AZ Historical Novel Society News

Upcoming Dates: November 2, 1-4 pm (Patricia Bracewell, Shadow on the Crown) and February 8 (Shona Patel, Teatime for the Firefly)

Next Meeting: November 2 Special New Time: 1-4 pm
Speaker: Patricia Bracewell, author of Shadow on the Crown
Food to bring: afternoon nibbles and sweets (email if you can bring)
Email Judith for directions

About Shadow on the Crown:
In 1002, fifteen­-year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Athelred of England, whom she meets for the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and secure her status as queen by bearing a son.

Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life.

Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Shadow on the Crown introduces readers to a fascinating, overlooked period of history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world will resonate with modern readers.

Roundup of Our September Meeting

Our AZ Historical Novel Society Meetings are so much fun. What’s not to love about great speakers and knock out food in the company of lots of historical fiction writers and readers? Well, there is that large, furry dog who licks your hand and sits on your feet, but at least he’s named Socrates so he fits in with the historical theme….
Jenn Mckinlay was our speaker. She is very funny and full of both local research resource information and an incredible source for how the publishing world works. She had us laughing and taking notes.

I can’t possibly capture everything (certainly not her humor), so I’ll share a few standout pieces of information.
First, if your historical writing is set in Arizona, take yourself to the Arizona Room at Burton Barr and explore the riches of that collection. Census data, newspapers, and so much cool stuff you may never come out again. If only they had a Hittite Room or a Trojan War Room…
Second, for all of us, the most useful spot on the Phoenix Public Library website for historical research is inexplicably buried under homework help. So to find your way, follow this sequence of places to click: Learning & Resource then Homework Help then History Reference Center.
Third, for all of us, check out the rare books collection tours and make an appointment to go on one. See everything from Shakespeare Folios to Mesopotamian clay cuneiform tablets (okay, so the library does have a bit of a Hittite room…).
Fourth Jenn worked her way into a successful publishing career (in the realm of 250,000 copies sold of each of her books) by accepting a “work for hire” writing offer for a decoupage mystery series. The publisher gave her an outline of what they wanted and retains copyright, but she got her foot in the door and got them to let her write many more series of her own design. So never turn away from an opportunity to get your start in publishing even if it means writing about decoupage!
She now writes a librarian series, a milliner series, and a cupcake series under her own name. Feel free to click on the photo of Cloche and Dagger to order her books from the Poisoned Pen if you’d like to read her books and missed out on our little “store” at the meeting.

Please add other highlights of Jenn’s talk in the comments. I left so much out!