Category: For Historical Fiction Fans
A Day of Fire Might Be Coming to A Screen Near You
Hello all!
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but I have something really special to share!
The TV rights to A DAY OF FIRE, the brilliant collaborative novel that I co-wrote with a super-star author team (Kate Quinn, Eliza Knight, Ben Kane, Stephanie Dray and Vicky Alvear) has been acquired by Amazon / MGM Studios UK!!!
That means—fingers crossed—we are hoping to see it as a TV series! Is it wrong that I am daydreaming of seeing my heiress, Aemilia, sweep across a screen? Of watching Sabinus, a man I love for his honorable character, risk himself for others in keeping with his strong sense of right and wrong?
I will certainly keep you updated as the situation progresses. Meanwhile, if you haven’t read AND BY FIRE, or haven’t read it lately. Pick up a copy and get started! Between the covers you will find the tale of the last days of Pompeii—a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire.
When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and A DAY OF FIRE tells their stories:
A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii’s flourishing streets.
An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire.
An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished.
A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue.
A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls.
A priestess and a prostitute seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried.
The six of us brought to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each other’s paths during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
You’ll have to finish the book to find out 😉
Just a little reminder . . . Books make great gifts!
This year a took a magical pre-holiday trip to Spain. But–oops–that means the holidays are upon me and I am NOT read. As in . . . I have purchased a grand total of three gifts so far.
Thank heavens for BOOKS! I’d argue there is a book out there for everyone. Are you still shopping as well? Maybe someone on your list would enjoy one of my novels?!
Medicis Daughter — 16th Century Royal Drama. Visit the gorgeous palaces of the Loire valley and streets of Paris with French Princess Marguerite de Valois. But be careful, Marguerite’s mother, Queen Catherine de Médicis is always plotting something . . . and a wrong move could be your last. Oh, and if you are invited to Marguerite’s wedding (her heart belongs to the handsome Duc de Guise, but her hand will be offered to Henri of Navarre, a Huguenot leader and a notorious heretic looking to seal a tenuous truce) you’d better dress for a massacre as well as dancing.
⚜ BUY LINKS FOR MÉDICIS DAUGHTER ⚜
Amazon
Bookshop Org
The Sister Queens — A story of 13th Century Sisterhood. Pass a cold winter’s day with Marguerite, Queen of France and her beloved sister Eleanor Queen of England . . . Raised at the court of their father, the Count of Provence, Marguerite and Eleanor are separated by these royal marriages–but never truly parted. Marguerite is the more patient and perfect of the pair . . . used to being first. She wants to be a good wife and a good Queen, but her husband Louis IX is a religious zealot who denies himself the love and companionship his wife craves. Can Marguerite borrow enough of her sister’s boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in a forbidden love?
♔BUY LINKS FOR THE SISTER QUEENS ♔
Amazon
Bookshop Org
And by Fire — A twisty mystery with a dose of 15th Century history. Written by my alter-ego, Evie Hawtrey. Tempered by fire and separated by centuries, two extraordinary female detectives track a pair of murderous geniuses who will burn the world for their art in this mystery perfect for fans of Sarah Penner and Dan Brown.
Nigella Parker, Detective Inspector with the City Police, has a deeply rooted fear of fire and a talent for solving deadly arson cases. When a charred figure is found curled beside Sir Christopher Wren’s Monument to the Great Fire of London, Nigella is dragged into a case pitting her against a murderous artist creating sculptures using burnt flesh.
Nigella partners with Colm O’Leary of Scotland Yard to track the arsonist across greater London. The pair are more than colleagues—they were lovers until O’Leary made the mistake of uttering three little words. Their past isn’t the only buried history as they race to connect the dots between an antique nail pulled from a dead man’s hands and a long-forgotten architect dwarfed by the life’s work of Sir Christopher Wren.
Wren, one of London’s most famous architects, is everywhere the pair turn. Digging into his legacy leads the DCIs into the coldest of cold cases: a search for a bookseller gone missing during the Great Fire of London. More than 350 years earlier, while looking for their friend, a second pair of detectives—a lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a royal fireworks maker—discovered foul play in the supposedly accidental destruction of St. Paul’s Cathedral…but did that same devilry lead to murder? And can these centuries-old crimes help catch a modern-day murderer?
As Nigella and O’Leary rush to decode clues, past and present, London’s killer-artist sets his sights on a member of the investigative team as the subject of his next fiery masterpiece.
BUY LINKS FOR AND BY FIRE
Amazon US
Bookshop . org
Barnes and Noble
Ribbons of Scarlet—a tale of the women of the French Revolution. Feel like starting a revolution? You’re in good company. Travel to 18th century Paris and meet seven amazing French women who fomented and fought in the French Revolution. Ribbons is a breathtaking epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—unforgettable women who leave their distinctive marks on one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history. But if anyone offers you a ride in a Tumbril just say NO!
BUY LINK FOR RIBBONS OF SCARLET
Amazon Paperback
A Day of Fire — A visit to the doomed city of Ancient Pompeii. Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each others’ path during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
BUY LINK FOR A DAY OF FIRE
Amazon
Award Winning “A Day of Fire” Re-releases with a Stunning New Cover
In 2014, six top historical novelists made history with the first collaborative novel in the genre. Today A Day of Fire reissues with a stunning new cover. Come with us to Pompeii in its last days, minutes, and hours . . .
Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and these are their stories:
A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii’s flourishing streets.
An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire.
An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished.
A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue.
A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls.
A priestess and a whore seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried.
Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each others’ path during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
An Amazing Time in San Antonio: The Historical Novel Society North American Conference 2023
Hello dear readers! I am just back from the biannual North American HNS conference. Bit of trivia—I’ve attended every American HNS conference since the very first, held in Salt Lake City in 2005. Back then I was still working on my first manuscript and had no agent yet. Over my three days in Utah and I learned so much about the industry! To this day I consider the HNS conferences an indispensable event for staying up to speed on the publishing industry and gaining insights into the craft of writing for those of us writing in the historical genre. They are also a heck of a lot of fun.
I was a panelist in San Antonio, discussing the logistics of pen names—their creation, branding and management—along with the talented Eliza Knight, Libbie Grant and Kris Waldherr. Our panel had a specific focus on using multiple pen names, which means I got to be both Sophie Perinot and Evie Hawtrey in the same place at the same time (a first)!
Below you will find some photo highlights of the conference, featuring myself and other historical fiction authors you likely read, as well some of what we got up to. Enjoy! I certainly did!
Clockwise from top left: Eliza Knight, Heather Webb and me; cotton candy cocktail; Mariah Fredericks, Karen Odden and Judith Starkston; margaritas; Karen Odden and me; Kate Khavari and me; best guacamole ever. And right smack in the center–Nancy Bilyeau and me.
Cover Reveal Day: Kate Quinn’s THE ROSE CODE
It is cover Celebration Day for my good friend and Scarlet Sister Kate Quinn’s upcoming novel, THE ROSE CODE.
LOOK at this beauty!!!! And let me tell you WHAT IS BETWEEN THE COVERS IS EVEN MORE exciting (envy me oh readers–I’ve read the whole thing already. Such are the perks of being a critique partner).
Here’s a teaser . . .
ABOUT THE BOOK
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter–the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger–and their true enemy–closer…
Pre Order today from the vendor of your choice! And make sure you subscribe to Kate’s newsletter to stay updated!
Interview with Laura Morelli, Author of THE GIANT
If you’ve been to Florence you’ve seen Michelangelo’s David. If you haven’t been to Florence you’ve seen countless images of him. The David is a cultural icon and even 500 years after his creation still has the power to leave us awe struck.
Now Laura Morelli—talented novelist and PhD Art Historian—has a breathtaking new novel out about the creation of this Renassaisance Art Masterwork, and I am THRILLED to welcome her to my blog today to talk about the process of creation for both her novel, THE GIANT, and Michelangelo’s David!
Let’s start things off with a teaser for THE GIANT . . . .
As a colossal statue takes shape in Renaissance Florence, the lives of a master sculptor and a struggling painter become stunningly intertwined.
Florence, 1500. Fresco painter Jacopo Torni longs to make his mark in the world. But while his peers enjoy prestigious commissions, his meager painting jobs are all earmarked to pay down gambling debts.
When Jacopo hears of a competition to create Florence’s greatest sculpture, he pins all his hopes on a collaboration with his boyhood companion, Michelangelo Buonarroti. But will the frustrated artist ever emerge from the shadow of his singularly gifted friend?
From the author of THE PAINTER’S APPRENTICE and THE GONDOLA MAKER comes a gorgeously crafted, immersive tale of Renaissance Italy.
Laura, I have such distinct memories of the first time I stood in front of Michelangelo’s David—gape-mouthed and totally in awe. What do you think draws people to the David?
Me too! I am always amazed at the number of people who tell me that this sculpture is the thing that impressed them the most on a trip to Italy.
In fact, when my family returned from Italy last summer, I asked my four teenagers to name the top three favorite things they saw. The David was on the top of each of their lists (and I promise I tried not to influence their choices!). I think that’s amazing.
A Time Magazine article in the 1980s reported on the “emotional trauma” experienced by first-time viewers of the David. And a few visitors have even tried to disrobe before the statue, only to be quickly led away by museum guards!
I have long wondered what it was about this statue and the irreverent stone carver who made it that still has the power to capture people’s imagination–to make their jaws drop, to leave them speechless–even in our current time of multimedia overload. And even after studying it for some thirty years, I’m still not convinced it’s something that can be put 100% into words. That’s the power of art!
As a PhD art historian, how do you think the David influenced the course and direction of art at the moment of its unveiling and in the aftermath of its creation?
The David was the first colossal nude on Italian soil since ancient Roman times. Think about that… For a thousand years, no one had seen a nude male sculpture of this scale. But this David is actually a biblical hero in the guise of an ancient god, at the same time that he appears as a god in the image of a perfect man. He is both an Adam and a Hercules, both a Christian and a civic / political symbol. In short, the David seems to telescope all the aspirations and the ideals of the High Renaissance in a single work of art. I don’t think any sculptor who worked in Europe after 1504 could ignore it. Later works, like those of Gianlorenzo Bernini, would have been unimaginable without Michelangelo’s precedent.
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. Can you share a fact or scene from The Giant which actually happened (or existed), but seems too strange to be true?
We have an amazing contemporary account of the sculpture leaving the cathedral workyard, where Michelangelo had been working on it for four years. At midnight on May 4, 1504, laborers broke the stone lintel above the gate of the workyard and began to move the sculpture slowly toward the Piazza della Signoria. They suspended the sculpture from a contraption made of ropes and pulleys, as well as greased logs to roll it forward. It took several days to reach its intended location. During that time, some boys were arrested for throwing stones at it; one of them turned out to be a relative of Lisa Gherardini—yes, the Mona Lisa (whose portrait Leonardo da Vinci was painting at the time, just a few streets away). You can’t make this stuff up!
Of course Michelangelo is not the only artist in The Giant . . . can you tell us a little bit about Jacopo Torni (or the artist he is based upon) and why you felt his story needed to be told?
As I looked for the right person to tell the story of Michelangelo’s gigante, I came across historical references to a Florentine fresco painter called Jacopo Torni, also known as L’Indaco.
The sixteenth-century art historian Giorgio Vasari tells us that L’Indaco lived “in close intimacy” with Michelangelo, and that Michelangelo found L’Indaco the funniest and most entertaining of his friends. We also know that Michelangelo invited L’Indaco to work with him on the Sistine Chapel in 1508. According to some sources, it was a friend who convinced Michelangelo to return to Florence to take on the David commission in 1501, and I like to think it was L’Indaco.
Michelangelo is one of the most notoriously temperamental artists in history, and I wondered about this relationship of seeming opposites. It is this push and pull of two creative friends, in combination with the creation of two of the most seminal works of art history—the David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling—that drew me to this story and made me want to explore this complicated friendship further.
Finally, I’d like to close out things with a Rapid Fire round:
- Favorite Italian dish: Risotto alla milanese, without a doubt!
- Character you’d love to write about but probably never will: A living artist.
- Why won’t you? It would be so tricky, I think, to write fiction or nonfiction about a real person who is either living or recently deceased.
- A piece of art that is special to you other than the David: I saw the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris when I was 12 years old, and it was a “coup de foudre.” It led me to want to pursue art history and it’s still such a special building to me.
- Do you write to music or in silence? I love peace and quiet when I write.
Thanks so much to Laura for stopping by! Don’t forget to pick up your copy of THE GIANT readers—at Amazon, Indiebound, on Bookshop.org to support Independent booksellers, or your favorite local bookstore!
All they want for CHRISTMAS is a Sophie Perinot Novel . . . THE 2019 HOLIDAY BOOK TRAILERS ARE HERE!!!
There are only 15 days left until CHRISTMAS! But don’t panic—GIVE BOOKS!
With THREE NOVELS to choose from I have something for every historical fiction fan on your list!!! And to help you chose, voila, my TRIO OF 2019 HOLIDAY BOOK VIDEOS.
First a quick overview of all three of my novels . . . .
So which will it be? Will you invite the wily and wicked Queen Catherine de Médicis home for the holidays with MÉDICIS DAUGHTER?
⚜ ⚜ PRAISE FOR MÉDICIS DAUGHTER ⚜ ⚜
A riveting page-turner skillfully blending illicit liaisons and political chicanery.”―Kirkus Reviews
This is Renaissance France meets Game of Thrones: dark, sumptuous historical fiction that coils religious strife, court intrigue, passionate love, family hatred, and betrayed innocence like a nest of poisonous snakes.” ―Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress
Absorbing… an engrossing read.”―Publishers Weekly
⚜ ⚜ ⚜ Purchase MÉDICIS DAUGHTER ⚜ ⚜ ⚜ on AMAZON, at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, or wherever books are sold
Or perhaps you have a sister (by blood or by choice) who would love a story of the power of sisterhood as embodied by two amazing medieval queens in THE SISTER QUEENS . . . .
♔♔ PRAISE FOR THE SISTER QUEENS ♔♔
In all of its colorful prose, deep and eccentric characters, and historical brilliance, this book can be summed up with one word: phenomenal. BRAVA!” —The Tulsa Book Review
THE SISTER QUEENS has it all… court life, balls, rivalry, politics, love and lust; with the added element of it seeming so real to the reader as though watching a film!” —Peeking Between the Pages
♔♔♔ BUY LINKS QUEENS♔♔♔ on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, Indiebound or wherever books are sold
Or you can introduce a friend or family member to the bold, brave and too-often-forgotten women who were at the fore and the heart of the French Revolution with a copy of RIBBONS OF SCARLET. . .
🎀 🎀 PRAISE FOR RIBBONS OF SCARLET 🎀 🎀
HERstory at its finest” —Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife
VERDICT Sure to appeal to devotees of historical fiction, feminists, and those looking for a stirring #metoo read.” —Library Journal
🎀 🎀 🎀 Purchase RIBBONS OF SCARLET 🎀 🎀 🎀 on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, through IndieBound, or wherever books are sold.
Whichever novel you chose you will give someone a portal to the past–an adventurous trip full of intrigue, war and powerful women!
Happy Holidays readers! May Santa leave many many books under your tree!
INTERVIEW: Anne Easter Smith Dishes on Her Upcoming Novel About Richard III
Today, while on a short break from the mega-tour for my own latest novel Ribbons of Scarlet, it is my very great pleasure to host my good friend the insanely talented, multi-published, Anne Easter Smith in a Q&A to talk about her upcoming novel: This Son of York (releasing November 10th but you can pre-order now HERE).
This Son of York concludes Anne’s best-selling Wars of the Roses series. She’s made the much maligned Richard III, who was brought into new focus following the discovery of his bones under a car park in Leicester in 2013, her protagonist and is determined to give us a very different view of Richard than Shakespeare and stereotypes have . . .
Anne, people have very strong opinions about Richard III despite the short time he was on the English throne. Writing about Richard is, in many ways, like walking out into a battlefield mid-conflict, so let me start right off by asking why a novel centering on Richard? What compelled you into this contentious territory?
I love a good battle! Especially one with horses, armored knights, and longbows. But as far as Richard is concerned, he became a cause for me once I took in the Josephine Tey theory that those adorable princes in the Tower weren’t murdered by their hunchbacked uncle Richard but may have lived into the next reign. Horrible Henry Tudor (no, not that one with all the wives but his father) had far more to lose than Richard if indeed those little boys were still alive, because he had no right to the throne. But I digress.
Tey’s book Daughter of Time got me researching everything I could about Richard and the Wars of the Roses, and after five decades I feel quite knowledgeable enough to have written my version of Richard’s story. You may be surprised to know that faux news began a lot earlier than today! Shakespeare’s sources for his play were Tudor historians who spun the historical facts about Richard so well that we still believe them today (even though much new evidence has come out in the meantime, if not exonerating Richard of those many crimes laid at his door, at least raising plausible doubt.) Being a Brit, fair play is in my DNA, and Richard has been unjustly depicted through the centuries.
What is the pernicious misconception about Richard that you’d most like to correct in the minds of readers?
That he murdered his nephews in the Tower in order to “steal” the crown. No bodies have ever been found, no evidence they were even murdered, and no witnesses or confessions to the deaths have surfaced in all this time. From everything I have studied about Richard, he was never interested in wearing the crown. It was pushed on him by Parliament when the princes were revealed to have been illegitimate (their dad, Edward IV and Richard’s brother, had been secretly “contracted” to a woman prior to marrying their mum.)
Is there such a thing as a fun-fact when it comes to Richard III—and if so can you share one?
Hmmm, I don’t have him picking his teeth with his knife (that was a no-no even for the most ill-bred), but “fun” and Richard is a bit of an oxymoron. He was a naughty boy before he married Anne Neville (at 19), because we know he had two and possibly three bastards. He was very discreet about their mother(s), but two of them were brought up in his household and mentioned in letters and household accounts.
I know This Son of York has taken considerable time, research and thought on your part, can you offer us a little window into your process of creating the book?
After Royal Mistress was published in 2013—the fifth book in my series about the Yorks during the Wars of the Roses—I thought I was done with Richard and his family, and I started to write a wonderful story about a Portuguese prince and his mistress in 14th century. (It took me several years of research and three trips to Portugal to feel comfortable writing about this prince.) And then they found Richard’s grave under a car park in Leicester in 2012 and I was so excited and intrigued by the new information the bone analysis gave us of him that I dropped poor Pedro into the Tagus River and took up Richard’s cause again. After all, I had every date and event and character I needed to write about still stuck in my brain, but with new info on Richard—like severe scoliosis and that he drank heavily in the last two years of his life—I was moved to return to Richard and write his story for a new century.
My process is mostly being as organized as possible. I have charts of timelines where I make sure no real person is in the wrong place at the wrong time, unless it’s unclear and then I can fictionalize meetings or scenes. But I don’t mess with history.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by the blog and begin to set the record straight on Richard, Anne!
Thank you so much for hosting me here, Sophie. I am so passionate about readers knowing more about Richard than Shakespeare’s “bunch-backed toad” and I think I am giving them a more balanced view of this much-maligned king. He only lived to be thirty-two, and only reigned for two years, but his whole life was devoted to being loyal to his family, his king, his wife, and if I get just one person to change their opinion of him by doing the research I did, I will be satisfied! I promise you, his is quite the dramatic story!
Finally for those who want to purchase This Son of York—and after reading Anne’s answers I am betting that is everyone—remember if is available for pre-order on Amazon! Below I’ve included a description of the novel, and some of the praise it is already garnering!
Praise for This Son of York . . .
Anne Easter Smith has written five well-regarded novels set in the War of the Roses, but the one she has been preparing to write, both in her imagination and after fifty years of research, is this novel about Richard III. Her mission was to bring Richard Plantagenet the man to life and let him speak directly to us in this meticulously rendered novel.
—Margaret George, International best-selling author of Elizabeth I and The Confessions of Young Nero
Deeply researched, the book bursts with action but even more importantly we are given passages of real feeling between human beings we think we may know but perhaps never completely understood until this book. It is a moving, insightful, and engrossing depiction of the controversial king.”
—Nancy Bilyeau, best-selling author of The Blue
A wonderfully realized life of tragic, doomed Richard. The author uses the latest discoveries and old texts to fully explore the complicated ‘crouchback’, and give us a fine portrait of the lover and the warrior, a noble, flawed and heroic king and man.”
—C. C. Humphreys, author of Vlad: The Last Confession
THIS SON OF YORK
Concluding her best-selling Wars of the Roses series, Anne Easter Smith has made Richard III her protagonist in her latest book This Son of York. The much maligned Richard is brought into new focus following the discovery of his bones under a car park in Leicester. 
As the fourth son of the duke of York, Richard of Gloucester could not have hoped for much more than the life of a wealthy, but insignificant nobleman. Instead fate took him down a drama-filled, unexpected path to the throne. As York challenged Lancaster for the crown, early tragedies and betrayals, including by his faithless brother George, led the young Richard to count on none but himself. Imbued with the traits of loyalty and duty to family and country, he proved them time and again especially when he reluctantly came to wear the crown. Buoyed by the love of two women, he stayed true to one while cherishing the other, both helping him bear the burden of his scoliosis.
A warrior of renown, a loyal brother, loving husband and father, a king mindful of injustice yet beset by betrayal, and a man convinced his God has forsaken him by burdening him with crippling scoliosis, This Son of York has a compelling tale to tell. With her meticulous attention to detail—and the truth—Easter Smith’s compelling storytelling paints a very different picture of the king Shakespeare reviled as “…thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog.”
RIBBONS OF SCARLET National Tour Announced!
Dear Readers,
It’s finally time to celebrate the release of our novel, Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution’s Women, releasing October 1. I and my Scarlet Sisters are thrilled by the prospect of sharing the book with so many of you in person. Between September 30 and November 21, all six of us will be making appearances across the country, sometimes toute ensemble, and sometimes in smaller groups or solo. We would certainly be delighted to see you along the way! All the details of the tour are below, and meanwhile, if you haven’t pre-order your copy of Ribbons of Scarlet–do it now!
Amazon | B&N | GooglePlay | iBooks | IndieBound | Kobo
Add to your Goodreads
THE RIBBONS OF SCARLET TOUR SCHEDULE:
***Note: All events are open to the public unless listed otherwise. Various authors will appear at events; please check each event’s description to see who will appear near you. Events may be subject to change. Events listed as author or book events will include book signings. Please support our booksellers by purchasing books from them. We look forward to seeing you on the road!***
SEPTEMBER 30
- 1 PM EST, FACEBOOK LIVE, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS (you don’t have to travel any further than your own computer for this one.
- 7 PM, THE STRAND, NEW YORK CITY, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS
- Offer available through September 30 – order a copy signed by all 6 authors
- More information from The Strand
OCTOBER 1
- TBD, RIVERSTONE BOOKS, PITTSBURGH, PA, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY AND ELIZA KNIGHT
- 12PM, LIVE AT YOUR LIBRARY SERIES, GASTON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH PARK ROADS BOOKS, GASTON, NC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 3PM, BOOK REVIEW CLUB, GASTON, NC (PRIVATE EVENT)
- 6PM, FICTION ADDICTION BOOKSTORE, GREENVILLE, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- More information and buy tickets: Facebook | Eventbrite
OCTOBER 2
- 1:45 PM AUTHOR TALK, COLLEGE OF WOOSTER, WOOSTER, OH, WITH SOPHIE PERINOT
- 11:30AM, HOLCOMB READING CLUB, SPARTANBURG, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE (PRIVATE EVENT)
- 12PM, MONDAY BOOK REVIEW CLUB, YOUNGSTOWN, OH, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY AND ELIZA KNIGHT (PRIVATE EVENT)
- TBD, KEYNOTE ADDRESS, CONVERSE COLLEGE, SPARTANBURG, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, BRECKSVILLE, OH, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
OCTOBER 3
- 11:30AM, LEXINGTON FRIENDS BOOK TALK, COLUMBIA, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 6PM, AUTHOR TALK, CHARLESTON LIBRARY SOCIETY, CHARLESTON, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY, ST. LOUIS, MO, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
- 7PM, HEATHER WEBB IN CONVERSATION WITH ALLISON PATAKI, BOOK CULTURE ON COLUMBUS (AT 82ND), NEW YORK CITY
OCTOBER 4
- 11AM, MOVEABLE FEATURE LUNCHEON HOSTED BY LITCHFIELD BOOKS, PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- More information and tickets from Litchfield Books
- 2PM, BOOKSIGNING, LITCHFIELD BOOKS, PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 6:30PM MEET & GREET; 7PM MEET THE AUTHORS AT MACINTOSH BOOKS, SANIBEL, FL, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, HEATHER WEBB, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
OCTOBER 5
- 2PM, IN CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHORS OF RIBBONS OF SCARLET, SHANNON STAUB LIBRARY, NORTH PORT, FL, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS
- 6PM, BOOKS & WINE, COPPERFISH BOOKS, PUNTA GORDA, FL, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS
- More information and tickets from Copperfish | Eventbrite
OCTOBER 6
- 4PM, CHAMPAGNE & BOOKS, BOOKMARK, NEPTUNE BEACH, FL, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS
OCTOBER 7
- 11:30AM, BOOKS & BITES, FERNANDINA BEACH LIBRARY WITH THE AMELIA ISLAND BOOK FESTIVAL AND THE BOOK LOFT, FERNANDINA BEACH, FL, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS
- 7PM, AUTHOR EVENT, THE LITERARY GUILD OF ST. SIMONS ISLAND, ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA, WITH ALL 6 AUTHORS
OCTOBER 8
- 1PM, AUTHOR TALK, MILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH BOOKMISER BOOK STORE, MILTON, GA, WITH KATE QINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 6:30PM, AUTHOR TALK, FOXTALE BOOK SHOPPE, WOODSTOCK, GA, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- More information from FoxTale | Join the Facebook event
- 6:30PM, AUTHOR TALK, TWO SISTERS BOOKERY, WILMINGTON, NC, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, SOPHIE PERINOT, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND HEATHER WEBB
OCTOBER 9
- 11AM AUTHOR EVENT, PEACHTREE CITY LIBRARY WITH BOOKMISER BOOKS, PEACHTREE CITY, GA, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- 5PM, AUTHOR TALK, THE COUNTRY BOOKSHOP, SOUTHERN PINES, NC, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, SOPHIE PERINOT, AND ELIZA KNIGHT
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, MARGARET MITCHELL HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA, WITH KATE QUINN AND LAURA KAMOIE
- More information and tickets
OCTOBER 10-11
- TIME TBD, PANEL DISCUSSION, SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK, NASHVILLE, TN, WITH HEATHER WEBB
OCTOBER 12
- 10AM – 2:30PM, BOOKS & BINGO, HOSTED BY THE WOMENS’ NATIONAL BOOK ASSOCIATION AND ADVENTURES BY THE BOOK, CORONA PUBLIC LIBRARY, CORONA, CA, FEATURING KATE QUINN, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
- More information on Facebook | Get tickets on Eventbrite
- 11AM, AUTHOR TALK, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD DAR, CROWNSVILLE, MD, WITH LAURA KAMOIE (PRIVATE EVENT)
- TBD, AUTHOR TALK, BARNES & NOBLE, ANNAPOLIS, MD, WITH LAURA KAMOIE
OCTOBER 13
- 1-5PM, BOOKS & BINGO, HOSTED BY SAN DIEGO CENTRAL LIBRARY AND ADVENTURES BY THE BOOK, FEATURING KATE QUINN, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
- More information on Facebook | Get tickets on Eventbrite
OCTOBER 14
- 6:30PM, AUTHOR TALK, ADAMS COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL WITH A LIKELY STORY, GETTYSBURG, PA WITH LAURA KAMOIE AND ELIZA KNIGHT
OCTOBER 15
- 4:30PM, SUSAN B. CLEMENTSON AUTHOR SERIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF APALACHICOLA MARGARET KEY LIBRARY, BOOKSELLER: DOWNTOWN BOOKS, APALACHICOLA, FL, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY
- 7PM, FICTION READING EVENT, STRING THEORY YARN SHOP WITH THE CUPBOARD MAKER BOOKS, LEYMOYNE, PA, WITH LAURA KAMOIE
- More information on Facebook from Cupboard Maker Books | from String Theory Yarn Shop
OCTOBER 16
- 10AM – 4PM, FSU PANAMA CITY FRESHMAN READ EVENT, PANAMA CITY, FL, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY
- 10-11AM STUDENT PRESENTATION (PRIVATE EVENT)
- 11:30-1PM LUNCHEON WITH A TALK ON WRITING
- 2-3PM TEA WITH AN AUTHOR BOOKSIGNING WITH BOOKS UNLIMITED
- 3-4PM AUTHOR TALK
- 7PM, EVENING LECTURE, DICKINSON COLLEGE, STERN GREAT ROOM, CARLISLE, PA, WITH LAURA KAMOIE
- 7PM WRITERS AT THE PAVILION, THE RITZ CHARLES, [DAY 1, ADDITIONAL EVENT ON OCTOBER 17] CARMEL CLAY PUBLIC LIBRARY FESTIVAL, CARMEL, IN. WITH SOPHIE PERINOT AND HEATHER WEBB.
- This is a ticketed event. More information and tickets
OCTOBER 17
- 9:30AM (DOORS OPEN) & 11:15AM LUNCHEON PROGRAM, THE RITZ CHARLES, CARMEL, IN. WITH SOPHIE PERINOT AND HEATHER WEBB.
- This is a ticked event, for more information or tickets
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, WELLINGTON SQUARE BOOKSHOP CO-SPONSORED BY CHESTER COUNTY LIBRARY, HILTON GARDEN INN, EXTON, PA, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY AND LAURA KAMOIE
- More information and get tickets on Facebook | Eventbrite
OCTOBER 18
- 6:30PM, AN EVENING WITH A WRITER, SPONSORED BY ESSEX COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY, AT THE ESSEX INN, TAPPAHANNOCK, VA, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, HEATHER WEBB, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
OCTOBER 19
- TIME TBD, LADIES WHO LUNCH, SECCO RESTAURANT WITH FOUNTAIN BOOKSTORE, RICHMOND, VA, WITH LAURA KAMOIE AND SOPHIE PERINOT
OCTOBER 20
- 1PM, AUTHOR TALK, THE BOOK DRAGON, STAUNTON, VA, WITH LAURA KAMOIE
OCTOBER 21
- 7:30PM, RIBBONS OF SCARLET AUTHORS IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE CAMERON, WORDS BOOKSTORE, MAPLEWOOD, NJ, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, ELIZA KNIGHT, HEATHER WEBB, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
OCTOBER 22
- 11:30AM, AUTHOR LUNCHEON, CORONADO LIBRARY, CORONADO, CA, WITH KATE QUINN
- 6:30PM, AUTHOR TALK, AVON LIBRARY, AVON, CT, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, SOPHIE PERINOT, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND HEATHER WEBB
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, WARWICK’S BOOKSTORE, SAN DIEGO, CA, WITH KATE QUINN
OCTOBER 23
- CHAMPAGNE AUTHOR TALK, BANK SQUARE BOOKS, MYSTIC, CT, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, SOPHIE PERINOT, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND HEATHER WEBB
OCTOBER 26
- 2PM, JOINT AUTHOR PANEL AT RANCH SANTA FE LIBRARY, SAN DIEGO, CA, WITH KATE QUINN
- 2-4PM, BOOKSIGNING, BROWSEABOUT BOOKS, REHOBOTH BEACH, DE, WITH LAURA KAMOIE
OCTOBER 28
- 6:30PM, AUTHOR TALK, CARROLL COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH A LIKELY STORY, MT. AIRY, MD, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, STEPHANIE DRAY, AND ELIZA KNIGHT
OCTOBER 29
- 7:00PM, MOUNT LEBANON FALL SPEAKER SERIES, MT. LEBANON PUBLIC LIBRARY, PITTSBURGH, PA, WITH SOPHIE PERINOT
NOVEMBER 2
- 1PM, BOOK TALK ON RIBBONS OF SCARLET, BALTIMORE BOOK FESTIVAL, LITERARY SALON STAGE, BALTIMORE, MD, WITH 5 OF THE 6 AUTHORS (ALL BUT KATE)
- 3PM, WRITING COLLABORATIVELY PANEL, BALTIMORE BOOK FESTIVAL, MARYLAND ROMANCE WRITERS STAGE, BALTIMORE, MD, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, HEATHER WEBB, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
NOVEMBER 4
- TIME TBD, FUNDRAISER EVENT, A LIKELY STORY, SYKESVILLE, MD, WITH STEPHANIE DRAY, LAURA KAMOIE, AND ELIZA KNIGHT
NOVEMBER 6
- AUTHOR LUNCHEON, LAKE FOREST BOOK STORE AT DEER PATH INN, LAKE FOREST, IL, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, SOPHIE PERINOT, AND ELIZA KNIGHT
NOVEMBER 7
- BOOK TALK, THE BOOK CELLAR, CHICAGO, IL, WITH ELIZA KNIGHT, LAURA KAMOIE, AND SOPHIE PERINOT
- More information from The Book Cellar
NOVEMBER 10
- 11:30AM, HIGH TEA EVENT, OTTAWA, CANADA, WITH KATE QUINN
NOVEMBER 11
- TIME TBD, AUTHOR TALK, JEWISH PUBLIC LIBRARY, MONTREAL, CANADA, WITH KATE QUINN
NOVEMBER 17
- 2PM, AUTHOR TALK, MCINTYRE’S BOOKS, PITTSBORO, NC, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, HEATHER WEBB, AND ELIZA KNIGHT
NOVEMBER 18
- 6:30PM, AUTHOR TALK, PAGE 158 BOOKS, WAKE FOREST, NC, WITH ELIZA KNIGHT, HEATHER WEBB, AND LAURA KAMOIE
NOVEMBER 19
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, BOOKMARKS WINE EVENT, WINSTON SALEM, NC, WITH HEATHER WEBB, LAURA KAMOIE, AND ELIZA KNIGHT
NOVEMBER 20
- 7PM, AUTHOR TALK, MAIN STREET BOOKS, DAVIDSON, NC, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, ELIZA KNIGHT, AND HEATHER WEBB
NOVEMBER 21
- 5PM, LINGER LONGER LIVING SERIES AT REYNOLDS LAKE OCONEE, GREENSBORO, GA, WITH LAURA KAMOIE, HEATHER WEBB, AND ELIZA KNIGHT (PRIVATE EVENT)
DECEMBER 7
- 12PM, MULTI-AUTHOR SIGNING, NORA ROBERTS’S TURN THE PAGE BOOKSTORE, BOONSBORO, MD, WITH LAURA KAMOIE AND ELIZA KNIGHT
2019 Spring Trailer: Médicis Daughter
Because sometimes it’s more fun to make a new video trailer than to edit 😉 Volia! The 2019 Spring trailer for MÉDICIS DAUGHTER! Enjoy, share, and celebrate the pleasures and perils of spring, Valois style! What do you think?
Haven’t read MÉDICIS DAUGHTER yet, or have a friend who hasn’t? It is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble or wherever books are sold!