Historical Fiction Two Book Giveaway!

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVERS TO READ MY REVIEWS AND SOURCEBOOKS HAS OFFERED TO SEND TWO READERS A COPY OF EACH BOOK!  YEAH!  GO TO MY CONTEST PAGE TO ENTER AND GOOD LUCK!

Book Review: The Lost Diary of Don Juan

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT

It was a time of discovery and decadence, when life became a gamble and the gold that poured endlessly into the port of Sevilla devalued money, marriage, and love itself. In the midst of these treacherous times, Juan Tenorio is born and then abandoned in the barn of a convent. Raised secretly by the nuns, he learns to love and worship all women and wants nothing more than to be a priest, until he falls in love with one of the sisters. When their affair is discovered, Juan leaves the Church forever. He is soon recruited to be a spy by the powerful Marquis de la Mota, who teaches him to become the world’s greatest libertine and seducer of women. But when he crosses swords with the most powerful man in the Empire, Don Juan must escape the murderous fury of the Inquisitor who battles all forms of debauchery, deviance, and heresy.

It is after knowing countless women that he is convinced by the Marquis to keep a diary, and it is here within its pages that Don Juan reveals his greatest adventures and the Arts of Passion he mastered. But what finally compels him to confess everything and risk losing his life, livelihood, and honor is the most perilous adventure of all — the irresistible fall into the madness of love with the only woman who could ever make him forget all others.

THEMES IN THIS BOOK

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER OF THE LOST DIARY OF DON JUAN TO READ MY REVIEW AND SEE WHAT GRADE I GAVE IT!  MAKE SURE YOU CHECK BACK ON FRIDAY FOR A GUEST POST FROM THE AUTHOR DOUGLAS CARLTON ABRAMS AND A GIVEAWAY!

Book Review: The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

You can enter to win a copy of this book by clicking below!

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT

Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C. W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.

The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus’s discoveries. At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents’ strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII.

Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome young husband, the sole heir to the Habsburg Empire. At first she is content with her children and her life in Flanders. But when tragedy strikes and she inherits the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, her intelligence and pride used as weapons against her, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it could cost her everything.

With brilliant, lyrical prose, novelist and historian C. W. Gortner conjures Juana through her own words, taking the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts ofFlanders, France, and Tudor England. The Last Queen brings to life all the grandeur and drama of an incomparable era, and the singular humanity of this courageous, passionate princess whose fight to claim her birthright captivated the world.

THEMES IN THIS BOOK

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER OF THE LAST QUEEN TO READ MY REVIEW AND SEE WHAT GRADE I GAVE IT.  YOU CAN ALSO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY CLICKING HERE TO ENTER!

Guest Post and Book Giveaway! The Last Queen

I am so pleased and tickled that C. W. Gortner has agreed to do a guest post for me today.  He is also graciously giving away a copy of his new book The Last Queen.  To enter the contest leave C. W. a comment telling him why you would like to read his book.  I will have my review up tomorrow and trust me,  this is a must have!  I will draw a winner on October 3rd.  Good Luck!

Gortner has an M.F.A. in writing from the New College of California and has taught university courses on women of power in the Renaissance.   The Last Queen tells the story of Juana La Loca who many people believed was insane.  Gortner’s story, however, told through Juana’s eyes, suggests that insanity was the pretense by which she held power and saved her country.

Who was Juana la Loca and why did I decide to write about her?

THE LAST QUEEN is the story of Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit the throne, and of her tumultuous relationships with her parents Isabella and Ferdinand and her fight for her throne against her husband Philip of Hapsburg. Juana is a legend in Spain, known as Juana la Loca— the mad queen. Her story has been filmed twice; there have been numerous biographies in Spanish throughout the years. But outside of Spain, she’s scarcely mentioned except as the sister of Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and as the mother of the Emperor Charles V. Yet her life was full of drama, intrigue and passion, certainly a life worthy of a historical novel.

I’ve always been fascinated by Juana. I was raised in southern Spain, and am half-Spanish by birth; in my childhood, I lived near the ruins of a summer castle that had belonged to her parents. Every school child in Spain eventually learns about Juana, for she is legendary. I was therefore surprised to discover that outside of Spain she’s little more than a footnote in history. Juana is a very significant historical figure, regardless. As the last queen of her medieval Spanish bloodline to inherit the throne, with her imprisonment Spain passed into Hapsburg hands. Eventually her maternal bloodline died out entirely and the Bourbons (distant French relations) took over. Moreover, she was a sovereign queen in that, like her mother Queen Isabella, she inherited the right to rule Castile alone, her power superior to that of her husband, who was titled king-consort. Juana also shaped Europe for generations to come through her children, each of whom held a prominent place among the royal houses of Europe.

When I decided to write a novel about her, the first thing I looked at was the implicit agreement among historians that she was unbalanced. This diagnosis felt instinctually misogynistic to me. I figured that, as with many women of power who have been misunderstood and maligned, there had to be more to Juana than we’d been told. Also, I felt that Spain as a whole wasn’t as widely recognized in the historical fiction genre as, say, England or France, and Juana truly brings the drama of the Iberian Renaissance to life. These facts set me on a six-year journey of research and writing to unravel the myth surrounding her.

My research methods were varied and time-consuming. I made a point of traveling to as many of the places where Juana lived about as I could. I consulted primary sources, such as chronicles, letters, and ambassadorial accounts of the era itself, which are usually found in libraries and special archives. Unfortunately, much, if not all, of this material reflects the writer’s viewpoint at the time; and in Juana’s case very few spoke in her defense. Of all the official documentation of the time, only the Admiral of Castile’s speech before the Cortes in Valladolid (recorded in their annals) shows an unwillingness to accept her as mad. So, with primary sources, I was careful to examine what was being said by whom, and whether or not that person had a bias. I also read a vast list of secondary sources, such as biographies and historical studies of the period. I even looked at 16^th century architectural planning, as the house where Juana lodged in Burgos has been converted into a bank and I had to recreate the interior from plans of similar period structures. And I studied costuming and customs, so I could recreate the details of the time. I even tried on a 16^th century Spanish gown, loaned to me by a Renaissance faire re-enactor, so I could feel the weight of it and know what Juana faced when trying to, for example, escape on horseback! 

Today we understand the effects of prolonged stress on the human psyche, but in Juana’s era no one even considered this as a possible cause for her alleged erratic behavior. And when I carefully considered each of these supposedly erratic events within the context of her circumstances, her behavior became not only reasonable but even justifiable. After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that Juana was called ‘mad’ because she defied the conventions of her time. She fought against the role thrust upon her as a woman and refused to turn over her rights to her husband. Put simply, she became a threat. And when a woman acted the way she did to protect herself, the epithet of mad was never far behind.

What is remarkable about Juana is that she and her sisters were not raised to be sovereign queens. Their mother Queen Isabel had expected her son Juan to inherit Spain, and so her daughters were educated to be queen-consorts. Juana accepted this role at first. It was only after she became Isabel’s heir that she began to question it. She had a great love for her country and wasn’t about to let the Hapsburgs— one of Europe’s most rapacious families – convert Spain into one of their vassal states. Juana was both passionate and outspoken; she was at times outrageous in her defiance, but she never gained enough support to do anything else. Had she been able to, I have no doubt that like her mother before her she would have led armies. Still, her determination to hold onto the crown she had rightfully inherited posed a threat and being labeled for all time as the queen who went mad over love is perhaps the greatest injustice perpetrated on her.

That Juana has remained relatively unknown outside of Spain speaks to the efficacy of the slander campaign set in motion to discredit her. No one has called her sister Catherine of Aragon crazy for standing up to Henry VIII! But in Juana’s case, her opponents wanted everyone to forget or dismiss her as inconsequential, and, for the most part, they succeeded. Over the centuries, few questioned the legend of the mad queen, and so Juana faded into the past, a quintessential Spanish tragedy with no bearing on history.

I was certainly very surprised to discover her importance, her humanity, and her complexity; I found an extraordinary woman of courage who is quite contemporary in her struggle to balance life and duty, love and betrayal. I hope I have done her some small justice after so many years of silence, and I hope readers will enjoy reading her story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

THE LAST QUEEN is published in hardcover by Ballantine Books and is available at bookstores. Readers can visit me at http://www.cwgortner.com. My website has a tour of Juana’s 16^th century world and special offers for book clubs. I’m happy to send a signed bookmark and bookplate, too; just write to me at cwgortner@earthlink.net.  

Thank you so much for sharing this time with me!

Book Review: The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha’s courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.
Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She is also a natural-born storyteller, and in her first novel, she paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family’s deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution

THEMES IN THIS BOOK

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER OF THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER TO READ MY REVIEW AND SEE WHAT GRADE I GAVE IT!  THANKS TO BLOG STOP BOOK TOURS!  MAKE SURE YOU WATCH THE WONDERFUL VIDEO BELOW OF THE AUTHOR KATHLEEN KENT READING FROM HER BOOK. ALSO THERE ARE LOTS OF CHANCES TO WIN A COPY OF THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER FROM CARIBOUSMOM, DEVOUREROFBOOKS, READER FOR LIFE

Immortal by Traci L. Slatton Giveaway

I have Two copies of Immortal by Traci L. Slatton to give away!   This is the book pick for The Literate Housewife’s  Online Book Club.  I’m sure she would love for you to join in if you win!  Please click here to my new contest page to enter and Just follow the directions to enter!  Sorry U.S. and Canada only.  Below is a Q and A with the Author of Immortal,  Traci L. Slatton

1. Tell us about your book, Immortal.

Immortal is a rags-to-riches-to-burnt-at-the-stake story. It’s a journey of spirit and an education of the heart. That said, it’s the story of a mysteriously gifted street urchin who undergoes the darkest moments possible and still goes on to find true love, deep friendship, hope, faith, and ultimately the deepest secrets of his origins.

1. Why did you write this book?

I love to tell stories! I was working on a non-fiction book about science and spirituality. ( Piercing Time & Space, ARE Press, Virginia Beach, VA: 2005.) It was fascinating research, but I found myself longing to write fiction, to create characters and wrap myself around adventure, conflict, and obstacle. Story lust drove me.

1. The book takes place in Florence during the Renaissance: What inspired you to choose this setting?

This goes back to the previous question. Renaissance Florence is a character in this novel–it’s inextricably interwoven into the story. It’s why I wrote THIS book. More explicitly, I am married to Sabin Howard, who is one of the foremost classical figurative sculptors working today. (www.sabinhoward.com)  Think Michelangelo’s work: that’s what my husband’s work resembles. Moreover, Sabin is half-Italian; his mother is from Torino and he is completely fluent in the language. So, for him, Renaissance Italy is alive and well. It’s a part of our everyday discourse. I was always interested in Renaissance art but it’s become a passion because of living with Sabin.

Also, Florence between 1300 and 1500 was an intense and extraordinary place, almost unequalled in history. Art, philosophy, learning, commerce, banking, and government were all burgeoning and concentrated into this small city, making it the center of Europe. Out of Florence radiated invention and innovation. One of the popes called it “The fifth element of the universe.” Only Paris between the two world wars comes close to the fervor of creativity that was taking place in Florence during the Renaissance. It’s a powerful time to write about.

1. How did you come up with a protagonist like Luca?

I wanted a character who would meet and make an impression on my two great Renaissance heroes: Giotto and Leonardo. This character had to be the kind of man who could inspire love, lust, envy, admiration, and riveting hatred in other people. And he was going to face terrible challenges, so he had to have personal resources to help him through. And his suffering would make him humble and give him a hunger to love and be loved.

1. Lucas plays many different roles – orphan, companion, healer – throughout the story, which do you personally relate best to?

Perhaps to the healer and the companion. I was a hands-on or spiritual healer for many years, and Luca gets to do what I always longed to do: lay hands on and cure someone completely, even bring a dying man back to life.

I have four daughters, and in the best moments of parenting, there is a companionable aspect to it. There are moments when all the little stuff falls away, all the blah-blah-blah about messy bedrooms and parties and grades and allowances and health concerns, and my children and I are friends, laughing together. Even my little one, who is 3, sometimes sits and chats with me as if we were two good buddies. I treasure those moments.

1. Luca meets da Vinci, Botticelli…“immortals” whose impact on society is still apparent.  Can you talk to us about some of those figures, and the way they still shape modern society?

     They have left a legacy of art and ideas which is the foundation of western        civilization. Petrarch, who is a friend of Luca’s in Immortal, articulated the notion of the individual self (see Ascent of Mount Ventoux) on which we built the United States: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.” This is a radical change from the earlier systems of society, and it came out of the Renaissance. The great Cosimo de Medici who led Florence from 1434 to 1464 established the Platonic Academy, which formulated the ideals of humanism which are now axiomatic in our worldview. Even our pop philosophy, eg The Secret, has its roots in Pico della Mirandella’s Oration on the Dignity of Man: “O highest and most admirable felicity of man to whom it is granted to have whatever he chooses, to be whatever he wills!”

     The great artists like Leonardo and Botticelli left us ideals of beauty that are still unparalleled. Leonardo left behind a prototype of a polymath genius as the highest aspiration.

1. Part of what makes Luca’s story so beautiful is the time period it is set in and the people he encounters. Do you think it would have had the same significance had it been placed at another time, such as the present? 

     Renaissance Florence is such an integral part of the story that it’s hard to say. I am, however, considering bringing Luca back in a future book that is set in Paris between the two world wars. Readers who love Luca can stay tuned…..

1. Luca witnesses many important historical events throughout his life.  What kind of research did you conduct for these?

            I read a million books (okay, maybe a hundred), searched on-line, spoke with friends and relatives with extensive historical knowledge (my husband is a Renaissance sculptor and my father-in-law is a history teacher with a PhD), and I corresponded with, or spoke to, a couple of professors. I also like the History channel for shows on history! And we visited Italy several times, spending much time in the Medici chapel in Florence and the Pinacoteca Vaticano in Rome.

     No one but me is to blame for inaccuracies, distortions, and out right fallacies.

1. What are your future writing plans in writing?

      I am working on the sequel to Immortal right now.

1. Any advice you could give to beginning novelists out there?

Persist! And know who to trust with your work.

Friday Book Into Movie

BOOK INTO MOVIE

I love Historical Books.    This movie based on The Duchess by Amanda Foreman comes to the theaters September 19th.  The movie stars Keira Knightly as Georgiana Spencer and Ralph Fiennes as William Cavendish, The Duke of Devonshire.    I haven’t read the book but the book and the movie are both on my list to read and watch.  Have any of you read this book?  Is it worth the time?  Here is a synopsis of the book.  Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774 Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying William Cavendish, fifth duke of Devonshire, one of England’s richest and most influential aristocrats. She became the queen of fashionable society and founder of the most important political salon of her time. But Georgiana’s public success concealed an unhappy marriage, a gambling addiction, drinking, drug-taking, and rampant love affairs with the leading politicians of the day. With penetrating insight, Amanda Foreman reveals a fascinating woman whose struggle against her own weaknesses, whose great beauty and flamboyance, and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant, astonishingly contemporary figure.

A Small Part of History by Peggy Elliot

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT

The unforgettable story of the women who travelled the Oregon Trail in 1845 – a tale of incredible bravery told through narrative, fictional diaries and recipes.

At twenty-seven years old Rebecca has just become the third wife of John Springer. Moving into her new home has had its ups and downs – her four step-sons like and obey her, she’s getting used to her new husband’s ways but Sarah, her step-daughter, is proving to be more difficult. And now, her husband has decided that the country is becoming ‘too da**ned crowded’ and they’re going to pack up everything they can carry and travel thousands of miles across the USA. As they travel across plains, mountains and rivers, through blistering heat and blizzards that lasted for days, Rebecca does her best to feed and care for her new family, despite appalling adversity. At first Rebecca and the fifteen-year-old Sarah find their fledgling relationship stretched almost to breaking point but, eventually, their

THEMES IN THIS BOOK

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER TO READ MY REVIEW AND SEE WHAT GRADE I GAVE IT!

Interview and Giveaway of Sweetsmoke by David Fuller

David Fuller, the author of Sweetsmoke has graciously offered to give away a copy of his new novel which comes out August 26th.  To enter all you have to do is leave a comment letting David know why you want to read his book!   Maybe he will even answer your question if you have one.  I will draw a winner on August 26th. If you want to blog or stumble or this for an extra entry it would be much appreciated too!   You can read about how David came to write this wonderful novel below and also read some glowing reviews from  Literate Housewife , Peeking Between the Pages,  A Bookworms Dinner   Devourer of Books  Medival Bookworm   If I missed yours please let me know so I can post it also.  You can pre-order Sweetsmoke here.

The year is 1862, and the Civil War rages through the South. On a Virginia tobacco plantation, another kind of battle soon begins. There, Cassius Howard, a skilled carpenter and slave, risks everything-punishment, sale to a cotton plantation, even his life-to learn the truth concerning the murder of Emoline, a freed black woman, a woman who secretly taught him to read and once saved his life. It is clear that no one cares about her death in the midst of a brutal and hellish war. No one but Cassius, who braves horrific dangers to escape the plantation and avenge her loss.

As Cassius seeks answers about Emoline’s murder, he finds an unexpected friend and ally in Quashee, a new woman brought over from another plantation; and a formidable adversary in Hoke Howard, the master he has always obeyed.

Q: What brought you to write this novel? 

“Sweetsmoke is a story I was driven to tell. That there was an African American slave at its core was simply the factual basis upon which to build the story. Cassius is an outsider to his world, and it was but a small step to tell the story from his perspective, as writers tend to be outsiders to their worlds. Research taught me to understand his environment, to know the hardships he had to endure, but being a fellow human being allowed me to see the world through his eyes. Imagination and empathy are the tools of the writer. I’d like to think that the fact that a writer can empathize with another man in dire circumstances is a small step to understanding and brotherhood. Lest that sound naïve and uplifting, let me just say on a personal note that I had just as much difficulty imagining his courage and strength as I did seeing through his eyes as a slave in the 19th Century.

Good stories on big topics don’t come around very often. There are a few lucky writers who seem to continually come up with them, but for me, they are few and far between. When I initially imagined a slave acting as a ‘detective’, a great landscape opened up inside of me. The story was immediately evident even without the necessary specifics. I was not interested in telling a detective story. I was interested in discovering the world of a slave. I was also curious as to how a man who does not have the personality of a victim survives in an environment where he has no power. But by using a loose detective story structure, I was able to touch on different aspects of a world that intrigued me. I was able to visit the world of slaves spying against the Confederacy; I was able to imagine an important Civil War battle; and I was able to examine the idea of how one seemingly unimportant death, occurring against the enormous canvas of a violent war, can take on great significance.

I wound up doing at least eight years of research on the novel. I attempted at one point to put together a bibliography, and found that I had read at least fifty books on the subjects of slavery, America in the 1800s, the Civil War, particularly Antietam, and other related subjects like tobacco and the currency of the time. To this day I am coming across books I dipped into for some tidbit of information that did not make the list. I traveled to hundreds of Internet sites, and watched countless hours of documentaries and other related programming. I found that children’s books were helpful, as they come with pictures.

That said, most of the incidents that happen to Cassius did in fact happen to slaves at one time or another. The most surprising to me was that there were slaves who refused to be beaten or whipped. They would stand up to white overseers, and get away with it. There is at least one story told of a slave who would not be beaten, the white man let him be. but told the other whites that he had beaten him terribly in order to save face. I worried that readers would not believe the moment when Cassius faces Otis Bornock in the rain, but that incident is based on fact.

We must all pay a great debt of gratitude to the writers who have come before us. I count as my obvious influences on this particular book Mark Twain and Toni Morrison. In no way do the flaws in this novel reflect back on Ms. Morrison or Mr. Twain, as it is my imperfections alone to be blamed for any and all mediocrity, but I did at times find myself reaching for BELOVED, HUCK FINN and PUDDINHEAD WILSON to hear rhythms in speech and dialogue.

I am also indebted to Patrick O’Brian. Any devotee of his Aubrey/Maturin series will recognize my occasional homage to him, through words and phrases that rang true for me and helped keep me in the 19th Century. While I was unable to physically read Mr. O’Brian when writing Sweetsmoke — he was a brilliant writer, and reading him would drop me into a deep well of envy — I revisited him by listening to audio versions of his books, via the wonderful voice of Patrick Tull. A fellow writer and mentor of mine, Carter Scholz (RADIANCE), spoke of having a writer on your shoulder watching you as you work. O’Brian was the writer on my shoulder.

I eventually sold a script, and soon after partnered with Rick Natkin. Rick and I had a long and excellent run. For seven or eight years, I think we sold everything we wrote. We had six projects made, some of which we even put our real names on. Rick once said that his best stuff was gathering dust on the shelf in his office, his okay stuff was sold but not made, and the bad stuff was up on the big screen for everyone to see. Our most commercial script sold for a lot of money, and then was rewritten so that not one word we wrote ended up in the film. But every screenwriter has horror stories, so I will leave it at that. The important thing is that screenwriting is a surprisingly difficult skill and is significantly undervalued. It teaches you structure and pace, and it teaches you to focus your stories. I’ve written over fifty screenplays, and I’m still learning.

The Aviary Gate

Click on the logo above to win an Emily Griffin autographed book and click on the book to see my review and grade of The Aviary Gate.  Don’t forget to sign up for my Pay it Forward giveaway below!