Interview & Giveaway: The Coronation by Justin Newland

Hello, dear readers! Today on the blog I am very excited to be hosting Author Justin Newland who is currently touring the blogosphere for The Coronation! Justin stopped by today to talk about his novel, his writing, and more! Plus we have a giveaway so be sure to enter!


Hello Justin and welcome to Passages to the Past! Thanks so much for stopping by today to talk about The Coronation!

My pleasure, thanks for having me along, Amy.

To begin, can you please tell us a little about yourself and your writing?

I have a research degree. I get on with research, it’s what I do, it’s what I’ve always done. I enjoy discovery, especially of history and people whose works shed a light on the human condition i.e. how and why we have inherited the society we live in today.

I write secret histories, that’s history with a supernatural twist. I take historical events and real historical personages, especially those that were seminal in shaping the human condition, and I examine them through a supernatural lens. This yields a different explanation for why those events happened, and why those people did what they did.

What inspired you to write The Coronation?

Today, it seems we are dominated by technology, and live in a technological post-industrial society. But why? How did we end up like this? Is this how it was meant to be? These were the questions I wanted to explore in my novel, and which inspired me to write The Coronation.

What research did you undertake when writing The Coronation?

The main character of The Coronation is Marion, Countess von Adler. She is based on a real-life personage, Marion, Countess von Dönhoff who lived at a Junker family estate at Castle Friedrichstein near Löwenhagen, East Prussia (see photograph). For reasons of discretion, I changed the name to Castle Ludwigshain.

Much of the inner detail in the novel is derived from the real Countess’ autobiography, Before the Storm: Memories of My Youth in Old Prussia (tr. by Jean Steinberg. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990).

Although she lived during the 20th Century, I was able to add a rare touch of authenticity to my novel.


It allowed me to enter her pre-Second World War world and imagine what it might have been like to live on the Friedrichstein estate during the 18th Century. That’s her photograph.

What would you like readers to take away from reading The Coronation?

To ask themselves questions such as…

We are Homo Sapiens Sapiens, which is Latin for man-the-doubly-wise. If that’s the case, then how came we are not displaying that wisdom in our society today?

If the Great Enlightenment was when we were meant to begin that spiritual journey, what happened to it? Where did the promise of that enlightenment go? Where did it end up?

And why are we so fascinated by and dependent on technology?

What was your favorite scene to write?

One scene I enjoyed writing was based around and inspired by the famous Hieronymus Bosch painting, Cutting the Stone. It’s also called The Extraction of the Stone of Madness or The Cure of Folly.

This painting aptly summarised one of the novel’s main themes, notably the blurred line between sanity and madness in human affairs. The painting was also a launch pad to explore the meaning and significance of the Medieval medical practice of trepanning.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The ending. I think I must have written three or four versions before I was content that it tied up the threads of the plot in a satisfactory way, and which brought the main character arcs to a successful completion.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote a novel and some short stories when I was a young man, a student in my 20’s. Then in my middle years, I wrote up a lot of my historical researches. Then, 15 years ago, I decided to return to writing fiction.

What does your daily writing routine look like?

Edit the previous day’s work, which helps clue me into the plot and the characters. Then find a space in which to write for as long as I can before the next interruption.

What has been your greatest challenge as a writer? Have you been able to overcome it?

I grew up reading classic novels, like Crime and Punishment, Metamorphosis and The Plague, all of which were written from an omniscient point of view. Then I spent a lot of time writing up my non-fiction historical researches. Most modern historical novels are written in the third person point of view. These two features became engrained habits. My greatest challenges for me as a writer were to overcome these habits.

Who are your writing inspirations?

A mix of two influences.

First, the Greek tragedians – Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus – who taught me that there is only one thing worth writing about – and that’s the human condition.

And second, the existentialists – Kafka, Camus, Dostoyevsky – who taught me that the only real way to examine the human condition is by removing your characters from their comfort zone, and by jettisoning them into situations that are far bigger than they are, and about which they have no prior experience.

What was the first historical novel you read?

I can’t remember, but Frank Herbert’s Dune (which is more historical fantasy) had a huge influence on me when I was a young man. Its evocative descriptions of the desert inspired me to go to the Sahara to experience one for myself.

What is the last historical novel you read?

I’m currently reading Tim Powers’ On Stranger Tides.

What appeals to you most about your chosen genre?

Because I write secret histories, in a sense it gives me the opportunity to re-write history, not what happened, but why it happened, what unseen forces were at play that motivated and influenced the decisions of the men and women of the time, and how those events and people fitted into the zeitgeist – the spirit of the times. A wise person once said, ‘It’s not history that’s important, it’s the interpretation of history that’s important’.

What historical time period do you gravitate towards the most with your personal reading?

It varies. I tend to read the historical period about which I’m writing. But I’d say that the most revealing, enigmatic, obscure and misunderstood historical period is – by far – Ancient Egypt.

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

Reading. Walking. Good conversation.

Lastly, what are you working on next?

A novel set in England in 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada. Like my other novels, it’s a weave of history, fiction and supernatural. Its working title should give a good sense of its curious nature: The Shoes That Don’t Wear Out.
 

The Coronation by Justin Newland

Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Matador
Paperback & eBook; 299 pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy


It is 1761. Prussia is at war with Russia and Austria. As the Russian army occupies East Prussia, King Frederick the Great and his men fight hard to win back their homeland.

In Ludwigshain, a Junker estate in East Prussia, Countess Marion von Adler celebrates an exceptional harvest. But this is soon requisitioned by Russian troops. When Marion tries to stop them, a Russian Captain strikes her. His Lieutenant, Ian Fermor, defends Marion's honour, but is stabbed for his insubordination. Abandoned by the Russians, Fermor becomes a divisive figure on the estate.

Close to death, Fermor dreams of the Adler, a numinous eagle entity, whose territory extends across the lands of Northern Europe and which is mysteriously connected to the Enlightenment. What happens next will change the course of human history...

"The author is an excellent storyteller." – British Fantasy Society

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes and Noble


About the Author


Justin Newland was born in Essex, England, three days before the end of 1953.

His love of literature began with swashbuckling sea stories, pirates and tales of adventure. Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he worked in I.T. and later ran a hotel.

His taste in literature is eclectic: from literary fiction and fantasy, to science fiction, with a special mention for the magical realists and the existentialists. Along the way, he was wooed by the muses of history, both ancient and modern, and then got happily lost in the labyrinths of mythology, religion and philosophy. Justin writes secret histories in which real events and historical personages are guided and motivated by numinous and supernatural forces.

His debut novel, The Genes of Isis, is a tale of love, destruction, and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt, and which tells the secret history of the human race, Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

His second is The Old Dragon’s Head, a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times.

Set during the Enlightenment, his third novel, The Coronation reveals the secret history of perhaps the single most important event of the modern world – The Industrial Revolution.

He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 26
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Tuesday, April 27
Review at Vincent Triola

Thursday, April 29
Interview at Jathan & Heather

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Excerpt at CelticLady's Reviews

Monday, May 3
Review at Passages to the Past

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Review at Bookworlder

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Excerpt at Coffee and Ink

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Review at Nurse Bookie

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Review at Libri Draconis

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Guest Post Historical Fiction Reviews

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Interview at Passages to the Past

Monday, May 31
Review at The Enchanted Shelf

Giveaway

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Coronation! Two paperbacks are up for grabs.

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on May 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Coronation

Excerpt & Giveaway: The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift

Hello, dear readers! Today on the blog I am very excited to be hosting Debroah Swift's The Poison Keeper Blog Tour! I have an excerpt to share with you all and don't forget to enter the giveaway!


The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift

Publication Date: May 18, 2021
Quire Books
Paperback & eBook; 406 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction


Naples 1633

Aqua Tofana – One drop to heal. Three drops to kill.

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother’s apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell Giulia the hidden keys to her success. When Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade.

Giulia must run for her life, and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her Aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan. But when Giulia hears that her mother has been executed, and the cruel manner of her death, she swears she will wreak revenge on the Duke de Verdi.

The trouble is, Naples is in the grip of Domenico, the Duke’s brother, who controls the city with the ‘Camorra’, the mafia. Worse, her Aunt Isabetta, under Domenico’s thrall, insists that she should be consort to him – the brother of the man she has vowed to kill.

Based on the legendary life of Italian poisoner Giulia Tofana, this is a story of hidden family secrets, and how even the darkest desires can be vanquished by courage and love.

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Excerpt

The ship berthed in Naples early, so when they arrived it was just after dawn, the sun still a pinkish blur, hanging low in an egg-blue sky. Giulia was awed by Mount Vesuvius, which was almost purple in this light. It stood motionless and benign, as if no fiery breath could spurt from its jaws, even though it had erupted less than eighteen months ago, raining torment on everything below. Today, Naples was bustling with traders, despite the fact the whole city could be buried tomorrow under red-hot lava if the fire god willed it.

Giulia drank it all in, her head turning from side to side so as not to miss any detail. Cats strolled from the alleys to stretch out on the warm flagstones, horses and carts trundled lazily by with workers on their way to the wheatfields.

Sister Simona marched them through the narrow streets with their tall shuttered houses, with a ‘Keep up. Keep up!’ to her gaggle of followers. Sister Teresa and Sister Marthe were painfully slow walkers. ‘It’s near Il Mercato,’ Sister Simona said, after a quarter hour of walking, her cheeks flushed with exertion. ‘An area of wealthy merchants. There are many beautiful palazzi close to the market. Your aunt must be a wealthy woman.’

‘I don’t know,’ Giulia said. ‘I’ve never met her.’

Sister Simona glanced at her two companions, and frowned. ‘Then we will come and meet this aunt of yours,’ she said.

After a little more walking, and pleas from Sister Marthe, ‘Please, slow down!’ they came to a stop outside a long avenue of houses fronting the square, where traders were already beginning to set up for market.

‘Is this the one?’ Giulia asked, surprised. They were standing before a lofty white stone villa, with high arched windows and a balcony with an ornate ‘goose-breast’ balustrade. A sign in curvaceous script read, ‘Villa Bianca’.

‘Imp…imposing.’ Sister Marthe was so breathless it was the only word she could manage.

Up two stone steps to a vast double door, with a cartouche above carved with twining leaves, and urns of overblown flowers and fruit. It seemed so strange to arrive anywhere without Mamma. Giulia was intensely aware of her lack of proper luggage; that no-one had dressed her hair, and that despite her rich gown, now somewhat crumpled, she was to all intents a beggar on the doorstep. It was intimidating. She took a breath, took hold of the heavy brass ring and knocked on the door.

No answer. The house remained shuttered. Sister Simona pushed past her to knock again, harder, but when there was no answer, she tried the door. It was open. ‘Come along.’

The nuns escorted Giulia inside, into a dark hallway. Marble underfoot, and gilded paneling. It was shuttered, but a heavy scent of perfume, like the pungent scent of lilies, hung in the air. Giulia breathed it in. So different from the sharp smell of physic at home.

‘Excuse me,’ called Sister Simona into the echoing hall. ‘Is anyone there?’

‘Buongiorno?’ Giulia called, louder.

Suddenly they were surrounded. Servants, obviously come straight from their beds, appeared bearing candles and lanterns.

‘What do you want?’ A tight-faced serving woman wearing a plain cambric nightshift, her hair in a long braid under a cap, stood barring their way, her hand curled around a candle. She was obviously the housekeeper in charge.

‘Beg pardon, but we are seeking Isabetta Boveri,’ Giulia said, smiling hopefully. ‘She’s my aunt.’

The servants looked at her askance. ‘Too early. She sees no-one before noon,’ the housekeeper said.

‘Then we’ll wait.’ Sister Marthe, glad of the excuse, plumped down on the only chair in the hall.

‘All of you?’ The housekeeper looked down her nose at the nuns.

Giulia turned to Sister Simona. ‘There’s really no need for you to wait. You’ve been more than kind.’

At that moment a door clicked open upstairs, and a woman’s imperious voice came down. ‘Can’t a woman get any sleep? What’s all that noise? Alessa! What in the devil’s going on?’

‘Your niece, mistress. She’s here in the hall.’

‘Niece?’ the voice said. ‘Don’t talk nonsense. I have no niece. My family disowned me, twenty-five years since.’

About the Author


Deborah Swift is the author of three previous historical novels for adults, The Lady’s Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and A Divided Inheritance, all published by Macmillan/St Martin’s Press, as well as the Highway Trilogy for teens (and anyone young at heart!). Her first novel was shortlisted for the Impress prize for new novelists.

She lives on the edge of the beautiful and literary English Lake District – a place made famous by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.

For more information, please visit Deborah Swift’s website. You can also find her on FacebookTwitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

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Enter to win a signed paperback copy or eBook of The Poison Keeper!

The giveaway is open internationally and ends on June 4th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Poison Keeper

Cover Reveal: The Next Ship Home by Heather Webb

I am so excited to be sharing the cover for Heather Webb's The Next Ship Home! It will be released next February from Sourcebooks Landmark and is available for pre-order!

 

The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island
by Heather Webb

Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Sourcebooks Landmark

Genre: Historical Fiction

Ellis Island, 1902: Two women band together to hold America to its promise: "Give me your tired, your poor ... your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."

A young Italian woman arrives on the shores of America, her sights set on a better life. That same day, a young American woman reports to her first day of work at the immigration center. But Ellis Island isn't a refuge for Francesca or Alma, not when ships depart every day with those who are refused entry to the country and when corruption ripples through every corridor. While Francesca resorts to desperate measures to ensure she will make it off the island, Alma fights for her dreams of becoming a translator, even as women are denied the chance.

As the two women face the misdeeds of a system known to manipulate and abuse immigrants searching for new hope in America, they form an unlikely friendship―and share a terrible secret―altering their fates and the lives of the immigrants who come after them.

Inspired by true events and for fans of Kristina McMorris and Hazel Gaynor, The Next Ship Home holds up a mirror to our own times, deftly questioning America's history of prejudice and exclusion while also reminding us of our citizens' singular determination. This is a novel of the dark secrets of Ellis Island, when entry to "the land of the free" promised a better life but often delivered something drastically different, and when immigrant strength and female friendship found ways to triumph even on the darkest days.

Pre-order now!
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Add to your reading list!
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About the Author


Heather Webb is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of historical fiction. In 2017, LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS won the Women's Fiction Writers Association award, and in 2019, MEET ME IN MONACO was shortlisted for both the RNA award in the UK and also the Digital Book World Fiction prize.

Up and coming, Heather's new solo novel called THE NEXT SHIP HOME: A NOVEL OF ELLIS ISLAND is about unlikely friends that confront a corrupt system altering their fates and the lives of the immigrants who come after them, and it releases in Feb 2022. Also, look for her third collaboration with her beloved writing partner, Hazel Gaynor, THREE WORDS FOR GOODBYE, releasing this July! (2021)

When not writing, Heather flexes her foodie skills, geeks out on pop culture and history, or looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world.

For more information, please visit Heather's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

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Interview & Giveaway: The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier

Happy Friday, dear readers! Today on the blog I am very happy to welcome Author Marj Charlier! She is currently on Blog Tour for The Rebel Nun and graciously agreed to stop by and chat! I hope you enjoy getting to know Marj and don't forget to enter to win a copy of her book!

Hello Marj and welcome to Passages to the Past! Thanks so much for stopping by today to talk about The Rebel Nun!

To begin, can you please tell us a little about yourself and your writing?

I have had a few careers in my life, first “practicing” journalism for 20 years, including 12 at the Wall Street Journal; another 20 years in corporate finance, a short stint in corporate philanthropy, and finally, semi-retirement as a hybrid publisher and novelist. I have been writing for a living all my life, and it’s still the one thing I’d rather do with my time—other than reading, perhaps. Since retiring, I have written 12 novels. The Rebel Nun is my first historical novel, but I have more coming.

What inspired you to write The Rebel Nun?

As I was walking my dog one morning in the woods near my former home in Washington State, I was listening to a lecture from The Great Courses, and the professor’s brief mention of the rebellion at the Monastery of the Holy Cross whetted my curiosity. I had to find out more. It turned into a bit of a rabbit hole, but when I came out, I had a story I was really proud of.

What research did you undertake when writing The Rebel Nun?

I spent about three years researching The Rebel Nun and material for two other novels from the same time period. The research continues. I have built a library of physical books and at least 100 academic papers on early Christianity, Germanic pagans, the Merovingian dynasty, the early monastery movement, the Germanic diaspora of the third-through-sixth centuries, women in the Middle Ages, and slavery in the Middle Ages, just to mention a few of the period topics. I also borrowed many rare books from the library through interlibrary loans, something that was possible before COVID. I hope it will be possible again, soon.

What would you like readers to take away from reading The Rebel Nun?

That feminism and women’s yearning for choice and independence aren’t new phenomena; that women in the Middle Ages—not just male philosophers and writers—were introspective, thoughtful, philosophical and spiritual. We have little evidence of what women thought about, wanted or strived for, because they didn’t have the voice or the pen that men did at that time. But it is not unreasonable to believe that they weren’t much different from us. After all, human brains haven’t evolved much in the past 1500 years. I’m adamant about this because a famous adjunct professor of creative writing advised me that The Rebel Nun didn’t work because “women weren’t that introspective” back then. I’m not sure why he thinks that, but I am certain he is wrong!

What was your favorite scene to write?

The scenes of Clotild and her Aunt Hilda in her Uncle Guntram’s palace—relaxing, reading Greek classics, eating figs and cheeses. I loved writing it because it was such a relief from the misery and depredation that had proceeded it. I have to add that my second favorite scene was her first encounter with Alboin on the road back to Poitiers after their trip to Tours. I liked that scene because I wanted Clotild to be a total woman who reacted to Alboin’s presence, not just rebel. She was more, but not less, than her convictions. My readers have told me they found Alboin to be a welcome, albeit not-historically accurate, addition to the story.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The battle with the count’s men in the monastery. I abhor violence in books and movies, but I knew I had to write this. I didn’t want any of these women to suffer, and it was brutally hard to make it happen. A reader I respect very much asked me why I didn’t have Clotild figure out a way to avoid the conflict. Brains, not brawn, she suggested. But the battle was part of history, and to avoid it would have been too much of a betrayal of Clotild’s story.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was 10 years old, I wrote a letter to my favorite author, Sydney Taylor, who wrote the All-of-a-Kind Family books. She wrote back to me, sending a black & white glossy photo of herself. I’ll never forget what she wrote: “Thank you for telling me you like my books. No author could ask for anything more.” The day I got her letter was the day I decided to become an author, and I wanted people to like my books. (Sydney died of cancer at 73 in 1978. I wish I had kept in touch with her.)

What does your daily writing routine look like?

There is no routine. I have lots of other responsibilities—as does any woman of the household—and I have to go with the flow. I prefer to write in the morning when my mind is fresh, but I also like to read in the morning when I don’t fall asleep over a book so easily. So, it’s a balance. Reading is very much a part of my routine. I try to read about fifty words for every one I write, or basically, to read about 50 books for every draft I write. (I also write three or four book reviews a month for Midwest Book Review.) I tend to write in spurts—say 30 straight days of at least 1500 words a day, and then a month where I only rewrite and tinker with what I have. When the words are flowing and I’m glued to the computer, I hear my husband in the background admonishing me to “get up and move” every once in a while. It’s hard, though, to leave the page at those points.

What has been your greatest challenge as a writer? Have you been able to overcome it?

My greatest challenge is to not get discouraged. It is very hard to make a living writing novels (versus writing for newspapers or writing speeches for CFOs), and even when you find an agent and a publisher, it is such a struggle to be financially successful. (Few of us are.) As I have always depended on myself financially, I don’t have any choice but to make this work. I have not overcome this challenge yet.

Who are your writing inspirations?

I am inspired, first of all, by the strong women in history who persevered under conditions much more difficult than ours. As for contemporary writers, Madeline Miller, Christina Baker Kline, and Geraldine Brooks are the ones who have inspired me. I choose those three because the skill with which they create characters in historical settings without overburdening the reader with too much historical detail and setting. I understand the importance of both of those elements, but I like stories to move along, and I want to “hear” what the characters are thinking as they experience their lives.

What was the first historical novel you read?

Desirée by Annemarie Selinko when I was 12 or 13. Five years later in college, I majored in international studies and minored in French (my other major was journalism, of course). After I read Desirée, I knew I wanted to write historical novels. It only took me 50 more years to get there!

What is the last historical novel you read?

A Feigned Madness by Tonya Mitchell about Nellie Bly’s investigative research into Blackwell’s Asylum in the late 1800s. I found the ersatz romance digressive, but the author’s depiction of treatment of “inconvenient” women in mental institutions at the time is devastatingly shocking.

What are three things people may not know about you?

I am fascinated by pre-Incan South and Central American cultures, I was born a Quaker, and I have celiac disease. (Yes, it’s a real thing.)

What appeals to you most about your chosen genre?

Bringing historical women to life again and giving them a voice. Also, the research—discovering things that make people say “I didn’t know that” with genuine interest.

What historical time period do you gravitate towards the most with your personal reading?

Anything from the Bronze Age through the early Middle Ages. I try to read less about the Roman Empire, as so much is widely known, and more about time periods people are less familiar with. I also like historical fiction about women in the American West—Sandra Dallas’s novels, for example.

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

Play and walk with dogs, hike, golf, read, and share a bottle of wine with friends. Did I mention dogs?

Lastly, what are you working on next?

I have completed The Candlemaker’s Woman, a novel about a young girl caught up in the Germanic mass migrations of Late Antiquity, and I will continue to tinker with it up until the editor stops me. I am now writing the second draft of the sequel to The Rebel Nun and researching a new novel about a woman who married into the Visigothic kingdom in Spain and contributed to its shift from Arianism to Catholicism.

That sounds fascinating! Thank you so much for spending time with us today!


The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier

Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Blackstone Publishing
Hardcover, AudioBook, & eBook

Genre: Historical Fiction


Marj Charlier’s The Rebel Nun is based on the true story of Clotild, the daughter of a sixth-century king and his concubine, who leads a rebellion of nuns against the rising misogyny and patriarchy of the medieval church.

At that time, women are afforded few choices in life: prostitution, motherhood, or the cloister. Only the latter offers them any kind of independence. By the end of the sixth century, even this is eroding as the church begins to eject women from the clergy and declares them too unclean to touch sacramental objects or even their priest-husbands.

Craving the legitimacy thwarted by her bastard status, Clotild seeks to become the next abbess of the female Monastery of the Holy Cross, the most famous of the women’s cloisters of the early Middle Ages. When the bishop of Poitiers blocks her appointment and seeks to control the nunnery himself, Clotild masterminds an escape, leading a group of nuns on a dangerous pilgrimage to beg her royal relatives to intercede on their behalf. But the bishop refuses to back down, and a bloody battle ensues. Will Clotild and her sisters succeed with their quest, or will they face ex-communication, possibly even death?

In the only historical novel written about the incident, The Rebel Nun is a richly imagined story about a truly remarkable heroine.

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Praise

'The Rebel Nun is a boldly imagined story of one early medieval woman's struggle against the societal forces that constrained her. It draws on historical sources that briefly mention -- and condemn -- the insurrection that two noble nuns led within their abbey, in Poitiers, in 589. On the basis of this sparse information, Marj Charlier imagines the incident from the perspective of one of these nuns, the noblewoman Clothild, and embeds these events within the larger story of Clothild's life. The result is an engaging and thought-provoking tale.' --Samantha Kahn Herrick, Associate Professor of History, Syracuse University

'Marj Charlier takes an obscure sixth-century tale and turns it into a stunning story of a nun caught up in the misogyny of the early Christian church. Led by Clotild, a king's bastard daughter, a group of nuns attempts to rescue their monastery from the all-male church hierarchy. Extensively researched and rich in historical detail, The Rebel Nun tells of a time when women were chattel, when priests questioned whether females had souls. Charlier's artfully written account of Clotild's struggle to save her medieval sisterhood from the dominance of kings and bishops is a perfect novel for today's women.' -- Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author

'Vividly imagines one of the most fascinating events to occur in sixth-century Gaul, bringing into focus the complexity of the early centuries of Western Christianity as the Church struggled to define its positions on clerical celibacy, the role of women, pre-Christian traditions, and its relationship to secular power. Scholars have long been fascinated with Gregory of Tours's account of how a rebellion of nuns from the monastery of the Holy Cross in Poitiers supposedly resulted in acts of murder, plunder, and unplanned pregnancies. It is a moment that has been calling out for a writer to do it justice in a work of historical fiction, but which feat no one has dared to attempt -- until now. Marj Charlier's The Rebel Nun brings the sights, sounds, and smells of this event and its aftermath to life in a richly imagined story that is firmly rooted in equal parts rigorous historical research and inspired, creative imagination.'' --Dorsey Armstrong, PhD, professor of English/medieval studies at Purdue University, and lecturer for The Great Courses (The Medieval World, The Black Death, and others)

'What could lead nuns to armed rebellion?...This thoughtful imagining of the underlying causes and characters involved in the revolt centers on Clotild, the leader of the insurrection...Charlier carefully constructs a narrative that positions Clotild, a pagan at heart despite her outward piety, as a reluctant revolutionary who pushes for fairness in a Christian world increasingly dominated by men. With power available to so few women, Clotild dares to imagine freedom, despite its cost.' --Booklist

'The Rebel Nun is a gripping, well-told story of women fighting against a church and society dominated by men who are determined to defeat them in body and spirit. A great tale that will immerse you in a world so different -- and not so different -- from our own.' --Philip Freeman, Fletcher Jones Chair of Western Culture at Pepperdine University, author of Saint Brigid's Bones

'The Rebel Nun is a wildly original, suspenseful account of a group of nuns in medieval France who must endure hardships and treachery from both outside and within their walls. It feels both historically authentic and startlingly contemporary, and I loved every word of it.' --Elizabeth Stuckey-French, author of The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady

'The Rebel Nun is a gripping tale of heroism and audacity in the least likely of guises -- a renowned cloister under the heel of the medieval church. With meticulous research and in exacting detail, Marj Charlier brings to light the remarkable exploits of Clotild, who leads her fellow sisters on a daring escape that culminates in bloody revolt, and a place in history.' --Denise Heinze, author of The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew

'The story of a community of women in crisis and the power they found through their will to save themselves, The Rebel Nun tells the fictional truth behind the historical rebellion of the Holy Cross nuns in 589 CE, as recounted in her latter days by one of the rebellion's leaders, Clotild ... Rich in facts and foreshadowing, the historical novel The Rebel Nun finds in the nuns' rebellion, and in Germanic tribal paganism, an inspirational morality tale and historical precedent for modern women to connect with their own powers, no matter the stakes.' --Foreword Reviews

'The Rebel Nun is a well-written window into the life of a sixth-century royal bastard and the changing landscape of holy power structures. Charlier writes a strong voice for Clotild, with vivid descriptions of a daily life that brings readers along into her world. The research shows, and Charlier does an excellent job of seamlessly integrating the historical record with her own fiction.' --Historical Novels Review

'A startling look into a world I never imagined visiting -- a sixth-century nunnery, where one bride of Christ only a generation away from paganism breaks her vows of obedience to the church's male hierarchy and makes it her mission to battle the corruption of bishops oppressing the sisters of the Holy Cross. A well-wrought yarn reflective of historical fact.' --Darryl Ponicsán, author of Eternal Sojourners

About the Author


Marj Charlier began her writing career at daily and mid-size newspapers before joining the Wall Street Journal as a staff reporter. After twenty years in journalism, she pursued her MBA and began a second career in corporate finance. The Rebel Nun is her first historical novel, and her eleventh published novel.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, April 14
Feature at Reading is My Remedy
Review at With A Book In Our Hands

Thursday, April 15
Review at Two Bookish Babes

Friday, April 16
Excerpt at Madwoman in the Attic

Tuesday, April 20
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Review at The Enchanted Shelf

Wednesday, April 21
Review at Crystal's Library

Thursday, April 22
Excerpt at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Monday, April 26
Guest Post at Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Tuesday, April 27
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Wednesday, April 28
Review at Gwendalyn's Books

Thursday, April 29
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Into the Hall of Books

Monday, May 3
Review at Passages to the Past

Friday, May 7
Review at Bookramblings

Monday, May 10
Review at Rajiv's Reviews

Friday, May 14
Feature at Books, Cooks, Looks
Interview at Passages to the Past

Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on May 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Rebel Nun

Review & Giveaway: The Coronation by Justin Newland


The Coronation by Justin Newland

Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Matador
Paperback & eBook; 299 pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy


It is 1761. Prussia is at war with Russia and Austria. As the Russian army occupies East Prussia, King Frederick the Great and his men fight hard to win back their homeland.

In Ludwigshain, a Junker estate in East Prussia, Countess Marion von Adler celebrates an exceptional harvest. But this is soon requisitioned by Russian troops. When Marion tries to stop them, a Russian Captain strikes her. His Lieutenant, Ian Fermor, defends Marion's honour, but is stabbed for his insubordination. Abandoned by the Russians, Fermor becomes a divisive figure on the estate.

Close to death, Fermor dreams of the Adler, a numinous eagle entity, whose territory extends across the lands of Northern Europe and which is mysteriously connected to the Enlightenment. What happens next will change the course of human history...

"The author is an excellent storyteller." – British Fantasy Society

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Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's always rewarding when you step out of your reading safety net to try something you might not otherwise. Such is the case when I read The Coronation.

With a perfect blending of historical fiction, faith, and the supernatural, Author Justin Newland has written a fascinating story set in 18th century Prussia and featuring Marion, an important figure in her town and the leader of her people after the loss of her husband. Famine is a real danger to the people and as the book starts out they are completing the last day of the harvest when a band of Imperial Hussars raids them and takes their livestock and food. When Marion stands up for her people she is struck by one of the officers. A fellow officer berates him for that and is struck down as well for that. Thus begins a great read that will keep you gripped. I don't want to give too much away but I truly enjoyed Newland's writing. It flowed well and the short chapters help propel the story at a good pace.

Highly recommended!

About the Author


Justin Newland was born in Essex, England, three days before the end of 1953.

His love of literature began with swashbuckling sea stories, pirates and tales of adventure. Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he worked in I.T. and later ran a hotel.

His taste in literature is eclectic: from literary fiction and fantasy, to science fiction, with a special mention for the magical realists and the existentialists. Along the way, he was wooed by the muses of history, both ancient and modern, and then got happily lost in the labyrinths of mythology, religion and philosophy. Justin writes secret histories in which real events and historical personages are guided and motivated by numinous and supernatural forces.

His debut novel, The Genes of Isis, is a tale of love, destruction, and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt, and which tells the secret history of the human race, Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

His second is The Old Dragon’s Head, a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times.

Set during the Enlightenment, his third novel, The Coronation reveals the secret history of perhaps the single most important event of the modern world – The Industrial Revolution.

He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 26
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Tuesday, April 27
Review at Vincent Triola

Thursday, April 29
Interview at Jathan & Heather

Friday, April 30
Excerpt at CelticLady's Reviews

Monday, May 3
Review at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, May 5
Excerpt at Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Friday, May 7
Review at Bookworlder

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Excerpt at Coffee and Ink

Friday, May 14
Review at Nurse Bookie

Monday, May 17
Review at Libri Draconis

Friday, May 21
Guest Post Historical Fiction Reviews

Tuesday, May 25
Interview at Passages to the Past

Monday, May 31
Review at The Enchanted Shelf

Giveaway

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Coronation! Two paperbacks are up for grabs.

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on May 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Coronation

Excerpt & Giveaway: Right Back Where We Started From by Joy Lanzendorfer

Today on the blog I am very excited to kick off the Blog Tour for Right Back Where We Started From! Author Loy Lanzendorfer will be touring the blogosphere so stay tuned for reviews, excerpts, interviews and guest posts, and of course a giveaway!

Here is an excerpt from the Audiobook for your listening enjoyment!


Right Back Where We Started From by Joy Lanzendorfer

Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Blackstone Publishing
Paperback; eBook, & Audiobook

Genre: Historical Fiction


If misfortune hadn't gotten in the way, Sandra Sanborn would be where she belongs--among the rich and privileged instead of standing outside a Hollywood studio wearing a sandwich board in the hope of someone discovering her. It's tough breaking into the movies during the Great Depression, but Sandra knows that she's destined for greatness. After all, her grandmother Vira crossed the country during the Gold Rush and established the Sanborns as one of San Francisco's most prominent families, and her mother Mabel grew up in a lavish mansion and married into an agricultural empire. Success, Sandra feels, is in her blood. She just needs a chance to prove it.

In between failed auditions, Sandra receives a letter from a man claiming to be her father, which calls into question everything she believes about her family--and herself. As she tries to climb the social ladder, family secrets lurk in the background, pulling her down. Until Sandra confronts the truth about how Vira and Mabel gained and lost their fortunes, she will always end up right back where she started from.

Right Back Where We Started From is a sweeping, multigenerational work of fiction that explores the lust for ambition that entered into the American consciousness during the Gold Rush and how it affected our nation's ideas of success, failure, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a meticulously layered saga--at once historically rich, romantic, and suspenseful--about three determined and completely unforgettable women.

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Praise

"In Right Back Where We Started From Joy Lanzendorfer has crafted a terrific first novel, one brimming with energy, wit, and emotional resonance. Sandra Sanborn is a wonderful character, very much alive on the page. And, the novel captures, vividly, some of the crazier times in California's crazy history. Highly recommended!" --Peter Orner, author of Maggie Brown & Others

"Joy Lanzendorfer's thrill of a novel, Right Back Where We Started From, tells the story of an engaging young woman, eager to be discovered in 1930s Hollywood. But as she looks to the future, a letter from a man who claims to be her father pulls her to the unknown past. This is a novel of California dreaming, from the Gold Rush to the Hollywood Hills. Lanzendorfer writes with charm, style, and great energy." --Ellen Sussman, New York Times bestselling author of four novels: A Wedding in Provence, The Paradise Guest House, French Lessons, and On a Night like This

"From the California Gold Rush to the San Francisco earthquake, through the Great Depression and World War II, Joy Lanzendorfer artfully weaves a beautifully textured saga. Yearnings, secrets, and shame shape the lives of three generations of American women as they dare to question the rigid societal expectations that confine them to proscribed roles and stifle ambition. Gripping prose and complex and memorable characters make this shining debut novel a pleasure to read." --Liza Nash Taylor, author of Etiquette for Runaways and the forthcoming In All Good Faith

About the Author


Joy Lanzendorfer’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR, Smithsonian, Poetry Foundation, and many others. She was included in The Best Small Fictions anthology and was a notable in The Best American Essays 2019. She has been awarded grants and residencies from the Discovered Awards for Emerging Literary Artists, Wildacres Residency Program, and the Speculative Literature Foundation.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, May 5
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Thursday, May 6
Review at Crystal's Library

Saturday, May 8
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Sunday, May 9
Review at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, May 10
Review at Rajiv's Reviews

Tuesday, May 11
Excerpt at Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Wednesday, May 12
Excerpt at Bookworlder

Sunday, May 16
Interview at Reader_ceygo

Monday, May 17
Review at Reader_ceygo
Review at Jorie Loves A Story

Wednesday, May 19
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Thursday, May 20
Review at Jessica Belmont

Friday, May 21
Review at Nursebookie

Monday, May 24
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Two Bookish Babes

Wednesday, May 26
Feature at Books, Cooks, Looks

Friday, May 28
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Review at The Enchanted Shelf
Review at The Book Club Network

Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of Right Back Where We Started From by Joy Lanzendorfer!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on May 28th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Right Back Where We Started From

Cover Reveal: Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman

Hello, dear readers! I am so excited to be hosting the Cover Reveal for Leah Angstmann's Out Front the Following Sea! Isn't it brilliant? I cannot wait to read it and if you can't either, there is a giveaway below for an ARC!


Out Front the Following Sea: A Novel of King William’s War in 17th-Century New England
by Leah Angstman


Publication Date: January 11, 2022
Regal House Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook; 334 pages

Genre: Historical / Literary / Epic

**Shortlisted for the Chaucer Book Award**

OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is a historical epic of one woman’s survival in a time when the wilderness is still wild, heresy is publicly punishable, and being independent is worse than scorned—it is a death sentence.

At the onset of King William’s War between French and English settlers in 1689 New England, Ruth Miner is accused of witchcraft for the murder of her parents and must flee the brutality of her town. She stows away on the ship of the only other person who knows her innocence: an audacious sailor—Owen—bound to her by years of attraction, friendship, and shared secrets. But when Owen’s French ancestry finds him at odds with a violent English commander, the turmoil becomes life-or-death for the sailor, the headstrong Ruth, and the cast of Quakers, Pequot Indians, soldiers, highwaymen, and townsfolk dragged into the fray. Now Ruth must choose between sending Owen to the gallows or keeping her own neck from the noose.

Steeped in historical events and culminating in a little-known war on pre-American soil, OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is a story of early feminism, misogyny, arbitrary rulings, persecution, and the treatment of outcasts, with parallels still mirrored and echoed in today’s society. The debut novel will appeal to readers of Paulette Jiles, Alexander Chee, Hilary Mantel, James Clavell, Bernard Cornwell, TaraShea Nesbit, Geraldine Brooks, Stephanie Dray, Patrick O’Brian, and E. L. Doctorow.

Available for Pre-Order

Regal House Print | Amazon Kindle

Praise

“With OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA, Leah Angstman reveals herself as a brave new voice in historical fiction. With staggering authenticity, Angstman gives us a story of America before it was America—an era rife with witch hunts and colonial intrigue and New World battles all but forgotten in our history books and popular culture. This is historical fiction that speaks to the present, recalling the bold spirits and cultural upheavals of a nation yet to be born.” —Taylor Brown, author of PRIDE OF EDEN, GODS OF HOWL MOUNTAIN, and THE RIVER OF KINGS

“Steeped in lush prose, authentic period detail, and edge-of-your-seat action, OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is a rollicking good read. Leah Angstman keeps the story moving at a breathtaking pace, and she knows more 17th-century seafaring language and items of everyday use than you can shake a stick at. The result is a compelling work of romance, adventure, and historical illumination that pulls the reader straight in.” —Rilla Askew, author of FIRE IN BEULAH, THE MERCY SEAT, and KIND OF KIN

“Lapidary in its research and lively in its voice, OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA by Leah Angstman is a rollicking story, racing along with wind in its sails. Though her tale unfolds hundreds of years in America’s past, Ruth Miner is the kind of high-spirited heroine whose high adventures haul you in and hold you fast.” —Kathleen Rooney, author of LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK and CHER AMI AND MAJOR WHITTLESEY

“Leah Angstman has written the historical novel that I didn’t know I needed to read. OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is set in an oft-forgotten time in the brutal wilds of pre-America that is so vividly and authentically drawn, with characters that are so alive and relevant, and a narrative so masterfully paced and plotted, that Angstman has performed the miracle of layering the tumultuous past over our troubled present to gift us a sparkling new reality.” —Kevin Catalano, author of WHERE THE SUN SHINES OUT and DELETED SCENES AND OTHER STORIES

“OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is a fascinating book, the kind of historical novel that evokes its time and place so vividly that the effect is just shy of hallucinogenic. I enjoyed it immensely.” —Scott Phillips, author of THE ICE HARVEST, THE WALKAWAY, COTTONWOOD, and HOP ALLEY

“OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is a meticulously researched novel that mixes history, love story, and suspense. Watching Angstman’s willful protagonist, Ruth Miner, openly challenge the brutal world of 17th-century New England, with its limiting ideas about gender, race, and science, was a delight.” —Aline Ohanesian, author of ORHAN’S INHERITANCE

“Leah Angstman is a gifted storyteller with a poet’s sense of both beauty and darkness, and her stunning historical novel, OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA, establishes her as one of the most exciting young novelists in the country. Angstman plunges the reader into a brilliantly realized historical milieu peopled by characters real enough to touch. And in Ruth Miner, we are introduced to one of the most compelling protagonists in contemporary literature, a penetratingly intelligent, headstrong woman who is trying to survive on her wits alone in a Colonial America that you won’t find in the history books. A compulsive, vivid read that will change the way you look at the origins of our country, Leah Angstman’s OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA announces the arrival of a preternatural talent.” —Ashley Shelby, author of MURI and SOUTH POLE STATION

“Rich, lyrical, and atmospheric, with a poet’s hand and a historian’s attention to detail. In OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA, Leah Angstman creates an immersive world for readers to get lost in and a fascinating story to propel them through it. A thoroughly engaging and compelling tale.” —Steph Post, author of HOLDING SMOKE, MIRACULUM, and WALK IN THE FIRE

“It’s a rare story that makes you thankful for having read and experienced it. It’s rarer still for a story to evoke so wholly, so powerfully, another place and time as to make you thankful for the gifts that exist around you, which you take for granted. OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA is a book rich with misery, yet its characters are indefatigable; they yearn, despite their troubles, for victories personal and societal. Leah Angstman’s eye is keen, and her ability to transport you into America’s beginnings is powerful. With the raw ingredients of history, she creates a story both dashing and pensive, robust yet believable. From an unforgiving time, Angstman draws out a tale of all things inhuman, but one that reminds us of that which is best in all of us.”
—Eric Shonkwiler, author of ABOVE ALL MEN and 8TH STREET POWER AND LIGHT

About the Author


Leah Angstman is a historian and transplanted Michigander living in Boulder. OUT FRONT THE FOLLOWING SEA, her debut novel of King William’s War in 17th-century New England, is forthcoming from Regal House in January 2022. Her writing has been a finalist for the Saluda River Prize, Cowles Book Prize, Able Muse Book Award, Bevel Summers Fiction Prize, and Chaucer Book Award, and has appeared in Publishers Weekly, L.A. Review of Books, Nashville Review, Slice, and elsewhere. She serves as editor-in-chief for Alternating Current and The Coil magazine and copyeditor for Underscore News, which has included editing partnerships with ProPublica. She is an appointed vice chair of a Colorado historical commission and liaison to a Colorado historic preservation committee.

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