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Traitor's Kiss is on the shelves today, 4th July. It's always exciting - just as exciting as the first book, Raven Queen. I love the cover - hope you do. The first cover was cream and I liked it but was persuaded to go for a warmer colour, which is perfect. It's not just the front of the book, it's the back as well. Cream or white can look grubby very quickly.
I'm signing copies of the book in my local Waterstone's store this Saturday, 9 July, for most of the day, and I'll keep going on the Costa coffee from upstairs, because I always write in Costa when it opens at 7am. Come along if you live close enough. You don't have to buy a book - although it's good for me if you do. You can just chat about writing, telling me what you're writing etc. My other books will be on sale, including Raven Queen. The events of this book - Lady Jane Grey's tragic story - take place five years later than Traitor's Kiss. Jane appears as a ten year old in the new book. Elizabeth seems to find her pretty irritating.
There's also a launch at Heffer's book shop in Cambridge on 13 July (6.30- 8.00) if you want to pop in. There's a 3 for 2 offer on all three books. There'll be a short reading by Emma and a few words from me.
I've been tasting sugar roses all day - well, for an hour or two (5th July). If you've started to read Traitor's Kiss, or you want to read the first chapter online at www.usborne.com/traitorskiss you'll know how important sugar roses are at the beginning of the story. Elizabeth loved sugar - it was the latest thing - and very expensive. You bought it in a big block (like sugar loaf mountain in Rio) and the servants had to chip it off with a knife (a chip of the old block?). That's why she always had toothache.
I'm offering sugar roses at the signing on 9 July. They'll be very small and white, like the one in the book and a few bigger fondant ones for greedy people. For the launch in Cambridge, I'm having bite-size cup cakes topped with a white rose. So of course, I've had to taste them all. If you've got younger brothers or sisters, you'll know that they shouldn't eat too many sweets before they go to bed - the sugar rush - because they won't go to sleep....
6th July - had a fantastic visit to the school where I used to teach French . Have you spotted the few words of French in Traitor's Kiss? Anne Boleyn spent a lot of time in France and my fictional character is called Francis (after the King of France - Francois) becasue he lived there as a baby. I'm sure I talked too much, but they asked really good questions, about the cover of the book and did I get to choose it? (No - but I'm asked to approve it). Apparently, some of the older students buying their prom dresses liked the colour so much, they were tearing bits from the poster to match it up in the shops.
Where have I been? NOWHERE!!!! My wireless connection disappeared and refuses to come back and now I'm having to borrow my husband's computer when he's not working. It's now September, so this is a pretty bad....Hope you all had a fabulous summer and did lots of reading, including Traitor's Kiss. The launch in July was fabulous. Emma read the first chapter beautifully. I spoke about the book for a while and the sugar rose cakes disappeared in seconds. I had to hide mine while I was signing behind the pile of books. It was also a fabulous evening because my daughter got engaged to the student she met in Cambridge so it was a very romantic evening for them - a beautiful full moon over the Cam.
Summer was fun. I was going to take a break. Then two things happened: I got an idea for a new book. It just popped into my head and I wrote 30,000 words. It's set in the French Revolution, which I always planned to write about because I studied French at University. Even more exciting, I found a way of finishing a book I've had lots of problems with. So never give up. There's always hope!
I'm starting school visits this week. Tomorrow I'm going to the Royal Masonic School in Rickmansworth to speak to the History Society. ...
it was a good visit and hope to go back one day. Lots of interesting questions, which are always the best bit for the author. tomorrow back again to the same area to St, Helen's School in Northwood ...looking forward to meeting you all....
just back from St Helen's and want to thank you for such a fabulous visit - a very warm welcome and so many interesting questions:which real characters have inspired my characters? (my son, poor thing) and who inspires me to write most (apart from myself, my daughter who understands how hard writing is because she writes herself) and why do I like the sixteenth century(because I admire the strong female characters who had such a tough time and I don't want to forget them). Somebody said - and I wish I'd written it down that "people from the past are like light from the stars - they take a long time to reach us." Thank you to Sheryl from The Chorleywood Bookshop and to your librarian, Elizabeth Howard, for making the visit so smooth. Have a good weekend and lots of reading......
October 14
I've been to Bruges, a beautiful mediaeval town north of Brussels because my husband's researching medieval towns. On the way back to Eurostar, we popped into the new Rene Magritte Museaum, which is fantastic (look it up: 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' is his famous painting under a painting of a pipe). What does it mean?
Trying to finish my next book, which is called 'Ice Girl' and has been a problem from the first - let's hope that means it's worth it. Now I'm getting ready to go to the Cheltenham Literature Festival tomorrow. I'll be at The Studio at 12.45 on Saturday, with Mary Hoffman and Harriet Castor, in a talk called 'Destined for Greatness.' That's Elizabeth's greatness, not mine. As I'm wondering what to wear, I'm convinced that Elizabeth was exactly the same. She was a clever politician, a crafty monarch - but she still cared about the way she looked and spent hours getting ready to make a big impact. I'm not like that - I tend to dress in dark colours, - a bit of a problem because the stage backing is black.
If you're there, come and say 'hello.'
21 October
Had a wonderful time at the Cheltenham Festival - I got lost on the way to my hotel because I have a very bad sense of direction. It took me 15 minutes instead of 5 because I walked in a circle. In the evening, went to hear |Will Self and AL Kennedy. Full moon - love the moon.
My talk was the next day - ate all the time because the Writers' Room provides food and drink all day and my microphone fell out of my trouser pocket when I sat on the stage because I'd eaten too much. A very nice audience. It was the first time I'd met Harriet Castor who spoke about her new book V111 (Henry the V111) who was of course the father of my Elizabeth, so they went together well. Mary Hoffman talked about the boy who modelled for the statue of David - a compelling book and I learned a lot about Italian politics. Everybody was friendly and helpful as you'd expect writers to be!! Nicolette Jones was in the chair - I knew her from my launch of Raven Queen. Bad journey back because there weren't many tubes runnung.
Hope you all have a great half term. I'll be posting a blog on the History Girls site on 31 Oc2ober called: Sugar and Spice - and not so nice |
