{: Brandy Purdy is
welcomed to Jorie Loves A Story :}
Book Synopsis: A NOVEL OF ELIZABETH BOLEYN
From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history’s most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own…
At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne–while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne…
When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances–and catches the lusty king’s eye. But those who enjoy Henry’s fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband’s machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one–and the Boleyn family’s fortune may be turning…
Author Biography:
Brandy Purdy is the author of several historical novels. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading, watching classic movies, or spending time with her cat, Tabby. She first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten when she read a book of ghost stories that contained a chapter about the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at brandypurdy.com for more information about her books. You can also follow her via her blog at brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and reviews of what she has been reading.
{: conversing about her keen passion for the Tudor era (which is one foray in the historical past she has a passion of), and how Jack the Ripper inspired a unique story:}
As a reader, when I first discovered blog book tours, I nearly could not contain my happy delight in their discovery, as I quite literally had ‘no clue!’ the publishing industry allowed such a wicked sweet way for readers and writers to interact with each other! Imagine my joy in finding newly published books being reviewed on book blogs as much as finding enlightening supplemental content via Author Interviews, Author Guest Posts, and Author Q&As! I was happily immersed in Book Spotlights as well, as they are akin to the teasers we enjoy for a new motion picture or an upcoming episode of your latest ‘need to watch’ tv series! The best blessing of course by far is whilst visiting book bloggers (many of whom I regularly enjoy visiting) is that sometimes when you alight on a blog tour stop, your comment might be answered by the author and/or you could hear back from the author at a later time!
Such is the case on behalf of Ms. Purdy, who saw my comments about “The Boleyn Bride” whilst she was touring the book blogosphere courtesy of HFVBTs; a touring company that I review for myself. She was kind enough to offer me to review not only her latest release but one from her back-list: “The Queen’s Rivals”. I jumped at the chance as the Tudors have always presented such a curiosity to me — long before I settled on reading more about Revolutionary France, the Tudors were starting to beckon my attention! Of course, most readers can find a new book and/or author to latch onto at the drop of a hat, as we simply become highly attracted to either a particular era, genre, or sequence of story-lines which fit into our probing imagination’s spirit of adventure! I was always anxious to read a Tudor novel, but I was always half enchanted and swept away into another book at the moments I would find myself wanting to read a Tudor story! Part of this parlay came to the forefront when I discovered a book blog devouted to Tudor authors and works of fiction: The Tudor Blog! I felt honoured to be given the chance to fulfill a curiosity of mine as well as become introduced to a new-to-me author I had discovered both through a blog tour and through tweets on Twitter on behalf of the very same novel: The Boleyn Bride!
Through my conversations with Ms. Purdy leading up to this two-day showcase, I learnt a bit more about her forthcoming Autumn 2014 Book Release: The Ripper’s Wife. I decided it would be quite lovely to ask a few questions on behalf of this novel as well as add-on a spotlight to this Interview in case readers might be as tempted as I was to read a glimpse into the unique perspective she brings to one unsolved case in the historical past no one can admit to being in the dark about! It is simply one of the most talked about crimes due to the fact the identity of the killer has never truly been resolved. I liked her approach and am thankful I could include a mention of the novel today.
Let us settle into a comfy chair, sip a cuppa tea, and listen to the conversation as it unfolded:
Two authors you have credited in a previous interview as being ones who inspire you within the realm of historical fiction are Margaret Mitchell (“Gone With the Wind”) and Karleen Koen (“Through A Glass Darkly”). Both authors are a credit to the genre and to the style in which they became well-known for conceiving. What did you personally draw a connection to within their own unique voice which gave you inspiration to write?
Purdy responds: I think it’s the epic sprawl, and the cinematic quality of both novels—I hope that doesn’t sound too pretentious! “Gone With The Wind” is considered by many the greatest movie ever made, in fact, it’s my favorite, I’ve seen it hundreds of times, and Ms. Koen’s novel, though it has never been filmed, has a similar quality to me, peopled with characters so vibrant they stay with you long afterward, descriptions so vivid, emotions so real, as I read I can see and feel it all unfolding like watching a movie in my mind. And I love that. Those are the kinds of books I fall in love with.
I was keenly interested in your response, as I have stumbled across “Through A Glass Darkly” from the personal library of my Mum! She has always been quite insistent that at some point I make a dead-stop in my readings so I can appreciate the beauty, heart, and depth of “Gone with the Wind” as I have only previously watched the motion picture adaptation! I readily agree, but Koen’s work I am less familiar with than Mitchell. Honestly, it is due to Mitchell’s masterpiece I was attracted to reading Leila Mecham’s “Roses” & “Somerset” which are currently on my TBR & will be included in my 2014 Rewind Challenge! No, I do not believe its being pretentious to lament that your love of these novels is due to epic experience reminiscent of a film! For starters, that is one thing that draws my eye into the breath-taking cinematography of motion pictures – the ability to transport us out of our living realities and into the epic proportions of life on cinema screens! There is a particular drawing of wanting to be inside that experience and live for a bit in a character whose life is full of intrigue as much as depth! The best stories which have staid in my heart the longest are exactly the ones in which I am intrinsically threaded into their heart!
Is there any period of history in which you would be keen to explore but hesitate towards sketching out a story? Perhaps a part of history that would be labor intensive to research but which would enlighten your mind to seek out more knowledge of?
Purdy responds: Many, if only I had the energy! I want to keep learning as long as I live, and I love a challenge, but sometimes the mind is willing but the body is weak and there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything and I’m the world’s worst multi-tasker. There’s a title card in an old Buster Keaton silent movie, “Sherlock Jr.” that says something like, “Don’t try to do two things at once and expect to do justice to both,” and that fits me like a glove.
I can sympathise with you in this regard, as not only are there a heap of books I am itching to read, but there is a diverse array of subjects I’d love to sink my teeth into past the superficial level of knowledge I currently know on them! To gain a bit more depth of the deeper points that make each subject genuinely interesting as well as push past what I learnt prior and seek to understand a bit more of what might even have been discovered since then; as most of what keenly interests me lies in the realm of science & discovery! For history eras & epochs I could very well read for another millennia and not tire for the thrill of seeing how civilisations and societies evolved through changing climes, environment, and welfare for protecting humanity. I have only just started to catch Buster Keaton on Turner Classic, and I must confess he’s a hoot to watch! “Limelight” which starred Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton left me in a pool of well-cried tears due to the emotional range of the story! I like the advice you’ve shared because it harkens back to being mindful of the moment whilst we live.
In “The Boleyn Bride” you are exploring a side of Elizabeth Howard’s life and world which is on the verge of colliding with circumstances a bit beyond what I would have presumed she could have foreseen. In your research for this novel, what struck you the most unique about her situation?
Purdy responds: It was really Elizabeth Boleyn’s absence from recorded history that drew me more than anything else and I went with that. We really don’t know what Elizabeth Boleyn was like as a mother, she might have been the most loving, warm, caring, and supportive mother who ever lived, but history did not record that, so I decided to portray her as an emotionally absent mother. History does record that she was said to be very beautiful, so I decided to portray her as vain and self-absorbed as well; she did after all live in a world where appearances were everything. When you have a mother like that you either fall apart, become the emotional equivalent of jelly, or you grow stronger for it, and I wanted to explore how having such a mother might have shaped Mary, George, and Anne Boleyn into the individuals they became.
I love finding out how a tale can be spun with little to no information about a living person who actually lived! It gives such a wonderful arc for a writer to pursue within their own imagination and take the novel they are penning to a different vortex of possibility! I always celebrate our creative liberties, because for what is not known there can always be supposition. To take one vein of thought and run with it seeing where it leads is part of the joy I find in writing and in reading historical fiction especially as the pieces of fragmented history become united in plausible scenarios. And, you too this curiosity a bit further to see what the undercurrents of being raised with such a Mum could have held an affect on her children and the lives in which they elected to lead as adults. I must say, I always do enjoy a good sociological angle to a story!
How do you think the wives of the Tudor era (or any era truly) managed to carry-on whilst in full knowledge their husbands were less than what they would desire in a spouse? How has the mentality of what marriage can involve as a partnership rather than as an obligation changed over the centuries?
Purdy responds: Like card players I suppose, they played the cards they were dealt, sometimes they won, sometimes they lost, sometimes, depending on the individual, they cheated, or had the courage or good sense to walk away. Women today fortunately can choose who they marry, but I think people are much more casual about it today, too many go into it thinking “if this doesn’t work out we can always get a divorce,” while women in the past, who did not have that option, or faced social disgrace if they did, may have made a greater effort to make things work. I don’t think marriage has been easy in any era even with all the choices in the world.
A very solid answer to a question that could have gone in different directions! I find myself in agreement with you, as it truly was a roll of the dice of whom a woman would marry and of which kind of gentleman she would wed. Nothing was as it seemed most of the time, and as you said, they took it for what it was worth and truly attempted to make the best life they could with what they were dealt. I do think there is too much empathsis on an easy exit for marriage in the modern era, especially when some marriages can be saved if people were not so rushed to end them for reasons that could have been sorted out. Great observations!
When you think about the Tudor era what is the singular most distinctive part of its history that still captivates your heart to this day, after having written and spent time researching the era overall?
Purdy responds: It’s the saga as a whole that captivates me, the characters, individual personalities, and how they relate to one another, the king and his six wives, and the reigns of each of his children, it’s like a grand pageant of a soap opera but it’s all true. But I always like to think Anne Boleyn had the last laugh, Henry wanted a son so badly, yet the daughter Anne gave him became the greatest monarch England has ever known.
I never quote could purport what it was about the monarchy and the Tudors that captivated my own attention, but as I read your explanation of what gained your passionate fixation, I started to look at the Tudors in a different light than I previously might have considered! For one thing, it truly was full of pageantry if you think about it, and yet, the complexities of their lives makes my head spin just contemplating how close they each walked on a thinly veiled path from the public eye. Society was always watching and that in of itself has not changed through the centuries. How difficult it must have been or still is rather, to lead your own affairs and yet, have a million eyes watching your every move?
What tools and materials do you use to write? And, where do you write the most? Time of Day?
Purdy responds: I only write at night when it’s more peaceful, usually I get started around 10:00 pm and I go until my eyes give out or I reach a good stopping point, usually sometime between 3:00-6:00 am. I alternate between a red laptop, a pink laptop, and a dinosaur of a desktop, and apparently I can’t live one day without the internet (I tried that once when my modem died and I tried to wait patiently for AT&T to rush delivery me another rather than brave the mall on a Saturday; I sprained my ankle rushing into Radio Shack ten minutes before they closed to snatch the last modem they had in stock off the shelf).
I know lots of people today are digitizing their book collections, but I love being surrounded by books, and I’m always adding to my collection of reference books, and I take lots of notes, so pens, index cards, and notebooks are also essential. I must have music or a familiar movie on in the background, if it’s something new to me it’s too much of a distraction, this is not only for mood but also because I have tinnitus and to work in silence means to become maddeningly aware of the constant ringing in my ears. And a beverage is also a must—Coke, hot chocolate, tea (must be very sweet), or a green Monster energy drink are my usual choices; I hate coffee and never drink alcohol. And I always have some items of special interest or personal meaning on the desk or within reach that I can look at or touch when I need to sit and ponder or hit a snag in the story, they’re kind of like good luck charms, and, silly as it sounds talking about objects, sometimes it makes me feel a little less lonely, sometimes they change book to book but others are more constant.
I loved reading that you’re a night owl writer — I was starting to wonder if there were others I knew through my wanderings online, as most writers I am finding write during the morning or afternoon instead! I simply do not always find myself the most creative at those hours rather than when the dark lights the sky I instantly find myself full of creative ideas and take to my pen quite readily! I even noticed I tend to be a night owl blogger! Laughs. I cannot even fathom how many days and weeks since I created Jorie Loves A Story where I have pushed straight past the midnight oils and ran clear off til the dawn of a new day myself! I never had the stamina to stay up straight-through a night, but oh! Blogging has become its own marathon training for this writer! I had a small chuckle over your mad dash to get to Radio Shack! Laughs. And, I know of another writer who practically lives off of Monster Energy drinks and he knows who he is! Laughs with mirth. I took a liking to coffee in my late twenties, but tea (unsweet!) is still a strong draw! I love brewing my own and settling into the aromatherapy it provides as much as soothes the spirit. I am not sure if I could ever be tempted to make that leap either – books are treasures and cherished companions! I could never fathom how to digitalise what is tangible? Although my eyes could not handle reading digital books which is why I avoid them like the plague! No, its print books or bust for me! I love wandering around my bookcases and finding books I have not visited with previously or not in a long time… old friends tried and true! I don’t think any habit of a writer is silly — I think we each have our own set of habits that works to guide us into the flow of creativity. And, that is always something to be proud of as it goes to how dedication to our craft and recognising how we approach it.
What do you feel is the hardest to convey as a writer? The historical backdrop inside the story or the narrative voice of the historical figure?
Purdy responds: The historical backdrop, sometimes it’s too easy to take for granted that the reader will know what you mean, that they will come to the book with some degree of familiarity, so when I complete a first draft I always try to look at it with fresh eyes, which is much easier said than done, to pretend that this is something entirely new I’m reading and learning about for the first time. It’s also a challenge not to overwhelm with details, to find the right balance, that’s something I still struggle with. I want readers to see what I see in my mind as I write, but sometimes it’s too much.
I find this to be very true for myself as well. To bridge the balance between research and the voice of the story as it unfolds not only for my own eyes but how what I am writing will be conveyed upon the reader. I think we each find an organic shift in our writing lives where we start to sense what needs to be fixed and what needs to be fleshed out a bit more. It is a hard-line to walk because you don’t want to over indulge in what you found so illuminating by research but at the same time you do not want to eliminate relevant information to lose the attention of the reader.
How do you create history within the realm of historical fiction drinkable to the everyday reader without having the breadth of history feel bogged down and dull?
Purdy responds: For me it’s all about emotion, I’m more interested in the heart and soul, the feelings of the people I am writing about than the minutiae of history, sometimes the eye gets dazzled by the trappings of royalty, wealth, and glamour, so I try to bare the soul so maybe I as a writer, and through me the readers, can see that these people who lived so long ago were in some ways not so different from we are now.
I have always believed that one of the best things about historical fiction is that it stimulates curiosity and inspires readers to want to explore the facts behind the fiction. I always find it rather sad that some readers feel the need to nitpick, to go on an Easter Egg hunt for inaccuracies, rather than letting themselves just enjoy the story. I’ve never understood if a person is only interested in the facts, why are they reading fiction? When I was a little girl I saw the 1938 version of “Marie Antoinette” starring Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power, and Robert Morley, and I fell in love with that movie, and I could not wait to go to the library the next day and check out every book they had on Marie Antoinette. Of course, I soon discovered that the movie had taken great liberties with the known history, but that didn’t stop me from loving the movie. I still love it, and every time I think of it I feel grateful that it led me to explore the lives of people, and a time in history, that I might not otherwise have been drawn to.
Yes, exactly! The heart and soul of a story is what enraptures me to want to drink in the narrative as much as become threaded into the mind of the main character! I love seeing the stitchings of a character’s spirit and finding out what their innermost desires are as well as how their personalities can affect their actions. Yes, I agree it’s much more rapt to try our attention to the lifeblood of the people who lived rather than always forsake the human within the history for the observations of the age. I think if the balance can be struck between the two elements everyone wins a slice of the story they resonate with the most! I commend your ability to soak into the bits of history that most drew a curiosity to go deeper into the subject at hand! I sometimes found myself wandering around to the vexation of not alighting long enough to appreciate one era or another! Except for the Victorian & Regency eras in which I seem to have a TARDIS-like contraption set directly on those markers in time! Until I read your response I did not know the title nor the actress of the Marie Antoinette film I had watched on Turner Classic! It was this very film (at least I am thinking it is) that sparked my entire attachment to Revolutionary France in fiction! Imagine the coincidence or kismet of the moment?! Alas, creative liberties never disillusioned me either — the story is always what captivates me to want to know more, to experience more, and to delve deeper into the inspiration behind the story itself!
The Boleyn family is such a well-known branch of the royals, how did you find a way to create your own niche inside the offerings already in publication? As I find it most interesting how you created stories which stitch together a new perspective and add positively to the collective?
Purdy responds: As much as I love cookies, the idea of being a cookie cutter novelist bores me, and, to be honest, I’m not sure I could pull it off convincingly; I know I would fail miserably if I tried a light and fluffy happily ever after story. The writer in me is the brave part of me that is not afraid to take chances, and embrace a challenge, so I go with that and hope it leads me to a fresh or different way of telling the oft told tale. I don’t put historical figures on a pedestal, even those I admire most; they’re always still human beings to me with weaknesses, temptations, flaws, and longings.
I love that you dive right into the human condition and do not let history forsake humanity or a mirror in which to reflect the humanness of who was in power during eras where tomes of knowledge of what occurred are not as enlightening as understanding the reasons behind the actions of those in power. To understand their motivations as well as their innermost dreams and quandarys. I think the more you risk to tell the story as it alights inside you, the more honour you are giving to the craft of writing itself. Always own your stories and the voice in which carries out of you and into your pen!
You mention in your biography that you’re as addicted to classic movies and films as I am, which made me curious: which actors and actresses do you like seeing come alive on in black and white glory? Do you happily consume as much TCM (Turner Classic Movies) as your able too like I do? What are your favorite type of classic movies to watch? (i.e. suspense, noir, drama, comedy, musical, period, adaptation, etc)
Purdy responds: My TV lives on TCM and about 90% or more of my dvds are classics, I get more excited about an old movie I love finally being released on dvd than I do about any of today’s new releases. My dvd collection mostly ranges from silent movies up to the 1950s. I love all kinds, period pieces, tearjerkers, screwball comedies, musicals, dramas, horror, epics, noir, just all kinds. I have too many favorites to name. I’m more familiar with the stars from classic films than I am with today’s celebrities. I had a lot of fun writing “The Ripper’s Wife” because at a certain point in the story movies become very important so I got to spend a lot of time watching some old favorites in the name of research.
Oh, my dear ghouls! I could spend at least half an age developing a proper ‘wish list’ of classic movies to purchase! I still fondly recollect spending one of my last birthdays wrapped up in the sheer wit and folly of the “Nick and Nora mysteries’ starring William Powell and Myrna Loy! It was either my thirty-second or third birthday and I must say, it was quite smashingly divine! My local library had the full collection on dvd, and it was just pure delight being with these two classic actors; to the brink it was hard to rationalise the series came to a blunted end! I simply get all giddy to dissolve away from technocolour and properly become entranced by seeing black and white pictures filt to the brim with yesteryear actors! I only have a limited knowledge of the Silent Film era and most of that is housed in my fascination with Hitchcock! I’d say so far I’ve ventured between the 1920s and late 1950s for the most part, but there is still plenty of happy hours to consume what I am missing! Classic horror fascinates me truly, as it is hinged more in psychological suspense than straight-up horror of today! For instance my favourites are: Spencer Tracy as Jekyll & Hyde; Ingrid Bergman & Angela Lansbury in Gaslight; and The Haunting from the 1960s! I can imagine how lost you can become in ‘research’!
How did you handle writing about the Grey sisters as their story was etched out of such adversity and climaxical difficulties? Did you find their story a difficult one to write or one that needed a new point of view?
Purdy responds: I just tried to find a fresh and, at times, fun way to tell it; I always try to inject a little comedy in my books to show that life wasn’t always high Shakespearean tragedy no matter what the era. Those girls certainly didn’t lead happy or long lives, and I’m used to dealing with loneliness and sadness, so I could relate to each of them at times in my own way. I don’t really recall having any serious difficulties with the story, if I did the two books I’ve written since have blotted it from my mind.
I like how no matter which historical figure your attempting to breathe life too in a fictional way, you go whole heart into the project and after the book is completed you’ve moved on to the next with a happy spirit and a fond remembrance of the characters rather than any hardship or heartache therein. It is a great attitude to have and I am thankful you are blessed in this regard! I think it speaks to how no matter what happens in life, if we are enjoying our work we are truly living within the joy of the moment.
Did you find it difficult to write the Grey sister’s story whilst revealing how malicious and calculating Mary Tudor turned out to be as she was a living double-edge sword where they would not have known when they could trust her or when to fear her motives?
Purdy responds: I didn’t really find it difficult, only very sad. Mary Tudor is always an extremely hard character for me to write. She was the biggest challenge I faced when I wrote “The Tudor Throne” which was told from the viewpoints of both Mary and Elizabeth. I think she was a woman who had a very hard life and was in a very difficult position for most of it, she could never rest easy, she always had to be on guard. I find it much easier to relate to Mary on a personal level, her desperate longing for love, and to be liked, than I can her political and religious decisions. I think a great many women have a Prince Philip in their lives at some point, but fortunately most of us are not the Queen of England with the eyes of the whole world watching us while we weep and blunder our way through our own personal hell.
Yes, this is exactly what I was hinting at a bit earlier in my responses,… how to live your life whilst the world is looking after your every move to where you cannot err nor regret any choice you make but have to keep your chin up whilst moving forward. The incredible strength that takes of character and of mind — it is amazing to just know you could tap into her horror and honour her legacy by how you portrayed her.
Purdy responds: When I was a little girl my mother gave me a copy of Donald Rumbelow’s book about Jack the Ripper that was reprinted in paperback for the 100th anniversary of the murders, ever since I have been hooked. When the notorious Ripper Diary came to light in the 1990s I remember thinking as I was reading it that this would make a great novel, and that idea always stayed with me.
It’s not that I believe this particular theory, I personally don’t embrace any particular theory about the Ripper’s identity, this one just captured my imagination as a novelist, and when inspiration beckons I follow, it just may take a while depending on any previous commitments, but that is the one call I never ignore. I’m fascinated by many eras and personalities throughout history, and I never know which one is going to speak to me so strongly I feel compelled to tell that story. And the decision isn’t mine alone, my publisher, of course, has some say in what I write. I’m very glad they are giving me the opportunity to prove I can do something besides Tudors, and I hope readers will enjoy reading the book as much as I did writing it so I can continue expanding my range.
I think what perked my attention for The Ripper’s Wife is quintessentially the aspect of not realising your married to someone as heinous and dark-filling as Jack the Ripper. I only just made the connection tonight at dinner where it would be like waking up and realising your husband was a gangster or the equivalent. Being blindsided once married and wholly in love must have been the worst circumstance to greet yourself with in the mirror. I am not sure of course if this is the angle you elected to present, but I was museful on the topic during a suppertime conversation and had spoken about this perspective to the company I was keeping. I think more than anything as a writer, you have to lead your story where your heart wants to go and also be mindful of which story your publisher is willing to publish. It’s a delicate balance, but you’ve done marvelously thus far along! I can only wish you much continued success as you continue to write your heart out!
What do you find the most intriguing part of the Jack the Ripper story which has helped it stay in the forefront of society and cultural curiosity?
Purdy responds: For me it’s the victims, and the brutality and rage of their killer, all the unanswered questions. To many these unfortunate women were just nobodies or statistics, to me each one is a human being whose life went sadly wrong at one point and she was never able to make it right again before she had the misfortune to meet the Ripper. They are not just names on a page to me, and in my novel I try to show that; I’m always drawn to the forgotten. As for their murderer, it’s not his identity that really matters to me, it’s why, what went wrong, what made a man who was born with an ordinary man’s name become Jack the Ripper?
}: Book Spotlight :{
Book Synopsis:
“Love makes sane men mad and can turn a gentle man into a fiend.”
It begins as a fairytale romance—a shipboard meeting in 1880 between vivacious Southern belle Florence Chandler and handsome English cotton broker James Maybrick. Courtship and a lavish wedding soon follow, and the couple settles into an affluent Liverpool suburb.
From the first, their marriage is doomed by lies. Florie, hardly the heiress her scheming mother portrayed, is treated as an outsider by fashionable English society. James’s secrets are infinitely darker—he has a mistress, an arsenic addiction, and a vicious temper. But Florie has no inkling of her husband’s depravity until she discovers his diary—and in it, a litany of bloody deeds…
Coming October 28, 2014
Official Author Websites:Blog | *previously this author had a site and Facebook
Converse on Twitter: #BoleynBride & #TheRippersWife
Join the conversation with HFVBT:
#TheRippersWifeBlogTour {tour route} Coming October/November 2014!
Previously she toured with HFVBT:
as well as #BrandyPurdy & #EmilyPurdy (her British pen name)
This author’s Interview is courtesy of the author Brandy Purdy:
I am thankful our paths crossed on her blog tour
for The Boleyn Bride which made this possible!
It has been a pure joy for me to host Ms. Purdy on my blog and I hope that as readers alight to read this Interview, they will hopefully become keen to return when I post my book reviews on the two novels I am reviewing this month! I am always joyfully grateful for the way in which my path crosses with a published author, as I truly love being in a position not only to be a cheerleader for them, but to gain a bit of insight into their writer’s life and heart. It is a beautiful blessing the way in which book blogs, blog book tours, tweeting, and email have inter-connected the book world and bridged the distances from reader to writer! I am most esteemed in learning more about Ms. Purdy’s interests and I do hope you have been engaged in reading our conjoined responses throughout the conversation as it unfolded! Please leave a comment for the author in the comment threads OR carry-on the conversation a bit further!
As although I regular host blog tours with HFVBT, this is not a tour stop but I wanted to include the banner for Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in case a reader wanted to learn more about the beautiful blog book tours which are organised by Amy Bruno! Book bloggers are always engaged with the books they are reviewing and its a pure delight to host for Ms. Bruno!
Forthcoming on Jorie Loves A Story,
will be my reviews of “The Boleyn Bride” & “The Queen’s Rivals”!
Whereas my review of “The Ripper’s Wife” will be featured on Halloween, 2014!
Please visit my Bookish Events page to stay in the know for upcoming events!Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
{SOURCES: Book covers for “The Boleyn Bride”, “The Queen’s Rivals”, and “The Ripper’s Wife”, Author Biography and Book Synopsis of the novels were provided by the author Brandy Purdy and used with permission. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers & My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. In conjunction with reading the books for review on behalf of the author Ms. Purdy, I wanted to interview her to gain an insight to her writing style and voice. She kindly answered my questions by email for which I am thankful.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.
Scott Tarbet writes enthusiastically in several genres, sings opera, was married in full Elizabethan regalia, loves Steampunk waltzes, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbeque. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah.
I had originally read about the Classics Re-Told challenge, several weeks ago, and was under the presumption that the sign-ups to participate were long since closed! However, ever the optimist and curious about being able to participate the next time a challenge such as this would come back around, I left a comment! This was 3rd of September 2013, and by the 5th of September 2013 when I could finally return to see if a note was left in response, I joined officially! 
