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Catherine de Medici
- penelope29
- Scribbler
- Posts: 8
- Joined: August 2009
- Location: Lancaster, UK
- diamondlil
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 2642
- Joined: August 2008
[quote=""cw gortner""]Some news on my Catherine de Medici book, as promised:
My revisions have been officially approved by my editor and the on-sale date is 5/25/2010.
As soon as I have cover art, I'll post.[/quote]
Excellent news! Added it to my list!
Do you have an official title already?
My revisions have been officially approved by my editor and the on-sale date is 5/25/2010.
As soon as I have cover art, I'll post.[/quote]
Excellent news! Added it to my list!
Do you have an official title already?
My Blog - Reading Adventures
All things Historical Fiction - Historical Tapestry
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Edith Wharton
All things Historical Fiction - Historical Tapestry
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Edith Wharton
[quote=""cw gortner""]Some news on my Catherine de Medici book, as promised:
My revisions have been officially approved by my editor and the on-sale date is 5/25/2010.
As soon as I have cover art, I'll post.[/quote]
I was just about to post on the "people you'd like to see more HF written about" thread when I saw this. I can't wait!! I'm surprised there isn't more written about this fascinating "bad girl" in history.
Nine months is such a long time to wait :S
My revisions have been officially approved by my editor and the on-sale date is 5/25/2010.
As soon as I have cover art, I'll post.[/quote]
I was just about to post on the "people you'd like to see more HF written about" thread when I saw this. I can't wait!! I'm surprised there isn't more written about this fascinating "bad girl" in history.
Nine months is such a long time to wait :S
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- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1667
- Joined: April 2009
- Location: New York
Tsjmom, there's some stuff out there. Jeanne Kalogridis has a brand-new HC book devoted to Catherine, and Jean Plaidy has a trilogy of books devoted to her. As things go, she's not all that unknown, just overlooked for now amidst all the Tudor-mania. I think Susan Carroll's novels feature her, as well (although I've never found them very readable). There is Diane Haeger's novel about Diane de Poitiers, which of course ends up dealing with Catherine. Judith Merkle Riley has a book focusing on Catherine & her links with Nostradamus (which forms part of Kalogridis's book, which is heavily based on the occult.) Some of these verge closer to fantasy than historical fiction.
What's been missing and what I'm hoping CW will provide is a solid biographical-style but lively novel of Catherine's life. The Plaidy trilogy is the most solid, so far, but it's been out for decades, there's a lot more new research, and there's room for a livelier rendering. (Let's face it, Plaidy is no prose stylist...)
What's been missing and what I'm hoping CW will provide is a solid biographical-style but lively novel of Catherine's life. The Plaidy trilogy is the most solid, so far, but it's been out for decades, there's a lot more new research, and there's room for a livelier rendering. (Let's face it, Plaidy is no prose stylist...)
There is also Dumas, Catherine plays prominently in La Reine Margot and she's really OTT in delightful wickedness. You'll also find her in his two volume book called The Two Dianas (these can be found through inter-library loan).
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be
...is the only place I want to be
- Julianne Douglas
- Avid Reader
- Posts: 429
- Joined: August 2008
- Location: Northern California
[quote=""Chatterbox""]Tsjmom, there's some stuff out there. Jeanne Kalogridis has a brand-new HC book devoted to Catherine, and Jean Plaidy has a trilogy of books devoted to her. As things go, she's not all that unknown, just overlooked for now amidst all the Tudor-mania. I think Susan Carroll's novels feature her, as well (although I've never found them very readable). There is Diane Haeger's novel about Diane de Poitiers, which of course ends up dealing with Catherine. Judith Merkle Riley has a book focusing on Catherine & her links with Nostradamus (which forms part of Kalogridis's book, which is heavily based on the occult.) Some of these verge closer to fantasy than historical fiction.
What's been missing and what I'm hoping CW will provide is a solid biographical-style but lively novel of Catherine's life. The Plaidy trilogy is the most solid, so far, but it's been out for decades, there's a lot more new research, and there's room for a livelier rendering. (Let's face it, Plaidy is no prose stylist...)[/quote]
Thanks Chatterbox! I've read all that you mentioned except for J. Plaidy. I just thought writers would be all over this 'mean girl' LOL!
What's been missing and what I'm hoping CW will provide is a solid biographical-style but lively novel of Catherine's life. The Plaidy trilogy is the most solid, so far, but it's been out for decades, there's a lot more new research, and there's room for a livelier rendering. (Let's face it, Plaidy is no prose stylist...)[/quote]
Thanks Chatterbox! I've read all that you mentioned except for J. Plaidy. I just thought writers would be all over this 'mean girl' LOL!
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- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1667
- Joined: April 2009
- Location: New York
I think that the absence of a romantic element in Catherine's life probably keeps some novelists away. That and the fact that while powerful, she was a pretty tough cookie. Think a 16th century Margaret Thatcher. Let's face it, not appealing HF material! (You're right though -- she's a great character.)
She does appear in a lot more French HF, however. Not that that is any consolidation, as CW will pop in here to remind me forcibly...
She does appear in a lot more French HF, however. Not that that is any consolidation, as CW will pop in here to remind me forcibly...
- cw gortner
- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1288
- Joined: September 2008
- Location: San Francisco,CA
- Contact:
I just wish I could read those French hf novels, Chatterbox!
I think she's not as well covered in English hf because she's controversial; Plaidy's depiction of her, as well as most others to a certain extent, tend to make her either completely ruthless or a victim of circumstances (though the latter is much more rare than the former). The 'evil' camp generally sees her as responsible for murdering thousands of Protestants, and the Catholic angle doesn't come across well, in Plaidy's work, in particular.
I haven't read Kalogridis' novel so I cannot comment. Personally, however, to me any heavy-handed approach to Catherine's alleged interest in black magic fuels the legend and has little basis in reality.
What I hope I've done with my version is bridge that chasm to present a more nuanced portrait of a woman who faced very tough choices. And, I did find a romantic story for her . . . well, sort of.
Julianne, as always, you're the best! Thanks so much for the offer!! As soon as I have cover art, I'll let you know. I'll be looking over the copy edited ms. when I return from Spain (I'm going from September 2 - 18); some time after I return the copyedited ms., I think I'll start to see first drafts of cover art.
I wonder what they'll come up with . . .
I think she's not as well covered in English hf because she's controversial; Plaidy's depiction of her, as well as most others to a certain extent, tend to make her either completely ruthless or a victim of circumstances (though the latter is much more rare than the former). The 'evil' camp generally sees her as responsible for murdering thousands of Protestants, and the Catholic angle doesn't come across well, in Plaidy's work, in particular.
I haven't read Kalogridis' novel so I cannot comment. Personally, however, to me any heavy-handed approach to Catherine's alleged interest in black magic fuels the legend and has little basis in reality.
What I hope I've done with my version is bridge that chasm to present a more nuanced portrait of a woman who faced very tough choices. And, I did find a romantic story for her . . . well, sort of.
Julianne, as always, you're the best! Thanks so much for the offer!! As soon as I have cover art, I'll let you know. I'll be looking over the copy edited ms. when I return from Spain (I'm going from September 2 - 18); some time after I return the copyedited ms., I think I'll start to see first drafts of cover art.
I wonder what they'll come up with . . .
Last edited by cw gortner on Tue August 25th, 2009, 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
THE QUEEN'S VOW available on June 12, 2012!
THE TUDOR SECRET, Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
THE LAST QUEEN
www.cwgortner.com
THE TUDOR SECRET, Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
THE LAST QUEEN
www.cwgortner.com
She wrote in a couple of really odd twists at the end that weren't addressed in her notes. Just say in the notes I made it up.I haven't read Kalogridis' novel so I cannot comment. Personally, however, to me any heavy-handed approach to Catherine's alleged interest in black magic fuels the legend and has little basis in reality.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be
...is the only place I want to be