Book Review
of The Queen and The Courtesan
Book
Synopsis:
Henriette
d’Entragues isn’t satisfied with simply being the mistress of Henry IV of
France, she wants a crown too.
Despite
his promises to marry her, the King is obliged by political necessity to ally
himself with Marie de Medici, an Italian princess who will bring riches to the
treasury.
But
Henriette isn’t for giving up easily. She has a written promise of marriage
which she intends to use to declare the royal marriage illegal. All she has to
do to achieve her ambition is to give Henry a son, then whatever it takes
through intrigue and conspiracy to set him on the throne
Author Interview:
Freda Lightfoot joins us on
Books, Books, and More Books today to share about her book, ‘The Queen and
the Courtesan.” We appreciate your
taking the time to visit with us today.
FL: The Queen and the Courtesan is the last in
the trilogy about Marguerite de Valois and Henry IV of France. This book deals
with the story of Henriette d’Entragues, who wasn’t satisfied with simply being
the mistress of Henry IV of France, she wanted a crown too. Before agreeing to
become his mistress she insisted upon a written promise that if she provided
him with a son, he would make her his queen. Of course, it all becomes far more
MKW: What character was your favorite to write for
in this story? Why?
FL: . Henriette was a fascinating character to
write as her greed and ambition didn’t make her particularly likeable, so she
was in a way an anti-heroine, if there is such a thing. I wanted the reader to
disapprove of her, but not so badly that they switched off and closed the book.
Quite a challenge.
MKW: Which was your favorite scene to write?
FL: The love scenes were fun as she relied upon
her charms to keep Henry interested. He very much liked the ladies and didn’t
really do fidelity. But I found the scenes involving intrigue the most
fascinating to write.
zsagas but with this trilogy
I had to search out every detail. It was almost like being a detective, finding
out what these people were really like, what plots were going on behind the
scenes, and what their motivation was. Fascinating, but scary too at times as I
needed to read widely to gain every viewpoint before I understood it all
sufficiently well to write about it.
MKW: What Are Your Writing Quirks
& Must-Haves To Write?
FL: I need silence and solitude to write. I’m not
a coffee shop writer. And preferably the knowledge that I have several
uninterrupted hours ahead of me. Then I can totally immerse myself in the story
and characters.
MKW: Do
you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what
do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
FL: I
have been writing full time for some years now, but in the early days when I
was running a book shop, and later a gift shop, bringing up children and being
all things to all people as we women do, I wrote short stories and articles in
any spare moment I could find. Often while the TV was on, behind the counter,
or while I was cooking. (Which can tend to mess up dinner somewhat) Then after
three rejections I sold an historical romance to Mills & Boon which gave me
an enormous boost. I wrote five of those before closing down the business in
the early nineties and going all out to write a mainstream saga. A mad risk,
but it paid off.
MKW: As
a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
FL: As a
child I wanted to be a writer but was told to get a ‘proper job’. I qualified
and worked as a teacher until my second daughter was born, then started working
for myself so that I could always find those odd moments to follow my dream.
MKW: Where
do you find your Inspirations?
FL: I
find inspiration and ideas from many sources: family memories, history of the
places I’ve lived in such as the beautiful English Lake District and Cornwall,
and the more interesting parts of my own life, such as when we had a
smallholding and tried the ‘good life’. I also interview people, pick up ideas
from newspapers, TV, dinner parties, ear-wigging the next table in a
restaurant, as all writers do. And I have hundreds of books, old magazines,
memoirs and documents of all kinds that I squirrel away in case they come in
handy one day.
FL: The paperback of The
Queen and the Courtesan, published 29 June, can be found here:
Most of my titles are now up as ebooks on Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords
etc. Links to them can be found on my website:
http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk
http://www.fredalightfoot.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: @fredalightfoot
http://www.fredalightfoot.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: @fredalightfoot
Thank
you Freda Lightfoot for joining us today.
Book Review:
This is
a fascinating book. The history is
brought to life in beautiful detail supplying both historical information and a
wonderful story at the same time. I
loved the haughty, flirtatious Courtesan who would be Queen and the proud Queen who had to deal with her
husband’s infidelity.
Well
written and chock-full of historical information, this is how history should be
taught. I learned new facts about Spain,
France, and England that I didn’t know previously, all wrapped up in a great
story. What a great way for someone to
learn history.
This is
a must read for anyone who enjoys history or historical fiction. I give is 5 out of 5 clouds.
This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.
Thank you Mindy for your wonderful review, and for inviting me to your blog. It's been great fun and much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteBest, Freda