Interview with Audio book Narrator Alex Lee.

Today I'd like to do something a  bit different and introduce you to the lovely lady who narrates my books for Audible listeners. For once she has stepped away from the microphone and written a lovely piece. Take it away Alex Lee!

Hello, thank you for hosting me on your blog, Judith. It is great to be here.

There is something transporting and magical about bringing stories to life as a voice actor, escaping some of the day to day stresses and worries and settling down – even if it means disappearing into my converted cupboard under the stairs LOL, to sit motionless in front of an ipad and microphone and  begin to  inhabit  the characters in the books you are narrating.  Feeling and expressing their thoughts, hopes, loves, fears and intentions is the next best thing to stage acting !!.

Narrating and producing audio books, ticks every creative box for me. Being given the opportunity to add another  dimension to an author’s words and plot, giving their cast of characters a range of voices, accents, ages personalities, attitudes and emotions is a huge privilege and a thing I love to do.

I have been lucky to have narrated almost 100 titles across many different genres including, cosy murder mysteries, (currently working on five series) historical fiction, psychological thrillers, romance, literary classics, children’s literature, biographies, adventure, comedy, science fiction and poetry.

I have been so lucky to work with the multi award winning author Judith Arnopp.  I auditioned a few years ago now for Judith’s trilogy, The Beaufort Chronicle but missed the boat as when I went to upload the audition the title had disappeared because Judith had found another narrator. How glad I am that I decided to e-mail Judith and send her my audition - asking if I might be a fit for any of her other books.  Although I was too late for The Beaufort Chronicle Judith thought my voice would suit Anne Boleyn. I was so thrilled, and went on to record one of my favourite of Judith’s books   The Kiss of the Concubine.

I loved narrating this fresh look on Anne and Henry. All Judith’s books have great character development, flowing prose that is a joy to read so that you immerse yourself in the plot.  Another great favourite for me was The Winchester Goose and in particular voicing a Tudor tart with a heart, Joannie Toogood.  Huge fun.

I also narrated Intractable Heart, the story of Katheryn Parr so I have been very close to most of Henry VIII's queens now and love the atmosphere of the Tudor court she creates where you can almost smell it.

I have recently completed A Daughter of Warwick: the story of Anne Neville who was queen to Richard III. It is extraordinary how we know all about Richard yet next to nothing about Anne. Although Judith worries it is not her best work as she wrote it very early on in her career, I enjoyed it immensely. You can listen to a sample on the audiogram below.

Contacting Judith was serendipitous as it marked the beginning of what is now a great collaboration I have now narrated seven of her wonderful titles. I am hoping that I may get to voice the fierce, furious and fabulous queen,  Marguerite of Anjou in her new novel, Marguerite: Hell Hath No Fury! in the future.

Thank you so much for joining us today Alex Lee, our collaboration has opened up a whole new avenue for me as an author.

Here is a link to Alex Lee webpage so you can check out her work with other authors. https://www.alexleeaudio.uk/

You can find my audio books on Audible. If you'd like a FREE listen code for any of the books mentioned, you can approach either Alex or myself, tell us if you need a UK or a US link and we will send one to you.

www.judithmarnopp.com

author.to/juditharnoppbooks

Release day of A Matter of Time: Henry VIII, the Dying of the LIght

 

I am thrilled and relieved to see the third and final book in my Henrician Trilogy launched today. I have spent four years in Henry's company.

Those of you who write will know that characters encroach on your real life and with Henry, it was sometimes quite difficult to deal with. I had to keep taking breaks from the harrowing tale I was telling and to have him follow was disconcerting, to say the least. He is so much larger, louder and more dangerous than anyone else I've written about, and so much more real.

Written in the first person, Henry's narrative is not always as honest as it could be. He blames others, makes excuses and sometimes just refuses to co-operate. I persuaded him to open up in the end though. I found an angry man, a vindictive man and also a man who is terribly sorry for himself.

But then, he does have much to be sorry about; there is nothing harder to deal with than self-loathing.

A Matter of Time, Henry VIII, the Dying of the Light traces Henry's final years, his last three marriages, his wars, his disappointments, his pain, his failure, both as man and king. Written from his perspective, the story reads very differently to that of his wives. I haven't whitewashed him but I have given him the chance to speak.

Available on Kindle, and in Paperback

mybook.to/amoc

mybook.to/amofaith

mybook.to/amot

Delighted to welcome Amy Maroney with news of her new book, The Queen's Scribe

 

 

The Queen’s Scribe 

by 

Amy Maroney

Queen Charlotta of Cyprus, a forgotten monarch

 While researching the Sea and Stone Chronicles, a collection of novels about ordinary people living under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller in medieval Rhodes, I stumbled across a woman of power whose story captivated me. Her name was Queen Charlotta, and she ruled the Kingdom of Cyprus for a moment in time during the exact era of my research. 

Just what the Kingdom of Cyprus was, I had no idea. So, like any overzealous historical novelist, I dove down an exhilarating research rabbit hole in search of more details.

I was astonished by my findings. The Kingdom of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia (the latter two designations were purely titular) was ruled by the French Lusignan dynasty for hundreds of years. Its zenith came in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. By 1458, when the fifteen-year-old, widowed Queen Charlotta ascended the throne, the Lusignan dynasty was hobbled by war and debt, and poisoned from within by corruption and betrayal. 

Queen Charlotta therefore faced a formidable set of complications when she donned her crown. She not only accepted the challenge, she exhibited tremendous ambition and courage. Less than two years after taking the throne, she moved her courtiers to the seaside fortress of Kyrenia, where they survived a massive siege by her power-hungry half-brother, Jacco. Then, when her second husband Louis of Savoy proved a weak leader, she left him in Cyprus and sailed around the Mediterranean entreating allies to help save her crown. 

Clearly, this courageous queen’s story had to be told. So I resolved to bring her to life with a novel, The Queen’s Scribe.

KYRENIA FORTRESS, WHERE QUEEN CHARLOTTA RESISTED A SIEGE BY HER HALF-BROTHER

Though her father, King Jean, was a Frenchman born into the Lusignan dynasty, Charlotta’s mother, Eleni Palaiologina, was a proud Greek woman who defied the “Latin” influence of her husband’s court. Charlotta grew up a Greek girl in her mother’s apartments, and never learned much French. 

But when Charlotta was married to Prince João of Portugal at fourteen, she was suddenly required to communicate in French (their common language). Her need for trusted interpreters would only grew stronger as time went on and she was forced to seek assistance from Western allies such as the Knights Hospitaller, the Pope, and the king of France. This is how I developed the concept of a fictional heroine serving the queen as a skilled interpreter and scribe. 

ST. HILARION CASTLE, WHERE THE ROYAL FAMILIES OF CYPRUS RETREATED FOR LEISURETIME PURSUITS

After the 1457 murder of her husband, Prince João, Charlotta faced a new betrothal. This time, her fiancé was her first cousin, Louis of Savoy. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, the marriage of first cousins doomed the bride and groom to hell. Charlotta’s mother naturally opposed the union. But as soon as she died, the marriage was on. 

Fortune’s wheel turned again when King Jean died just a few months after his wife (whether it was due to natural causes or poison was a matter of dispute). Teenaged Charlotta ascended the throne, her father’s council members whispering in her ear just as they had done with her father. Meanwhile, her half-brother, Jacco, vowed he would seize the kingdom. His plan: gain the favor of the Sultan of Egypt, raise an army, and attack Cyprus. Charlotta would spend the rest of her life fighting to preserve her throne.

I chose to tell Queen Charlotta’s tale through the eyes of fictional Estelle de Montavon, daughter of a French falconer. I first wrote a story starring her in an anthology a few years ago, and she plays a minor role in my novel Island of Gold. 

In The Queen’s Scribe, Estelle—a talented scribe and linguist—becomes as valuable as gold when the royal court retreats to Kyrenia Fortress and civil war looms between the queen and Jacco. As Queen Charlotta voyages across the Mediterranean Sea beseeching French-speaking allies for help, Estelle is at her side, witnessing every triumph and disaster along the way. 

MURAL OF A WEALTHY FIFTEENTH CENTURY FAMILY IN A CYPRUS CHURCH, WHICH SHOWS HOW PEOPLE DRESSED IN THAT TIME AND PLACE

This extraordinary queen’s ambition and courage burned brightly, but all too briefly. Like so many other women who deserve a place in history books, her story has been relegated to the shadows. I hope that The Queen’s Scribe plays a role in bringing Charlotta of Lusignan’s story back into the light.

Amy Maroney studied English Literature at Boston University and worked for many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. She lives in Oregon, U.S.A. with her family. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of The Miramonde Series, an award-winning historical fiction trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Her new historical suspense series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, is set in medieval Rhodes and Cyprus.

The Queen’s Scribe is on Kindle Unlimited and is available worldwide from Amazon: https://mybook.to/QueensScribe

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/

Twitter: twitter.com/wilaroney

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amymaroneyauthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/amymaroneywrites/

Katherine - Tudor Duchess

New from Tony Riches, Author of the best-selling Tudor Trilogy

Available in eBook and paperback from Amazon UK and Amazon US

(Audiobook edition coming in 2020)

Attractive, wealthy and influential, Katherine Willoughby is one of the most unusual ladies of the Tudor Court. A favourite of King Henry VIII, Katherine knows all his six wives, his daughters Mary and Elizabeth and his son Edward.

When her father dies, Katherine becomes the ward of Tudor knight, Sir Charles Brandon. Her Spanish mother, Maria de Salinas, is ueen Catherine of Aragon's lady in waiting, so it is a challenging time for them all when King Henry marries the enigmatic Anne Boleyn.

Following Anne's dramatic downfall, Katherine marries Charles Brandon, and becomes Duchess of Suffolk at the age of fourteen.After teh short reign of young Catherine Howard, and the death of Jane Seymour, Katherine and Brandon are chosen to welcome Anna of Cleves as she arrives in England. When the royal marriage is annulled, Katherine's good friend, Catherine Parr becomes the king's sixth wife, and they work to promote religious reform. Katherine's young sons are tutored with the future king, Prince  Edward, and become his friends, but when Edward dies his Catholic sister Mary is crowned queen. Katherine's Protestant faith puts her family in great danger - from which there seems no escape.

Katherine's remarkable true story continues the epic tale of the rise of the Tudors, which began with the best-selling Tudor trilogy and concludes with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Author Bio

Tony Riches is a full time UK author of best sellng historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and lives of the early Tudors. Tony's other publishedd historical fiction novels include: Owen -Book one of the Tudor Trilogy, Jasper - Book two of the Tudor Trilogy, Henry - Book Three of the Tudor Trilogy, Mary - Tudor Princess and Brandon - Tudor Knight. For more information about Tony's books please visit his website: tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches