Rebecca Hazell's The War Queens - Review

I always find funny the adage that women are the weaker sex. Women in history had a hand in so much of what went on politically, and yet few are remembered, or as well-known in history as their male counterparts. Once again, I credit historical fiction for bringing such a figure to my attention. Even as a history major in college, I had never heard of Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. 

As I was reading The War Queens, I did some side reading on Brunhilda and much that is said about her is that she was power-hungry and driven. This would ultimately lead to her demise. On the other hand, Fredegunda, the rival queen is remembered as being behind many assassinations and political intrigues and yet she escaped the demise dealt to Brunhilda. Had she lived as long as Brunhilda did, I can't help but wonder if she might have met a similar fate. Though she seemed to always be triumphant in her schemes. 

Brunhilda of Austrasia (c. 547 - 613)
Antoni Zürcher, c. 1830

I have read the first book in Rebecca Hazell's The Tiger and the Dove series, The Grip of God (review here). She has a real talent for telling historical stories. The amount of research conducted is always astounding, leaving no doubt of historical accuracy. That being said, the stories are never dry. Queen Brunhilda is a complex character. She is driven, though I never feel she is power-hungry. She cares about her family, and the people of Austrasia...that is her motivation. Even her rivalry with Fredegunda never comes off as solely fueled by revenge over her sister. Fredegunda is a true narcissist who cares only about herself, something that shows even with the mothering of her children. History has not told us much about these two women so I'm sure there is more to the story. But I can't help thinking that Hazell got it exactly right. 

As an aside, I return to the whole "weaker sex" implication. Who is more weak than a king who allows himself to be persuaded by feminine wiles and sex? Oh, it's obvious that King Chilperic is the weakest of the four brother kings. This is why I question why so many faulted Brunhilda as being power-driven when she always only wanted to work as a partner to her husband, and subsequently to her son (and grandsons) as regent. Yet here we have Fredegunda influencing a known weak king, but nothing is said by others of her being driven and power-hungry. In this, I circle back to Hazell's deft storytelling. Fredegunda is very good at disguising her motives and making it look like it was all the king's idea in the first place. Brunhilda wears her heart and convictions on her sleeve, and ends up paying for it. 

As is probably obvious, I really loved this book. There is truly nothing better than historical fiction that makes us think, and spurs us to look beyond the story. This book is perfect for anyone who loves history, and for anyone who loves a great story.

About the book:
By the sixth century, the Roman Empire is already lost to tribal invasions, brutal Merovingian Franks have seized Gaul from the civilized Romanized Visigoths, and a dark age has descended across Europe. Now a deadly rivalry arises between two Merovingian queens. Brunhilda and Fredegunda are equals in beauty and intelligence, but opposite in vision and temperament. When the Franks demand a royal bride, Visigoth Brunhilda marries into a world that despises women. Suddenly thrust into power and repeatedly facing loss and grief, she seeks to revive a new Rome based on justice and prosperity. Her implacable foe, Fredegunda, is a former slave concubine who lives only for personal power. Insanely jealous of high-born Brunhilda, she uses seduction, assassination, war, and even witchcraft in her campaign to destroy her. Can Brunhilda survive this onslaught of evil? Can her vision survive?

About the Author:
Rebecca Hazell is a writer and artist whose nonfiction books for children garnered awards and critical praise, and were optioned for a television series. Her historical trilogy—The Grip of God, Solomon's Bride, and Consolamentum—is still in print after more than a decade. Before entering the world of books, she created educational materials for high schools that were used across the United States. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband; her grown children and sister live nearby.

Find out more by visiting www.rebeccahazell.com or follow Rebecca on Instagram @RebeccaHazellbooks

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Available on Amazon.

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Thoughts on The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir

Ever since I read The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, I have considered myself a noncommittal Ricardian. The book claims that the rumors about Richard III were the result of highly effective Tudor propaganda. But, as an article I recently read on ars Technica states, "It's a great read, but it hardly qualifies as a scholarly argument," even if it does make a very convincing argument. In The Princes in the Tower, Weir promises to keep an open mind on the subject, and I feel she did just that. She basically presents the 'evidence' which are historical accounts of the time, and one or two which were written many years later. There are some very convincing points made, such as, if Richard did not kill the princes (have them killed), then why didn't he present them to the public to prove his innocence? There are more such points made. On my part, I'm still noncommittal, but I do feel what I learned from this book has brought me down on the side of Richard being guilty. Of course, we truly will never know the truth. Without eyewitness accounts and/or a confession from Richard himself, it all comes down to educated opinions of he did or he didn't.

I found this book enthralling, though admittedly this is a topic of which I have always had a great interest.

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#CatThursday - #Authors and #Cats (99) Marguerite Durand

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.

The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and Cats Thursday. Each time I will feature an author (with a birthday during the month), pictured with their/a cat(s), or guest posts by cat loving authors who also (sometimes) write about cats.

Marguerite Durand at a café with her pet cheetah. Durand (1864-1936) was a French stage actress, journalist, & a leading suffragette. She founded her own newspaper, stood for election, had a pet lion and now has the Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand named for her. (The French History Podcast - Twitter)

A poster supporting her election and featuring her pet lion, "Tiger"

Wikipedia

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An Important Moment in History - Donna Russo Morin's Gilded Dreams #Review

As our country continues to fight for equality and equal justice for all people, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, a book like this serves as a beacon of hope of what could be. 

The characters I so loved in Gilded Summers come to life with even more purpose in Gilded Dreams. This time it's not just a fight for their own individuality. It's a fight for all women to have a say in the laws of the land, and those who make them, by earning the right to vote. It was a long, hard fight...one which Pearl and Ginevra joined close to the culmination of its victory, but no less hard fought by these two extraordinary and strong women. 

The incorporation of the historical figures and events which occurred during the long fight for women's suffrage made this novel a riveting read. The tragedy within, the sad aftermath of the Titanic disaster, the terrible reality of the Great War, the Night of Terror, all brought a sense of poignancy to the story as each touched the lives of the characters. 

This sequel was meant to be written. I hope women, and men, will read this book to honor the hard work of our forebears. Only through the continued interest of artists who choose to depict these important historical events will they ever remain a reminder of what was fought for and won. I, for one, am honored to be a woman who is allowed to vote because of these women who went before, and on August 18, 2020, I will proudly wear the gold, white, and purple colors.

Gilded Dreams was released today. 

Available at Amazon and all major and independent bookstores. 

About the book

From the bestselling author of GILDED SUMMERS comes a powerful novel of the last eight years of the American Women’s fight for suffrage .

The battle for the vote is on fire in America. The powerful and rich women of Newport, Rhode Island, are not only some of the most involved suffragettes, their wealth - especially that of the indomitable Alva Vanderbilt Belmont - nearly single-handedly funded the major suffrage parties. Yet they have been left out of history, tossed aside as mere socialites. In GILDED DREAMS, they reclaim their rightful place in history.

Pearl and Ginevra (GILDED SUMMERS) are two of its most ardent warriors. College graduates, professional women, wives, and mothers, these progressive women have fought their way through some of life’s harshest challenges, yet they survived, yet they thrive. Now they set their sights on the vote, the epitome of all they have struggled for, the embodiment of their dreams.

From the sinking of the Titanic, through World War 1, Pearl and Ginevra are once more put to the test as they fight against politics, outdated beliefs, and the most cutting opponent of all... other women. Yet they will not rest until their voices are heard until they - and all the women of America - are allowed to cast their vote. But to gain it, they must overcome yet more obstacles, some that put their very lives in danger.

An emotional and empowering journey, GILDED DREAMS is a historical, action-packed love letter to the women who fought so hard for all women who stand on the shoulders of their triumph.

From the Author
I wrote this book with the distinct intent to publish it in the year thatmarks the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gaveAmerican women the right to vote. I wrote it with the hope that come August 18, 2020, every American woman will celebrate it as aday of great achievement in women’s history…in American history.The suffragettes suffered for their right to vote, do not waste yours."

About the Author
Donna Russo Morin was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Her writing endeavors began at age six and covered such timely topics as The Pink Pussy Cat for President and The Numbers 2 and 4 are in Love.

Traveling through adolescence on the wings of the ‘60s gave Donna a lot of grist for her writing mill. Feminism, civil rights, the Vietnam War were all a disturbing yet highly motivating muse. Donna found her voice in fiction and with the appearance of a new horror writer on the book scene, a little known author named Stephen King, she turned her pen to the gruesome and the grotesque.

After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, Donna worked in marketing and advertising for large corporations and small non-profit arts organizations. When she had her children, she knew with a certainty that she needed to show them, by example, that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible.

Donna's professional acumen has once more expanded and she is now an Acquisitions Editor for Next Chapter Books.

With the growing popularity of Donna's paintings, she will hold her first exhibit of oil and acrylic paintings in June of 2020 and will soon launch a website dedicated to her work where originals and fine art prints may be purchased.

In addition to writing and teaching writing (in the classroom and online, Donna is a professional author consultant/editor with more than thirty years of experience. She's also worked as a model and actor since the age of seventeen when she did her first television commercial for Sears. Since then she has appeared in more than thirty television spots and print ads, everything from changing the oil in her car (that was acting) to modeling fur coats. She also appeared in three episodes of Showtime’s THE BROTHERHOOD, as well as in Martin Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED. She is currently at work blending her two careers and is now writing for the screen as well.

Donna lives peacefully, close to the beautiful shoreline of Rhode Island that she loves so much. Her two sons--Devon, an opera singer and Dylan, a trained chef--will always be her greatest works.

Visit her website at www.donnarussomorin.com,
Friend her at http://www.facebook.com/Donna.Russo.Morin, and follow her on Twitter at @DonnaRussoMorin.

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Book Blast - Traitor’s Knot by Cryssa Bazos #TraitorsKnotBookBlast

Traitor's Knot by Cryssa Bazos

Publication Date: May 9, 2017

Endeavor Press

eBook; 394 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Historical

England 1650: Civil War has given way to an uneasy peace in the year since Parliament executed King Charles I.

Royalist officer James Hart refuses to accept the tyranny of the new government, and to raise funds for the restoration of the king’s son, he takes to the road as a highwayman.

Elizabeth Seton has long been shunned for being a traitor’s daughter. In the midst of the new order, she risks her life by sheltering fugitives from Parliament in a garrison town. But her attempts to rebuild her life are threatened, first by her own sense of injustice, then by falling in love with the dashing Hart.

The lovers’ loyalty is tested through war, defeat and separation. James must fight his way back to the woman he loves, while Elizabeth will do anything to save him, even if it means sacrificing herself.

Traitor’s Knot is a sweeping tale of love and conflicted loyalties set against the turmoil of the English Civil War.

“A hugely satisfying read that will appeal to historical fiction fans who demand authenticity, and who enjoy a combination of suspense, action, and a very believable love story.” - Elizabeth St. John, author of The Lady of the Tower

“A thrilling historical adventure expertly told.” - Carol McGrath, author of The Handfasted Wife

Traitor's Knot is available in eBook from Amazon

About the Author

Cryssa Bazos is a historical fiction writer and 17th Century enthusiast, with a particular interest in the English Civil War (ECW). She blogs about English history and storytelling at her blog, the 17th Century Enthusiast, and is an editor of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog site.

Cryssa's debut novel, Traitor’s Knot, a romantic tale of adventure set during the English Civil War. Traitor’s Knot is the first in a series of adventures spanning from the ECW to the Restoration and is now available from Endeavour Press.

For more information visit Cryssa's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule

Wednesday, May 31
Passages to the Past

Thursday, June 1
A Bookaholic Swede

Friday, June 2
The Writing Desk

Monday, June 5
Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, June 6
Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, June 8
So Many Books, So Little Time

Friday, June 9
I Heart Reading

Monday, June 12
What Is That Book About

Tuesday, June 13
Books, Dreams, Life

Wednesday, June 14
The True Book Addict

Thursday, June 15
A Holland Reads

Sunday, June 18
Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, June 19
Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots (with excerpt)

Tuesday, June 20
A Literary Vacation
To Read, Or Not to Read

Wednesday, June 21
Svetlana's Reads and Views

Thursday, June 22
CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, June 23
Book Nerd

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#Roots - The Read-Along: Final thoughts on the book and the television miniseries

Wow! What a profound book. I got a bit (or a lot) behind and this read along went a bit off track, but I finally finished the book, in the midst of watching the four part miniseries, and it was quite a literary experience.

I'm still shocked and saddened by how we treated the slaves in our history. It is hard to imagine that I could possibly be descended from slave owners (knowing I have southern ancestry). However, not knowing for sure if my ancestors were slave owners, even the possibility that they might have been is disheartening. Then there was the documentary on History Channel after the airing of the miniseries in which at one point they stated that around 30 percent of Americans today are descended from slaves. Not at all surprising considering all the masters who took their liberties with female slaves. Even Kunta Kinte's own daughter had it happen to her so Alex Haley's ancestry is both black and white. Returning to the treatment of the slaves, and the attitudes that whites were better and slaves were merely property, no better than livestock, upon Kunta's observation of the parties and his eventual realization of the wealth of whites, this quote conveys it all perfectly:

"He couldn't believe that such incredible wealth actually existed, that people really lived that way. It took him a long time, and a great many more parties, to realize that they DIDN'T live that way, that it was all strangely unreal, a kind of beautiful dream the white folks were having, a lie they were telling themselves: that goodness can come from badness, that it's possible to be civilized with one another without treating as human beings those whose blood, sweat, and mother's milk made possible the life of privilege they led."

What really struck me at the end of the book was how very important a person's ancestry really is. I found it exciting how Alex Haley extensively researched and tracked down sources, and even traveled to Juffure and listened to the stories of the griot there...the stories of his ancestors. The vocal narrative that Kunta passed on to his family was more precious than gold. In the book, someone states that "we who live in the Western culture are so conditioned to the 'crutch of print' that few among us comprehend what a trained memory is capable of." Isn't that the truth? If only my ancestors had passed on a narrative of our history as Haley's ancestors did. That history gave him the seeds to discover his heritage. As I said, profound. 

Regarding the miniseries...I was a bit disappointed. I watched the original miniseries from 1977 when I was about 9 (only seeing parts of it again in later years) so I can't truly say I remember it very clearly. However, as I was reading the book, I was reminded a lot of that original miniseries. The remake was too much unlike the book, in my opinion. I did not like how they had Kunta fighting in the Revolutionary war. Not in the book. Combining the Wallers into one household. Not in the book. Adding a son to the Murray family, and a right asshole son at that. Not in the book. And then adding a fiancee, who turns out to be a spy for the North (with her "slave" as a cohort) and what the Murray son does to them. Not in the book. Shocking, yes, and titillating perhaps for viewers, but again, not in the book. And would he have gotten away with what he did to a white woman. I don't think so, but who knows. What else? Well, I could go on and on. I just think it could have been more close to the book. That being said, I still enjoyed it. Perhaps not as much as the original, but again, I was 9, and my innocent mind was just learning of slavery and it was a shocking and life changing event for me back then. What I liked best about the remake was the end. The scenes with Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley, when he is taken by George and Tom to meet up with his ancestors down the line. I sobbed, and then I cried again when I was telling my mom about it (she didn't finish watching. She liked the 1977 version better). We've decided we're going to watch that version again soon.

So, did you finish the book? What did you think? What about the miniseries? Did you watch? Thoughts?

I hope you enjoyed reading along and I hope you will join me when I decide on my next read-along. In the meantime, you can join us at my TuesBookTalk Read-Alongs group, where we read a different genre each month, and non-fiction in the months of January, May and September. Click here to check it out.

Thanks for reading along!

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Happy International Women's Day!

Check out the article I posted over at my history blog, A Brave Heart. A primary source analysis I wrote in 2007 of a medieval man's "instructions" to his young wife. You can read it HERE.

HFVBT: Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle {Giveaway} #QueensGambitTour

GIVEAWAY WINNERS: LisaMarie and Lara

About the book
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Simon & Schuster
Hardcover; 432p
ISBN-10: 147670306X

Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the Continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and become his sixth queen.

Katherine has to employ all her instincts to navigate the treachery of the court, drawing a tight circle of women around her, including her stepdaughter, Meg, traumatized by events from their past that are shrouded in secrecy, and their loyal servant Dot, who knows and sees more than she understands. With the Catholic faction on the rise once more, reformers being burned for heresy, and those close to the king vying for position, Katherine’s survival seems unlikely. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.

View the Official Book Trailer: http://videos.simonandschuster.com/video/2472116122001

Praise for Queen’s Gambit
"This is a superbly written novel... Fremantle is surely a major new voice in historical fiction and this book is the answer to the question about what Hilary Mantel fans should read while waiting for the final part of her trilogy." - The Bookseller

“Wildly entertaining…lively, gamey, gripped with tension…one of the best historical novels I’ve read.” - Liz Smith

"Elizabeth Fremantle's rich narrative breathes vibrant life into Henry VIII's most intriguing, intelligent and least known wife, Katherine Parr." - Anne Easter Smith author of A Rose for the Crown and Royal Mistress

"Queen's Gambit is an earthy, vivid portrait of Tudor England seen through the eyes of Henry VIII's last wife Katherine Parr and her loyal maid servant. Elizabeth Fremantle has added a richly written and engrossing novel to the endlessly fascinating story of the Tudors." - Stephanie Cowell author of Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet

"Queen's Gambit is a lovely, sensual, subtle read, telling the story of Katherine Parr with both rich imagination and scrupulous attention to factual detail. After reading this historical novel, you truly comprehend what it would mean to be the sixth wife of a dangerous man wielding absolute power. Katherine is no selfless nurse here, nor religious fanatic, but a complex and compelling person who both men and women were drawn to. This is a very impressive novel." - Nancy Bilyeau author of The Crown

"Beautifully written and finely observed, this suspenseful tale of Henry the Eighth's last wife expertly conveys all the dangerous intensity and passion of the Tudor court." - Rachel Hore, author of A Place of Secrets

"With a painter’s eye for detail, Fremantle brings the dazzling, dangerous Tudor court to life and sheds an intriguing new light on Katherine Parr, one of history’s great survivors. An enthralling tale of power and passion, loyalty and betrayal." - Elizabeth Wilhide, author of Ashenden

"Fremantle...navigates Tudor terrain with aplomb." - Publishers Weekly

"Sins, secrets and guilt dominate the landscape of British writer Fremantle’s debut...[her] emphasis is on intrigue, character portraits and the texture of mid-16th-century life. Solid and sympathetic." - Kirkus Reviews

“Intrigue, romance, and treachery abound in Fremantle’s debut novel . . . . This compulsively readable fictional biography of the ultimate survivor is infused with the type of meticulous attention to historical detailing that discerning fans of Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory have come to expect in the Tudor canon.” - Booklist

About the author

Elizabeth Fremantle holds a first class degree in English and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck College London. She has contributed as a fashion editor to various publications including Vogue, Elle and The Sunday Times. QUEEN'S GAMBIT is her debut novel and is the first in a Tudor trilogy. The second novel, SISTERS OF TREASON, will be released in 2014. She lives in London.

For more about Elizabeth and her future projects see www.elizabethfremantle.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #QueensGambitTour

GIVEAWAY:
Two copies of Queen's Gambit to winners in the U.S. only. Please leave a comment and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win (email address, Twitter handle, etc). Last day to enter is Monday, September 16 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!

HFVBT: Review--Gracianna by Trini Amador #GraciannaTour

My thoughts
I'm having a bit of trouble writing this review. Gracianna is such a powerful and impactful novel, I want to be sure to get it right. I guess I'll start at the beginning with who it all starts...Gracianna herself. What a memorable character! And to know that her character was 'inspired' by the author's grandmother, to know that this person was real, it's just amazing. I have never read a book with a character quite like Gracianna. Strong willed and determined, yet perceptive and loyal, this is a character one never gets tired of reading about. Her story is inspiring, to say the least.

In the story, we also get a terrible look at Nazi occupied France during WWII and even a satellite camp of Auschwitz, the most horrible concentration camp, according to the historical record. Through a series of events, Gracianna's sister is sent to the camp, although she is not a Jew. Gracianna goes above and beyond the call of duty to secure her sister's release. I do not want to go into too much detail because I'll give away the story and it's a very exciting story. I was on the edge of my seat from the middle of the book until the end. I cannot imagine the fear people lived in during the Holocaust. Everyone had to live in fear of the Nazis. This fear was palpable. While reading, I really felt it in my gut.

In the author's afterword, Amador made a good point of why he wanted to tell Gracianna's story:

I wanted to convey my understanding of her values and what they meant to her, and what they took from her and what she gave us. I believe these values were always on her mind, never far from her always-moist, pursed lips and French-accented thoughts. I wanted to understand her values and convictions and compare them to now-values, and I wondered, "What might today's generation believe in so strongly that it would cause them to act so desperately...What is it that is so important that each of us would act upon it, based on our values, beliefs, and attitudes today?"

This was a good point because I found myself wondering what I would do in a similar situation. It really is hard to imagine having to live through those times.

These stories are important because we must never forget what happened in WWII. How many people died...were killed....because they were different. This must never be allowed to happen in our society again. Would that everyone in the world had the character and moral fortitude of Gracianna. The world would be a better place indeed.

Gracianna is simply a must-read.

About the book
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Greenleaf Book Group Press
Hardcover; 296p
ISBN-10: 1608325709

The gripping story of Gracianna--a French-Basque girl forced to make impossible decisions after being recruited into the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris.

Gracianna is inspired by true events in the life of Trini Amador's great-grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. As an adult, Amador was haunted by the vivid memory of finding a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering his great-grandmother's home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun.

Decades later, Amador would delve into the remarkable odyssey of his Gracianna's past, a road that led him to an incredible surprise. In Gracianna, Amador weaves fact and fiction to tell his great-grandmother's story.

Gracianna bravely sets off to Paris in the early 1940s--on her way to America, she hopes--but is soon swept into the escalation of the war and the Nazi occupation of Paris. After chilling life-and-death struggles, she discovers that her missing sister has surfaced as a laborer in Auschwitz. When she finds an opportunity to fight back against the Nazis to try to free her sister, she takes it--even if it means using lethal force.

As Amador tells the imagined story of how his great-grandmother risked it all, he delivers richly drawn characters and a heart-wrenching page-turner that readers won't soon forget.

Praise for Gracianna
"Gracianna is a riveting and remarkable narrative. The characters come alive through their unassuming but compelling stories, as Nazi-occupied Paris unfolds before our eyes. We come to care deeply about the characters, which makes putting down the book almost impossible. Highly recommended." - Stacey Katz Bourns, Director of Language Programs, Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

“While wine is obviously a significant part of life’s enjoyment, the story behind the wine can be even more gratifying. You will be fixated on this thrilling story written by Trini Amador which was inspired by Gracianna, his great-grandmother, the French Basque namesake of his family’s award-winning winery in Sonoma County.” - Bob Cabral, Director of Winemaking & General Manager, Williams Selyem Winery

About the author
Trini Amador vividly remembers the day he found a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering through his great-grandmother’s home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun. This experience sparked a journey towards Gracianna, Amador’s debut novel, inspired by true events and weaving reality with imagination. It's a tale drawing from real-life family experiences.

Mr. Amador is a traveled global marketing "insighter.” He is a sought-after guru teaching multinational brand marketers to understand how customer and consumer segments behave based on their needs, values, motivations, feeling and values. He has trained over five thousand brand marketers on how to grow brands in over 20 countries in the last 15 years. His counseling has been valued at global brands including General Electric, Microsoft, AT&T, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems, Google, Jack Daniel’s, The J.M. Smucker Co., DuPont, Mattel, and Rodale, Inc..

Amador is also a founding partner with his wife and children of Gracianna Winery, an award-winning winery located in Healdsburg, California. The winery also pays tribute to the Amador Family’s maternal grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. Her message of being thankful lives on through them. The Gracianna winery strives to keep Gracianna’s gratitude alive through their wine. Learn more at: www.gracianna.com, like Gracianna Winery on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @GraciannaWinery.

Amador resides in Sonoma County with his family.

Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #GraciannaTour

Check out the author's guest post and enter the giveaway HERE.

*A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.

HFVBT: Gracianna by Trini Amador--Guest Post and {Giveaway} #GraciannaTour

GIVEAWAY WINNER--EMMA

The Photos Story

Gracianna was my great-grandmother and when I was a child she used to talk a lot about being thankful. “Grateful?” Who talks to a four year old about that concept? Later in life I began linking shreds of stories I had been told with my own my beliefs to a jolting incident of being found walking around her house at four years old with a loaded German Luger. Suddenly, fifty years had gone by and it was time to tell the story about how that Luger came to be in my boy-hand. As a brand marketing executive that owns his own business I travel a lot. In the last few years I have put in over 750,000 miles worldwide and took advantage of that flying time by writing.

I live in Sonoma County, California where my family owns the lauded Gracianna Winery in the Russian River Valley but nearly all of my marketing work is outside the US. I wrote Gracianna in over thirteen countries! Folks have asked me about the photos in the book and I thought I’d spend some time with you telling you the inside story on where they came from. Gracianna took eight months to write but nearly two years editing with the talented Hillel Black, who has edited over 20 New York Times best sellers, and who gave Gracianna its wonderful tempo and grace notes.

Photos were sourced from World War II archives—it was obvious, once I saw each one of them which ones needed to be in the book. Below are some photos that are in the book with a brief description.

The owner of several of the archive images is a collector of World War two imagery from the United Kingdom. This candid photo of the German officers I found chilling for its realistic depiction of a field meeting—the casualness of the moment captured my attention. 

But there is one that got away. The photo of the 1936 Hispano Pourtout that Dom’, the owner of La Maison Cossette, cherished was impossible to source. In this day and age, my opinion is that with the internet folks are a lot less sensitive about using images that don’t belong to them. We searched and searched to be able to publish this photo with all the right permissions for commercial use but alas were unable to demonstrate the sweeping beauty of this sleek automobile as I introduce it sliding through the wet streets of Paris on the important flashpoint night of the Gracianna story. I add a link to it here however. This is the one that got away. 

The 1936 Hispano Pourtout: 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hispano_1936_Pourtout.jpg

Recently, I was asked about my photos of Auschwitz. Here is how that came to be. At one point my business took me to Warsaw, Poland. I was writing the book during this business visit as well. For some reason it had not occurred to me to extend my research to Krakow and Auschwitz on that trip. But that ended when I was tackled by the bitter cold Polish air as it overwhelmed me when the door of the plane opened. I was traveling from South America and inconveniently left my winter coat in California. The burst of cold enveloped me. The thought of my grandmother’s sister (or anyone) withstanding that sort of cold in a concentration camp drew me to Auschwitz. I needed to see where she had been. I took hundreds of photos while I was there but have been unable to look at them since. 

It was gray that day. I was numb already after walking in the camp for only 10 minutes. I was on a tour but loosely followed the group, in a daze really. I heard the stories from the guide from 20 paces back my mind racing backward in time and trying to rationalize what had happened here with the present day. My chest was as heavy as the solid air. My heart weighed low. My eyes teared. Several of my Auschwitz photos were chosen by the producer of the Gracianna book video trailer that accompanies this posting. Have a look and let me know if these photos convey the starkness of my visit. 

Lastly was Gracianna herself. I have no photos of her during the war. But I have been told she was pretty with her flowing white hair.

Link to book video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFDUqBbQttA&feature=youtu.be

If you have any questions or want to know more inside stories about the book just contact me—I would enjoy hearing from you. Trini.Amador3@Gracianna.net

About the book
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Greenleaf Book Group Press
Hardcover; 296p
ISBN-10: 1608325709

The gripping story of Gracianna--a French-Basque girl forced to make impossible decisions after being recruited into the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris.

Gracianna is inspired by true events in the life of Trini Amador's great-grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. As an adult, Amador was haunted by the vivid memory of finding a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering his great-grandmother's home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun.

Decades later, Amador would delve into the remarkable odyssey of his Gracianna's past, a road that led him to an incredible surprise. In Gracianna, Amador weaves fact and fiction to tell his great-grandmother's story.

Gracianna bravely sets off to Paris in the early 1940s--on her way to America, she hopes--but is soon swept into the escalation of the war and the Nazi occupation of Paris. After chilling life-and-death struggles, she discovers that her missing sister has surfaced as a laborer in Auschwitz. When she finds an opportunity to fight back against the Nazis to try to free her sister, she takes it--even if it means using lethal force.

As Amador tells the imagined story of how his great-grandmother risked it all, he delivers richly drawn characters and a heart-wrenching page-turner that readers won't soon forget.

Praise for Gracianna
"Gracianna is a riveting and remarkable narrative. The characters come alive through their unassuming but compelling stories, as Nazi-occupied Paris unfolds before our eyes. We come to care deeply about the characters, which makes putting down the book almost impossible. Highly recommended." - Stacey Katz Bourns, Director of Language Programs, Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

“While wine is obviously a significant part of life’s enjoyment, the story behind the wine can be even more gratifying. You will be fixated on this thrilling story written by Trini Amador which was inspired by Gracianna, his great-grandmother, the French Basque namesake of his family’s award-winning winery in Sonoma County.” - Bob Cabral, Director of Winemaking & General Manager, Williams Selyem Winery

About the author

Trini Amador vividly remembers the day he found a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering through his great-grandmother’s home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun. This experience sparked a journey towards Gracianna, Amador’s debut novel, inspired by true events and weaving reality with imagination. It's a tale drawing from real-life family experiences.

Mr. Amador is a traveled global marketing "insighter.” He is a sought-after guru teaching multinational brand marketers to understand how customer and consumer segments behave based on their needs, values, motivations, feeling and values. He has trained over five thousand brand marketers on how to grow brands in over 20 countries in the last 15 years. His counseling has been valued at global brands including General Electric, Microsoft, AT&T, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems, Google, Jack Daniel’s, The J.M. Smucker Co., DuPont, Mattel, and Rodale, Inc..

Amador is also a founding partner with his wife and children of Gracianna Winery, an award-winning winery located in Healdsburg, California. The winery also pays tribute to the Amador Family’s maternal grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. Her message of being thankful lives on through them. The Gracianna winery strives to keep Gracianna’s gratitude alive through their wine. Learn more at: www.gracianna.com, like Gracianna Winery on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @GraciannaWinery.

Amador resides in Sonoma County with his family.

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Watch for my review of Gracianna...coming tomorrow!

GIVEAWAY:

One copy of Gracianna to a winner in the U.S./Canada. Please leave a comment and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win (email address, Twitter handle, etc). Last day to enter is Wednesday, August 14 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!

HFVBT: Review--Seduction by M.J. Rose

My thoughts:
M.J. Rose continues to feed my fascination with reincarnation and history in this the fifth book in the Reincarnationist series. Combining the two once again into a novel that I think might be her best yet, Rose takes us this time into the world of seances.

Victor Hugo, famed novelist of Les Miserables, among others, is a prominent character in Seduction. When he loses his daughter to drowning, ten years later he still finds that he has not moved past her loss. He begins participating in seances in the hope that he will speak to his daughter again and ends up communicating with a myriad of famous personas, including the Devil. In the book, he transcribes these communications nightly and his lost transcriptions are at the heart of the story. The quest to discover these communique with the dead is what leads protagonist Jac L'Etoile into a suspenseful situation.

The shift from the present to the past and vice versa is an element that I have thoroughly enjoyed in books. However, not many write it as skillfully as Rose. The Reincarnationist series, and this book, are not only about the phenomenon of reincarnation. They are a thoughtful examination of how we human beings cope with loss and what we choose to believe about the after life. I think reincarnation is something that should be explored more extensively as a definite possibility. In writing these books, Rose is bringing reincarnation to the fore of people's minds, even if they do not believe, and I thank her for raising that awareness.

About the book:

Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Atria Books
Hardcover; 384p
ISBN-10: 1451621507

From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost journal of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening a mystery that spans centuries.

In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, Hugo began participating in hundreds of séances to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with the likes of Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus—and even the Devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published. Or so it was believed.

Recovering from her own losses, mythologist Jac L’Etoile arrives on the Isle of Jersey—where Hugo conducted the séances—hoping to uncover a secret about the island’s Celtic roots. But the man who’s invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, has hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different—Hugo’s lost conversations with someone called the Shadow of the Sepulcher.

What follows is an intricately plotted and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists.

About the author:
M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio.

Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com. The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype. She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.

Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.

For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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