Christy English

Eleanor of Aquitaine on Medieval Archives

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Medieval Archives | No Comments

Medieval Archives: Illuminating the Dark Ages for the Digital World

Thank you to Medieval Archives for inviting me to talk about my favorite person, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Here is a podcast about my experience of becoming a published author and my ongoing love affair with Eleanor and her dysfunctional family…

http://www.medievalarchives.com/2012/01/02/map24-christy-english-interview/

Tags: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Medieval Archives, Podcast

Juggling Worlds: A Fiction Writer’s Adventure

Friday, December 16th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Regency Romance, Shakespeare in Love, The Writing Life | 5 Comments

Image Credit:

http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/juggling.html

This week I have had the pleasure of living in two worlds: the world of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the world of Regency England. As I write the Regency romance series Shakespeare in Love for Sourcebooks, I find myself immersed daily in a past that I have visited often as a reader, but only now have come to live in as a writer. I have been exploring the challenges of bringing Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew to life in a new way and in a new setting, this time in Regency England just after Bonaparte has been defeated and my hero returns from the war. Anthony Carrington comes home to an arranged marriage to a woman he likely would have never chosen for himself.  Caroline Montague, the daughter of his commanding officer, will be left penniless and alone upon her father’s death if Anthony does not marry her. He agrees to take her on, in spite of her wild ways, and a great deal of Shakespearean fun ensues.

Of course, in his efforts to control and dominate his bride, Anthony does not resort to starvation as Petruchio does in The Taming of the Shrew. And Caroline does not conform to her husband’s demands, but struggles to be accepted as an equal, something unheard of at the time. So needless to say, I am having a ball mediating between these two, knowing always that true love will triumph in the end. One of the wonderful blessings of romance.

The second world I have been living in is, of course, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s. True love does not win in Eleanor’s world, and power, the by word of Eleanor’s life,  is almost always elusive. This week I had the pleasure of answering questions about Eleanor and her world for RT Book Reviews. Thinking of Eleanor and reminding myself of all the reasons I adore her, why others adore her as well, is always a joy, and no more so than when people ask me about her. She is an amazing woman with more facets than we fiction writers will ever fully explore.

Image Credit:

http://www.123rf.com/photo_9406430_yacht-and-blue-water-ocean.html

It is always a joy to move between the worlds of my fiction, to explore my characters’ lives and to take part in their adventures. And there are always more stories shimmering on the horizon, along the edge of the ocean of imagination on which I sail. I look forward always to the next port, the next elusive shore on which I will wash up, only to discover the next story that is waiting to be told.

I have said it before, and no doubt I will say it again. I am a lucky woman indeed.

Tags: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Fiction, Novel Writing, Regency Romance, Writers, Writing

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

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