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.

The Queen's Apprenticeship in Spanish, and The War Within Me forthcoming

By Tracy Ryan

Back in late 2023, I posted about my first historical novel (my sixth novel, but first in that genre), The Queen's Apprenticeship, being published with Transit Lounge. It intertwines the third-person narrative of a real-life figure, Marguerite de Navarre, with that of a completely imagined character from a very different background whose first-person tale Marguerite is reading, embedding one story within the other...

In late 2024, the Spanish edition of that novel appeared with Ediciones Maeva, for any of you who read Spanish — or know somebody who does, and who might like historical fiction set in sixteenth-century France. It's translated by Carlos Milla and Isabel Ferrer. 

Cover design by Opalworks Barcelona

I already loved the Transit Lounge cover featuring a portrait of Marguerite de Navarre — I'm just as taken with the very different Spanish one, bringing together as it does the two protagonists, one a privileged royal woman and the other a young printer's apprentice named Jehane/Josse (there are identity changes through Jehane/Josse's story).

I'm excited to say that in June this year the next book, Book Two in my Queens of Navarre trilogy will also be appearing with Transit Lounge — The War Within Me.

This second historical novel takes up the story of Marguerite's daughter, Jeanne d'Albret — it's not a biography, but "biographical historical fiction" following her journey from childhood through to the French Wars of Religion (Civil Wars) in the latter half of the sixteenth century.

Here is a cover preview of The War Within Me: 

Cover design by Peter Lo, using a portrait of Jeanne
by an artist of the school of François Clouet

Though readers of the first novel will find connections in this one, it's able to be read as a standalone.

Book Three is still to come! That is the story of Marguerite de Valois ("Queen Margot"), the next Queen of Navarre.

Rachel Watts recently reviewed the first novel in Westerly online.

Other responses to Book 1, The Queen's Apprenticeship:

"a triumphant foray into historical fiction… a compelling exploration of patriarchy, privilege and resistance in Renaissance France, set amid a vividly sketched milieu … with convincing fictional characters."

— Cheryl Akle, The Australian

"the brilliant depth of character we want when reading historical fiction … a buoyancy of storytelling." — Jessie Tu, Sydney Morning Herald