evil deeds for decades while the two serve out their hundred year punishment, but when she threatens to use his new-found crush as her Halloween sacrifice, he realizes she'll never change. Promising Kitty he will stop at nothing to save her and her friends, Dominic is forced to explain his curse, revealing it's not just Dahlia who must kill to survive.

The Coming of the Skin Walker by D.E.L. Connor: When warriors Walking Bear and Nine Fingers rescue amnesia-ridden Lina from the clutches of the immortal Skin Walker they must flee on a harrowing journey where ancient Native American secrets and mysticism unfold, innocence is lost, and the forever bonds of love and friendship are tested.

Lantern by Chess Desalls: Five days before Halloween, all sixteen-year-old Tori has on her mind is vacationing with her family and scoring lots of candy. Her grandmother's estate, with its Gothic spires and trails that lead out to the woods, holds an unexpected secret: a lantern that lights up for Tori and nobody else. Certain that it's a ghost or a prank, she investigates further and discovers a mysterious life that shines in the darkness.

Cloak of Echoes by CK Dawn: Just as Emma Kincaid came into some disturbing empathic powers, she lost her mother in a car crash. She is also pretty certain she's being followed, maybe even hunted. But, is it the shadowy creatures that haunt her nightmares or the mysterious guy, shrouded in darkness, who just enrolled at Jefferson High?

Hallowed Eve by DB Nielsen: Ten years after the sinister disappearance of her father, the turmoil begins again with the stealing of souls ... Seventeen-year-old Evee is forced to accept her birthright of dark secrets and death as she inherits the role of Soul Guardian; a role that brings her into the dangerous influence of a coven of witches and the enigmatic, alluring Hunter, Ben, to defeat the rise of dark magick.

These stories have never been published before and were written specifically for this anthology. Hope you enjoy this spooky adventure!!

Book Review: Jasper ~ The Tudor Kingmaker, by Sara Elin Roberts

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Welsh academic and author Dr Sara Elin Roberts has produced a fascinating and detailed account of the life of Sir Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, Duke of Bedford, who was second son of Owen Tudor and the widowed queen Catherine of Valois.  It was with Jasper's support that King Henry VII returned from exile to defeat Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, leading to the establishment of the Tudor dynasty, yet Jasper has become what Dr Roberts calls ‘the forgotten kingmaker:’

‘Jasper was central to the world of the Wars of the Roses. He was, at different times, a key player in the unfolding, political game: a warrior in battles; a rebel fighter; a threat to the crown and the powers running the country; a potential claimant to the throne; and an exile.’

Although this is an academic study of Jasper’s life, I found it highly readable with a strong narrative thread. Dr Roberts draws from a wealth of contemporary sources from England, Wales and France, several of which were new to me, referenced in twenty-seven pages of endnotes. The book also has thirty colour illustrations and an informative appendix on the Welsh poetry and contemporary law texts which still survive. As well as providing a documented account of the events of the key people and events, the Welsh poems allow an often colourful insight into the late medieval period. 

Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in understanding the world of the early Tudors.

# # #

About the Author

Dr Sara Elin Roberts is an historian specialising in the law, literature and culture of medieval Wales. Educated at Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni, Anglesey, she won the Richard Hughes Scholarship to study at the University of Wales, Bangor, where she achieved first class honours in Welsh and History. She won the J. B. Davies Scholarship to St. Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she gained a Master of Studies in Historical Research (Medieval). Her pioneering study, The Legal Triads of Medieval Wales was awarded the David Yale Prize by the Selden Society for a distinguished contribution to the study of the laws and legal institutions of England and Wales; and also the Hywel Dda Prize by the Board of Celtic Studies for her contribution to the field of Welsh law. Dr Roberts now lectures in medieval British history at the University of Chester and is also a regular contributor to Welsh historical issues on radio and television, including the BBC series "The Story of Wales". 

Special Guest Post ~ On Writing Pippo’s War, by Marion Kenyon Jones

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Fact and fiction weave together to create an epic love story which begins in Northern Italy during the closing months of the Second World War and will span the globe. Coming of age is hard enough for Pippo, the son of a Fascist Italian diplomat, but when his father is arrested, he is forced to question the old family allegiance to the Fascist cause. His mother, originally aligned with Italy against her native Britain, decides to hide escaped allied soldiers from the occupying Nazis, and in so doing finds that love and war often go hand in hand.

I have lived in the Tuscan countryside for part of each year for thirty five years. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are areas of mountainous wilderness rich in wildlife, and gentle acres which have been tilled by man for centuries. Pines, cypresses, patches of scrub oak and towns built of

stone nestle on hill tops as if placed there by an omniscient landscape gardener. Winter can be cold and unforgiving, but in spring and summer the landscape is bathed in an intense light and a riot of fruits and vegetables appear in the markets. As autumn approaches dramatic storms rise from nowhere heralding the change of season, freshening and softening scent and colour. It is time for wild mushrooms and for the grape and olive harvests. 

The descriptions of rural life in Pippo’s War are informed by my early experiences. I learned how

to plant and tend a vegetable garden, to live by the rhythms of each year, to use every season’s bounty wisely, and to enjoy the simple but delicious ‘cucina povera’ (poor kitchen).  There were none of the privations of war but my neighbours Valetta and Gina lived much as they had forty years before. Gina tended the bread oven and made bread for us all once a week. Valetta, who had never learned to read, was the vegetable expert. She planted by the cycles of the moon and used only her own seeds harvested from year to year. (Both cursed the Nazis for parking a tank on their cellar and cracking the ceiling. It had never been the same since!)

Valetta and the author

 at  work in the vineyard

Beneath the seductive beauty of the land lie the blood and bone of conflict stretching from the Etruscans and Romans through to the 20th century. Near my village there is a track where fathers and sons were led into the woods at dawn and shot by a retreating German army. There is a white marble plaque commemorating this event attached to the wall of the church.  One afternoon I stood reading the inscription with my cousin who was visiting from Liguria. After a few minutes of quiet reflection he said he wished to tell me about his war, and we sat for many hours in the small cafe by the church. Pietro’s father was Italian and his mother British. His was a complex tale of divided loyalties, love, loss, bravery, foolishness, generosity, brutality,

Giardino Giusti, Verona

vendetta, reconciliation. He told me the story of an acquaintance of his, a young Jewish girl called Hannah, who was rescued from the Fascist militia terrorizing Florence. He wondered what had happened to her. My novel grew out of that conversation.

I spent five years researching the history of the period and talking to survivors on both sides of the conflict. An old contadino told me how he had hidden a POW in a cave on his landlord’s property for a year.  A POW described his escape from prison camp and his walk along the spine of the Apennines until he reached the Allies in the south. Another recounted his experiences with a partisan group. The soldiers spoke of the Italian people who sheltered and fed them with profound respect and gratitude. 

The villa Paterno is central to my story. It is inspired by the many exquisite houses I have visited over the years. The garden and park are drawn principally from the Giardino Giusti in Verona and the Boboli gardens in Florence. 

Paterno is a place of refuge. For Pippo it symbolises paternal protection: the safety his own father was unable to provide. As the war draws to its close, Pippo is parted from his soul mate Hannah. They leave Italy, travel widely, and make new lives for themselves. Will they meet again?  
Pippo’s War is an historical novel full of period detail, an epic love story, and a classic coming-of-age tale. I hope reading it is as rich and rewarding an experience for you as writing it was for me, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Marion 

# # #

About the Author

Marion Kenyon Jones was born in London in 1949, and trained as a sculptor in Paris. She fell in love with Abstract Expressionism, and moved to the United States in 1974. In 1982, she began to divide her time between a studio in Italy and New York City where she regularly exhibited her work. During this period, she wrote short stories about her summers on a farm in the Tuscan hills and became interested in the history of the area. After a hiatus during which she married, raised two children and took an MA at the Tavistock Centre in London, she began work on her debut novel Pippo's War.  She is currently researching her second novel and leading a happily peripatetic life with her historian husband. Find Marion on Facebook and  follow her on Twitter @mkjmarion.

The Mystery of Princess Louise: Queen Victoria’s Rebellious Daughter

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The secrets of Queen Victoria’s sixth child, Princess Louise, may be destined to remain hidden forever. What was so dangerous about this artistic, tempestuous royal that her life has been documented more by rumour and gossip than hard facts? When Lucinda Hawksley started to investigate, often thwarted by inexplicable secrecy, she discovered a fascinating woman, modern before her time, whose story has been shielded for years from public view.

Louise was a sculptor and painter, friend to the Pre-Raphaelites and a keen member of the Aesthetic movement. The most feisty of the Victorian princesses, she kicked against her mother’s controlling nature and remained fiercely loyal to her brothers – especially the sickly Leopold and the much-maligned Bertie. She sought out other unconventional women, including Josephine Butler and George Eliot, and campaigned for education and health reform and for the rights of women. She battled with her indomitable mother for permission to practice the ‘masculine’ art of sculpture and go to art college – and in doing so became the first British princess to attend a public school.

The rumours of Louise’s colourful love life persist even today, with hints of love affairs dating as far back as her teenage years, and notable scandals included entanglements with her sculpting tutor Joseph Edgar Boehm and possibly even her sister Princess Beatrice’s handsome husband, Liko. True to rebellious form, she refused all royal suitors and became the first member of the royal family to marry a commoner since the sixteenth century.

Spirited and lively, The Mystery of Princess Louise is richly packed with arguments, intrigues, scandals and secrets, and is a vivid portrait of a princess desperate to escape her inheritance.

# # #

About the Author

Lucinda Hawksley is a writer and lecturer on art history and nineteenth-century history. She has written biographies of the pre-Raphaelite muse Lizzie Siddal, Charles Dickens, and Katey, one of Dickens' children. She is the great great great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens and is a patron of the Charles Dickens Museum in London. You can find out more at www.lucindahawksley.com and follow Lucinda on Twitter @lucindahawksley