I've been delinquent in announcing a winner of the giveaway for Kathy Hepinstall's Blue Asylum, which ran through July 31st. Out of 48 entries, the number generator at Random.org selected #34 - Carol Kubala. Congratulations, Carol! I'll drop you a note to get your address. Hope you enjoy the book, and thanks to everyone who entered.
The reviews from August's Historical Novels Review have been posted - all 316 of them, plus a number of indie reviews which appear online only. Please take a look! I've been an editor with the HNR for the past dozen years, and August marks a personal anniversary; this is the 50th issue I've worked on. In addition, the year 2012 is the 15th anniversary for the Historical Novel Society, an event which will be celebrated in the next magazine issue and on the website.
Will anyone else be coming to the London HNS conference in September? It's selling out quickly, with 30-odd places remaining out of 300 total. I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones there!
In addition, the Historical Novel Society's 5th North American conference, to be held in St. Petersburg, Florida, next June, has posted a call for proposals. If you're interested in speaking at the event, the deadline is August 15th.
For those of you who track forthcoming titles, if you're not already a fervent reader of Library Journal's Prepub Alert, you should be. Barbara Hoffert's July 9th post looks at seven historical fiction debuts with buzz which are coming out in January 2013.
Also of note is the Weekly Wishlist feature at Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books, which previews (among other things) Bernard Cornwell's newest Thomas of Hookton medieval adventure, 1356, and Edward Rutherfurd's millennia-spanning historical epic, Paris: The Novel. I'll be listing my own picks for upcoming seasons in due course.
About Me
- Sarah Johnson
- Collection management librarian, readers' advisor, avid historical fiction reader, NBCC member. Book review editor for the Historical Novels Review and Booklist reviewer. Recipient of ALA's Louis Shores Award for book reviewing (2012). Blogging since 2006.
Thanks for the mention!
ReplyDeleteOh I would love to go to London next month but my checkbook is still recovering from my dream trip to Paris last year . . .
ReplyDeleteSo I'll have to content myself with reading your reports and the forthcoming tome on Paris by Rutherfurd.
Sarah Other Librarian
This is the one from Tanzanite's list that really caught my eye.
ReplyDelete"Winter Siege" by Ariana Franklin. UK release January 2, 2014.
It's 12 Century England and the civil war between Queen Matilda and KIng Stephen is raging. But life in the fens carries on as usual. Until the mercenaries ride through. And a small red-haired girl named Em is snatched and carried off. After the soldiers have finished with her they leave her for dead. But fenland girls are not easy to kill. Although she has lost all memory of her past life including her name, Em survives and teams up with Gwyl a Breton archer who has almost completely lost faith in humanity. Together Gwyl and his new protege--now crop-headed and disguised as a boy--travel through the countryside giving archery exhibitions. But there is one man who hasn't forgotten the little red-haired girl. He has some unfinished business with her and he is determined to finish it. And one freezing winter in a castle completely besieged, he might well get his chance...
"Winter Siege" is a stand-alone historical novel started by the late Diana Norman under her pseudonym Ariana Franklin. It has been completed by her daughter Samantha Norman.
I'm eager for it too - and was hoping the US edition would be out at the same time, but it's not in the publisher's catalog. How nice that there's a new standalone novel (not that I don't like Adelia, but her standalones are my favorites) and that her daughter was able to complete it.
DeleteHey! Quick question. I submitted my assigned review for the Indie Review early, and I thought it was for the August HNR, but I don't see it on the Indie Review link you posted. Any idea what happened? I was all excited to see it as this is my first "official" published writing of any sort. (mary_galliver@yahoo.com)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, I've forwarded your query to the HNR Indie managing editor, as I'm not involved with the submission process for the Indie section.
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