Category: For Historical Fiction Fans
A Woman Conveniently Defamed by History
This is the four-hundred-and-eleventh anniversary of the death of Marguerite de Valois, Princess and then Queen of France. Marguerite, the central character in my novel, MÉDICIS DAUGHTER, was the 8th child of Henri II of France and Queen Catherine de Médicis. Healthy, intelligent and beautiful—Margot was, sadly, never anyone’s favorite child, and may well have been Catherine’s least favorite.
I chose to write about Margot specifically because, as I say in the author’s note to my novel, Fate was not so kind to Marguerite de Valois. Nor was history.
There but for a bad law . . . .Three of Marguerite’s brothers were Kings of France. But when the last of them died, Salic law kept their sister from ruling, with the crown passing to her cousin/husband the King of Navarre.
The most traditional way to discredit a woman . . . . Marguerite has traditionally been portrayed as a wanton. But these luridly embroidered portrayals are rooted in a single piece of propaganda. Propaganda used by her husband, King Henri IIV, to secure a divorce when she didn’t produce an heir.
The truth is (always) more complicated . . . . Was Margot perfect? No. But nor was she a shallow, sex-obsessed, pleasure seeker. Looking at the historical record, it is clear Margot was highly intelligent, politically astute, and (in her later years) a serious force in the literary life of France. Arguably her political acumen exceeded that of her brothers, making her more like her strong-willed, politically expert mother, Catherine de Médicis than any of that Queen’s other children. Unlike her mother, however, Margot was a woman of deep and genuine religious conviction.
I hope that in Médicis Daughter I did Marguerite justice. For those who enjoyed my book, I recommend reading Margot’s own Memoirs—which provide a vivid exposition of France during her lifetime. For those who haven’t discovered Médicis Daughter yet, perhaps now is the time.
Happy International Women’s Day
I am SO HERE for International Women’s Day!
Doubtless my readers have noticed that I am an era hopper (I’ve written Ancient Rome, 13th century, 16th century, 17th century and who knows when I’ll go next) but my historical novels have a unifying factor—I like to restore or rehabilitate women who have been erased or mis-represented in history. So this International Women’s Day I’d like to celebrate some of my heroines.
The Erased . . . The spark for my novel, THE SISTER QUEENS, came from a footnote. I was reading about Notre Dame de Paris for a different project and came upon a footnote discussing Marguerite of Provence medieval Queen to Louis IX of France. She and Louis jointly presented the church’s last and smallest door—the Porte Rouge—and if you look up, you can see Marguerite’s kneeling image carved over that charming door. Anyway, in the footnote it was mentioned that Marguerite was one of four remarkable daughters of Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence—ALL of whom became Queens. I wondered how such women, with their powerful Savoyard connections through their mother and their politically significant marriages, could have slipped through the fingers of history. The fact they had aggravated me. So, I started a file folder with their names on it, vowing to come back and tell their story. The Sister Queens was the result of that vow and ultimately highlighted the two eldest, Marguerite who became Queen of France and Eleanor who became Queen of England. Neither of my Queens were mere pretty faces. Marguerite went on crusade and while their saved her husband, King Lois IX of France, who had been taken captive. Eleanor was her husband’s, King Henry III of England, rock—providing advice, perspective and unwaning love.
Another good example of restoring erased women is the collaborative novel that I worked on, RIBBONS OF SCARLET, about the French Revolution’s women. Women did everything from write to fight in support of the Revolution—the march on Versailles was led by women—but their significant contributions were largely left out of academic histories on the subject. I wrote about the King’s sister, Princess Elizabeth, lived a life of charity and was even considered for canonization by the Catholic church. At the time of the Revolution she took a stand to defend her brother, and was active in a plan to spirit her family to safety at the risk of her head, yet few people know anything about her. I wanted to correct that oversight.
The misrepresented . . . My novel, MEDICIS DAUGHTER, centers on Marguerite de Valois, youngest daughter of Catherine de Médicis, Queen of France. I knew Margot from my childhood reading, and specifically the work of Alexandre Dumas. Margot represents a woman unfairly treated by history. She’s traditionally been portrayed as a wanton. But these luridly embroidered portrayals are rooted in a single piece of propaganda. Propaganda used by her husband, King Henri IV of France, to secure a divorce when she didn’t produce an heir.
The defamation of Marguerite really fired me up to provide a more balanced, historically accurate look at the youngest Valois Princess.
Was she perfect? No. But nor was she a shallow, sex-obsessed, pleasure seeker. Looking at the historical record, it is clear Marguerite was highly intelligent, politically astute, and (in her later years) a serious force in the literary life of France. Arguably her political acumen exceeded that of her brothers (three of whom were Kings), making her more similar to her strong-willed, politically expert mother, Catherine de Médicis. Unlike her mother, however, Margot was a woman of deep and genuine religious conviction.
This International Women’s Day which historical women who’ve been erased or misrepresented have you enjoyed reading about? Is there a woman from the past you’d like to see someone write a historical novel about?
The Holidays are Almost Here!!!
This year give your friends or yourself a portal to the past–give historical fiction. Maybe treat yourself to a cold-weather read while you’re at it? Have you ever given one of my novels as a holiday gift? Have you ever received one?
Introducing The Historic Traveler
Dear readers, I know that all of you are lovers of history and historical fiction, and I suspect, like me, quite a few of you love traveling to historical sites. So I am delighted to introduce you to an amazing resource for those of us who think everything is better with a dash of history—The Historic Traveler.
At the Historical Novel Society’s 2025 conference, I had the good fortune to meet The Historic Traveler’s founder and Traveler-in-Chief Jackie Lapin. I was intrigued by her venture, and several conversations later realized she’d created just about the perfect resource for the historically-driven explorer of the world—one that allows readers to marry their travel to the books that bring history to life.
The Historic Traveler is a unique online destination for history lovers offering feature articles, travel resources, and stunning photo galleries, along with carefully curated recommendations for historical novels, history books, biographies, films, museums, and more that illuminate some of history’s most treasured stories. All these goodies are presented through a quarterly e-magazine, website, newsletter, and the Historic Traveler International membership community—a dynamic network of like-minded travelers and readers.
Currently (during this introductory period) you can join The Historic Traveler for free!
Oh, and while you are clicking on links, guess who is the feature author for this week’s newsletter?
Monday? I’ve got a fix for that ;)
It’s Monday.
Just because it’s another work-week doesn’t mean you can’t escape.
Books can take you just about anywhere . . . including through time. Let me give you a hand, no plane ticket or packing necessary . . .
Explore my books in more detail under the “my books” tab of this website.
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!