Author: sophie
Coming Soon . . . HNS 2026 in Maynooth Ireland
Get ready for CONFERENCE COVERAGE!
One week from today I’ll be winging it to Dublin for HNS 2026 (The UK Historical Novel Society Conference) in Maynooth, Ireland. As many of you know—I’ve attended EVERY North American HNS conference since 2005 (yes, I really am that old), years before I was published. I am very excited to see how things are done on this side of the pond, and also to mingle with the other 249 attendees.
Oh, and I am on a fantastic panel with fellow historical authors Michelle Moran, historical fiction author and Christopher Cevasco. If by any chance you are going to be one of the 249 non-me attendees, maybe check us out?
If you won’t be coming to the conference, never fear! As I said at the start of this post, I’ll be sharing pictures on my social media (Facebook, Instagram) and, when I am home again in York, I will do a blog post summarizing all the fun with plenty of pictures.
Illustrated Quotes
Dear Readers, as you may have noticed I tend to do illustrated quotes in spurts. Last month I went long on The Sister Queens. This month I seem to be wandering from the 13th to the 16th century and to the Valois Court of France featured in Medicis Daughter.
Because I am a writer who looks to reintroduce or rehabilitate figures forgotten or misrepresented in history Margot meant a great deal to me as a character as I crafted that novel. The least favorite child of her mother, never considered unless it was as a political pawn, and then defamed by history when her husband needed a divorce, Margot was in fact a brilliant woman with a political savvy that approached that of her mother, Queen Catherine de Medicis.
For those of who’ve read Medicis Daughter, what did Margot’s situation make you feel? Were you proud of her in the end? I certainly was.
Living In History
Some were just curious. Some clearly thought I was crazy because their image of England is London and the south.
My standard reply was two fold. First, why NOT York? And second that when I was in York I had the ability to live in history, linger over teas and knock around in pubs. In other words–my dream life.
Then I got the Talent Visa and–after dreaming of it for a decade–moved to the center of York, with Clifford’s Tower as a near neighbor and an easy walk to the Minster for Evensong.
As the end of my first year living in the city, I still get asked why I chose York. So I thought I’d do more sharing, yes of pubs and teas, but most of how I am not kidding when I talk about living in history.
So visitors to the UK, come north. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
The Seventh Crusade Was About to Begin . . .
On June 4th 1249—only eight days short of the one-year anniversary of her husband King Louis IX of France taking the pilgrim staff at St. Denis—Marguerite of Provence, Queen of France and one of two main characters in my novel THE SISTER QUEENS—spots the outline of the Egyptian port city Damietta from her ship.
The French fleet had been separated by a storm on their long journey, so only 700 of the 1800 ships that departed together arrived at Damietta on that day, with King Louis, Queen Marguerite and Jean de Joinville (counselor to the King and eventually chronicler of Louis life including the crusades) on one of them. The rest of the ships eventually landed 200 miles away at Acre.
When shore comes into view, Louis thinks he sees the sultan’s main army guarding the beach, when, in fact, he the men he glimpses are only an advance guard led by Fakhr ad-Din the sultan’s best general (and commander in chief of his army to oppose the French).
The sight of the enemy is oddly beautiful—with the sun shining off the golden armor and attire of the sultan’s men. The King makes the decision to attack first thing the next morning, without waiting for the ships that have not yet arrived. The seventh crusade is about to begin.
The Thread that Defines My Novels
Recently, I realized that while I’ve produced multiple book-trailers, I’ve never made an author-trailer. So, I created the video below to unite my work in a single place . . . and in doing so emphasize the continuity. Because there is a common thread that runs through it, and through me. I hope you enjoy the short film.
The Second Coronation of Henry the Third of England
On this day in history . . .
On May 17, 1220 Henry III of England was crowned for the SECOND TIME with a coronation at West Minster Abbey. His first coronation—in 1216 at Gloucester Cathedral—was a hasty one and took place amidst civil war and the loss of the original crown. His second at Westminster Abbey ceremony served to formally cement Henry’s succession under peaceful conditions.
Often associated solely with the Baron’s Rebellion, there was much more to Henry and to his reign. I think of him as the visionary who rebuilt Westminster Abbey. Most of what stands today was his creation with only two significant renovations/additions after his death and outside his plan. To say Henry spared no expense on the Abbey renovation might be an understatement he spent more than £45,000 at the time which would be more than £15 million in the present day.
I also think of Henry as a marvelous husband to his wife Eleanor of Provence—daughter of Raymond Berenger V, Count of Provence whom he married on the 14th of January 1236 and one of two heroines in my novel The Sister Queens. He was also a devoted husband to their children. I am talking about the kind of dad who’d get top marks today even though he lived in the 13th century. He grieved so deeply over the death of his youngest daughter, Katherine, at age three that the Royal Court feared for his life. And he paid to have a mass said for her everyday by the same priest until that priest too was dead.
For more about Henry and his visionary role in the renovation of Westminster Abbey, start with a visit the Westminster site here.
UK Readers, Meet Me at the Roman Festival in York
On the 23d and 24th, a collection of authors–myself included–will be occupying (not in an armed sense) tents in the Museum Garden. I am talking historical writers like my good friend Simon James Atkinson Turney, Simon Elliott (also an archaeologist) and Alex Gough. . .you get the idea. So historical fiction lovers in Yorkshire please stop by to chat, and pick up a book or two.
Shopping for Mother’s Day
You think shopping for Mother’s Day is tough? Imagine if your mom was Queen Catherine de Médicis. I’ve made you a little video contemplating just that . . . .
It’s only ten days from the annual celebration of mom’s of all types–including historical fiction fan fan moms–so maybe a novel for mom this year? My novel Médicis Daughter is about the fraught mother/daughter relationship between Queen Catherine de Médicis and her youngest daughter, Marguerite de Valois. I promise there’s plenty of drama, intrigue and some very bloody history.
A Reformation Rap that Never Gets Old
On April 17, 1521 Martin Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms to defend his ideas on church reform. – . . . .
This gem was pulled together by some Yale Students more than a decade ago, but stands the test of time. I mean how do you work Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse into a rap alongside the the Augsburg Confession? They did that and so much more–in style.
Happy 507th Birthday to Catherine de Médicis
Catherine de Médicis—a key character in my novel, Médicis Daughter and chief antagonist of it’s main character, Princess Marguerite—is remembered for her fierce political influence over each of her three sons who reigned in turn as King of France. But, as we celebrated her 507th birthday, it’s important to remember Catherine did not begin her life with power or, for that matter, with much to celebrate.
Although Catherine had illustrious parents—her mother was a French princess of royal blood and her father was Lorenzo de’ Medici—both were dead within a MONTH of her birth (and that was, incidentally, only about a year after their marriage). After they were gone, and because of her mother’s connection to the French crown, King Francis I claimed the right to raise the orphaned Catherine. But Pope Leo told the French King to pound salt. His Holiness didn’t real care about the infant Catherine—he just viewed her, Lorenzo’s legitimate heiress, as a useful pawn. Later in life, Catherine would remark that her eventual father-in-law, Francis I, was more of a father to her than His Holiness had ever been.
In the fall of 1533 when Catherine (they aged 14) was at last shipped off to France—to marry the future Henri II—her new husband was not even Dauphin. He was merely a second son. And he was already in love with his established Mistress Diane de Poitier. Diane was more sophisticated and far better looking than Henri’s new bride, and he showed very little interest in his wife. Catherine’s new country wasn’t impressed with her either. A report from one of the Venetian ambassadors declared that “all of France” disapproved of the marriage. So, Catherine’s experiences of being marginalized and rejected, begun in childhood, continued.
Yet from these inauspicious beginnings Catherine rose to be one of the 16th century’s true female power-players. A Queen who, left widowed with a large family, managed to keep her husband’s line securely on the throne during a time of nearly continual war. A woman who “managed” a series of boy kings—although arguably to their detriment and France’s.
Historians may disagree strongly on both the content and efficacy of Catherine’s policies with respect to the Wars of Religion—and just about everything else—but no one would disagree that she was a key influence in the post-Henri II Valois era. As such she deserves as much credit for what went right in that period as she does blame for what went wrong.