Guest Post and Review: The Queen of Last Hopes: The Story of Margaret of Anjou by Susan Higginbotham

I am excited to have Susan Higginbotham with us today. Susan is one of the finest historical fiction authors, her passion & meticulous research combines to create unforgettable stories! Please give a warm welcome to Susan as she explains why there continues to be a fascination with British Monarchy from centuries ago.


I am not a celebrity watcher. The only time I look at People magazine is when I’m stuck in a waiting room with nothing to read, and since I almost always have a paperback or my Kindle tucked in my purse, that hardly ever happens.

But dead celebrities—or at least dead British royal celebrities—are a different matter altogether. I never tire of them, and my bookshelves are ample testimony to that. Even if I didn’t have the excuse of needing to buy books for research (which, incidentally is such a good excuse, I still think I’m putting one over someone), I’d probably still read everything I can about British royalty, particularly the Plantagenets and the Tudors.

What is it that fascinates me—and so many others—about these people? A lot of it, I suppose, comes from living in the United States, where of course we don’t have any home-grown royals. There’s also the glamour, the allure of reading about a lifestyle where a staff took care of all of the dull minutiae of daily life and where a single garment could feed, house, and cloth a laborer for years.

But that doesn’t really satisfactorily explain my all-consuming interest in these long-dead men and women. After all, the modern-day rich and famous have a lot of glamour in their daily lives as well—and they don’t interest me at all. Nor do living royals for the most part, though I’ll certainly be watching this spring’s royal wedding.

No, for me, credit has to go where credit is due—to the English king and queens themselves, each a distinct individual. There are the strong and the weak kings, the mad kings and the coldly calculating kings. There are the reigning queens, two of whom, Elizabeth I and Victoria, gave their name to an entire era. There are the royal consorts, the royal relations, the royal favorites, some living quietly in the shadows, some as powerful—or more so--than the king himself. There are the men and women who served these monarchs in war and in peace. Some came to glory though their service; some paid for their loyalty with their own lives. And did I mention the royal mistresses?

With this cast of characters, there are so many stories that remain untold, and so many stories that await a fresh retelling. It’s no wonder, then, that as a reader—and as a writer—I just can’t get enough of them.

About the book:
It would be called the Wars of the Roses, but it all began with one woman's fury...

Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England, cannot give up on her husband-even when he goes insane. And as mother to the House of Lancaster's last hope, she cannot give up on her son-even when all England turns against him. This gripping tale of a queen is at its heart a tender tale of love: passionate, for her husband, and motherly, for her only son.

My Rating: 4 / 5

My Thoughts:
Told in first person narrative, Margaret of Anjou comes alive in The Queen of Last Hopes. Susan has also included a few chapters told from the perspective of other Lancansters (William de la Pole, Henry Beaufort, her son Edward and Henry VI) which threw me off the first time but was easy to follow along. Over the years, Margaret has been villianized, but Susan writes her story from a different point of view. Margaret is a daughter, a wife, a mother, she is portrayed in a more sympathetic tone. There were times I thought she appeared too nice, but it was great to see Margaret painted in this new light, Lancastrian rather then the pro-Yorkist propaganda. If you follow the War of the Roses, this book may cause you to question which side you are on! Be forewarned, this is an emotional story, you're going to need kleenex close by.

Guest Post & Giveaway Time with Michelle Moran

I am so honored to have Michelle Moran on the blog today. Not only a fantastic author, she is one of the friendliest authors out there...plus I really really enjoy her blog updates about ancient findings!

Michelle's newest book, Madame Tussaud is set for release this coming Tuesday (February 15th), my review will be out shortly. In the meantime, I have great news for my readers too! Thanks to Michelle, I have a chance to giveaway a signed copy of the book along with and adorable pair of Marie Antoinette cupcake earrings ! After reading Michelle's interesting guest post below, leave a comment telling me if you've ever been to a wax museum & if so where, then fill out the form to enter..easy, peasy.

Please give a warm welcome to Michelle....

MADAME TUSSAUD: The Woman

When most people hear the name Madame Tussaud, the first thing that comes to mind are the eerily lifelike waxworks which crowd her museums throughout the world. But who was the woman behind the name, and what was she like in the flesh?

Madame Tussaud’s story actually began in 18th century Paris. While most people know her from her famous museum in London, it was in France, on the humble Boulevard du Temple, where Marie first got her start as an apprentice in her uncle’s wax museum, the Salon de Cire. At the time, the Boulevard du Temple was crowded with exhibits of every kind. For just a few sous a passerby might attend the opera, watch a puppet show, or visit Henri Charles’ mystifying exhibition The Invisible Girl. The Boulevard was a difficult place to distinguish yourself as an artist, but as Marie’s talent grew for both sculpting and public relations, the Salon de Cire became one of the most popular attractions around. Suddenly, no one could compete with Marie or her uncle for ingenious publicity stunts, and when the royal family supposedly visited their museum, this only solidified what most showmen in Paris already knew — the Salon was an exhibition to watch out for.

But as the Salon’s popularity grew, so did the unusual requests. Noblemen came asking for wax sculptures of their mistresses, women wanted models of their newborn infants, and – most importantly – the king’s sister herself wanted Marie to come to Versailles to be her wax tutor. While this was, in many ways, a dream come true for Marie, it was also a dangerous time to be associated with the royal family. Men like Robespierre, Marat, and Desmoulins were meeting at Marie’s house to discuss the future of the monarchy, and when the Revolution began, Marie found herself in a precarious position. Ultimately, she was given a choice by France’s new leaders: to preserve the famous victims of Madame Guillotine in wax, or be guillotined herself.

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution is the story of Marie’s life during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. Her survival was nothing less than astonishing, and how she survived makes for what I hope is a compelling read.

Visit MichelleMoran.com
Check out Michelle's blog at michellemoran.blogspot.com

Fact vs. Fiction - Day #2 Prisoners in the Palace

I'm excited to have Michaela on the blog today talking about the fact vs. fiction and how her debut, Prisoners in the Palace came to be. Please give a warm welcome to Michaela :)

When I began writing Prisoners in the Palace, I started with biographies. Victoria is one of the most heavily biographed women in the world (!!!) so there are a lot to choose from. But my task is easier because I concentrate on her childhood, usually only a chapter or two in most biographies. Within those chapters, I looked for nuggets to start me thinking… and that’s where the story comes from. The nuggets in this case were the restrictions on her childhood and the dreaded Kensington System which was what her education regimen was called. Since I’m a parent of teenage girls myself, I knew that the life Victoria led would be intolerable to my kids. But the everyday details of her life were fascinating too because they are at once so similar and so different to our lives today. The way I described her schooling, the music she studied, the tutors she had, what she ate, her daily toilette, etc. are all based on fact.

Another nugget was about broadsheets. It turns out in the 1830’s you could print anything you wanted on broad sheets of paper and sell them on the street. They were often used to promote political agendas. When Victoria was Queen, more than one was addressed to her and designed to influence her thinking – much like we might see a full page ad in the New York Times today. I began to think about how dangerous this kind of publicity could be… and my plot emerged.

The challenge writing about a public figure is that you cannot alter the known facts just because it would improve the story. I can’t make Victoria 20 just because I feel like it. Although one of my critique partners insisted it would be amazing if Victoria snuck out of Kensington Palace and had adventures in London, I had to (regretfully) hold my ground. There was no way that someone as protected as she was could ever have slipped away for any length of time. So I created a character, Liza, who could be close to Victoria but who had the freedom to leave the palace. Liza is a ladies’ maid, and I portrayed her life as accurately as I could, based on my research about servants to the aristocracy. The fate of poor Annie, the maid whose place Liza takes, was also based on research about the working poor of London at the time.

It’s ironic that some of the most useful research about this time in London can be found in literature. Dickens and Thackeray were great sources for language and social mores. One of my favorite research tools was a book called What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool. Another amazing tool is a website called www.victorianlondon.org run by Lee Jackson (an author of Victorian mysteries). He has assembled a massive full-text indexed amount of literature and commentary about Victorian London.

Thanks so much Michaela! Don't forget you have a chance to win a copy of Prisoners in the Palace or one of 5 bookmarks:) Click here to enter!

About the book:

London, 1836. Sixteen-year-old Liza's dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady's maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery and treason above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Meticulously based on new interpretations of history, this riveting novel is as rich in historical detail as Catherine, Called Birdy, and as sizzling with intrigue as The Luxe.

Interested in reading the first chapter? That's easy, click here!

You can find out more about Michaela on her: website, blog, Facebook, Twitter

Guest Post by Jen Nadol: The Evolution of Writing

Today I am so excited and honored to have Jen Nadol guest post. Jen is the author of The Mark, her debut novel which was released earler this year and one of my top reads this year! Since she was in the process of editing book two, The Vision, I thought it would be interesting to see what she had learned....

I’d written almost all of this guest post about the evolution of my writing process from book one to book two when I realized it wasn’t telling the right story. I was focused on what changed between The Mark, published in January, and its sequel, Vision, due out in 2011. I hadn’t come up with a whole lot.

That’s because though The Mark is my first published book, it’s not the first one I wrote. To see the real evolution, I have to step further back, to Painted Wings, my real first book.

I started it the week I stopped working to stay home with my first son, writing by the seat of my pants in bits of free time. It’s how I’d always written: grabbing whatever inspired me at the moment and jotting down a scene or a character’s internal dialogue. But I’d never developed any of these fragments into a short story, much less a novel.

For Painted Wings I grabbed on to my current reality: the transition from an adult life out in the world to being at home with a baby. I had no outline and no real idea of a story arc – didn’t even know what a story arc was - and after the first chapter, I had no clue where to go. It showed. The novel was a three-hundred-some page plotless wonder with really boring characters and lots of navel-gazing.

Of course, I didn’t realize that at the time so I submitted it to agents. Without even re-reading it, if I remember right. I might made a cursory attempt at editing, but I was pretty tired of the story by that point. I could barely bring myself to look at it again. It wasn’t really my kind of book anyway – I’m not a big fan of Women’s Fiction.

Painted Wings was never – and never will be – published. Its value was in everything I learned during the painful submission process. By the time I was ready to throw in the towel on it – 62 rejections later – I had a much clearer idea how publishing works and what the ingredients of a saleable novel are.

My writing process changed dramatically after that, beginning with step one: The Idea. The “grab anything” method hadn’t worked, so before starting The Mark, I tossed around a bunch of ideas until I hit on one – what if you knew it was someone’s day to die - with enough interest, conflict and potential for action to carry two- to three-hundred pages.

I might have been able to turn Painted Wings’ I used to have a career, now I’m home into that…rather than having the character come to terms with it internally, she could have started a business or gone back to work against her family’s wishes or joined a cult of voodoo practicing witches. But none of that sounds very interesting to me (except maybe the witches). That’s the other thing I learned about The Idea – it has to be something I’d want to read, not just something I know about.

I also outlined The Mark. Not in a hugely structured way, but enough that I knew where it would start, end and a bunch of key scenes in between. Painted Wings taught me that I’m not a good seat-of-my-pants writer. If I don’t know what happens next, I write a bunch of meandering garbage that winds up deleted. Or worse, not deleted. Now, I spend my daily mental downtime – showering, driving, cleaning – thinking about plot alternatives so by the time I sit down to write, I know what will happen in the next scene.

Even that doesn’t always work, of course. The Mark took eight months to write and twenty-six to revise. What I didn’t learn from book one to book two was how to edit effectively. It’s a part of the process I hadn’t been through with Painted Wings since that manuscript never made it to the stage where a practiced editor could tell me what was flat or too wordy or unnecessary or underdeveloped. That’s where my writing process has evolved the most between The Mark and Vision. Now, even as I’m writing, my subconscious is asking: is there a clearer way to say this? What does this word/line/paragraph add to the story? Is the emotion tangible here? Didn’t you already use this word two or three times? I process things differently. Plenty of after-the-draft editing still needs to be done, but Vision sold with four months of edits rather than two-plus-years worth.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be major changes after the book’s been bought. I still had to re-write about a third of Vision post-sale, about the same as on The Mark. But they were more big-picture editorial: changing the MC’s age or refocusing the story on a more compelling plot line.

Maybe by book three, I’ll be able to spot this stuff, too.
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I can't wait for Vison, thanks so much Jen!

About the book:

Sixteen-year old Cassie Renfield has seen the mark since forever: a glow around certain people as if a candle were held behind their back.

The one time she pointed it out taught her not to do it again, so Cassie has kept quiet, considering its rare appearances odd, but insignificant. Until the day she watches a man die. Mining her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person's imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Cassie searches her past, her philosophy lessons, even her new boyfriend for answers, always careful to hide her secret. How does the mark work? Why her?

Most importantly, if you know today is someone's last, should you tell?

About the author:

I grew up in Reading, PA, hometown of John Updike, Taylor Swift and fellow YA author A.S. King (nope, didn't know any of them).

I went to college at American University in Washington DC, graduated with a BA in Literature, then spent the next twelve years doing something totally unrelated to pay the bills.

Now I live north of NYC in an old farmhouse with my husband and three young sons. I am thrilled to finally be writing, the thing I always meant to do. For more information check out www.jennadolbooks.com

Under My Skin - Mini Guide to Beasties

Judith sure loves her beasties.. the poor town of Redgrave is overcome with them! I thought it would be fun to have her give you a little taste of what you'll find in Under My Skin....

Redgrave’s Beasties

As you’ve mentioned, Mel, Under My Skin (UMS) features a smorgasbord of paranormal beasties converging on one small northern Alberta town, Redgrave. Here’s the quick and dirty lowdown on the key creatures that roam the pages of my little gothic tale.

Wolven

In UMS, my main character, Eryn is a shapeshifter, part-wolven/part-human. They are born, not made. Wolven is a term I created for her species, but it’s basically the same as lycan, which is more familiar – humans shifting to wolf form. The difference between wolven and lycan is pretty great. Most wolven (with the exception of those like Eryn’s mother – those who feel more human than wolf) live the majority of their lives as wolves. That has huge impact on their human interactions; it affects their motivations and lifestyles.

I wanted to emphasise this fact, so wolven they became.

Eryn doesn’t know much about wolven strengths/weaknesses and therefore neither does the reader. But Eryn’s learning fast. ;)

Werewolves

Werewolves are very different from wolven. In the Skinned world, they are forged with dark magicks and ruled by their creator (usually a demon, vampire, or other strong supernatural being). They’re hell hounds, creatures without thought – acting on command and ruled by both their master and lunar cycles. When not killing, they rest in stasis, hiding in underground dens until the next full moon. At that time they awaken and serve the violent needs of their masters. They are filled with bloodlust. Bites do not themselves cause a human to turn. This can only be accomplished if the human is marked according to paranorm law, and then bitten. Without the mark, the bite only wounds or kills – it doesn’t spark the change.

And poor Redgrave is overrun with these nasty creatures. Yikes!

Vampires

No paranormal story is complete without a resident vamp, and Redgrave has a few in high places. Logan Gervais, the town’s chief of police, and his progeny, Wade, are taking the town, and Eryn, by storm. In the Redgrave world, vampires have the same rules as most vamp lore – they can’t be in direct sunlight, they drink human blood, and they can influence people with mind control.

Witches

There are several key witch characters in UMS. They work positive magic; their power isn’t used to harm. There are no warlocks – a witch is a witch – either male or female. However, witches rarely birth sons and when they do…look out – those boys have more than their share of power. Witches and wolven don’t get along (some pesky servitude thing from way back), so sparks are sure to fly if they’re left alone together. Maybe that’s why Wade and Eryn have such chemistry.

However, Wade is an oddity as far as vamps go. He’s the male child of a witch, and he inherited her power after he was turned. He has special abilities. He can walk in the sun, and Logan exploits this to his advantage. He thinks he has Wade under his black-nailed thumb. Humph. Too bad Wade’s developing a mind of his own.

Windigo

This creature of aboriginal lore is a shapeshifting, man-eating giant that lives in the North because its heart is made of ice. Legend has it that windigo were once human hunters who became lost in the snow and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Once they’d had a taste of human flesh, they became ravenous beasts. The more humans they eat, the bigger they get.

Luckily Alec Delacroix comes from a long line of shamans and hunters. He and his brother, Matt, manage to take down the windigo who killed their father. But will Alec be able to trust Eryn – to accept her ability to shapeshift like these crazed beasts?

Wolves

While not paranormal in any way, I did research wolf behaviour to incorporate their traits into Eryn’s character. There are many reasons my girl’s got attitude, hates authority figures, is competitive, etc. It’s in her genes, man!

Luckily, my husband’s cousin, Joe, is a Ranger working in Jasper National Park. He took this pic of a wolf he encountered while on a hike in the mountains.

 Joe was also kind enough to provide me with some stats on wolves in Alberta:

•  Wolves in Canada, particularly in Alberta, have it pretty good compared to wolves in the U.S. They don’t have to live in sanctuaries. We have plenty of wilderness for our wolves to explore.
•  The largest wolves are found in the northwest (Yukon, Northern British Columbia, and Alberta). Historic range is/was all of Canada and most of North America.
•  Average weight is about 45kg but can get up to 80kg.
•  They’re believed to mate for life and have an average of 6 young.
•  It’s believed that the species does not have an inborn tendency to kill but rather is born with certain behaviour patterns that allow it to learn to kill (i.e. they learn to kill from their parents.)
•  They hunt for prey through direct scent, chance encounter, and tracking. They are quite coordinated in their attack. I recall watching a pack hunt elk. One wolf acted as a decoy and essentially chased a bunch of elk into an ambush. Others were waiting in a series of thickets.

So there you have it. A bit of “real” info on wolves and some lore behind UMS. I hope this intro into the creatures of the Skinned series was of interest. NOTE: There are still lots of creatures to make themselves known.
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Now that you've had a glimpse into her world, what do you think?

Book Lovers Inc and Guest Post with Swati Avasthi

Have you guys been over to the amazing  Book Lovers Inc blog yet? You'll find at least one post a day (well, maybe not on weekends) and lots of fun stuff like interviews, guest posts & giveaways from author from EVERY genre.

I feel honored to be in charge of entertaining readers with the Wednesday YA posts. For those that have vistited, thanks & I hope you're enjoying it! For those of you who have yet to check us out, what are you waiting for? LOL

Today's post is an interview with author, Swati Avasthi. Her debut book, Split, is released on Tuesday, March 9th. Come by, say HI and leave a comment supporting Swati :) Click here for interview!

The premise of Split seems despressing, making me hesitant to read BUT after reading her guest post I so want to read this. I am a a huge happily ever after fan so the dometic violence aspect will be a hard pill to swallow. Books that make you think however intrigue me and I beleive this could surprise me in a good way.

Book Lovers Inc & Guest Post!

Have you guys been over to the amazing  Book Lovers Inc blog yet? You'll find at least one post a day (well, maybe not on weekends) and lots of fun stuff like interviews, guest posts & giveaways from author from EVERY genre.

I feel honored to be in charge of entertaining readers with the Wednesday YA posts. For those that have vistited, thanks & I hope you're enjoying it! For those of you who have yet to check us out, what are you waiting for? LOL

Today's post was really fun. Alexandra Diaz, author of Of All Stupid Things, stops by to talk about her schooling background & how it affected her writing.

Come by, say HI and tell us how high school was for you! Click here for guest post!

Guest Post and Review: Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick

It is my pleasure to have Helen Hollick, author of the King Arthur trilogy: The Kingmaking, Pendragon's Banner and Shadow of the King with us today.



So why did I write a trilogy about King Arthur? Well first of all, when I was writing I had no idea that my meagre scribbling was going to take me to the dizzy heights of an actual book let alone a whole trilogy!

I became interested in King Arthur after reading Mary Stewart’s Hollow Hills. What fascinated me was her author’s note, where she pointed out that if Arthur had been a real person (that is not established fact, sadly) he is more likely to have lived in Britain during the post Roman era, circa 450 – 550 AD. I had always assumed Arthur belonged in the “Knights in Armour” Medieval 11th – 12th Century, which, apart from Sharon Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels, I have never had much interest in.

So to put Arthur in a Romano British slot excited me tremendously. I researched more detail, using respected authors such as Glastonbury-based Geoffrey Ashe, Leslie Alcock, John Morris and the excellent Osprey Men-At-Arms series (I’m not sure if these books are now in print – my original research was way back in the mid 70’s to 80’s). I also continued researching Roman Britain – a period I had grown to love because of Rosemary Sutcliff’s superb Roman novels for teenagers (Eagle of the Ninth, Frontier Wolf, Mark of the Horse Lord etc).

For visual aid I visited several locations in the United Kingdom – Glastonbury Tor, several Iron Age hill forts (including Cadbury Castle in Somerset, thought to be the original Camelot). In Wales, we camped beside the river Wye for a few days, which is where I wrote the river scene where Arthur is fishing. From Cornwall to Scotland I and my family visited anywhere that had a remote link to the legends of Arthur. For my daughter, who was then quite young, it was an excellent way to learn about history!

I had always wanted to write. I began with pony stories then moved to science fiction and fantasy. This was the time of Star Wars (first time round!) & Dr Who with Tom Baker as the Doctor. Hooked on Arthur, I switched to history and started my own novel, but I never got very far. The most I wrote was three chapters before binning it.

I was also reading fiction about Arthur but Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon annoyed me – I just did not see her Guinevere as I envisioned her. So I decided to write the story of Arthur I saw her. Again, I did not get far until it dawned on me that I was trying (unsuccessfully) to write the thing from Gwenhwyfar’s point of view. If I was to write it more from Arthur’s….

I was accepted by a UK agent a week after my 40th birthday (I am now 56!) I went to her office to talk about the manuscript and she told me “You do realise you have a trilogy here?”. Talk about knock me down with a feather! The manuscript I’d submitted, and was snatched up by William Heinemann (Random House UK) turned out to became The Kingmaking and half of Pendragon’s Banner.

Shadow of the King was the hardest to write…. But more about that next time!

Main Website: www.helenhollick.net
Blog profiles: www.acorne.blogspot.com
Muse and Views Blog: www.helenhollick.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/helen.hollick
Monthly Journal: www.helenhollick.net/journal.html

Thanks to Helen for taking the time to give us a little insight into the beginnings of her King Arthur trilogy.
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...and thanks to Sourcebooks for allowing one copy for my followers! For your chance to win a copy of Pendragon's Banner, click here.

My thoughts:

King Arthur is in a constant struggle not only on the battlefield but also amongst his council. Arthur's attempt at creating alliances and providing land rather then battle is a weakness to them. For years, Arthur is without a stronghold, always on the move to defend his Kingship.

Arthur not only has to fight on the battlefield, he has two women scheming for the throne. Winifred, King Arthur's first wife and mother to his son Cerdic, is determined her son will be next in line and refuses to acknowledge their divorce. Morgause, his father's mistress, is a manipulative woman constantly plotting against Arthur.

Over the years King Arthur and his wife, Gyenhwyfar, struggle with the time apart, having children (and losing them). Gwenhwyfar is a beautiful and clever women who can put up a good fight (just ask Arthur!). Helen makes Arthur and Gyenhwyfar come alive with passion and I love that we get to see Arthur in a different light.

Helen Hollick has an amazing ability to paint the perfect picture with her descriptive prose. Though I had not read the first book of the trilogy (which is about to change soon!), I had no problem following the story. The third book,Shadow of the King, is to be released in March 2010 and I look forward to continuing the journey.