For now I can announce that THE WINTER CROWN has just been published in paperback in the UK and has a gorgeous cover that I love. It's the second in my trilogy about Alienor of Aquitaine and covers the marriage between Henry and Alienor from 1154 as far as 1174.
I titled the novel THE WINTER CROWN for a few reasons.
1. It's in keeping with the seasonal theme of the trilogy.
2. Henry and Alienor were crowned in December 1154, so it's fitting
3. There's the emotional resonance of Winter in the relationship
4. Old Sarum reminds me a bit of a crown on its hilltop setting and it has resonances for Alienor.
You can see a few quotes from reviews on the blog sidebar.
You can click on its page on my website to see some of the other editions of the cover from round the world.THE WINTER CROWN
The other piece of news to tell you is that last week, after successful negotiations, I have agreed a new two book contract with my publisher LittleBrown at their Sphere imprint. TEMPLAR SILKS is going to be my next novel and will cover the 'lost years' of William Marshal when he took an oath to travel to Jerusalem and lay the cloak of his deceased lord, Henry the Young King, on Christ's tomb at the Holy Sepulchre. He returned bearing two lengths of silk that he put away in a chest for the next 30 years and about which he told no one save the man keeping them safe. This book is the story of those silks and their ultimate purpose.
I wrote a blog post about here, for THE HISTORY GIRLS. Click to read. A NEW ADVENTURE
I'm very much looking forward to writing the novel. I'll put up the first couple of chapter on my excerpts blog soon!
Elizabeth xx
