Peeking Between the Pages

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Guest Post with C.W. Gortner, author of The Tudor Secret & Giveaway

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I’m really pleased to welcome C.W. Gortner to Peeking Between the Pages today. I reviewed his newest novel The Tudor Secret yesterday (my review) and I really enjoyed it. The Tudor Secret is historical fiction that anyone can enjoy, not just those die hard fans of the genre. C.W. Gortner joins us today with a guest post entitled… Elizabeth and Robert: A Dangerous Liaison…

Elizabeth Tudor, better known to history as Queen Elizabeth I, was unexpected. Her parents, the glamorous Anne Boleyn and formidable Henry VIII, were convinced that the child Anne carried was a long-awaited son. Yet the boy Henry had so yearned for and torn his realm apart to obtain turned out to be a girl, born with what seemed to be a curse writ into her fate. Within three years, Henry would behead her mother and re-marry four times; she’d gain a younger brother, Edward, in addition to her older sister Mary; face a daunting fight for her life that would test her to her core; and would, if the legend is true, fall impossibly in love with one man— Robert Dudley.

In one of the few portraits we have of Elizabeth in her youth, we see a brittle red-haired princess with spidery fingers—so reminiscent of her mother’s—clad in an ornamental red dress against a curtained backdrop. She stares enigmatically at us, secrets lurking in her dark eyes. Keenly intelligent, arguably as alluring as Anne ever was, this portrait was painted shortly before troubled adolescence catapulted Elizabeth into an ultimately lethal flirtation with Thomas Seymour. It must have been an unforgettable lesson for the impressionable princess of the dangers inherent in her nascent sexuality. Certainly, if she’d harbored any doubts before, nurtured on whispered stories of her mother’s horrifying end, the execution of Seymour proved to Elizabeth that in her world, sex certainly could equal death.

Many believe, however, that when it came to Robert Dudley, this trauma was superseded by inescapable desire. Elizabeth and Robert are inextricably linked, two halves of a fractured whole. They cut their teeth in one of the most treacherous courts in history, witnessing early on the consequences of unbridled ambition or passion. If ever there were two people who should have known better, it was they. Yet their own dangerous liaison lasted a lifetime, epic in its unattainable promise and darkened by rumors of murder and betrayal. Elizabeth knew the price those who courted her could pay; and Robert was the favored son of a family stained by treason. Still, they gravitated to each other like stars on an unstoppable collision course. What drew these two powerful personalities together?

In The Tudor Secret, we meet Elizabeth in her nineteenth year. Four years have passed since the execution of Seymour and she’s a seasoned veteran of the court, wary and fully aware of the perils lurking behind every tapestry. Propelled by concern for her brother King Edward, she’s come unannounced to London to discover why he’s disappeared from the public eye. Robert Dudley’s father, Northumberland, holds sway over the realm and plots to further his iron grip. And Robert, though already wed, burns to achieve what he believes is his right: the heart of a princess. It is a quest that will pit Elizabeth against a tenacious foe and give smoldering birth to a catastrophic love affair that will define her life and haunt the man who yearns to possess her— proving that Elizabeth and Robert remain as fascinating today as they must have been all those hundreds of years ago.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me. To learn more about me and my books, as well as access special features, please visit me at: http://www.cwgortner.com. Happy reading!

C.W. Gortner is the author of the acclaimed historical novels The Last Queen and The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis on Renaissance Studies from the New College of California. In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard in a Tudor great hall and experienced life in a Spanish castle. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights and environmental issues. Half-Spanish by birth, he divides his time between Northern California and Antigua, Guatemala.

The Tudor Secret is the first book in Gortner’s The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles series.

You can visit the author online at www.cwgortner.com or his blog at http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/.
__________

Thanks for this terrific post C.W.! I always love hearing about Tudor history! I really can’t wait for the next installment in the Spymaster Chronicles!
__________

Check out the book trailer!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner to share with my readers. To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
  • For 2 entries follow my blog. If you already do, thank you and please let me know in your comment so I can pass on the additional entry to you.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, March 19, 2011. Good luck everyone!

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I enjoyed the both the review and Gortner's words today. Thanks for the chance to win this fascinating book.
    I am a GFC follower!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

  3. Not entering, just stopping by to thank you for hosting Christopher during his virtual book tour. I hope your readers take a moment to check out this book. It's also available in a Kindle edition.

    Thanks again.

    All my best,

    Cheryl

  7. I read and loved Mr. Gortner's novel The Last Queen, and I'm anxious to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway.

    extry entry – Google follower

    lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

  9. What an interesting guest post! I love the way she makes history come alive, even in her informal interviews and would love the chance to read this book. Please enter me in your giveaway! I also must say that you hold some of the best giveaways on the web. Thanks Dar!

    zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net

  10. I love to read books like this..
    Please enter me in your great book give-a-way.
    RJB
    loki304(at)tds(dot)net

  15. Oh my, historical fiction is my all time favorite genre, and Tudor history is my favorite subject…this is perfect for me! I am sure I will be reading this one anyways, but winning a copy would be great :).
    Thanks,
    candc320@gmail.com

  18. That looks like an awesome novel. Plus, I write historical fiction!!

    I also follow your blog. 🙂

    CMShelstad at gmail dot com

  19. I would love to read the 'Tudor Secret'. Mr. Gortner is such a great writer and this period and place in history is so full of intrigue. Love to learn all the details!!!

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

  20. I follow you with Google Friend Connect, Twitter, an e-mail subscription, Networked Blogs and Facebook!

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

  23. I love to read everything I can find on the Tudor's. Please enter me.
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

  28. Love all C.W. Gortner's books that I've read so far!
    Oh my, I was so excited about the guest post in the first place and there's a giveaway also 🙂 Thank you! Count me in.

    I'm an older follower.
    (And you know my email 🙂 )

  32. What a great guest post! Since I just won a contest here, I am going to bow out, but I will be buying this book!

  34. I would absolutely love to read this book. I love everything about the Tudors!

    Dancealert at aol dot com

  40. I would love to win a copy ~ sounds like a great read!

    + I'm a follower

    hawkes (at) citlink.net

  44. wow, Great guest post! Tudor history fascinates me, please enter me thanks 🙂 The Tudor Secret sounds very good, I enjoyed your review also Dar.
    naidascrochetATyahoo.com

  48. Sounds like a very interesting book. I would love a chance to read it. Please enter me. Thanks!

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  51. Yes this story sounds gggrrreat. I'd love to read it. Historical fiction is a passion.
    polo-puppy-fluffy at hotmail dot com

    +2 I follow on GFC as MarionG
    And a big Happy Anniversary

  53. I'd love to give this book a shot. Thanks for the giveaway Darlene =)

    +2 I'm a GFC follower

    mishtakes AT gmail DOT com

  54. I'd love to read this!! Thanks for the chance!

    areallibrarian[at]gmail[dot]com

    I also follow!!

  55. I am a follower. Fantastic author and I don't have this one yet.
    Laura
    laura.leahj@gmail dot com

  56. I don't think I entered this giveaway, but I know my mom would really love this book!

    Amy // artsyrockerchick at aim dot com

  59. ooo, that trailer makes this even more appealing! count me in please.
    vvb32 at yahoo.com

  67. What a great giveaway…and I am a follower.

    mk261274 (at)gmail (dot) com

  73. I'd love to read this – Elizabeth and I share a birthday 🙂
    adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

  75. It sounds like a fascinating read – count me in please
    bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com