Soyez les bienvenus!

Welcome to my new blog, Writing the Renaissance—a place to make new friends, share the joys and trials of writing fiction, and revel in the glory and grit of life in Renaissance France.

I hope to share with you my fascination and admiration for the people of the sixteenth century. This amazing era saw the explosion of print technology, the development of the modern state, the construction and embellishment of the châteaux, the rise of humanist learning, the clash of religious ideologies, the imitation and importation of Italian art and architecture…The individuals involved in these developments—King François I, Catherine de Medici, Marguerite de Navarre, Mary Queen of Scots, Erasmus, Rabelais, Louise Labé, Rosso and Primaticcio and Cellini, to name only a few—led lives of glamour and intrigue and accomplishment. Ideas abound for writers of historical fiction!

Interest in the history of the English Tudors is at an all-time high; I'd love to divert some of that interest into neighboring France. Kings Henry VIII and Francois I, separated by only three years in age, were sometimes friends and always rivals; young Anne Boleyn served as lady-in-waiting to François’ wife Queen Claude; Mary Queen of Scots was raised at the French court and ruled for two years as Queen consort to François II before the latter's untimely death. The history of sixteenth-century France is as dramatic as that of England, but not as familiar to American readers. It’s my job to help change that. {s}

So here in my blog I plan to share tidbits of research as well as news about my novel, The Measure of Silence, currently under submission. Measure is the story of Jollande Carlet, a women writer in sixteenth century Lyon who must overcome society’s censure, her own guilt, and a secret vendetta in order to see her poems into print. I’ll also start discussions on craft issues and navigating the world of agents and publishers, as well as anything else you, my readers, might find interesting!

So, once again, welcome! Please be patient with me as I find my feet here in the blogosphere. I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to comment whenever fancy strikes.

A la prochaine fois!