Anne of Brittany? Raised to rule, she knew how to lead: Guest Post by Rozsa Gaston, Author of Sense of Touch

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

“A romance and an interesting novel about a little-known French queen. It is a story with a strong sense of place and well-drawn characters, a story of heartache and forbidden love, of women in the 15th century French court, who fought with passion and determination for what they wanted. A striking story.” —Historical Novel Society

A 2017 RONE Book Award finalist for medieval historical romance

A 2018 TopShelf Indie Book Awards finalist for women's issues

About six years ago I picked up Mildred Allen Butler’s 1967 book on Anne of Brittany, mainly because I was struck by the image of Anne as a young girl on the cover. I liked how sure of herself she looked.

Her story was beyond belief. She came to power in 1488 at age eleven as ruler of Brittany then became queen of France at age fourteen. This, despite losing every one of her immediate family members by age twelve.

Where did this young woman, barely past childhood, get the strength to go on? How did she get all those older male advisors to back off so she could rule? I had to learn more. When I discovered there is almost nothing out there written about her, I knew I had to write Anne of Brittany’s story myself.

Anne of Brittany by French author Anca Visdei, 2013

The young duchess of Brittany holds an ermine, symbol of the dukes of Brittany. Small and fierce, the ermine stands up to much larger predators, much as Anne stood up to France’s 

encroachment upon Brittany.

The French distrusted Anne of Brittany because she was a foreign queen. As a result, they left her largely out of their history books and what they put in was mostly negative; they found her indomitable, intransigent and rigid. My own reading of her character traits are that she was not to be crossed, determined, and devout—qualities which made her a strong ruler and a trusted companion to both her husbands.

In a time of great cultural and social turmoil, as the feudal age receded and Italy’s Renaissance drifted across the Alps to France, Anne provided an anchor of stability to both her husbands and subjects, at the same time offering generous patronage to new Renaissance artists and artisans.

Ultimately the French felt she prioritized Breton interests over French ones. Indeed, she did. As successor to Brittany’s ducal throne, it was Anne’s ancestral mandate to maintain Brittany’s independence from France. She was true to this mandate until the day she died. Her motto? “Non mudera—I will not change.” 

Brittany did not become part of France until eighteen years after her death in 1514. I’m sure Anne of Brittany rolled over in her grave on Aug. 13, 1532, the day Brittany was absorbed into the kingdom of France. 

Statue of Anne of  Brittany at entrance to the 

Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany

Nantes, France, courtesy of Nantes Art Blog, Wikimedia Commons

The people of Brittany revere the memory of Anne of Brittany to this day, especially in the more traditional areas known as Lower Brittany or Basse-Bretagne (Brittany’s western regions).

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Colored areas are where the Breton dialect was mostly used before 1914. Grey area is where French was largely spoken before 1914. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

I wish to bring Anne of Brittany’s story to readers of today because she makes a tremendous role model for women. She was crippled. One hipbone was placed higher than the other, causing her to tiptoe on one foot. She had specially-made shoes built for her with a platform heel on one to help her walk without a limp. From the age of four she was trained to conceal her limp, which she did magnificently, perfecting a glide that noblewomen of her court emulated.

She lost 14 out of 16 of her children. The only woman in history to be twice crowned queen of France, she was beloved by both of her husbands: Charles VIII, King of France, and Louis XII, King of France. This, despite the fact that she never produced a male heir and she insisted on having her own way most of the time.

Anne of Brittany overcame huge, almost non-stop disappointments and heartache throughout her life to become the head of one of Europe’s most powerful royal courts. She was an able administrator of her duchy and a fierce proponent of educating young noblewomen she invited to her court. Despite being distrusted by the French, they highly admired her. The more I discover about her the more I admire her too.

Close up of Anne of Brittany as Prudence at her parents’ tomb

By Michel Colomb, Cathedral of Peter and Paul, Nantes

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

SENSE OF TOUCH excerpt:

As Anne of Brittany passed, Nicole craned her neck to see her grieving sovereign. She had barely seen her since the day of the king's accident. Petite and erect, Anne slowly walked the length of the courtyard from her chambers to the chapel, where the memorial service would be held. Behind her, the tall form of Louis d'Orléans matched her pace, his eyes riveted on Anne ahead. From what she could see, the future king of France, with his longish aristocratic nose and soulful blue-gray eyes, wasn't bad-looking.

    “Where is the wife of the duke of Orléans?” Nicole asked her father beside her.

    “That hunchback? They live apart. I'm sure Louis wants her out of the way,” Michel St. Sylvain said, looking over Nicole's head at his brother on her other side.

     “Especially now,” her uncle agreed.

     “Why especially now?” Nicole asked, curious.

     “Worry about your own future, not the queen's, ma petite,” her uncle dismissed her.

     “Not the queen anymore, is right. But not for long, if she plays her cards right,” Michel St. Sylvain joked.

      “Papa, she is mourning, not thinking of playing cards! How can you say that?” Nicole cried, indignant. 

      “Daughter, do you think Anne of Brittany is so beside herself that she hasn't considered her own future?” He shook his head, looking at her affectionately. “Think again, dear one. The woman who brought you to court is no ninny. She will not relinquish the crown of France easily.”

      “Not if there is a way to keep it on her head," Benoit St. Sylvain commented, eyeing Louis XII behind Anne, his eyes glued to the tiny female figure he followed. “Who is that man behind Louis?” He pointed toward the procession.

      Michel St. Sylvain strained his neck to see who his brother spoke of. “You mean behind the new king,” he corrected him.

      “Yes, the one wearing the crest of Orléans.”

      “That's Gerard d' Orléans,” Nicole's father replied. “Louis's cousin, I believe.”

      “You mean the cousin of the new king, as you pointed out.” Benoit St. Sylvain specified, looking meaningfully at his brother.

      “Yes. That would be him.” Michel St. Sylvain returned his brother's look with one of his own.

      “Is he not the one whose wife died in childbirth last year?” Benoit continued.

      Nicole's father shrugged. “He may be. I heard talk of it. Why?”

      Benoit's voice became lower, “He has not yet remarried, I believe.”

       “No?” Nicole's father lowered his voice to match his brother's. “Is he betrothed then?”

       “Let's find out,” Benoit breathed back. Both men glanced down at Nicole at the same instant.

       “What are you thinking, Uncle Benoit?” Nicole asked, alarmed.

       “Shhh, ma chère. We think of your future, of what is best for you.”

       “You think of what is best for our family, not what is best for me,” Nicole railed.

       Her father's eyes sparked with anger then became icy. “My daughter, what argument do you make? What is best for your family is what is best for you.”

       “Papa, I am not a horse to be paired off with the most highly-bred stallion,” she objected.

       “No. You are my daughter, to be paired off with a husband who is most closely allied with your sovereign.” Michel St. Sylvain's tone was clipped, as if laying down the law.

        But which law was it—the one of the old regime or the one of the new? Nicole wondered. Everything seemed to be changing around her. The only thing that didn't change was that Michel St. Sylvain would always be her father, and her duty would always be to obey him. 

        “But the man you chose for me is closely allied to the king,” Nicole began then paused. "I mean the dead king.”

       “Precisely,” her father agreed.

       “Precisely,” her uncle echoed. He shot his brother another significant glance and as Nicole took it in, a sudden breeze gusted past, lifting the black silk cape she wore over her shoulders. Change was in the air.

For further reading, discover Anne of Brittany in the Anne of Brittany Series.
The gripping tale of a larger than life queen

“Comparable to Philippa Gregory’s Plantagenet and Tudor Novels.”

—Publishers Weekly on Anne and Charles

http://lrd.to/anneofbrittanyseries

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About the Author

Rozsa Gaston writes playful books on serious matters, including the struggles women face to get what they want out of life. She studied European history at Yale, and received her Master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University. She worked at Institutional Investor, then as a hedge funds marketer. Entirely unsuited to the world of finance, she was happy to give it up to become a full-time novelist. Gaston lives in Bronxville, New York with her family and is currently working on Anne and Louis: Middle Years, Book Three of the Anne of Brittany Series. If you read and enjoy Sense of Touch, please post a review at http://lrd.to/SENSEOFTOUCH to help others find this book. One sentence is enough to let readers know what you thought. Drop Rozsa Gaston a line on Facebook to let her know you posted a review and receive as thanks an eBook edition of any other of Gaston’s books: Anne and Charles, Anne and Louis, The Least Foolish Woman in France, Paris Adieu, or Black is Not a Color. Visit her at www.rozsagaston.com or at https://www.rozsagastonauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rozsagastonauthor  Instagram: rozsagastonauthor  and on Twitter: @RozsaGaston

Next month’s guest post on Anne and Charles, Book One of the Anne of Brittany Series.

Book Launch: Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Blood & Sugar is the thrilling debut historical crime novel from Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

June, 1781. An unidentified body hangs upon a hook at Deptford Dock – horribly tortured and branded with a slaver’s mark.

Some days later, Captain Harry Corsham – a war hero embarking upon a promising parliamentary career – is visited by the sister of an old friend. Her brother, passionate abolitionist Tad Archer, had been about to expose a secret that he believed could cause irreparable damage to the British slaving industry. He’d said people were trying to kill him, and now he is missing . . .

To discover what happened to Tad, Harry is forced to pick up the threads of his friend’s investigation, delving into the heart of the conspiracy Tad had unearthed. His investigation will threaten his political prospects, his family’s happiness, and force a reckoning with his past, risking the revelation of secrets that have the power to destroy him.

And that is only if he can survive the mortal dangers awaiting him in Deptford . . .

‘A page-turner of a crime thriller . . . This is a world conveyed with convincing, terrible clarity’  ~ C. J. Sansom

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About the Author

Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. Laura worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband, Adrian. Visit Laura's website www.laurashepherdrobinson.com and find her on Twitter @LauraSRobinson

New Book Spotlight: The Tragic Daughters of Charles I, by Sarah-Beth Watkins

Available for pre-order from

Amazon UK and Amazon US

Mary, Elizabeth and Henrietta Anne, the daughters of King Charles I and his queen, Henrietta Maria, would be brought up against the background of the English Civil War. Mary would marry William, Prince of Orange, and be sent to live in the Netherlands. 

Elizabeth would remain in England under Parliamentary control. Henrietta Anne would escape to France and be the darling of the French Court. Yet none of the Stuart princesses would live to reach thirty. The Tragic Daughters of Charles I is their story.

Chronos Books presents the latest in a series of historical royal biographies by Sarah-Beth Watkins, author of Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII.

The Tragic Daughters of Charles I is out 26 April 2019.

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About The Author

Sarah-Beth Watkins has been a freelance writer for over 20 years, writing for magazines and websites on a wide range of topics. She has written over 300 articles for the web and also tutors creative writing and journalism courses. Growing up in Richmond, Surrey, Sarah-Beth began soaking up history from an early age. Her history books are Ireland's Suffragettes, Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII, Margaret Tudor, Catherine of Braganza, Anne of Cleves and The Tudor Brandons. Follow her on Twitter @SarahBWatkins 

How to produce an audiobook with Amazon ACX

I’m always interested in finding innovative ways to reach new readers, although I imagined the costs of producing an audiobook would be a stretch. I was encouraged to learn that Amazon’s ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) offers a ‘profit sharing’ deal, where authors can sign up to a 50:50 royalty split with the narrator.

I considered making a one off payment but liked the idea of entering into a partnership with the narrator, who has an equal stake in the success of the finished work. ACX is part of Audible.Com and a subsidiary of Amazon. As the author, you decide how your audiobook is produced, who narrates it, and select your distribution channels.

To enter into a royalty share deal, you need to select exclusive distribution of the audiobook through Audible, Amazon and iTunes. Royalties of 40% are paid for exclusive distribution projects, so the rights holder and producer each earn 20% from each sale.

Here are the seven steps to take you from your edited manuscript to a completed audiobook:

Step One: Preparing your ‘pitch’

Once you’ve registered with ACX at https://www.acx.com you can set up your first ‘project’. You need to confirm you have audio rights for your book, then you will be guided through preparing your ‘pitch’. You want to attract the best possible choice of professional narrators, so it’s important to spend some time on this. For example, I emphasised the international sales and reviews and included a link to the YouTube trailer. I also adapted the synopsis, highlighting the elements I thought would be important to any potential narrators. You'll also need to upload a two-page excerpt from your book as an Audition Script for potential narrators.

Step Two: Selecting your narrator

Wait to see who expresses an interest or listen to sample narrations (which you can filter by genre, gender, accent etc.,) and invite producers to audition for your book.  The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham is written in the first person, so I had to find a female narrator with an English accent – who could pass as a medieval duchess. As well as listening to auditions, you can look at the bio of potential narrators and discuss their approach. As soon as I heard Stephanie (Stevie) Zimmerman I knew she would be perfect.

Step Three: Agreeing the deal

You can make an offer to a Producer to produce your audiobook on the special Production Offer Page – and if they accept you can create a deal on ACX. It is recommended that negotiations take place within the ACX messaging system to document what has been agreed.

Step Four: Listen to fifteen minute sample

It is important to make sure you are happy with the tone and pace of the narration, as this is where you agree what might eventually become eight or nine hours of recording. Here is the four minute sample of The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham:

 

Step Five: Listen to each chapter

I’d underestimated how much of a challenge this is, as you need to be vigilant for any pronunciation issues or changes of pace or style. You can ask the narrator to make up to two rounds of corrections to your finished audiobook and when you're content with the final version you pay your producer directly, unless you agreed a royalty share.

Step Six: Prepare audiobook artwork

I adapted the printed book cover to create the square format and added Stevie's name at the bottom, although you could opt for a complete re-design if this isn't practical. Once you are happy with the artwork you simply upload it and ACX do the rest once it has passed their quality check.  

Step Seven: Promote the new audiobook

As with any book, there is a correlation between time spent raising awareness and royalties earned through sales. This is my first audiobook, but I am pleased to say the feedback from ‘listeners’ has been great, so I now have seven audiobooks bringing in a useful additional income each month, and my new book Katherine - Tudor Duchess is already  in production with ACX.

Tony Riches

The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History, by Elizabeth Norton

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress; of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best.

Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. 

Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history.

“An absorbing look not only at the powerful women of that era, but everyday life for women throughout Tudor society.”
- Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Without romanticizing the era, Norton’s biography of the Tudor Everywoman weaves together the lives of well-known figures to lesser-known women. A captivating, inspiring and informative summer read not only for fans of Tudor England, but also those who are facing insurmountable obstacles themselves―and are looking to craft fulfilling lives for themselves.”
- Ms. Magazine

“Queens, servants, widows, nuns, harlots, and more are depicted in a rich tapestry of meticulous scholarship, historical detail, and insightful observations. Anyone interested in expanding and enriching her of his view of the Tudor era will enjoy Norton’s skillfully written study.”
- Booklist

“Engrossing and charming. By uncovering all the tiny, painstaking day-to-day details of these varied existences, Norton has constructed something inspiring.”
- British Heritage Travel

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About the Author

Elizabeth Norton lives in Kingston upon Thames, near Hampton Court Palace, with her husband and two sons. As well as her books she is carrying out academic research at King's College, London into the Blount family of Shropshire, contributing journal articles and giving papers at academic conferences and has appeared as an expert on television, including programmes for Sky Arts and the National Geographic channel.  Find out more as her website http://elizabethnorton.co.uk/ and find her on Twitter @ENortonHistory

Plantagenet Queens & Consorts Family, Duty and Power, by Dr Steven J. Corvi

New on Amazon UK

What unacknowledged theme can be found across 250 years of English history? What thread runs throughout the Plantagenet Royal House, including as it does the ‘cadet’ houses of Lancaster and York, to the beginning of the Modern Period in 1485? It is the influence on events of the royal women; in particular, the queens. Without children, there is no dynasty, no ‘house’. 

Plantagenet Queens and Consorts examines the lives and influence of ten figures, comparing their different approaches to the maintenance of political power in what is always described as a man’s world. On the contrary, there is strong evidence to suggest that these women had more political impact than those who came later – with the exception of Elizabeth I – right up to the present day. 

Beginning with Eleanor of Provence, loyal spouse of Henry III, the author follows the thread of queenship: Philippa of Hainault, Joan of Navarre, Katherine Valois, Elizabeth Woodville, and others, to Henry VII’s Elizabeth of York. 

These are not marginal figures. Arguably, the ‘She-Wolf ’, Isabella of France, had more impact on the history of England than her husband Edward II. Elizabeth of York was the daughter, sister, niece, wife, and mother of successive kings of England. As can be seen from the names, several are ostensibly ‘outsiders’ twice over, as female and foreign. With specially commissioned photographs of locations and close examination of primary sources, Steven Corvi provides a new and invigorating perspective on medieval English (and European) history.

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About the Author

Dr Steven J. Corvi has presented papers at West Point, to the War Studies Society, King's College London and Fort Hays State University. He researches and teaches the late English medieval period with a special emphasis on the Wars of the Roses and English Queenship. He regularly teaches graduate courses in British and European History. He has created seminar courses on English Queenship from Matilda to Elizabeth I. He is the author of three books and has been an advisor and commentator for documentaries produced for The History Channel.