Review of my French historical novel, The War Within Me, plus a video link below

By Tracy

The first few reviews of my new novel, The War Within Me, have started to appear.

I'm especially grateful for this recent one in InDaily by Heidi Maier, whom I don't know but who has many positive things to say about this story based on the life of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre and Huguenot leader during the French civil wars or Wars of Religion.

'With its fluid, engaging, richly conjured prose and storylines and character studies that are so obviously underpinned by exemplary research, The War Within Me lives up to the immense promise of The Queen’s Apprenticeship, with Ryan ultimately creating a fully-realised portrait of Jeanne d’Albret that wholly convinces in its first-person narration and evocation of the age in which she lived, making the reader feel they close the book better “knowing” Princess Jeanne.

This is a work of literary historical fiction, to be sure, but it is assuredly informed by the twin disciplines of history and biography, and both make Ryan’s story infinitely richer and more multifaceted.'

The reviewer has evidently enjoyed Book 1 of the trilogy. But the novels also work as standalones — you don't have to read them in order, though there's the odd little bonus or textual (vegan!) "Easter egg" if you do...

You can also watch a multilingual presentation of and reading from this novel.

Video interview on Yellow Shelf — The War Within Me and the Queens of Navarre trilogy

By Tracy

My new book The War Within Me came out this month — a historical novel based on the life of Jeanne d'Albret — and recently Johanna Fink was kind enough to host me chatting on Yellow Shelf about this second novel in my "Queens of Navarre" trilogy.

You can watch the interview on YouTube.

And check out the book as well at Transit Lounge Publishing.

You don't have to have read Book 1 in the trilogy, because each book also works as a standalone. But if you're interested in Book 1, it's still out there too.

Novel out in June: advance copies have arrived! Plus poetry podcast

Back in February I mentioned that my new novel, the second in my Queens of Navarre trilogy, would be appearing with Transit Lounge this year.

The War Within Me is a fiction based closely on the life of Jeanne d'Albret, and follows my earlier novel about her mother, the great writer-queen, Marguerite de Navarre.

Each book in the trilogy can be read as a self-contained story, but it's even better if you read them all.

Now the advance author copies of The War Within Me have arrived — so beautiful! — it feels very, very real... Counting down the days till it's out there in the world.

Cover design is by Peter Lo, using a portrait of Jeanne d'Albret from the School of François Clouet.

On the poetry side, you can now watch the podcast episode where I am talking with David Adès on Poets' Corner at Westwords.

Podcast about The Queen's Apprenticeship, my new historical novel

 By Tracy

Good Reading is currently featuring an 18-minute podcast here on my new historical novel, The Queen's Apprenticeship, which entwines the story of the real-life Marguerite de Navarre with that of a fictional character, Jehane/Josse, who wants to work as a printer.

Here's their description:

"In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Tracy Ryan about the challenges facing women in Renaissance France, how inventing a fictional character to complement the real Queen of Navarre opened up storytelling possibilities, and how poetry, journal entries and Queen Marguerite’s own writing have enriched the social and political fabric of this story."

Many thanks to Gregory Dobbs and Good Reading.

The Queen's Apprenticeship is now out: a historical novel of Marguerite de Navarre and 16th-century France

 By Tracy

“An enthralling novel of passion, literature and power, bringing to vivid life the story of Marguerite de Navarre – an ardent defender of the arts – and in doing so also giving voice to those who were often disregarded in the dramas of the time.”

 —Dominique Wilson, author of Orphan Rock and The Yellow Papers

If you like reading novels set in and around the Tudor court, you might be interested in stories about their counterparts on the other side of the Channel... those who lived in some of the great châteaux of the Loire and in other parts of France – as well as the working people who didn’t.

 

My new novel The Queen’s Apprenticeship is out this month from Transit Lounge in Australia. You can also get it as an ebook in other countries. It’s the first book in a trilogy of historical fiction set in 16^th-century France — and Navarre.

 

The Queen’s Apprenticeship blends the imaginary story of a young outcast who wants to be a printer’s apprentice with the true(r) story of the writer-queen Marguerite de Navarre, sister to King Francis the First, and protector of many people in France whose thinking fell dangerously outside religious norms of the period.

 

Marguerite wrote poems, drama and fiction, but is best known for her book of tales The Heptameron, a compelling mix of gender politics, spiritual questioning and bawdy, even scatological humour – an unforgettable read.

 

Marguerite de Navarre

As the publisher’s blurb for my novel explains, “Long before #MeToo, women were telling their ‘unspeakable’ stories, and these two, both rich and poor, are no exception. They come together in the most unexpected of ways.”

 

The second book in this Queens of Navarre trilogy, The War Within Me, will also be published by Transit Lounge. It tells the story of Marguerite’s daughter, Jeanne d’Albret, during the period of France’s Civil Wars (also called Wars of Religion).

Marguerite's daughter Jeanne d'Albret

Jeanne appears as a child in the later part of the first book; the second book is a fictionalised version of her life and her struggles for the Calvinist cause, as well as her tussles with Catherine de Medici and other players in the turbulence of her times.

 

For more information about the writing and research behind these books, there is a blog about The Queen’s Apprenticeship as well as one about The War Within Me.

 

 

 

Publisher Transit Lounge also has Reading Group Notes on their website for the first in the trilogy.