New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Chadwick’s second novel in her Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, THE WINTER CROWN, is published in paperback by Sphere today.
Winter 1154: Eleanor, Queen of England, is biding her time. Married now to England’s King Henry II, he battles for land across the channel, while Eleanor fulfils her duty as acting ruler and bearer of royal children. But she wants to be more than this - if only Henry would let her. Instead, Henry belittles and excludes her leaving Eleanor side-lined and angry. As her sons become young men, frustrated at Henry's hoarding of power, Eleanor is forced into a rebellion of devastating consequences.
We’re also delighted to announce that Sphere has just signed two more compelling historical novels by Elizabeth Chadwick. Chadwick will revisit the life of William Marshal, the hero of her internationally bestselling novels THE GREATEST KNIGHT and The Scarlet Lion for publication in 2018. In the second novel she will turn her focus on William Marshal’s family by marriage and the story of Norman adventurer Richard de Clare and Irish princess Aoife of Leinster.
Maddie West, Deputy Publisher for Sphere Fiction, said “We are proud to publish Elizabeth Chadwick: her wonderful novels paint astonishingly vivid pictures of medieval Europe. Her legions of devoted fans will be delighted to hear that there are new stories to be told about William Marshal.”
Sphere also revealed plans to reissue revised editions of Elizabeth Chadwick’s Ravenstow Trilogy in summer 2018 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the paperback publication of her first novel, The Wild Hunt.
Elizabeth Chadwick said “I have long wanted to write about a missing three year period in the great William Marshal’s career that was perhaps the most important turning point of his life. I have also often pondered the fascinating dynamics of the relationship between Richard de Clare and Aoife of Leinster and am thrilled that Sphere has given me the chance to realise my ambition to write these wonderful, gripping stories.”
Carole Blake said “It’s wonderful to be able to continue such a long and successful collaboration between an author and a publisher. Republishing her early novels on the 25th anniversary of the publication of her first, with all of them still in print, is really something to celebrate.”
Author and agent are visiting Sphere for a marketing presentation and celebratory lunch today.
The first book in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, THE SUMMER QUEEN, was published by Sphere in 2013, and was featured in Bloggers Recommend as one of the 22 must reads for July 2014, and was the July Top Pick on RT Book Reviews, who called it “realistic, emotional, vibrant, exciting and unputdownable.”
Rights to both books have been sold in the US (Sourcebooks), Germany (Blanvalet), Latvia (Kontinent) and Czech Republic (Euromedia).
Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick:
'The best writer of medieval fiction currently around.' -- Historical Novel Review
'The author blends authentic period details with modern convention for emotional drama.' -- Elizabeth Buchan, Mail on Sunday
Praise for THE WINTER CROWN:
'Elizabeth Chadwick... brings history to life so vividly it is as if we are witnessing it ourselves and not simply reading it on the page.' – Kate Atherton, For Winter Nights
‘THE WINTER CROWN is concerned with court politics, with the relationships between people, but has a wider perspective onto the troubling events of Alienor’s reign. It is rich and complex.’ – History Today, Jerome de Groot
‘The historical facts of this era are well known and very well documented, but even so, Elizabeth Chadwick still manages to weave a gripping story which I found unputdownable… Highly recommended.’ – Historical Novel Society
Praise for THE SUMMER QUEEN:
‘Engrossingly written and well researched, this is the first in a promised trilogy on Eleanor of Aquitaine… one of the medieval period’s wealthiest and most influential women.’ – Choice Magazine
‘Sucked me right in from the start, and refused to let me go ... one of my favourite reads of the year, and I may even go as far as to call it one of the best historical fiction novels I’ve ever read.’ – A Thousand and One Books
