I last conducted an interview with Cecelia in 2002, a more comprehensive piece done following the appearance of The Soul Thief, first in her Corban Loosestrife sequence of Viking-era novels. The characters' dialogue, sharp and memorable, readily conveys all the intelligence and wit one would expect in a novel about one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages. The Secret Eleanor weaves an engaging tale of deception, ambition, romance, and shifting loyalties, all told in a spare narrative style that brings mid-12th century France to brilliant life. Petronilla shares Eleanor's gorgeous looks but lacks her ambition and self-confidence, and she's destined to remain forever in the shadow of her royal sibling. The Secret Eleanor focuses on her relationship with her younger sister, Petronilla, the woman who knew her best. Many authors have published their own takes on this noted queen's life and times, yet Cecelia's interpretation stands apart by showing Eleanor from a refreshingly new perspective. Her newest novel The Secret Eleanor, which takes place during one landmark year in the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France, is published on August 3rd by Berkley/Penguin. I'm happy to present this interview with Cecelia Holland, one of America's foremost historical novelists. An interview with Cecelia Holland, author of The S.The Historical Novel Prize in Memory of Georgette.
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