March 6 will be the 962nd anniversary of the passing of Emma of Normandy, dowager queen of England.
Emma’s Mortuary Chest, Winchester Cathedral
She had kings as sons and kings as husbands
She shone forth in the glory of her progeny of kings
She excelled in virtue even the ranks of her glorious ancestors.
So wrote Godfrey, Prior of the Old Minster at Winchester, where Emma was laid to rest.
In this 21st century, Queen Emma has been the central figure in two historical novels. The first is by author Helen Hollick. Titled A HOLLLOW CROWN in the UK and THE FOREVER QUEEN in the U.S. it covers a great swathe of Emma’s life.
My own novel, SHADOW ON THE CROWN, covers only a few years of Emma’s life, and is the first part of a trilogy in which Emma will play the central role.
At Helen’s brilliant suggestion, she and I will be commemorating Queen Emma on March 6 with a special On Line Interactive Interview on our respective blogs, and you are invited to attend.
We will be live on-line at Helen’s UK blog
from 2-3p.m. GMT (6 a.m. US Pacific Time – I’ll be getting up very early)
www.ofhistoryandkingsblogspot.co.uk
We will be live on-line here at my US blog from 2-3 p.m. US Pacific Time (10 p.m. GMT – Helen will be staying up very late)
THIS COULD BE AN INTERNET FIRST!
DON’T MISS IT!
(We will try not to give away any spoilers, but beware: History has been written, and past events have a way of sneaking into present conversations.)
Lest I forget: Giveaways! We’ll each be giving away 1 copy our US and UK books. Mark your calendars.
MARCH 6
This just got me all excited! Can’t wait! :)
Hi Leah! I think it will be great fun. I look forward to chatting with you on-line in real time.
Sounds great. Am going to set my alarm.
Patricia, I so enjoyed reading , Shadow on the crown, when can we expect the second book in the trilogy. ?.
Hello Anne, and thank you for asking. The sequel to Shadow on the Crown should hit bookstores in early 2015. We don’t have an exact date yet, but it’s in the pipeline. I’ll be posting much more about it in the next few months.
Anxiously awaiting the sequel to Shadow on the Crown. This was a wonderful read!
Thank you Bridget! The sequel is about to undergo the dreaded copy editing ordeal!
Looking forward to it!
Yay!
Hope to talk to you on Thursday Alan.
I’m looking forward to the event – but I am wondering whether we are both quite mad to be doing it live! LOL :-D
No question, Helen. We are both Quite Mad!
I’ve always thought of myself as a demented scribbler, this obviously proves it! :-D
I think it’s great you are both doing this together. You both have written 2 extraordinary novels about an extraordingary woman. So excited…
Not sure if I am on the right page, but this is where Helen’s link sent me. I’ll try to check back later. Good morning… yawn.
If you want to join in the conversation, you’ve landed on an earlier blog post. Please join us at the March 6 post: Two Authors, One Queen.
Was there anything in the research about Queen Emma that either of you came across that surprised you or changed your opinion about her?
I am so bummed out. I missed the March 6 drawing for free book. I just finished a couple of historical novels that give Emma total responsibility for William’s invasion. One was
“The Greatest Knight/Warrior or? I thoroughly enjoyed it in any case.
Not sure what book you’re referring to, Lois. Would love to know the exact title. Is it about William the Conqueror? Isn’t it interesting how all of a sudden Emma is getting credit for the Norman Conquest, but nobody knows who she is?