Phillipa Gregory "The Red Queen" Free Giveaway!

We are very happy to announce that the good people at Simon & Schuster have not only sent Loaded Questions a copy of Phillipa Gregory's new book The Red Queen but have also passed along another copy for us to give away to one lucky reader of Loaded Questions!

Here are the details:

• The giveaway is FREE to our devoted readers and new converts.

• Entering is easy, simply leave a comment on this post with a short note ... maybe what you like about LQ or the book that you're currently reading.

• Our readers will have one week to post their reply, ensuring their entry in the giveaway. All entries must be received by August 6th at midnight. Please take care to include contact information in your comment/entry so that we may successfully contact the winner of the prize in a timely manner. (Sounds like common sense, right? You'd be surprised.)

• The winner will be announced Monday, August 9th at Loaded Questions and via a private email to the winner no later that 5pm PST. In order to select the winner of our Phillipa Gregory The Red Queen Giveaway in the most equitable manner we will use the Random Integer Generator at Random.org. 

   Good Luck and Happy Reading!

           - Loaded Questions Staff

Want More Info on Philippa Gregory 

and her new novel, The Red Queen? 

   We've got a rundown on the new book, a recommendation from Publisher's Weekly, the book's cover description and a video of Gregory herself reading from the new novel! 

  Bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s new book, The Red Queen, will be available in hardcover next week, August 3rd. The new book, coming in at a total of 400 pages, is the second in the author's The Cousin's War series. The first in the series, The White Queen was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and will be available in paperback on August 6th of this year. 


Publisher's Weekly Writes: Nobody does the Tudors better than Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl), so it should come as no surprise that her latest—the War of the Roses as seen through the eyes of Henry VII's mother —is confident, colorful, convincing, and full of conflict, betrayal, and political maneuvering. Gregory gives readers Margaret Beaufort in her own words, from innocent nine-year-old to conspiring courtier who stops at nothing to see her son on England's throne. Gregory devotees will note the difference between the supernaturally gifted Yorkist White Queen and Lancastrian Margaret, who, despite saintly aspirations, grows worldly through three marriages; a powerless widow at 13, remarried and separated from her only son by 15, it is not until she's 29 that Margaret is ready to realize her most audacious ambitions. Gregory clones have made historical novels from a woman's perspective far too familiar to make this seem as fresh as her earlier works. Yet, like Margaret Beaufort, Gregory puts her many imitators to shame by dint of unequalled energy, focus, and unwavering execution.

Want more info? Watch the video below to see bestselling author Philippa Gregory read from The Red Queen, her second epic novel set during the Wars of the Roses.

 

From the book cover of The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory: 

Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her house is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and she is even more dismayed when he sinks into madness. Her mother mocks her plans, revealing that Margaret will always be burdened with the reputation of her father, one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France. But worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales.

Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York's daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret charts her own way through another loveless marriage, treacherous alliances, and secret plots. She feigns loyalty to the usurper Richard III and even carries his wife's train at her coronation.

Widowed a second time, Margaret marries the ruthless, deceitful Thomas, Lord Stanley, and her fate stands on the knife edge of his will. Gambling her life that he will support her, she then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of the time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and now waits for his opportunity to win the greatest prize.

In a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, number one bestselling author Philippa Gregory has brought to life the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history.

    

Keywords: Philippa Gregory Free Giveaway, free copy of The Red Queen, free book giveaway, The Red Queen, Cousin's War, The White Queen, The Other Boleyn Girl, free, Tudor history, historical fiction, English historical fiction, War of the Roses, Elizabeth Woodville, Henry VIII, Margaret Beaufort

Willig Contest Winners

You may have noticed that we initially were giving away just two copies of Lauren Willig's new book The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. However, the response from readers was so great that I decided to toss in my personal copy (brand new) to the giveaway. Thanks to everyone who entered and to Lauren Willig and publisher Dutton for donating the books for the giveaway.

Notice that things have been quiet here lately? That's because we have a ton of new interviews, reviews and giveaways coming up very soon. Stay tuned.

Book Giveaway: The Temptation of the Nigth Jasmine by Lauren Willig

As I recently alluded to Lauren Willig was nice enough to send along two free copies of her latest novel, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine after our chat.

Contest Details: Let's do this nice and easy. To be entered into the contest simply hit comment. Leave a few words along with an email where you can be reached should you win and you'll be entered!

Good luck and thank you for reading Loaded Questions!

The deadline for this contest will be May 30th.

Guest Post with Sandra Worth, Author of the upcoming The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen

We have not traditionally had a lot of guest posts at Loaded Questions. But when I heard that our friend Sandra Worth had a new novel coming out, The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen, I asked her to put together a guest post to give Loaded Questions readers a glimpse into the motivation and research that lead her to write a novel about the first Tudor Queen, Elizabeth of York.

Worth has been a friend of this blog in the past, stopping by last February to discuss the release of her novel Lady of the Roses. In that interview we discussed our mutual love of English history and Anya Seton.

My copy of The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen arrived yesterday morning and as historian who has studied Tudor monarchical figures for the last couple of years I am really looking forward to see Sandra bring life to Elizabeth of York, a figure that has previously been overlooked by the more sensational people in her life: Richard III, Henry VII and her boisterous and powerful mother Margaret Beaufort. Sandra has assured me she brings some new research to the table and I can assure you that before the turkey hits the table later this afternoon I will have snuck to my bags to pull out my copy to see how far I can get before I am found out.

For those of you intrigued by this fascinating historian and author, here is a link to my interview with her last year. I look forward to reading the book and bringing you all the details next week. In the meanwhile, if you want your own copy Amazon.com has it available for pre sale at a very nice price.

Without further adieu...




THE KING'S DAUGHTER:A NOVEL OF THE FIRST TUDOR QUEEN is about Elizabeth of York who closed out the epilogue in the last book of my Rose of York trilogy. You may think there's not much more to learn about her than what you probably already know. But I'm here to tell you you're wrong! Her story is shocking, and amazing.

I know this sounds like a contradiction in terms—but what intrigued me most about Elizabeth is the lack of information on her. How can this be? Sister to the Princes in the Tower and mother to Henry VIII, the first Tudor queen lived at the epicenter of momentous events. So why does she hover unseen on the fringe of history? When you think about it, the question is downright tantalizingly strange. Why is so little known about Elizabeth when so much is known about everyone else around her—her husband, her children, even her mother-in-law?

The documentation that survives is so scanty that only a single biography has ever been attempted—and that author had to resort to novelistic techniques in order to fill in the gaps in Elizabeth’s life! As far as I’m aware, this is the first time a biography was ever handled this way. Armed with this seemingly useless clue, I set out on my journey to solve the mystery of Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor queen.

I already knew some things, such as her relationship with her uncle, Richard III, which came down to this: Tudor propaganda has always claimed that Richard III murdered Elizabeth’s brothers—but did he? And was Elizabeth in love with her uncle?

If you haven’t read the trilogy, don’t worry—nothing is left out in THE KING’S DAUGHTER. Back to why Elizabeth is hidden when all the other Tudors are “in your face,” so to speak. Could the Tudors have kept her captive? If they did, what was the nature of the threat she posed to them? Did Elizabeth believe the Pretender, Perkin Warbeck, was really her lost brother, Richard, Duke of York? Around these questions are entwined other intriguing ones. Did Henry VII rape Elizabeth? Was he in love with the Pretender’s wife? What were his real reasons for subjecting the Pretender to the extraordinarily brutal torture that he used?

Like a detective on a cold case file, I mulled and pondered; I pored over the evidence with a medievalist friend, and went to England to roam the places Elizabeth had lived. I searched for anything from her time in museums and libraries. Suddenly, I began to notice details and references in historical texts that hadn’t meant much to me before. Here were clues! I re-read, looked again—yes, here were those clues, those hints, those little details in the body of research, new and old, that we’d all read before, and missed. The blanks in Elizabeth’s ,life slowly got filled, and the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle took shape. All at once—voila! There she was. I had her story.

Elizabeth tells her own tale in THE KING’S DAUGHTER, and it’s a thick brew of forbidden love, ambition and murder as we follow her from her turbulent childhood during the Wars of the Roses to her reluctant marriage to Henry Tudor that secured the Tudor dynasty. With her sacrifice and goodness, beautiful Elizabeth of York, “Elizabeth the Good”, the people’s Queen, finally achieved what she set out to do. She brought peace to the strife-torn land she loved, and did it with courage, grace, and dignity. She is a queen for the ages.

It was great fun piecing together the enigma of Elizabeth, the first Tudor Queen.

I hope you’ll find her story as much fun reading as I had writing it. One caveat, though. Two other novels are coming out entitled THE KING’S DAUGHTER, (one shortly after mine in December) so be sure you have my novel on Elizabeth. If you’d like to enter my drawing to win one of five copies of the book, please send me an email at roseofyork@sandraworth.com.

Write me when you’ve read the book, if you have the inclination. I would love to know your thoughts. Meanwhile, happy reading, and Happy Holidays! May troubles pass, and the new year bring a new beginning.

Sandra Worth

Win A Copy of The Last Queen by CW Gortner!

Welcome to another Loaded Questions giveaway. This time we are giving away four copies of the brand new novel by CW Gortner, The Last Queen.

From the author's website: Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, is an enigmatic figure, shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C.W. Gortner challenges centuries of myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.

This is a book that I have been looking forward to for a long time. As the blurb above states, history has often overlooked Juana of Castile, the woman who became the heir to the Spanish throne, a woman who legend suggests went mad because of love. Having already read the book I can tell you that CW has a beautiful command of the English language, a very vivid vocabulary and as you'll learn in our interview that will be coming out on Monday, a great knowledge of Spanish History and the life of Juana the Mad as a child growing up in Spain.

Contest Details: All entries must be received by midnight on July 29th. Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

Option 1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.

OR

Option 2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the CW Gortner's The Last Queen Giveaway.

Emily Giffin Book Giveaway!

Dear Loaded Questions Readers.

I am happy to announce what is perhaps the biggest giveaway in Loaded Questions history. New York Times Bestselling author Emily Giffin and her wonderful staff have generously offered to send one lucky Loaded Questions reader a signed copy of each of Emily's books including her newest novel, Love the One You're With as well as her other bestsellers, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof.

Those who have read Giffin's books know the authors uncanny ability to provide her readers with funny and thought provoking storylines and characters that get to the heart of the very same issues we're all facing on a daily basis.

Stay tuned in the coming days for an exclusive interview with Emily Giffin!


Contest Details: Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

Option 1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.

OR

Option 2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the Autographed Emily Giffin Book Giveaway.

Free Giveaway! Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey

A few weeks ago I was shocked to get an email in which a good friend told me that Loaded Questions was currently being featured on the blog of James Frey, the author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. After sending off a few emails and making some inquiries it came to light that some of the people over James' site, www.bigjimindustries.com were fans of Loaded Questions, the books featured and some of the authors that I have interviewed over the last couple of months.

That email leads us to today in which I unveil the newest Loaded Questions giveaway. Love him or hate him, take him or leave him there's really no way to argue against the fact that James Frey's debut book A Million Little Pieces changed the face of publishing, the genre known as the memoir and the very relationship between the the author and the reader. Enough said.

Now we turn our attention to a new novel, Bright Shiny Morning which is perhaps a reinvention, in which the author adopts a cast of characters who are all at once lost, confused and struggling -- grasping at creating lives for themselves in the city of Los Angeles. The novel's online synopsis lays each of the characters out clearly: a bright, ambitious young Mexican-American woman who allows her future to be undone by a moment of searing humiliation; a supremely narcissistic action-movie star whose passion for the unattainable object of his affection nearly destroys him; a couple, both nineteen years old, who flee their suffocating hometown and struggle to survive on the fringes of the great city; and an aging Venice Beach alcoholic whose life is turned upside down when a meth-addled teenage girl shows up half-dead outside the restroom he calls home. Each with their own dramatic narrative, these characters appear and disappear from the novel's canvas, moving in and out of the reader's view.

I found myself genuinely interested in this book, in finding out more about Frey's style and for that reason am happy to present it as our next Loaded Questions Giveaway.




Contest Details: Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

Option 1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.

OR

Option 2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the Bright Shiny Morning Giveaway.

Loaded Questions Giveaway: Five Copies of Gods Behaving Badly

The original deadline for signing up for this contest was May 28th,
however, in order to make time for even more giveaways in the
very near future, the deadline has been changed to May 1st.

Stay tuned for details! Sign up today!



Marie Phillips' first novel finds a number of the famed Greek Gods and Goddesses living in modern day London, all packed in a dilapidated house that no one takes the time to upkeep. Far from the powerful beings they once were these gods find that their powers are wanning, the monotony of holding down mortal jobs taxing. In Gods Behaving Badly we find Apollo working as a television psychic, his aunt Aphrodite passes her days working as phone-sex worker and Artemis a dog walker all while Zeus ages slowly in the attic under the watchful eye of the dangerous Hera.

Gods Behaving Badly picks up steam as Aphrodite and her son Eros hatch a plan to make Apollo fall in love with a mousy cleaning lady who continually dodges his attempts at wooing her.

I read this book before it was released and really enjoyed it, Phillips does a great job of keeping the story moving while offering the reader a very new view of otherwise ancient Greek mythological characters.

Contest Details: Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

Option 1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.OR

Option 2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the Gods Behaving Badly Giveaway.

Loaded Questions Free Book Giveaway: Lady of the Roses by Sandra Worth

An Interview and an Exciting Free Giveaway

Lady of the Roses by Sandra Worth

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been interested in English monarchical history. So when I got an email from Sandra Worth about her new release,
Lady of the Roses I knew I wanted to get a hold of this book.

Lady of the Roses is about a young lady, Isobel, who has been serving in the court of the Lancastrian Marguerite, Queen of England. Things are complicated by the fact that Isobel, despite being approached by many suitors, finds her self in love with John Neville, a Yorkist. The two lovers must find a way to survive the dangerous civil war taking place in England, the bloody march on London by the Duke of Lancaster, and the violent madness of Queen Marguerite.

Sandra Worth is well known for her dedication to research and her knowledge of the time period she writes in. Her previous novels include the Rose of York trilogy made up of: The Rose of York: Fall From Grace, The Rose of York: Love and War, and The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny.

with Author Sandra Worth

I am very happy to have had the chance to sit down Sandra for an interview a few days ago. I can say this for certain, Worth is great to talk to and really quite nice. I have been impressed by Sandra's command for the British royal line especially during the reigns of the Plantagenets and Yorks. Worth is a sharp author with a keen historical eye and a talent for writing quality historical fiction. I think this interview gives you a chance to see how and why...

Kelly Hewitt: Lady of the Roses is your first new novel since finishing your award-winning Rose of York trilogy which began with the reign of Edward IV, continued through fall of Richard III, and ended with the rise of Henry VII who came to the throne after the Battle of Bosworth. This new novel takes place during the reign of the Lancastrian King Henry VI amidst the rumblings of the War of Roses. Was it hard to change gears, moving from the beginning of the Tudor dynasty to the final years of the Lancastrian royal line?

Sandra Worth: No, not really. This earlier period that gives the Neville viewpoint in the run-up to the Battle of Towton is rich in drama and history. I was glad to do it, since no one had yet attempted it, either in fiction or in biography. My hope is that Isobel's story might shed light on how the various well-known incidents of that chaotic era can be linked, and perhaps explain what seems to be a dark blur on the horizon of the Wars of the Roses.

Kelly: In some ways Lady of the Roses is a prequel to your earlier trilogy. What characters, if any, can readers of your previous books expect to see play a prominent role in Lady of the Roses?

Sandra: The major historical figures in Lady of the Roses are Sir John Neville, Lord Montagu, w

ho played a secondary role in The Rose of York: Love & War, and his beloved Isobel, who made only a cameo appearance in that first book. But she drives the story in this novel, and we see the Wars of the Roses through her eyes.

Kelly: Do you have a master plan? That is -- did you know that when you finished the War of Roses trilogy that you would write a novel centered at the court of Henry VI?

Sandra: No, I didn’t. It was pure accident. I was approached to do another novel, and this seemed a logical tie-in, especially since I’d received many letters from readers inquiring about John Neville, and asking if there would be a book on him.

Kelly: If you could write about any other period of English history to write a novel about when would it be?

Sandra: Goodness, that is a hard one! There’s so much in English history to seize the imagination, from Boudicca forward, but I adore the Plantagenets. They were a valiant lot. In contrast to the Tudors, there’s much to admire in them, so I suppose, that’s where I’d look.

Kelly: Conversely, what period of English history would you feel like you'd least like to write a novel about?

Sandra: I really don’t much care for James I forward to modern times. The Hanoverian period does the least for me. I dislike those wigs and all that pompous strutting around.

Kelly: I am always fascinated about the process by which authors develop their characters. I found myself asking that question a lot while reading Lady of the Roses. Your heroine Isobel Ingoldesthorpe is such a pivotal character in this novel. How did you go about developing her? What came first, the storyline or the character?

Sandra: The story-line. For me, it’s like a blank canvas with faint shadows across it. Once I begin to study the shadows, they start forming shapes that draw into sharper focus. My research gives me the framework. As the story starts to unfold, it opens up all kinds of detail to me. For example, John paid a jaw-dropping bride-price for Isobel’s hand. They came from enemy sides in a civil war, and Isobel was an orphan, a ward of Queen Margaret of Anjou who hated the Nevilles. To me, this meant that John had fallen deeply in love, probably at first sight. It also suggested to me that Isobel was a great beauty to inspire love at first sight. Now, she was at court with Queen Margaret, and the Duke of Somerset was also at court with Queen Margaret. He was around the same age as John Neville. Interestingly, Somerset and John were known to have argued violently on several occasions. What were these fights about? For arguments to be so bitter, it had to be over a woman. John was in love with Isobel, so Somerset had to be in love with Isobel as well… You see where this is going? As far as the ambushes are concerned, they're well-documented. Each time the Nevilles were warned in advance about Somerset. But who warned them? History doesn’t record that. Could it have been Isobel, who was at court with Queen Margaret and Somerset? Isobel, who was in love with John… And so it goes, like a giant jig-saw puzzle, until the story is all written.

Kelly: I know that you love Katherine by Anya Seton. How much influence does that work of historical fiction (which I love dearly) influence the kind of novels that you write?

Sandra: Very, very much! Katherine is always at the back of my mind when I write. I don’t play with history because Anya Seton didn’t. She faithfully recorded every date, and every event, but the story is so powerful, you don’t even notice how much history you’re taking in. That’s what I aspire to: Putting the “story” back into “history” so my readers don’t even realize that's what they're reading.

Kelly: You obviously know your history. Reviews of your books are always quick to point out your ability to navigate a rather tumultuous period of English history. Are there any particular authors or historical resources that you would recommend to readers of your books who want to know even more of the history behind your novels?

Sandra: Absolutely. I list a rather comprehensive bibliography in Lady of the Roses, and in The Rose of York: Fall from Grace, but I can tell you off the top of my head some of the academic works that casual readers are sure to enjoy. One is Paul Murray Kendall‘s Richard The Third, the definitive biography of Richard III, and Williamson’s The Mystery of the Princes which is a Golden Dagger Award Winner that reads more like a thriller than an academic work. Mary Clive’s This Sun of York is another good one, as is The Princes in the Tower by Elizabeth Jenkins. There are two biographies of the wicked queen, Elizabeth Woodville and her antics that brought about the destruction of the Plantagenet dynasty and finale to the Wars of the Roses, and both are good, though I prefer the more accurate MacGibbon’s Elizabeth Woodville as opposed to the more recent Elizabeth Woodville by Baldwin. Richard III’s brother, George, Duke of Clarence, also has a very interesting biography entitled False, Perjured, Fleeting Clarence by Michael Hicks. On Margaret of Anjoy there’s Helen Maurer’s Margaret of Anjou, but that’s heavier reading than the others, since this earlier period (presented in Lady of the Roses) is so chaotic.

Interviewer's note: I own a few of those books and have just finished ordering a great many others. Sandra has laid out a top notch list of sources here that I would recommend any history lover go out and find.

Author Sandra Worth has been kind enough to send some copies of her new book which we'll be giving away for free to Loaded Question readers!

Contest Details: Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.

OR

2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the Lady of the Roses Giveaway.

The final day to enter the contest is March 3rd.

What's Next? -- Three Authors, Interviews, Giveaways

Here's a quick rundown of some of the interviews, features, and giveaways that you can expect to see at Loaded Questions in the coming days.

God's Behaving Badly
by MARIE PHILLIPS

A few nights ago I was up until 3am because I was close to ending this book and I just couldn't put it down. Gods Behaving Badly has a really great premise. Remember all of the gods that lived up on Mount Olympus? Apollo, Artemis, Zeus, etc. Well they're all back in Phillips' solid fictional debut. There are some changes, though. The gods are living in modern day London struggling to get by with a small fraction of the powers they were formally known to have. Aphrodite, the god of lust, love, and beauty is now working as a telephone sex operator. Artemis, the goddess of hunting is walking dogs for a living. Eternal life isn't all its cracked up to be as the gods grow weaker and weaker, living amongst the annoying mortals of Earth. Alice, a mortal who ends up working as a cleaner for what she believes to be one strange family, is a great heroine. She's mousy, frightened, and unable to speak her mind. Everything turns upside down when Apollo is made to fall in love with the quiet and unimposing Alice.

God's Behaving Badly is a great new novel that bucks quite a few stereotypes. I am happy to announce that Loaded Questions will be offering a feature on Gods Behaving Badly that will include an author interview and a free book giveaway of five hardback copies of the book! Stay tuned for more information in the next few days.


Lady of the Roses
by SANDRA WORTH

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been interested in English monarchical history. So when I got an email from Sandra Worth about her new release,
Lady of the Roses I knew I wanted to get a hold of this book. Loaded Questions will be doing a special feature on Lady of the Roses that will include an interview with Sandra, a review of the book, and another free five book giveaway! I really look forward to reading this book and getting to chat with Sandra about her career and body of work.


Lady of the Roses is about a young lady, Isobel, who has been serving in the court of the Lancastrian Marguerite, Queen of England. Things are complicated by the fact that Isobel, despite being approached by many suitors, finds her self in love with John Neville, a Yorkist. The two lovers must find a way to survive the dangerous civil war taking place in England, the bloody march on London by the Duke of Lancaster, and the violent madness of Queen Marguerite.

Sandra Worth is well known for her dedication to research and her knowledge of the time period she writes in. Her previous novels include the Rose of York trilogy made up of: The Rose of York: Fall From Grace, The Rose of York: Love and War, and The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny. I am really pleased to have Sandra involved with Loaded Questions.


Fire Bell in the Night
by GEOFFREY S. EDWARDS

Any mention of this book must begin with giving a hand to it's author, Geoffrey S. Edwards, one of two winners of the Gather.com First Chapters Contest. The book takes place in 1850 in the midst of a debate about whether or not slavery should be expanded to the Mexican Cession territory which includes all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Things begin to heat up amidst talk that a slave leader is quietly building an army, causing fear and nervousness in Charleston, South Carolina. It is this terror that leads to the arrest of a local farmer who is caught harboring a runaway slave. The farmer is charged with a capital crime. The trial further escalates matters and begins to get more attention from outside publications like the New York Tribune which sends a reporter, John Sharp, who, along with the help a friend and a fellow reporter seeks to get to the bottom of the issue, uncover a conspiracy and stop a war.

The reviews for this book have been stellar. I have been in contact with Geoffrey who has been generous enough to send along extra books so that we will also be able to give away five free copies of this book as well in the coming weeks! I am excited to read the book and conduct an interview with the author. Stay tuned for more details.
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Dear Readers,

If you have read one of these books or have interest in them, please feel free to leave a comment here at Loaded Questions. In addition, if you have questions for any of these authors please share them via comment or email me at KellyHewittLS -at- gmail . com! I would be more than happy to ask your question as part of my upcoming interviews.

- K

Free Giveaway and Loaded Questions with "Signed, Mata Hari" author, Yannick Murphy

Dear Loaded Questions Readers,

The response to the first giveaway, featuring Lauren Willig's Seduction of the Crimson Rose, was really great. When I told a few publishers about the giveaway and how well Loaded Questions readers had responded they were more than happy to send along a few books for our next giveaway. This one is particularly exciting, introducing our Signed, Mata Hari Book Giveaway! We are not offering just one Advanced Reader Copy, but five brand new hardback copies of Yannick Murphy's Signed, Mata Hari. Why this book? Yannick Murphy's new novel I have been reading it and enjoying it quite a bit.

Contest Details: Getting yourself entered in the giveaway is easy! There are two ways:

1. See the box in the left margin of the blog? It says "Subscribe to Loaded Questions with Kelly Hewitt". This is a great way to receive email updates whenever new posts are made to Loaded Questions. Enter your email address in order to sign yourself up for the service. You will receive an email verifying you request to be signed up. It's as easy as that. Once you have signed up, your email address will automatically entered in the contest! Already signed up this way for a previous contest? Read Option #2.

OR

2. Reply to this thread. This is an easy option, click the reply button and write a little something -- introduce yourself, share your favorite author or book with the rest of us, anything will do. Once you have written a reply and provided your email you are entered in the contest! This is also the best option to enter in the contest for those of you who have already signed up for the email list in the past.

Note: Those who are frequent readers are encouraged to continue to sign up for Loaded Questions giveaways! If you have entered one of our giveaways before you must do one of the above listed in order to be re-entered for the Signed Mata Hari Giveaway.

The final day to enter in the contest is December 30th, 2007. The contest winner will be announced on January 1st, 2008!

Good luck!

Below is a synopsis of the book and exclusive interview with the author.


Signed, Mata Hari by Yannick Murphy
November, 2007 - 288 pages - $23.99

Signed, Mata Hari is a fictional novel by Yannick Murphy that follows the life of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, the woman who reinvented herself to become Mata Hari. Margaretha, born in the Netherlands in 1876, went on to married a Dutch naval officer named Rudolf MacLeod and moved to Java. Margaretha moved to Paris, France where she worked as a circus horse rider named Lady MacLeod. In 1905, however, she changed her name to Mata Hari, which translated to "Eye of the Day". Mata Hari quickly became a famed exotic dancer and began to work as a courtesan to wealthy and powerful men from Russia, France, and German. In other words, this is a fascinating woman whose life was full of intrigue, secrets and transformation.

Kelly Hewitt: Margaretha Zelle, the woman who would later become the famed exotic dancer Mata Hari is a fascinating historical figure that has been portrayed in movies, on television, and in books. What was it that drew you to write about Mata Hari?

Yannick Murphy: If you had asked me who Mata Hari was before I had the idea to write about her, I would have been able to tell you that she was a dancer and a spy, but I wouldn’t have been able to give you specifics. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you which country she had spied for. I wouldn’t have even been able to tell you which world war her acts of espionage encompassed. So when I read a short article published in Smithsonian Magazine that provided a few details, my interest was peaked. I wanted to learn what the rest of her life had been like.

Kelly: What was your research process before writing Signed, Mata Hari like? What periods of Mata Hari’s life did you feel more important to study?

Yannick: I didn’t set out to research only one aspect of her life, and I didn’t feel as if one period of her life were more important than the other to study. The more I read about her, the more I knew it was going to be an exciting book to write. I was curious to see if my writing process could clue me in as to what events occurred in life that eventually had her facing a firing squad.

Kelly: History tells us that Mata Hari was eventually executed by a French firing squad at the age of forty-one because she was believed to have been a spy for Germany. It has been discussed and argued by a number of historians over the years who are unsure of Mata Hari’s guilt. What is your stance? Do you believe that Mata Hari was a double spy?

Yannick: My gut feeling is that Mata Hari did involve herself in some spying. Whether or not she did it for money or intrigue is anyone’s guess.I’d like to say that she dabbled in it. Dabbled doesn’t sound like a weighty enough word to describe an act of espionage that gets you shot, but I can imagine that Mata Hari’s own perception of her involvement could be described in that manner and that she might have even used the word “dabble”.

Kelly: I read on your website that you have had some good news lately about the upcoming publication of a children’s book Baby Polar. What can you tell us about this title?

Yannick: Baby Polar is about a polar bear who one day loses his mother in a blinding storm; don’t worry, he’s eventually reunited with her. The story illustrates to little ones that even though they may sometimes be afraid, they will eventually find some comfort, and in this case it’s the comfort of the warm Polar mama who when Baby Polar stands between her legs feels as if he’s standing protected in a warm cave, hearing the beating of her strong polar heart.

Originally, I wanted to illustrate the plight of polar bears since they are losing their ice floes from which they hunt due to global warming. In effect, I wanted to send a message. The idea, though, did not resonate enough with the everyday lives of children, so I changed it. No one likes to be lectured. I’m hoping that children who read the book will be able to relate to it and become enchanted with polar bears and feel a natural desire when they grow up to preserve the habitat in which they live and in which we live.

Kelly: Which do you prefer more, writing fiction novels or children’s books?

Yannick: I don’t prefer writing one or the other. A different kind of energy goes into writing children’s books than novels, but they are both challenging. With children’s books I always have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to describe every action or detail, and that I should leave a lot of that up to the illustrator.

Kelly: Signed, Mata Hari has an interesting format. It consists of short chapters that often have different narratives. How did you come to write the book in this manner?

Yannick: I’ve always been drawn to the short form. I like how quickly I can get in and get out with a story and to see how much of a kick in the teeth I can deliver in a short time frame.Writing Mata Hari in short reveries was just a natural progression that developed from my fascination with the short form. The short chapters with different narratives created form and structure for the novel. It gave it its own kind of dynamic effect, as if there were a little engine running on every page, keeping me going, keeping me anxious to see what turns the story would take next.

Kelly: Signed, Mata Hari is a historical fiction but your other titles, The Sea of Trees and Here They Come don’t really fall into one particular category. Is there a particular genre of fiction that you feel you fit into as an author?

Yannick: I hope I don’t ever fall into writing a particular genre of fiction, that would mean some kind of death for me. I like knowing that, in the future, I’ll write about whatever strikes me. As a writer I like knowing that I can still surprise myself, because if I can do that, then I know I have the power to surprise you, the reader, as well.

Kelly: Is there a genre that you haven’t written in yet but would like to?

Yannick: I’ve written short stories, essays, plays, screenplays, novels and children’s books. I’ve never written poetry, and I’m curious to see if one day in my life I’ll feel compelled to write it. Right now, though, I see poetry as one of the most difficult forms. How can one say so much in so few words and make every sentence an event? Maybe one day, though, I will take on the challenge.

Kelly: I really enjoyed this book and think that there are plenty others out there who will really like it as well. And so I ask on behalf of all my readers, what can we expect your next novel to be about?

Yannick: I’m working on a novel about a young woman during the Mexican Revolution.