Silver Medal, Historical Novel Society 2024 First Chapters Competition

 

Many thanks to the second round judges who awarded my manuscript DAUGHTER OF ENVY the Silver Medal in the Ancient to 16th Century Category of the Historical Novel Society 2024 First Chapters Competition! I am humbled and beyond pleased to accept this award. It is gratifying to know that experts in historical fiction found the chapters well-written and engaging; I hope publishers will, too! Just the boost I needed to move full-speed ahead with my current manuscript, a dual-timeline mystery novel set in Amboise in 1560 and 1989 and centered around the conspiracy that attempted to kidnap the king.

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations,

Mercwrites!

You have won a paperback copy of Mary Sharratt's

THE DARK LADY'S MASK.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to all who entered!

Winners of THE PRICE OF BLOOD Giveaway

The winners of the random drawing for Patricia Bracewell's books have been chosen.

Linda has won a copy of THE PRICE OF BLOOD.

Marsha Lambert has won SHADOW ON THE CROWN.

I will contact the winners by email to obtain mailing addresses for the publisher.

My apologies for the delay in announcing the winners. Thanks to Viking Books for sponsoring the contest and to all who entered. I hope you all find the opportunity to enjoy Patricia Bracewell's marvelous books.

Winner of GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN Giveaway

The winner of Marci Jefferson's GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN plus a pair of pearl drop earrings is

cyn209

Congratulations! I will be contacting you to get your mailing address to forward to Marci.

Thank you to all who entered. And many, many congratulations to Marci on the publication of her first novel!

GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN is now available in bookstores and online in all the usual locations.

Cover Reveal Contest: Susan Spann's BLADE OF THE SAMURAI

Once again, it's cover reveal time. Susan Spann, author of CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur, July 2013), just received the cover art for her second novel, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI (Minotaur, July 2014), and it is breathtaking! But in true ninja fashion, Susan refuses to reveal it all at once. Instead, she's parceled it out in tantalizing chunks. You must travel--stealthily, of course--from blog to blog and piece it all together. Here is the portion she shared with me:

To whet your appetite even further, here's a description of the story (which I've read and enjoyed even more than I did CLAWS OF THE CAT!):

June, 1565: Master ninja Hiro Hattori receives a pre-dawn visit from Kazu, a fellow shinobi working undercover at the shogunate. Hours before, the Shogun's cousin, Saburo, was stabbed to death in the Shogun's palace. The murder weapon: Kazu's personal dagger. Kazu says he's innocent, and begs for Hiro's help, but his story gives Hiro reason to doubt the young shinobi's claims.

When the Shogun summons Hiro and Father Mateo, the Jesuit priest under Hiro's protection, to find the killer, Hiro finds himself forced to choose between friendship and personal honor.  

The investigation reveals a plot to assassinate the Shogun and overthrow the ruling Ashikaga clan. With Lord Oda's enemy forces approaching Kyoto, and the murderer poised to strike again, Hiro must use his assassin’s skills to reveal the killer’s identity and protect the Shogun at any cost. Kazu, now trapped in the city, still refuses to explain his whereabouts at the time of the murder. But a suspicious shogunate maid, Saburo's wife, and the Shogun's stable master also had reasons to want Saburo dead. With the Shogun demanding the murderer's head before Lord Oda reaches the city, Hiro and Father Mateo must produce the killer in time ... or die in his place.

Now, to reward her faithful and intrepid ninja readers, Susan has devised a contest. If you leave a comment on any of the five reveal tour posts this week, you'll be entered into a drawing to win one of three fun prizes--and yes, multiple comments means multiple entries, though there's a limit of one comment per person per blog post and a limit of one prize per person. The prizes include a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble, a ninja mug, and a set of ninjabread men cookie cutters:

(Because, as Susan says, all cookies secretly want to be ninjas.)

So visit Kerry Shaefer's Swimming North to comment on yesterday's cover art snapshot and Heather Webb's Between the Sheets for tomorrow's. On Friday, you can view the entire cover reassembled on Susan's blog. All comments must be left on participating blogs before midnight Pacific Time on Sunday, October 27, 2013. Limit one prize per person. Limit one eligible comment per blog post, for a total maximum of five entries per person.

May the Force be with you. (Oh wait, wrong book.) Gabarimasu! Good luck and have fun!

BLADE OF THE SAMURAI: A Shinobi Mystery can be preordered here.

Cover Reveal Tour: Marci Jefferson's GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN, A NOVEL OF FRANCES STUART

Today I am pleased to participate in friend Marci Jefferson's cover release blog tour and contest. Her novel, GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN, A NOVEL OF FRANCES STUART, will release on February 11, 2014 from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press. If you pre-order this week and comment on Marci's blog, you'll be entered in a drawing for a pair of sterling silver pearl-drop earrings like the ones Frances wears on the book's elegant cover (be prepared to present your receipt).

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

Impoverished and exiled to the French countryside after the overthrow of the English Crown, Frances Stuart survives merely by her blood-relation to the Stuart Royals. But in 1660, the Restoration of Stuart Monarchy in England returns her family to favor. Frances discards threadbare gowns and springs to gilded Fontainebleau Palace, where she soon catches King Louis XIV’s eye. But Frances is no ordinary court beauty, she has Stuart secrets to keep and people to protect. The king turns vengeful when she rejects his offer to become his Official Mistress. He banishes her to England with orders to seduce King Charles II and stop a war.

Armed in pearls and silk, Frances maneuvers through the political turbulence of Whitehall Palace, but still can’t afford to stir a scandal. Her tactic to inspire King Charles to greatness captivates him. He believes her love can make him an honest man and even chooses Frances to pose as Britannia for England’s coins. Frances survives the Great Fire, the Great Plague, and the debauchery of the Restoration Court, yet loses her heart to the very king she must control. Until she is forced to choose between love or war.

On the eve of England’s Glorious Revolution, James II forces Frances to decide whether to remain loyal to her Stuart heritage or, like England, make her stand for Liberty. Her portrait as Britannia is minted on every copper coin. There she remains for generations, an enduring symbol of Britain’s independent spirit and her own struggle for freedom.

ADVANCE PRAISE

"In her wonderfully evocative debut, Girl on the Golden Coin, Marci Jefferson recreates the fascinating story of Frances Stuart, whose influence over England's Charles II became the talk of a nation. As vibrant and delightful as the woman it's based on, Girl on the Golden Coin is a jewel of a novel!"
—Michelle Moran, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Empress and Madame Tussaud 

"Beauty is not always a blessing, as young Frances Stuart finds out when her lovely face pits her between the desires and politics of rival kings Louis XIV and Charles II. Frances makes an appealing heroine, by turns wary and passionate, sophisticated and innocent, as she matures from destitute young pawn to the majestic duchess whose figure would grace Britain's coins for centuries. Her struggles to support her loved ones, uncover her family secrets, and somehow find a life of her own amid the snake-pit courts of the Sun King and the Merry Monarch make for lively, entertaining reading in this lush Restoration novel by debut author Marci Jefferson."
—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of Mistress of Rome

"Girl on the Golden Coin is a fantastic novel. I couldn’t put it down. The plot is fast-paced and compelling, with intriguing characters, lush settings and captivating narrative voice. Jefferson’s debut paints an intriguing portrait of Frances Stuart, a novel worthy of the determined, golden spirit of the woman whose face became the model for Britannia herself."
—Susan Spann, author of Claws of the Cat

FIND IT HERE

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Amazon

Goodreads

Cover Reveal: BECOMING JOSEPHINE by Heather Webb

Friend and author Heather Webb's debut novel, BECOMING JOSEPHINE, will be published by Penguin/Plume on December 31, 2013. I was honored to be one of the beta readers for Heather's novel, an exciting read which traces the rise of Creole beauty Rose Tascher from impoverished plantation daughter to Empress of France. Today Heather reveals the novel's cover and invites readers to stop by her blog to enter a gift card giveaway.

Heather writes: BECOMING JOSEPHINE is my debut historical about Napoleon’s empress, a woman in search of eternal love and stability, and ultimately her search for self. It releases December 31, 2013 from Plume/Penguin. Stop by my blog Between the Sheets and leave a comment for a chance to win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble or a $20 gift card to Amazon. Pre-order my novel (present a receipt) and win a Josephine hand mirror with a velvet bag.

PRE-ORDER
Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, or Amazon

ABOUT THE BOOK
Rose Tascher sails from her Martinique plantation to Paris to trade her Creole black magic culture for love and adventure. She arrives exultant to follow her dreams of attending Court with Alexandre, her elegant aristocrat and soldier husband. But Alexandre dashes her hopes and abandons her amid the tumult of the French Revolution.

Through her savoir faire, Rose secures her footing in high society, reveling in handsome men and glitzy balls—until the heads of her friends begin to roll.

After narrowly escaping death in the blood-drenched cells of Les Carmes prison, she reinvents herself as Josephine, a socialite of status and power. Yet her youth is fading, and Josephine must choose between a precarious independence and the love of an awkward suitor. Little does she know, he would become the most powerful man of his century--Napoleon Bonaparte.
 
BECOMING JOSEPHINE is a novel of one woman’s journey to find eternal love and stability, and ultimately to find herself.

ADVANCE PRAISE
BECOMING JOSEPHINE has been featured in a Wall Street Journal piece on the popularity of historical fiction featuring the wives of famous men.

“Heather Webb’s epic novel captivates from its opening in a turbulent plantation society in the Caribbean, to the dramatic rise of one of France’s most fascinating women: Josephine Bonaparte. Perfectly balancing history and story, character and setting, detail and pathos, Becoming Josephine marks a debut as bewitching as its protagonist." –Erika Robuck, author of HEMINGWAY'S GIRL

“With vivid characters and rich historical detail, Heather Webb has portrayed in Josephine a true heroine of great heart, admirable strength, and inspiring courage whose quest is that of women everywhere: to find, and claim, oneself.”--Sherry Jones, bestselling author of THE JEWEL OF MEDINA

“Josephine's warmth and complexity comes to vibrant life in this fascinating novel rich with vivid historical detail."—Teresa Grant, author of THE PARIS AFFAIR

"Vivid and passionate, BECOMING JOSEPHINE captures the fiery spirit of the woman who stole Napoleon’s heart and enchanted an empire. –Susan Spann, author of CLAWS OF THE CAT

“Spellbinding . . . Heather Webb’s novel takes us behind the mask of the Josephine we thought we knew.” –Christy English, author of HOW TO TAME A WILLFUL WIFE and TO BE QUEEN

“Enchanting prose takes the reader on an unforgettable journey . . . Captivating young Rose springs from the lush beauty of her family's sugar plantation in Martinique to shine in the eighteenth century elegance of Parisian salon society. When France is torn by revolution, not even the blood-bathed terror of imprisonment can break her spirit.” –Marci Jefferson, author of GIRL ON THE GOLD COIN

Winner of the Historical Holiday Blog Hop Prize

And the winner of C.W. Gortner's THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI is......

brbalwys 

Congratulations to our winner and thanks to everyone who visited Writing the Renaissance during

 the Historical Holiday Blog Hop.

Happy Holidays!

Come back soon!

Historical Holiday Blog Hop Giveway!

Welcome to the First Annual Historical Holiday Blog Hop hosted by Passages to the Past! I have a new, hardback copy of C.W. Gortner's THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI to offer one lucky winner here at Writing the Renaissance. I reviewed THE CONFESSIONS back when it was released in 2010 and can assure you it would make a fine gift for that lover of historical fiction on your list. Or keep it yourself and read it curled up in front of a crackling fire with a warm cup of cocoa!

To enter the random drawing, please leave a comment below with your email contact information. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 pm ET on December 17. Winner will be posted sometime December 18. Open to continental US entrants only.

But don't stop here! Dozens of other bloggers are participating in this hop, each hosting a giveaway at her site. Go the Passages to the Past for the complete list and get busy hopping!

While you're at it, be sure to leave a comment at Passages to the Past to enter the drawing for one of four grand prize packages. Your favorite historical fiction authors have donated books, many of them signed:

1. Oleanna by Julie Rose (pb)
2. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell (pb)

3. Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell (Audio Books)

4. The King's Daughter by Barbara Kyle (pb)

5. The King's Concubine by Anne O'Brien (pb)

6. Royal Romances: Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe by Leslie Carroll (pb)

7. The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell (pb)

8. The September Queen by Gillian Bagwell (pb)

9. The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick (pb) *w/signed bookplate

10. The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick (pb) *w/signed bookplate

11. Sea Witch by Helen Hollick (pb) *w/signed bookplate

12. Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell (pb)

13. Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell (pb)

14. The Queen's Vow by Christopher Gortner (pb, UK edition)

15. Into the Path of Gods (Book 1, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (pb)

16. In the Shadow of Dragons (Book 2, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (pb)

17. The Anvil Stone (Book 3, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (hc)

18. A Land Beyond Ravens (Book 4, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (hc) 

19. Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth (pb)

20. The Rose of York: Love & War by Sandra Worth (pb)
21. A Dance of Manners (A Regency Anthology) by Susan Flanders, Cynthia Breeding, Kristi Ahlers, Gerri Bowen and Erin Hatton (pb)
22. The Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose (hc)
23. The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan (pb)  
24.  Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland (signed pb)
25.  The Master of Verona by David Blixt (hc)
26. Before Versailles by Karleen Koen (pb)
27. Four Sisters, All Queens by Sherry Jones (pb)
28. At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Barnhill (pb)
29. What You Long For by Anne Barnhill (pb)
30. Cascade by Maryanne O'Hara (signed hc)
31. The Lady's Slipper by Deborah Swift (pb, UK edition)
32. The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman (signed pb)
33. The Secret Keeper by Sandra Byrd (pb, with Tower of London Tea Sachets) 
34. The Mischief of the Mistletoe (2 copies - 1 pb, 1 hc - both signed)
35. The Sister Queens by Sophie Perinot
36. The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Thornton (pb w/bookmark)
37. The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith (pb)
38. Illuminations by Mary Sharratt (hc)
39. Selene of Alexandria by Faith L. Justice (2 copies - 1 pb, 1 eBook)
40. A Thing Done by Tinney Sue Heath (2 copies, pb)
41. Rebel Puritan by Jo Ann Butler (pb)
42. The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen (audio cd's)
43. By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan (2 copies, pb)
44. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan (ARC, courtesy of Penguin Publishing)
45. Above All Things by Tanis Rideout (ARC, courtesy of Penguin Publishing)
46. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh (ARC, courtesy of Penguin Publishing)
47. Movement of Stars by Amy Brill (ARC, courtesy of Penguin Publishing)
48. Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri (ARC, courtesy of Penguin Publishing)
49. The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry (hc)
50. The Virgin Queen's Daughter by Ella March Chase (pb)
51. Three Maids for a Crown by Ella March Chase (pb) 
52. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn (pb) 
53. The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan (ARC)
54. The Sign of the Weeping Virgin by Alana White
55. A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick (pb)
56. The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau (signed pb)
57. Second Lisa by Veronica Knox 

Complete contest rules are available at Passages to the Past. Many thanks to the amazing Amy Bruno for organizing the hop.

Thanks for visiting Writing the Renaissance. I hope you'll stay and look around a bit now, or come back soon for a longer visit. Happy reading!

Bookmark Winner

The winner of the lovely pressed-flower bookmark offered by Elizabeth Loupas to celebrate the publication of THE FLOWER READER is

Rachel (rachelhwallen)

Congratulations, Rachel! I will email you for your postal mail address to forward to Elizabeth. Thank you to all who entered.

Please remember THE FLOWER READER when you're looking for a new book.

It's the perfect springtime read!

History or Fiction? Guest Post by Elizabeth Loupas

When choosing historical fiction, do you migrate towards books whose protagonists were actual historical personages, or do you prefer fictional characters placed in a historical setting? Author Elizabeth Loupas, whose second novel, THE FLOWER READER, goes on sale today, has written both types. The protagonist of Elizabeth's first novel, THE SECOND DUCHESS (NAL 2011), was Barbara of Austria, the true-life second wife of Alfonso II d'Este, the duke of Ferrara. THE FLOWER READER brings to life Rinette Leslie, a fictional sixteenth-century Scottish noblewoman who is able to foresee the future by reading flowers. In today's guest post, Elizabeth discusses her own preferences in the historical versus fictional protagonist debate.

___________________________________________________

Historical? Or Fiction? Or both?

by Elizabeth Loupas

Some readers of historical fiction are suspicious of fictional characters introduced into historical settings. Is the fictional character created as a device to tell the story of a famous historical personage? Will she (or he) spend every scene listening at doors and peeping through peepholes? (We know all those Renaissance palaces were riddled with peepholes and secret passages.) Will the author resort to convoluted machinations to justify the fictional character’s presence whenever something important happens to the historical personage? Why not simply let the historical personage tell her (or his) own story?

A good question. And what I like to call “biographical fiction” can be wonderful and satisfying. Margaret George’s novels of historical women are good examples (Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles, The Memoirs of Cleopatra, Mary Called Magdalene, Elizabeth I), as is Susan Kay’s unforgettable Legacy and debut author Sophie Perinot’s The Sister Queens, to mention only a tiny few. A meticulously researched and carefully imagined historical “biography” can be both enriching and entertaining.

But sometimes I just want a book with more story. I want plot and drama and excitement and adventure and romance. The real lives of well-known historical personages don’t always include these elements, and trying to add them in by fictionalizing love affairs, conspiracies and betrayals, secret lives as detectives, or magical vampire or zombie powers (no, I’m not kidding, although of course you already know that), aren’t usually very satisfying. Building a story around a fictional character who lives in the same world as a historical personage offers a blank canvas, and for me, anyway, gives much more scope for storytelling.

I think the trick, if one is going to use a fictional protagonist, is to make the fictional character truly the center of the story, with his or her own desires and needs, passions and hurts and joys and sorrows. The historical personages must be supporting characters—and you know, that gives the writer a chance to really look at a historical personage in a fresh, slightly different way. A not-such-a-big-deal way. Because history looks back and sometimes makes individuals more dramatically central than they very well may have been in their own time.

I love all kinds of historical fiction, both with and without fictional protagonists. It’s the history that makes it magical—the sense-drenched presence of another time and place. I love to find new ways to look at real personages from history, to read about them clothed in flesh and blood and flaws and foibles and not as just as names in history books. But I also love the idea that there may be people—call them fictional characters if you will—we’ve never met and stories we’ve never heard before, living their lives around the edges of known history.

The Flower Reader makes its fictional protagonist Rinette Leslie central to her own story, and takes a glancing look at Mary Stuart in the process. For more information, visit Elizabeth Loupas’s website at www.elizabethloupas.com.

__________________________________________________

I reviewed THE FLOWER READER here a few weeks ago. No need for flowers for me to predict that you'll be swept up in Elizabeth's imaginative yet historically-grounded story!

To celebrate the publication of THE FLOWER READER, Elizabeth has generously offered to supply a handmade bookmark to one lucky reader. The custom-made bookmark is signed and numbered by flower artist Lesley Hegewald and made of real pressed flowers and leaves. Elizabeth will include a note identifying the flowers used and explaining their meaning in Rinette's lush world of floromancy.

If you are interested in entering the drawing, please comment on this post with your email address. Entries may be posted until 11 pm PST on Sunday, April 14, 2012. Winner's name, chosen at random, will be posted on Monday, April 15. Good luck, and best wishes to Elizabeth on her launch day.

Winner of THE IRISH PRINCESS

I apologize for missing the promised posting date for the winner of the giveaway of Karen Harper's THE IRISH PRINCESS. I went away for the weekend, and believe it or not, endured both a flat tire AND a dead battery, which kept me from home an additional day.

So now, let me put an end to the suspense.....The winner of Karen's latest novel is

Carol N. Wong

Congratulations, Carol, and thanks to all who entered! Be sure to look for Karen's book at your neighborhood or online bookseller. Come back after you've read it and tell us what you think!

Winners of TWILIGHT OF AVALON

Here are the winners of the drawings for Anna Elliott's novels.

TWILIGHT OF AVALON:

Terry

DARK MOON OF AVALON:

Betty Lindholm Navta

Congratulations!

I hope you'll enjoy the books.

Many thanks to all who entered,

and to Touchstone for supplying copies of Anna's novels.

Winner: FOR THE KING

The winner of Catherine Delors's

FOR THE KING

is

Debbie from Deb's Desk

Congratulations!

Debbie, please send your mailing address to

juliannedouglas05 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net.

Thanks to everyone for entering the drawing.

Enjoy this marvelous read, then help spread the word!

Winner of CATHERINE DE MEDICI

The winner of C.W. Gortner's

THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI

is

Marta Hoelscher

Congratulations!

Marta, please send an email to juliannedouglas05 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net with your snail mail address and I'll have the book sent out to you.

Thanks to everyone for entering the drawing!

Review (and GIVEAWAY!): THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI by C.W. Gortner

For Henri of Navarre, the future Henri IV, Paris was worth a Mass; for lovers of historical fiction interested in sixteenth century France, C. W. Gortner's new novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI (Ballantine) is definitely worth a read.

Narrated in the first person by Catherine herself, the novel attempts to humanize an historical figure long vilified by partisan accounts of her role in the bloody Wars of Religion that rent France asunder during the latter decades of the century. Demonized as a ruthless regent with an unquenchable thirst for power, the historical Catherine has been accused of murdering opponents with impunity, ordering massacres of defenseless Huguenots, and sacrificing her own children in order to maintain her dominion. In contrast to this heartless monster, Gortner creates a Catherine who, though far from cuddly, nurtures a compassion born of her foreignness and her unrequited passion for a husband who spurns her. Though devoted to her children as much as a queen might be, Gortner's Catherine is willing to sacrifice their individual happiness, as well as her own, for the good of her beloved France. Threatened by enemies on all sides and watching the hopes of her house dwindle as one Valois prince after another dies, Catherine struggles to hold the imploding kingdom together through compromise, tolerance, and the dogged pursuit of a vision of religious unity. Far from the malicious "Madame Serpent" of Huguenot proproganda, Catherine becomes France's savior, preserving the tattered country from foreign domination by uniting her Catholic daughter to her Huguenot nephew and preventing the powerful, ultra-Catholic Guise clan from usurping royal powers.

The scope of the novel is broad, covering Catherine's life from the age of ten to the moment of her death in 1589. Gortner handles this span of nearly sixty years with aplomb. He takes us through the tumult of Catherine's childhood in Florence as the lone scion of the now-hated Medicis; her strained marriage with Henri II of France, during which she is forced to share the king with his aging mistress Diane de Poitiers, governess to the royal children; the short reign of Catherine's first son François, during which the Huguenots first march against a crown caught in the unyielding grip of the Catholic Guises; the reign of her son Charles, during which she acts as regent and promotes tolerance towards the heretics even as she fights to keep France free of Spanish domination; and finally the reign of her son Henri III, whose failure to produce an heir brings an end to the Valois line. The task of condensing the life of complex figure who lived during a complicated era is a daunting one but well executed by the author. In order to keep the pace moving, he necessarily condenses and streamlines, but never strays far from the historical record. The events of Catherine's life coincide with important moments in the life of the country; in following Catherine's personal story, the reader comes away with a good understanding of the main trajectory of French history during these critical years.

Gortner keeps the emotional tension high. I felt a keen connection with Catherine, especially during pivotal scenes. Her horror, as the dreadful events of the Eve of Saint Bartholomew spiral out of control, is palpable. Gortner strives to provide an emotional substratum for Catherine's policy decisions. In an interesting and, as far as I can ascertain, historically fanciful twist, he attributes Catherine's lengthy efforts to establish a peaceful coexistence of Catholics and Huguenots to a brief yet intense love affair she has with the leader of the Huguenot cause, Gaspard de Coligny. For too long, Catherine's feelings for Coligny prevent her from recognizing the treachery of his actions and taking adequate precautions against him; as for Coligny, he devotes himself fanatically to his cause once he becomes convinced he has lost Catherine for good. Whether or not this relationship actually occurred between the historical figures, the affair works very well within the economy of the novel. We see Catherine, long repudiated by her husband, validated as a woman by a man who loves her, while the overarching conflict of religious philosophies moves from the realm of the abstract onto an intensely personal and engaging level.

Gortner treats the historical Catherine's purported fluency in the black arts with admirable circumscription. Although she possesses a few amulets and dolls and even a vial or two of poison, she never resorts to using them. She depends on her astrologer Ruggieri solely to determine propitious dates and draw charts for her children; her few meetings with Nostredamus result in his delivery of verses whose import she only understands after the events they describe occur. Rather than determining the course of events through spells and poisonings, Catherine simply receives glimpses of the future, unbidden and often terrifying. When she can, she uses these visions to guide her; when she cannot, they serve to remind the reader that Catherine was as much a pawn of fate as the molder of her own--and her country's--destiny.

THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI is a worthy successor to Gortner's well-received debut, THE LAST QUEEN. I was thrilled to find the world of sixteenth-century France brought to life with such verve and finesse. Readers new to the era will find this an intriguing and accessible introduction, while those cognizant of the history will find in the vivid characterizations and narrative arc much food for thought. I thank Christopher not only for inviting me to read and review his engrossing novel, but for opening up a difficult yet immensely fascinating era to countless eager readers.

********

I'm pleased to be able to give away a copy of THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI to a reader who has made it to the end of this long review! If you would like to enter the random drawing, please comment below with your email address before 11 pm PST on Sunday, June 27. The publisher restricts this contest to readers in the United States and Canada only. The winner's name will be posted by noon on Monday, June 28th. Good luck!

If you would like to learn more about C.W. Gornter's books, please visit his website or his blog, Historical Boys. You can follow the stops on his blog tour at Pump Up Your Book Promotion. Be sure to return here tomorrow to read a wonderful guest post by the author on the relationship between Catherine de Medici and her father-in-law François I.

And the Winner Is...

The winner of Mary Sharratt's novel DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL is....

LindaM

Linda, please send an email to juliannedouglas05 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net with your full name and mailing address. I will forward the info on to Mary's publicist, who will send out your copy of the book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thanks to all who entered!

C.W. Gortner: THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI

Yesterday saw the publication of an exciting new novel of particular interest to lovers of the Renaissance: C. W. Gornter's THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI (Ballantine). Publisher's Weekly calls the book "A remarkably thoughtful interpretation of an unapologetically ruthless queen." Gornter describes the book on his website:

At the age of fourteen, Catherine de Medici, last legitimate descendant of the Medici blood, finds herself betrothed to the King Francois I’s son, Henri. Sent from her native Florence to France, humiliated and overshadowed by her husband’s life-long devotion to his mistress, when tragedy strikes her family Catherine rises from obscurity to become one of 16th century Europe’s most powerful women.

Patroness of Nostradamus and a seer in her own right, accused of witchcraft and murder by her foes, Catherine fights to save France and her children from savage religious conflict, unaware that her own fate looms before her—a fate that will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, reputation, and the passion of her own embattled heart. . .

From the splendors of the Loire palaces to the blood-soaked battles of the Wars of Religion and haunted halls of the Louvre, this is the story of Catherine’s dramatic life, told by the queen herself.

I will be participating in Gornter's official blog tour, which begins on June 1. On Friday, June 11, I will post my review of the book and host a giveaway. The next day, June 12, I will run a guest post the author wrote specifically for Writing the Renaissance about the relationship between Catherine and her father-in-law François I. Be sure to join us! In the meantime, you can watch the book's video trailer.

Now let me get back to reading. Poor François just died and Catherine's husband, Henri, has become King of France...

Stomping for Votes

I need help, especially from those of you who like shoes.

My daughter has entered the Vince Camuto Shoe design contest and has asked me to spread the word:

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY

SHOES!

I entered Vince Camuto's shoe design contest! The winner gets to go to NY, meet him, and GET THEIR SHOES MADE! I really want this

and I appreciate any help I can get! Please help me out and vote for my shoes!

I ONLY HAVE 14 VOTES! Others have over 200! :(

When I last checked, she was up to 28 votes (page 12); it seems the entry moves closer to the contest's home page the more votes it receives (ie. the entries are continually reordered when votes come in). You might have to search a bit to find the picture. Her name is Madeleine Wright and she's a college student hoping to break into the fashion world. If you like her design, please click on the "Vote" box beneath her entry (it will prompt you for an email address, but you can choose not to receive any advertisements from the company). Voting open until May 15, 2010.

Here's the link:

Vince Camuto Shoe Design Contest

THANK YOU!

Love poetry contest winners

Robin Maxwell has announced the winners of the love poetry contest she sponsored to celebrate the publication of her novel O, JULIET. You can read the poems she selected here. Congratulations to the winners and to all who contributed their words on love!