Christy English

Winners Write the Histories

Friday, June 17th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Once It Is Sold, The Writing Life | 2 Comments

It is an old adage, and a true one, that winners write the histories. Sometimes the histories that survive are the tales told by an enemy. This is often true for Eleanor…so many enemies wrote her history. I am glad we are taking it back.

Apache is a Navaho word for enemy. Enemy is the name by with the Apache people are known to this day. Their true name is Inde, meaning the People.

“When the enemy writes your history, “enemy” is what he names you. But our history is written in the stars. It is written on our hearts.”

Books at Barnes and Noble

Friday, April 2nd, 2010 | Once It Is Sold, The Queen's Pawn | 3 Comments

I am thrilled…I just got word that THE QUEEN’S PAWN has arrived at Barnes and Noble in Wilmington. I must go and have a look at them…it is exciting to finally see the novel in print…

Galleys Arrive for The Queen’s Pawn

Friday, January 29th, 2010 | Once It Is Sold, The Queen's Pawn, The Writing Life | 2 Comments

As I smooth and polish TO BE QUEEN for Claire (due next week…yikes!!), my galleys arrived for THE QUEEN’S PAWN.

For the non-publishing folks out there, galleys are copies of the novel that have not been corrected yet. But they are bound, sometimes with cover art. My galleys don’t have cover art, but my words are in there when I open the pages…which I find myself doing a lot, savoring the novel and the result of all the hard work of the last four years.

It is a thrill to hold a proto-type of my finished novel in my hand. In March, I get to see the real thing.

Trusting the Muse

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Once It Is Sold, The Writing Life | No Comments

Even though I outline my novels before I sit down to write them, sometimes I can not see exactly how my book will take me from one plot point to the next. I know the facts of the novel, the events of what will be taking place between the covers of my book, but while writing the first draft, I often stand on the deck of my proverbial ship, and see nothing but waves. No light, no land, no clue as to how to make it to the next island.

That is where Eleanor comes in.

She always knows the next step. I have to trust that she knows her own life and thoughts well enough to be able to convey them to me. I listen, and I wait, and she always has an answer for me, one I never would have been able to come up with on my own, no matter how many books about her I read, or how long I strain my brain to come up with a clever solution to a thorny plotting problem. The character of Eleanor needs no clever solutions. She needs no magic wand. She is the magic wand, I suppose. Her intelligence and insight alway lead me to the next step.

Of course, I have to do the writing myself, and that requires hard work, staying in the chair even when I want to flee for a scone and a cup of tea. I have learned to trust Eleanor, and myself, as I slowly piece together all the beautiful fragments of her life. Like an archaeologist rebuilding a long buried, broken vase, I piece together the beautiful bits of Eleanor’s life, and bind them so that the cracks can not be seen, so that the story is whole again.

The more I trust the Muse, the faster and better the words flow. It is a sacred trust, and one that I am grateful for.

A Description of My Novel, THE QUEEN’S PAWN

Monday, September 14th, 2009 | Once It Is Sold, The Writing Life | 5 Comments

The Queen’s Pawn by Christy English

Princess Alais of France travels to England to marry Richard the Lionhearted, the son of King Henry II, armed only with her dowry, the valuable Vexin. When Alais arrives in the land of her father’s enemies, she is welcomed by the beautiful and powerful queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor, the richest and most influential woman in Europe, sees a kindred soul in the young French princess. Intrigued by the girl’s strength and fire, Eleanor adopts Alais as her protégée, teaching the girl what it takes to be a woman of power in a world of men. But Eleanor and Alais’ love for each other is threatened when the capricious and imperious King Henry meets the lovely young princess. Fascination with the king draws Alais deep into political intrigue, and she soon discovers what Eleanor is prepared to do to retain her position as queen. Alais, the one-time pawn, takes ruthless action of her own, as the two women become rivals both for the king’s love and the throne of England itself.

The Queen’s Pawn has been bought by New American Library, an imprint of Penguin. It will come into the marketplace in the spring of 2010.