I've got giveaway winners!

Hey all, it's time to announce the lucky winners of my most recent giveaways...

The winner of To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Sandra Byrd is...

Lori Thomas

The winner of To Be Queen by Christy English is...

Anne R

The winner of Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper is...

Leigh Ann

The winner of O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell is...

SidheKist

The winner of The Tudor Throne by Brandy Purdy is...

The Flashlight Reader

The winner of Mary & Elizabeth by Emily Purdy (aka Brandy Purdy) is...

Soft Fuzzy Sweater

Congratulations to all of the winners!  Emails have been sent and I hope you all enjoy your goodies!

Thanks to all who entered and helped spread the word!

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Passages to the Past is going on hiatus

To the lovely followers of Passages to the Past, 

I wanted to let you know that I will be going on hiatus from blogging and reviewing for a little while.  My husband and I have unfortunately suffered another set back in our endeavor to expand the family and with this being the second loss this year (and our third overall), I am just needing to take a break.  You may see a guest post or giveaway occasionally because I want to try and keep as many of my commitments as possible, but I won't be posting reviews.  

You won't be able to miss me too much though because I am still hard at work on my tours at HF Virtual Book Tours.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy working on the tours and how they have helped me keep my mind occupied over these past few weeks as we were awaiting an answer.

I want to apologize for any inconvenience I am causing the authors and publicists I have committed to, I just really need to take time for myself, to heal both emotionally and physically.

Thank you all and I'll be seeing you around.

Take care.
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Bookshelf Cleaning Giveaway #2

Welcome to another Bookshelf Cleaning Giveaway at Passages to the Past!  My bookshelves are threatening to explode and I need to find new homes for a few of my books and I'm counting on you, my lovely readers, to adopt them!

Up for grabs this time is a duo of Shakespeare-inspired books...O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell and Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper.  The giveaway is for one copy per winner, so when you sign up please let me know which copy you are interested in - you can choose both if you wish.

by Robin Maxwell

Publication Date: February 2, 2010

SYNOPSIS

"One of the queens of historical fiction" offers a new take on the mesmerizing young woman and poetess who inspired Shakespeare's most famous female character.

Before Juliet Capelletti lie two futures: a traditionally loveless marriage to her father's business partner, or the fulfillment of her poetic dreams, inspired by the great Dante. Unlike her beloved friend Lucrezia, who looks forward to her arranged marriage, Juliet has a wild, romantic imagination that knows not the bounds of her great family's stalwart keep.

The latter path is hers for the taking when Juliet meets Romeo Monticecco, a soulful young man seeking peace between their warring families. A dreamer himself, Romeo is unstoppable, once he determines to capture the heart of the remarkable woman foretold in his stars. The breathless intrigue that ensues is the stuff of beloved legend. But those familiar with Shakespeare's muse know only half the story... 

by Karen Harper

Publication Date: January 5, 2010

SYNOPSIS

A bold and intriguing novel about the woman who was William Shakespeare's secret wife, by the national bestselling author.

As historical records show, Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton was betrothed to William Shakespeare just days before he was forced to wed the pregnant Anne Hathaway. Here, Anne Whateley takes up her pen to tell the intimate story of her daring life with Will. Obliged to acknowledge Will's publicly sanctioned marriage, Anne Whateley nevertheless follows him from rural Stratford-Upon-Avon to teeming London, where they honor their secret union, the coming together of two passionate souls. Persecution and plague, insurrection and inferno, friends and foes all play parts in Anne's lively tale.

Spanning half a century of Elizabethan and Jacobean history, and sweeping from the lowest reaches of society to the royal court, this richly textured novel tells the real story of Shakespeare in love.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

- To enter, please leave a comment below letting me know which copy you would like to receive and include your email address (only comments with email addresses will be entered in the giveaway).
- Giveaway is open to US ONLY.
- For +5 additional entries become a follower of Passages to the Past. If you are already a follower you will automatically receive the bonus entries. 
- For +3 additional entries join the Passages to the Past FB Page.
- For +1 additional entry each, please help spread the word by blogging, posting on sidebar, tweeting or posting this giveaway on Facebook.  You can use the SHARE buttons below.
- Giveaway ends on September 24th.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
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Mailbox Monday

Another Monday, Another Mailbox!! Mailbox Monday is a feature where we gush about the yummy new books that now grace our bookshelves! WARNING: Mailbox Mondays can lead to extreme envy and GINORMOUS wishlists!!

Mailbox Monday was originally hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page and is now a traveling meme.  For the month of August your new host is Amused By Books.
 
Hello, dear readers!  I have two new additions to report, one was a book that I picked up used from Amazon and the other was an unsolicited review copy that was sent to me.  I may try to get to it eventually, but with the state of my current TBR pile I can't say when that may be!  I just wish my bank account was as full as my book shelves!

by Brigette Hamann

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

DESCRIPTION
 
A biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

 
 
 
 
 
by Tasha Alexander

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

SYNOPSIS

Set in the lush countryside of Normandy, France, this new novel of suspense featuring Lady Emily Hargreaves is filled with intrigue, romance, mysterious deaths, and madness.

Returning from her honeymoon with Colin Hargreaves and a near brush with death in Constantinople, Lady Emily convalesces at her mother-in-law’s beautiful estate in Normandy. But the calm she so desperately seeks is shattered when, out riding a horse, she comes upon the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. The girl’s wounds are identical to those inflicted on the victims of Jack the Ripper, who has wreaked havoc across the channel in London. Emily feels a connection to the young woman and is determined to bring the killer to justice.

Pursuing a trail of clues and victims to the beautiful medieval city of Rouen and a crumbling château in the country, Emily begins to worry about her own sanity: She hears the cries of a little girl she cannot find and discovers blue ribbons left in the child’s wake. As Emily is forced to match wits with a brilliant and manipulative killer, only her courage, keen instincts, and formidable will to win can help her escape becoming his next victim.

That's my mailbox...what goodies did you receive?
 
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Guest Post by Elizabeth Chadwick + 2 Copy Giveaway of Lady of the English

I am so very, very exited to welcome one of my most favorite authors, Elizabeth Chadwick, to Passages to the Past today!  Elizabeth is here in honor of the release of her latest and greatest, Lady of the English, which I reviewed yesterday {READ}.

I have long been fascinated by Elizabeth's use of Akashic Records and so I asked her if she could tell us all a bit about and how it enhances her novels.  And thanks to Sourcebooks, Passages to the Past has 2 copies of Lady of the English to give away to my lovely readers!

The floor is yours, Elizabeth... 

Thank you to Amy for inviting me onto Passages to the Past to talk about the Akashic Records and how I use them to research my novels. 

My friend Alison King has the ability to access the past by tuning into the energy patterns of people and places that have gone before. She refers to her skill as being able to read the Akashic Records. I guess my handle on it would be psychic time travel. It would take up the entire blog post to try and explain the technicalities of it, and besides, it’s a bit like driving a car. I may be able to get from A to B in it, but don’t ask me to explain what’s under the hood! However, Alison does have her own websiteand if you want to know more about it, you can go to this url http://www.akashic-consultant.com/my-work-with-elizabeth-chadwick And this is Alison’s home page. http://www.akashic-consultant.com/ She is involved in various kinds of energy work as her day job. 

For the purpose of this blog, let’s take it that Alison is indeed tuning in to the past in a fascinating and unique way. I don’t expect everyone to believe in this, your mileage may vary, but I what I doing here, is telling you how it works for me and how I use it in my historical novels. 

I have been using Alison’s ability ever since the later stages of writing THE GREATEST KNIGHT, and have factored it into my research process ever since. I never use The Akashic Records exclusively. They are part of a broad spectrum of research materials involving primary source, secondary source, location visits and re-enactment. I add a good seasoning of imagination to the blend, and weave everything together to craft my story. I find the Akashic Records very useful for finding out the things that history doesn’t tell us and also for examining people’s thoughts, feelings and emotions about a given set of circumstances. Because Alison can tune in to each individual, I can get a fully rounded view of an incident and not just one side. In that way it is even better than primary source. It skips the bias of the chroniclers. Even if the winners write the history as is so often said, I can also listen in to the losers and the bystanders. For example, when working on Lady of the English I had to write about how Empress Matilda felt about her adolescent husband Geoffrey of Anjou. I was able to look at Matilda’s thoughts and feelings on the matter, and then at Geoffrey’s. I was also able to look at what those around them thought and felt about it. When the child, the future Henry II arrived on the scene, I was able to explore his childhood through his own thoughts and feelings and through the observances and emotions of his parents and a wider audience. 

Where the historical events were already known, I tested the Akashic input against them for veracity. Where they weren’t already known, I asked myself ‘Is this probable or likely?’ It always was. I also sent each session for comment to a friend who is a medievalist and cultural historian specializing in this period, and her feedback was very positive on the cultural and social aspects. It was medieval mindset coming through and gave additional insights on the known history. 

Since Alison receives every sense when she tunes in, she sees the people too, and this is fascinating for me. It’s almost like those programmes where experts do a facial reconstruction on the skull and the real person emerges from the mists of time to look you in the eyes. 

Here are a few scenes taken from my Akashic Record research material while researching LADY OF THE ENGLISH. In total we accumulated around 120,000 words of research for this novel alone, so the below feature just a few meager snapshots from a huge kaleidoscope. 

I am writing now writing 3 novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Akashic results from my research so far are proving a real eye opener. I am hoping to share them online very soon. 

A description of Adeliza of Louvain.

She’s got a very wide mouth, quite thin lips. It’s not a straight mouth, it’s a wavy mouth. She’s got fine, straight hair. Very long, very drawn back from the face. She’s like a fairy tale princess. The sort of girl who in our day would go to ballet classes. She makes very fine movements with her hands – the sort of movements that always look as if a bird is about to alight on the back of the hand. Everything graceful and very flowing in straight lines – the clothes, the sleeves of the dress. Not a voluptuous figure at all, but very straight and slim. She’s not short, quite a normal sort of height, but gives the impression of delicacy. 

Description of Will D’Albini, Adeliza’s second husband.

He has dark brown, thick, curly hair that grows vigorously. Strong features, rather Eastern European in look - wide face, high cheekbones, full lips, that sort of thing. Strong shoulders that make the cloak sway when he walks. (For those who want to Google, he has a bit of a look of the British actor the late Alan Bates). 

How Brian FitzCount feels about the Empress Matilda.

Alison makes a small sound. He has to look the other way actually. Because he likes her? Yes. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he doesn’t trust himself – but oh gosh, it’s terrible actually. If he got attached to her, it would be like falling down a huge mountain in darkness and he couldn’t do it to himself. So he has to keep it very light and very official. It is the loyal servant very much in love with the mistress. But this loyal servant is also extremely intelligent and also self aware and aware of his position and feelings and situation. He has real dignity. He’s a gorgeous man! 

Description of the teenage Geoffrey of Anjou and a paragraph about his attitude to Matilda. 

He is rather handsome and he likes posing and inspecting. He has wavy red-gold hair, quite thick lips nicely shaped. Plumpish soft cheeks. Very attractive in a cherubic sort of way. The eyes are not cherubic at all. They’re a greenish colour but they flash! And when they flash, they flash blue in the depths of the green. Very glassy, but sea-type colours. 

So what does he think Matilda’s going to think of him? 

Well it doesn’t really come into it does it? 

But does he think that he’s so handsome that she won’t be able to resist him? 

No, it’s more like ‘She’ll have to do what she’s told. She’s a woman. She has no feelings, she has no thoughts, she has no rights to anything really, apart from procreation. The real power lies with him and his father. That’s how he feels about it. She can just keep to her chamber. And when he says this it’s the same sort of feeling as keeping the pigs in the sties or the dogs in the kennel. There’s a place for women. He thinks that it won’t make that much difference to him in his life. All it requires is for him just to go at it and get her pregnant in crude terms. 

Now go to Matilda before 1128 after she receives the letter of Hildebert de Lavardin, Archbishop of Tours, remonstrating with her for rejecting the betrothal between herself and Geoffrey of Anjou:

Alison: How could he? How could he? He doesn’t know what it’s like, he’s not a woman. How am I supposed to bear this? Married to a boy half my age and an idiot at that! He’d have to be an idiot to agree to this marriage. Anyone with any reasons knows it must be stupid! And then she cries. And she says ‘Everyone’s against me. Everyone’s turned against me. I have no one to turn to.’ She’s thinking about her first, dear husband and wishing he was still alive and that he could protect her. ‘Now I have no one. I will have to protect myself, but I can’t do it.’ She’s turning over, curling up in a ball and thinking ‘How can he ask me to do such a thing? It’s against all the rules of nature. She’s got nowhere to turn. There’s only God left, and what has God ever done for her? She’s reminded that she survived that time in childbirth, but she’s also reminded that she hasn’t got a baby. If she had, she would have had a purpose and a place. Now she’s trying to think her way out of it. Maybe God will protect her, but she thinks that God has taken the principal side. She doesn’t think that it’s bad to have politics but she thinks they should be tempered by moderation and humanity for those concerned so that everyone can live at peace and not just always be about gain. Sometimes things go beyond gain. But she wishes someone would value her as a person, as a human being. She doesn’t want any sanction by the church. She doesn’t hold with the opinions of this church any more and this proves it to her. She no more believes in so-called men of God. She feels very naughty saying that to herself and very out on a limb. It was her last resort and she’ll be damned if she’ll be a nun and be forever bound by men of God. That would be even worse than getting married. She’d be totally done for there. So she’s still trying to think of an alternative. And her father is the only alternative. 

To petition him again? 

I don’t know. She just feels that’s the only place she could make a difference. If he would only relent, but she’s tried and tried with that and he just turns away now and won’t even discuss it. She thinks he doesn’t understand how deep this goes with her and how painful it is. Because she always tries to be ladylike and professional when she’s with him, proud, but it doesn’t help. She cannot think of another alternative and she cannot think of herself without thinking of her position, so for example she can’t think of abdicating and just becoming an ordinary person. It seems to her the only honourable way forward is to go forward with this marriage and that is only honourable on the surface; it’s not honourable deep down, so she has to force herself. It’s a very subdued sort of state. 

The Empress interacting with her son, the future Henry II when he’s a toddler. 

I am seeing bottle shapes. They look like skittles and they are falling down. The child is crawling. It’s outdoors. They are on grass. The child is crawling towards the skittles. Matilda has told everyone to hold back a bit, not roll any more balls. She wants to see what he’ll do. He’s put one of the skittles back up on its base. He’s put a loop round it. It’s not skittles that you knock over but the sort you put a hoop over. It’s a flat hoop about an inch and a half wide. Alison laughs. Then he puts both arms in the air as if to say ‘Hooray, I’ve won!’ Aaah, Matilda is clapping him and saying ‘Well done, well done. Bravo! Bravo!’ He’s still holding a hoop while he’s in her arms and he’s waving it about and she’s praising him for being so clever. She is saying, ‘Here is the winner of the game, here is the winner! She’s holding him up higher as well. She is saying more quietly to him ‘That’s right, that’s how you win.’ Meaning? It doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you get the hoop over. She’s praising him because she wants a winner in the household. She feels a bit deficient in that area, so she’s trying to train her son to improve on her and she’s making sure that everyone in the court applauds him and acknowledges his win – so she is also training them. She is saying ‘Your father will come and explain some more things to you. Your father is a ferocious winner.’ 

Comment on the childhood personality of Henry II.

Henry has got a very winning smile and a very sunny side to him. He also has the attitude that he always has to win, and then the sun always shines. That’s the right thing. 

On Henry II’s attitude to his mother going to England: 

Has she told him at that point that she is leaving to go to England? Oh yes. It’s something that he accepts quite well. It’s family business. One day when he’s big enough he’ll be doing it. He’s been told that he must practice hard so he’ll be able to do it. He knows that’s his job now and he’s got responsibilities at home. And again there’s this feeling of responsibility, that he’s going to be in charge.

ABOUT LADY OF THE ENGLISH

SYNOPSIS


Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.

Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.

In the anarchy, in a world where a man's word is law, how can Adeliza obey her husband while supporting Matilda?

How long can Matilda fight for the throne that she has struggled so bitterly to win?



For more information, please visit Elizabeth Chadwick's WEBSITE.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
- To enter, please leave a comment below and include your email address (only comments with email addresses will be entered in the giveaway).
- Giveaway is open to US AND CANADA ONLY.
- For +5 additional entries become a follower of Passages to the Past. If you are already a follower you will automatically receive the bonus entries. 
- For +3 additional entries join the Passages to the Past FB Page.
- For +1 additional entry each, please help spread the word by blogging, posting on sidebar, tweeting or posting this giveaway on Facebook.  You can use the SHARE buttons below.
- Giveaway ends on September 21st.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
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Review: Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

by Elizabeth Chadwick

Publication Date: September 1, 2011
Sourcebooks Publishing
544p



SYNOPSIS

Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.

Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.
In the anarchy, in a world where a man's word is law, how can Adeliza obey her husband while supporting Matilda?

How long can Matilda fight for the throne that she has struggled so bitterly to win?

REVIEW  

No one does medieval historical fiction quite like Elizabeth Chadwick, and her latest novel, Lady of the English is just one more example of her enormous talent for bringing the past to life! 

Matilda has just returned to England after the death of husband, the German Emperor and is welcomed by her father, King Henry I and his wife, Adeliza. The two women become fast friends and a true companionship begins. Before King Henry’s death he makes his noblemen pledge their allegiance to his daughter Matilda as heir, but when the time comes they defy his wishes and her cousin Stephen assumes the throne. Matilda won’t back down without a fight and that’s exactly what she gives him. Factions soon form and the battle is on. Poor Adeliza is caught in the middle of the two sides as her new husband is fighting for Stephen. Adeliza knows that Matilda is the rightful ruler of England, but she loves her husband and wants to be loyal to both. 

The characters of Matilda and Adeliza were portrayed wonderfully and Chadwick gives the reader such insight into each woman that when you finish the book you feel as if you’re saying goodbye to a friend. Chadwick’s impeccable research and knowledge of the medieval time period is, as always, very evident and her use of Akashic Records makes her novels that much more so and gives her that extra edge. I cannot recommend Elizabeth Chadwick novels enough, if you haven’t checked her out yet you are really missing out! 

*Come back tomorrow for a guest post by the wonderful Elizabeth Chadwick and a giveaway of her fabulicious novel, Lady of the English!

For more information, please visit Elizabeth Chadwick's WEBSITE.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.

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Win a signed copy of The Tudor Throne by Brandy Purdy or Mary & Elizabeth by Emily Purdy!

Thanks to the graciousness of author Brandy Purdy (or as she is known in the UK, Emily Purdy), Passages to the Past has one signed copy of The Tudor Throne (US edition) and one signed copy of Mary & Elizabeth (UK edition) available to give away!  The only difference between the two editions are the title and cover art.

ABOUT THE TUDOR THRONE (US EDITION)

SYNOPSIS

Bound by blood, torn by devotion...

In the wake of King Henry VIII's death, England's throne is left in a precarious state-as is the peculiar relationship between his two daughters. Mary, the elder, once treasured, had been declared a bastard in favor of her flame-haired half-sister, Elizabeth, born of the doomed Anne Boleyn. Yet the bond between the sisters was palpable from the start. Now reinstated, Mary eventually assumes her place as queen. But as Mary's religious zeal evolves into a reign of terror, young Elizabeth gains the people's favor. Gripped by a tormenting paranoia, Mary is soon convinced that her beloved Elizabeth is in fact her worst enemy. And the virginal Elizabeth, whose true love is her country, must defy her tyrannical sister to make way for a new era...

A brilliant portrait of the rule of "Bloody Mary" and her intricate relationship with Elizabeth I, the adored "Virgin Queen," here is a riveting tale of one family's sordid and extraordinary chapter in the pages of history.

ABOUT MARY & ELIZABETH (UK EDITION) 

SYNOPSIS

Two Sisters, United by Blood, divided by the Crown. 

They shared childhood memories and one grand ambition. Mary was England's precious jewel, the surviving child of the tumultuous relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. However, when Henry fell passionately in love with the dark-eyed Anne Boleyn, he cast his wife and daughter aside. 

Henry and Anne's union divides the country, and with the birth of Elizabeth, Mary becomes a pariah, stripped of all royal privileges. Yet, there is something enchanting about Elizabeth, and Mary soon grows to love her like a sister. 

But every rose has its thorn, and following Anne Boleyn's execution, a rift begins to grow between the sisters. Mary assumes her place as queen, her reign of terror turning the people's love to hate. Elizabeth, whose true love is her country, must defy her tyrannical sister to make way for a new era... 

Mary and Elizabeth is a rip-roaring story of a love, power, and rivalry that will delight fans of The Tudors.

For more information, please visit Brandy Purdy's WEBSITE.


GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

- To enter, please leave a comment below and include your email address (only comments with email addresses will be entered in the giveaway).
- Giveaway is open to US ONLY.
- For +5 additional entries become a follower of Passages to the Past. If you are already a follower you will automatically receive the bonus entries. 
- For +3 additional entries join the Passages to the Past FB Page.
- For +1 additional entry each, please help spread the word by blogging, posting on sidebar, tweeting or posting this giveaway on Facebook.  You can use the SHARE buttons below.
- Giveaway ends on September 16th.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
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2012 Release: Four Sisters, All Queens by Sherry Jones

by Sherry Jones

Release Date: May 8, 2012

SYNOPSIS

When Beatrice of Savoy, countess of Provence, sends her four beautiful, accomplished daughters to become queens, she admonishes them: Family comes first. As a result, the daughters—Marguerite, queen of France; Eleanor, queen of England; Sanchia, queen of Germany; and Beatrice, queen of Sicily—work not only to expand their husbands’ empires and broker peace between nations, but also to bring the House of Savoy to greater power and influence than before. Their father’s death, however, tears the sisters apart, pitting them against one another for the legacy each believes rightfully hers—Provence itself. Told from alternating points of view of all four queens, and set in the tumultuous thirteenth century, this is a tale of greed, lust, ambition, and sibling rivalry on a royal scale, exploring the meaning of true power and bringing to life four of the most celebrated women of their time—each of whom had an impact on the history of Europe. 
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2012 Release: A Light on the Veranda by Ciji Ware

by Ciji Ware 

Release Date: March 1, 2011 

SYNOPSIS 

A “stand-alone” sequel to Midnight on Julia Street, this novel tells the story of Daphne Duvallon, a wayward southern belle and Juilliard-trained harpist, who returns to Natchez, Mississippi from New York’s cut-throat classical music world, weary from professional battles and personal despair. Still wounded from the uproar that ricocheted through her family when she ditched Jack Ebert, her philandering groom, literally at the altar, she has an unexpected rendezvous with her future when she meets Simon Hopkins, a nationally-renown nature photographer with a dark secret of his own. Reinventing her life as a jazz musician while sorting through a series of bizarre collisions with her nineteenth century ancestors—and Simon’s as well—Daphne begins to get the feeling that she might well be better off making her way as a second-rate musician at society weddings than as a wildly successful woman band leader whose past is deeply rooted in the “Land that Time Forgot.”

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2012 Release: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

 by Madeline Miller

Release Date: March 6, 2012
 
SYNOPSIS

A breathtakingly original rendering of the Trojan War - a devastating love story and a tale of gods and kings, immortal fame and the human heart.

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.Achilles, 'best of all the Greeks', is everything Patroclus is not - strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess - and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative companionship gives way to a steadfast friendship. 

As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel and deathly pale sea goddess with a hatred of mortals. Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. 

Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart. 

Read a great interview with Madeline Miller over at Booktopia Blog.
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Road from the West Virtual Book Tour starts tomorrow!


Author Rosanne E. Lortz is on tour with HF Virtual Book Tours for the release of Road from the West (Chronicles of Tancred, #1) starting tomorrowYou can follow the tour fun from September 2nd - October 20th.  There will be reviews, guest posts, interviews and giveaways, this is a tour you won't want to miss!

About Road from the West

Pub Date: 9/2/2011
Madison Street Publishing
360 pages

Haunted by guilt from the past and nightmares of the future, a young Norman named Tancred takes the cross and vows to be the first to free Jerusalem from the infidels. As he journeys to the Holy Land, he braves vast deserts, mortal famine, and the ever-present ambushes of the enemy Turks—but the greatest danger of all is deciding which of the Crusader lords to trust. A mysterious seer prophesies that Tancred will find great love and great sorrow on his journey, but the second seems intent on claiming him before he can find the first. Intrigues and passions grow as every battle brings the Crusaders one step closer to Jerusalem. Not all are destined to survive the perilous road from the West.

Read an excerpt here.

About Rosanne E. Lortz

"Rose" is a medieval enthusiast, a history teacher, a book addict, a mom to two baby boys, and a native of Portland, Oregon. She graduated from New St. Andrews College. in 2005 with a B. A. in Liberal Arts and Culture and worked as a high school teacher for several years teaching classes in English, history, literature, and music. She married David Spears in December of 2009 and they were blessed with twin boys, Adam and Oliver, in November of 2010.

For more information please visit Rosanne Lortz's website


Road from the West Tour Schedule

Friday, September 2nd

Monday, September 5th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at The Maiden's Court

Tuesday, September 6th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at From the TBR Pile 

Wednesday, September 7th

Review at The Calico Critic

Thursday, September 8th

Review at Unabridged Chick

Friday, September 9th

Author Guest Post at A Journey Into Reading

Monday, September 12th

Review at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, September 13th

Review at Reviews by Molly

Author Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, September 14th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Thursday, September 15th

Author Interview at Reviews by Molly

Friday, September 16th

Tuesday, September 20th

Wednesday, September 21st

Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Thursday, September 22nd

Author Guest Post at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Monday, September 26th

Tuesday, September 27th

Wednesday, September 28th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Just One More Paragraph

Thursday, September 29th

Friday, September 30th

Review at By the By Books

Monday, October 3rd

Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, October 4th

Author Interview at The Musings of a Book Junkie

Wednesday, October 5th

Review & Giveaway at Bippity Boppity Book

Thursday, October 6th

Review at A Few More Pages

Friday, October 7th

Monday, October 10th

Tuesday, October 11th

Author Interview & Giveaway at The Owl Bookmark Blog

Wednesday, October 12th

Thursday, October 13th

Review at Words and Peace

Monday, October 17th

Review at Erin Reads

Wednesday, October 19th

Thursday, October 20th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
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