Christy English

The Secret Eleanor: A Quote

Thursday, August 12th, 2010 | Cecelia Holland, Eleanor of Aquitaine | No Comments

Still reading The Secret Eleanor by Cecelia Holland. I would have completely devoured it already if I wasn’t taken over by my own work. But during times of quiet, I have turned to Ms. Holland’s book. Though her versions of these characters are so different from my, I love them.

Ms. Holland’s Eleanor has a great line, one I wanted to share. When addressing a weeping lady in waiting, her Eleanor says:

"Keep your pride, girl. Or get some…"

I could almost hear her voice in my ear. Thank you, Ms. Holland, for bringing these people to life.

The Secret Eleanor in my Hands! At Last!

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 | Cecelia Holland, Eleanor of Aquitaine | No Comments

I am so happy…my copy of Cecelia Holland’s, The Secret Eleanor, has finally arrived and is in my hot little hands. Though I am distracted from its wonder by the fact that I am deep in the cave with my own work, I have still managed to read 50 pages of it…and I am loving it. I am basking in Ms. Holland’s take on Eleanor and Petra, on Henry and his father Geoffrey. She has given these characters so much life and power. I adore this novel…I will report back with more accolades once I have finished it. Meanwhile, if you don’t have it yet, get to your local store and grab it. You will be happy you did…

Cecelia Holland and The Secret Eleanor

Monday, August 2nd, 2010 | Cecelia Holland, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Guest Posts | No Comments

Cecelia Holland, author of the new novel THE SECRET ELEANOR, has honored me by writing a guest post for us today. Cecelia, thanks for joining us, and for discussing the amazing woman who is Eleanor of Aquitaine…

Thank you to Christy for letting me post to her blog. She is a big fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine and so am I.

Eleanor should be a special icon to our time because she exploded all the conventions, all the stereotypes and biases that bound women in the Middle Ages to a passive role in the world. She lived as fully and actively as any man, chasing her ambitions and her dreams all her long life, and passed on her vigor to her children, especially her daughters.

At the same time, that was long ago. The accounts are sketchy. Her contemporaries, all men, wrote what they thought was happening, or what they wanted, and we all know real life is a lot different from the official versions. That’s where my book happens, in that secret, private zone of Eleanor’s life–while keeping faith with the known, public data, adding a twist only a woman would appreciate.

The forces against her were terrific–the whole attitude of a violent, male-dominated time, the all-powerful Church, the natural hazards of a rougher, riskier world than ours. Eleanor got what she wanted, and what she wanted was the world.

I could not have said it better myself…shouldn’t all the world belong to Eleanor? We, her rabid fans, think so.

To order a copy of THE SECRET ELEANOR, visit your local bookstore tomorrow or hit one of the links below…

To Order from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Eleanor-Cecelia-Holland/dp/0425234509/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280498032&sr=1-1

To Order from Barnes and Noble:

http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=the+secret+eleanor

Cecelia Holland Visits on Monday

Friday, July 30th, 2010 | Cecelia Holland, Eleanor of Aquitaine | No Comments

Cecelia Holland, author of the latest take on Eleanor of Aquitaine, THE SECRET ELEANOR, will have a guest post on this site on Monday. I am so excited!

I have pre-ordered and am waiting impatiently for the book to appear on my doorstep. I have heard that Petra, Eleanor’s sister, figures prominently in this novel. Petra is another favorite of mine. I explore their relationship a little in TO BE QUEEN, and I am eager to see how Ms. Holland has embraced the sisters.

THE SECRET ELEANOR, available in bookstores everywhere next Tuesday…but you can pre-order now…

To Order from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Eleanor-Cecelia-Holland/dp/0425234509/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280498032&sr=1-1

To Order from Barnes and Noble:

http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=the+secret+eleanor

Manuscript Back in My Hands

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 | Cecelia Holland, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Writing Life, To Be Queen | 6 Comments

I am so excited…TO BE QUEEN is back in my hands…this should be the last pass (only minor changes) before we lock it. This spring, Eleanor will live once again in my book, as she lives in all the others coming out this year.

I just finished CAPTIVE QUEEN…I read it in one day…swallowed it whole, really. What an amazing woman! Though this is a very different Eleanor from the woman I have come to know in my own work, I am thrilled to have been in the company of Alison Weir’s vision. And Cecelia Holland’s book, THE SECRET ELEANOR will arrive on Monday! I am surrounded by Eleanor, which means I am in heaven.