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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.
Get Away from it All
Does our modern madness have you feeling down? Is “news avoidance” part of your current plan for getting a decent night’s sleep? What you need is some time travel. And that’s where my novels come in.
Whether you want to hang out in 18th century France and get some advice from the women of the French Revolution, or you are interested in a mystery with a twist of Great Fire of London history, I have a book for that!
More Progress on a Limited TV Series of A Day of Fire
WOW, wow, wow. We have an executive producer for the limited series based on our collaborative novel A DAY OF FIRE 
Of course we can’t be 100% sure it will go forward until it is filming, but I am still crossing toes and fingers that I and my co-authors — Kate Quinn Eliza Knight Ben Kane Victoria Alvear and Stephanie Dray, — get to see the characters we lived and breathed through while creating the novel come to life on TV screen!
From “The Wrap” article . . .
Thankful for You
Discover My Novels with My 2021 Spring Book Trailer!
It’s SPRING AT LAST!!!! And time for springtime refresh on my book trailer.🌷🌷🌷
Voila! ENJOY . . .
If you are looking for a spring-time-afternoon-in-the-garden read and female-centered historical fiction is your passion . . . look no further than one of my novels!
MÉDICIS DAUGHTER—Visit the gorgeous palaces of the Loire valley while their gardens are in bloom 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 later this summer. . . you’d better dress for a massacre as well as dancing.
⚜ BUY LINKS FOR MÉDICIS DAUGHTER ⚜
Amazon
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THE SISTER QUEENS—Spend part of your spring in Paris (is there anything better than springtime in Paris?) with Marguerite, Queen of France, then hop to England and join her beloved sister Eleanor Queen of England in the gardens at Westminster. 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 ♔
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RIBBONS OF SCARLET—Have you ever felt like starting a revolution? You’re in good company. This spring 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 LINKS FOR RIBBONS OF SCARLET 🎀
Amazon
Bookshop Org
Release Day for Ribbons of Scarlet!
AT LAST THE DAY HAS ARRIVED!!!! So thrilled to announce the release of my latest novel Ribbons of Scarlet–an innovative and gripping novel about the French Revolution’s women.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon | B&N | Google | iBooks | IndieBound | Kobo | Goodreads
Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution – and change the world.
In late 18th-century France, women do not have a place in politics. But as the tide of revolution rises, women from gilded salons to the streets of Paris decide otherwise – upending a world order that has long oppressed them.
Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy believes in democracy, education, and equal rights for women and marries the only man in Paris who agrees. Emboldened to fight the injustices of King Louis XVI, Sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself – but one of her students, fruit-seller Louise Audu, is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning. When the Bastille falls and Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles, the monarchy is forced to bend, but not without a fight. The king’s pious sister, Princess Elisabeth, takes a stand to defend her brother, spirit her family to safety, and restore the old order, even at the risk of her head.
But when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution’s ideals into a new tyranny, even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine. Putting her faith in the pen, brilliant political wife Manon Roland tries to write a way out of France’s blood-soaked Reign of Terror while pike-bearing Pauline Leon and steely Charlotte Corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation. With justice corrupted by revenge, all the women must make impossible choices to survive – unless unlikely heroine and courtesan’s daughter Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe can sway the man who controls France’s fate: the fearsome Robespierre.
⚜ PRAISE FOR RIBBONS OF SCARLET ⚜
Sure to appeal to devotees of historical fiction, feminists, and those looking for a stirring #metoo read
⚜ Library Journal (starred review)
Ambition. Heartache. Scandal. Brilliantly executed portrayal of women’s participation in the French Revolution. I cannot think of a better way for you to spend your time than reading this book.
⚜ Dolen Perkins-Valdez, New York Times Bestselling author of Wench
HERstory at its finest; this novel of the French Revolution, collaboratively written by titans of Historical Fiction, brings women to the forefront of the time know as the Terror. This novel has it all; the ability to move, entertain, educate, and inspire.
⚜ Melanie Benjamin, New York Times Bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife
Happy 2018
MÉDICIS DAUGHTER one of 11 on List of Books about Epic Rivalries
Super excited to see MÉDICIS DAUGHTER on this list of “Books About Epic Rivalries,” especially alongside books by some authors I personally love. https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2017/03/27/historical-fiction-books-about-rivalries/
Reminder . . . Countdown to 2016 Holiday Giveaway
What La Traviata and The Sister Queens Have in Common
March 6th is a good day for debuts. One hundred and sixty years ago today (March 6, 1853) La Traviata premiered at the La Fenice opera house in Venice. One year ago today (March 6, 2012) my debut novel, The Sister Queens, hit shelves. Auspicious. And while I never expect to be as popular as Verdi, I’ve been overwhelmed by the generous responses of critics and the kind and often moving responses of readers. Thanks all! 
Readers—Visit my Sister Queens Facebook page for instructions on how to get one of twenty signed bookplates (there are still a few left) for your copy of The Sister Queens.
Writer friends — The day after its premiere Giuseppe Verdi worried that La Traviata was a failure so EVERYBODY has artistic angst. Have faith in your work and its ability to find an audience.
Finally, for those who haven’t tried The Sister Queens yet — I believe that Amazon still has the book on sale for $6 a copy (limit 2). Wouldn’t now be an excellent time to add it to your TBR pile?