Christy English

To Be Queen Winner

Monday, December 12th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, To Be Queen | No Comments

I am happy to announce that the winner of To Be Queen on our English Epochs 101 Give Away is

http://englishepochs.blogspot.com/2011/12/eleanor-of-aquitane-queen-of-english.html

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Pricilla

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Thank you so much to all who participated. More give aways will be coming up…

Tags: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away Winner, TO BE QUEEN

Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of the English

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, Henry II, Richard the Lionhearted | 2 Comments

My obsession with Eleanor of Aquitaine knows no bounds, and this week is no exception to that. I want to thank Debra Brown of English Historical Fiction Authors and English Epochs 101 for hosting me this week on her blog. Once more, I delve into Eleanor of Aquitaine’s life, this time celebrating her triumphant crowning as England’s queen in 1154. I do love those moments when Eleanor wins…

http://englishepochs.blogspot.com/2011/12/eleanor-of-aquitane-queen-of-english.html

We are offering a give away of TO BE QUEEN at the end of this post…one more way in which I am celebrating Eleanor…

Winner of To Be Queen

Friday, November 25th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, To Be Queen | 2 Comments

Thank you so much to all who participated in my celebration of Eleanor with my give away of To Be Queen…

And the winner is…

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Erin!

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I hope you love the book, my version of the incomparable Eleanor

To Be Queen Give Away

Friday, November 18th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, To Be Queen | 23 Comments

After having such a lovely time talking about Eleanor on Wednesday, I feel inspired to offer a give away of a signed copy of TO BE QUEEN: A NOVEL OF THE EARLY LIFE OF ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE

Just leave a comment below and your name will be entered in the drawing. Open to US/CA/GB/AU

As I am fond of saying to family, to friends, and to anyone who will listen: Everybody needs a little Eleanor.

Duchess at fifteen, Eleanor of Aquitaine marries the King of France. But will she find that she must pay too high a price to be queen?

Although Louis VII is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by forces in the Church. Trapped in a loveless
marriage, Eleanor fights for her freedom and for the love of her life.In the arms of Henry of Normandy, Eleanor may finally find the passion she longs for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen.

Praise for TO BE QUEEN:

“… one of the best written and captivating historical fiction novels of the year… “To Be Queen” is a historical fiction novel you will not want to miss!” –Pittsburgh Historical Fiction Examiner

“To Be Queen by Christy English is an outstanding work, recreating the early years of Eleanor’s life. For anyone who is a fan of historical entertainment, this is a must-have addition to their collection.” –Joplin Loves 2 Read

Tags: Book Give Away, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Historical Fiction, TO BE QUEEN

Missing Eleanor

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 | Book Clubs, Eleanor of Aquitaine | 5 Comments

Over the last few months, I have spent a lot of time reading and writing about Regency England as I begin my romance series Shakespeare in Love.  I adore the time I’ve spent with those characters. They are funny and insightful, and I have learned as much about myself as about them as I write their stories. I look forward to spending more time in their world, exploring their lives and their choices, giving myself over to true love in its myriad forms.

That said, I have been missing Eleanor.

Eleanor of Aquitaine, as I may have mentioned, was a patient woman. She waited over 50 years to bring the county of Toulouse back under her control. After sending both Louis VII and Henry II after it, when both of her husbands failed to retrieve that land for her, she waited until she could marry her daughter Joanna to the Count of Toulouse. Joanna’s son, Eleanor’s grandson, eventually became the ruler of Toulouse, and that great city was brought back into her family. She waited for as long as was necessary.

I believe she feels the same way about the book we are working on. I have had to put off finishing it while I work on other projects. So once again, Eleanor is biding her time. And I am happy to say that today I get to spend time with Eleanor.

Today, I have the privilege of speaking to a book club about TO BE QUEEN. I’ll get to explore Eleanor’s early life with a whole new group of people, some of whom may never have met her before. It is always exciting to talk to book clubs, and even more so when we are discussing Eleanor and her life, and my vision of that life. We authors hold up a mirror to the past, just as we hold up a mirror to our own souls. Some things we see clearly, and some things we do not. But today, once again, we will honor her. I hope, wherever she is now,  she knows it.

Tags: Book Clubs, Eleanor of Aquitaine, TO BE QUEEN