I recently read and reviewed The Queen's Pawn by Christy English.
Set during the Middle Ages in England, The Queen's Pawn is the story of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and Princess Alais of France, and the love and betrayal that occurs between these two women. Christy English weaves fact with fiction and the result is a great story that draws the reader in from page one. Highly recommended, especially to fans of historical fiction.
Read my full review here.
Today I am happy to say that Christy English has kindly taken the time out of her busy schedule to stop by my little corner of the web for an author interview. I've been in contact with Christy via email and she is a delightful lady. Read on for the interview...
Bookworm: Welcome to my blog Christy, and thank you for taking the time our of your busy schedule for this interview. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Christy: Naida, thanks so much for having me. I am a writer originally from Wilmington, NC who has lived the last four years in New York City. I graduated with a degree in history from Duke University much longer ago than I am willing to admit. I love to travel, to Paris when I can get there, and through books when I can’t.
Bookworm: The Queen's Pawn is your debut novel, do you have any more books in the works?
Christy: I am fascinated by Eleanor of Aquitaine. She has absolutely captured my imagination. I am writing my second novel about her rise to power as duchess of Aquitaine and her first marriage to King Louis VII of Spain. To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine comes out from New American Library next April.
Bookworm: What inspired you to write The Queen's Pawn?
Christy: I wanted to give Princess Alais a voice. In history, she is completely silent, and is only referred to in relationship to the men in her life: her father, Louis VII of France, her lover, King Henry II of England, her betrothed, Richard the Lionhearted, and her brother, King Philippe Auguste of France. I am fascinated by speculating on what women in history, once given a voice, might have to say to us.
Bookworm: What was the hardest thing about writing this book? How long did it take you to write?
What type of research did you have to do?
Christy: The hardest thing about writing this book, about writing any book, is the re-writing. The first draft flows and fascinates me, but then I have to look at it from more of a distance, and fix all the problems that I didn’t see before. My editor is a huge help in this, but ultimately, I have to perform surgery on my child until I get the novel right.
The Queen’s Pawn took three months to write the first draft and then three years to get right. I am no historian, so I did a lot of secondary research, taking in biographies about Eleanor of Aquitaine. One of my favorites is the one by Ralph V. Turner that came out in the summer of 2009.
Bookworm: In the Queen's Pawn, Queen Eleanor and Princess Alais have a strong bond, they are almost like mother and daughter. Even after they betray one another, they still love each other. What made you write them this way, with such a close relationship?
Christy: It is obvious to hate the woman who is your husband’s mistress. But I thought, how interesting would it be, what kind of a story would I discover, if Eleanor and Alais loved each other, but betrayed each other anyway? I like what I’ve found by answering that question. In the end, it is the people we love who have the power to hurt us the most.
Bookworm: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Christy: Of all the books out there, thank you for choosing mine. After reading The Queen’s Pawn, I hope that you come to love Eleanor of Aquitaine and Princess Alais of France half as much as I do.
Bookworm: Who are your favorite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Christy: My favorite author is Mary Renault. She wrote about ancient Greece in novels such as The Persian Boy, The Mask of Apollo, and The Last of the Wine. What I love best about her work besides her amazing writing style is her ability to lift me from my regular, mundane life and transport me into the world she has researched and created.
Bookworm: Last but not least, if you were stranded on a deserted island, and were allowed to bring 3 items with you, what would they be?
Christy: A Kindle/Nook/I Book with endless battery power, a bottomless trunk of milk chocolate, and sunblock :) The perfect beach get away…
Bookworm: Thank you again Christy. I enjoyed this interview and always like learning a bit about the author behind the book. I think a bottomless trunk of milk chocolate is the perfect thing to bring to a deserted island :)
I'm happy to hear To Be Queen will be out next April! I look forward to reading it.
