THE BATTLE OF COSTUME DRAMAS? THE BLISS OF A COSTUME DRAMA FAN!

I've been in heaven these last few weeks with two weekly dates with my beloved period dramas: The Paradise on Tuesday and Downtown Abbey on Sunday. Double pure delight! 

ITV hugely successful drama, at its third season, will be over tonight at 9 p.m. What do we have to expect? Will we see a series 4? Will the prequel we heard about take its place instead? Let's wait and see: ITV has found a gold mine in this successful   show, I'm sure they won't let it down so soon.

BBC1 The Paradise, on the other hand, is totally new and will go on for two weeks more. It has been recently announced that a second season has been commissioned after the rewarding viewing figures (average audience of 5.9 million viewers) for the first one. And I'm terribly happy to hear that. 

What has happened to me is that I've been won by the new BBC1 series loosely based on Zola 's "Au Bonheur des Dames" , by its different setting (a 19th century department store in an unnamed town in the North of England) and by its new characters. So,  I  started waiting for Tuesdays more eagerly  than for Sundays. Mr Moray and his little champion Denise , Miss Audrey and Edmund Lovett, Pauline and Sam, Clara and Mr Dudley, Young Arthur and Mr Jonas have definitely conquered my heart. Did I forget anyone? Oh, yes, Miss Glendenning and her father. Maybe, it is not casual, since they are not exactly my best favourite characters, as you may have guessed. 

OCTOBER GIVEAWAYS - WINNERS ANNOUNCED

GIVEAWAY 1. THE MANY LIVES & SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B. BY SANDRA GULLAND 
(Amazon.com Review) Since completing high school history, few of us have managed to keep straight the details of the French Revolution. Beyond suggestions of eating cake and the effectiveness of the guillotine, this sordid time period has remained--for many--somewhat obscure. Now, through the novel The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., not only do we learn of the many differences between Robespierre and Rousseau, but we gain insight into the marriage of one of history's greatest political couples: Napoleon and Josephine.

Standing beside the charismatic Napoleon, Josephine's own importance and fascinating history have often been overshadowed. In a fictionalized account of Josephine's diaries and her correspondence, author Sandra Gulland has shed light on Josephine's pre-Napoleon life. This, the first of three books about Josephine, covers her childhood in Martinique, her first marriage, the birth of her children, her life during the revolution, and her marriage to Napoleon.

AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: BRYONY ALLEN, THE ASSEMBLY ROOM

Her new YA ghost story is perfect for Halloween week, so I invited Bryony Allen to guest post at FLY HIGH to  tell us everything about it. There's a chance to win the e-book or kindle book of The Assembly Room for readers commenting this post and adding their own e-mail address. The giveaway contest is open worldwide and ends November 7th.

So, why did I write The Assembly Room?

The book is my third novel with my current UK independent publisher, Pneuma Springs, but it's my second in the YA genre. The story came in to being thanks to an old building that is  - believe it or not  - actually called 'The Assembly Room' . The building lies on the outskirts of the village of Hitcham in Suffolk, England. It was on passing this building over the years every time I go to see my parents that the seeds of the book started to take shape in my head. Just looking at the building makes the mind start to wonder what kind of history it may have had; well it does for me at least.

In  my research for the book I looked at the local history in the area as well as land registry records and found that the building (now a little bit derelict) was built in the early 1800's and had been used as a reading room and also a community hall. Its Gothic features are certainly reminiscent of the time period.

The reality is that it is now used as a storage area for its current owner who also owns and lives in an adjacent cottage, and the actual area of land around the place itself was formerly used as a commercial garage in the mid 20^th century.

A DANGEROUS INHERITANCE BY ALISON WEIR - BOOK REVIEW

"I can never forget the day they brought me the news that my sister's head had been cut off. I was not yet thirteen, too young fully to understand why she had to die, but old enough to imagine the horrific scene at the end. They said she had committed treason, the foulest of all crimes, but it didn't make any sense to me for Jane had only done what she was forced to do. and by that reasoning, I too had been an innocent traitor, just as she was."

This is the opening of this incredible novel I've just finished reading. The young girl in distress for her sister's horrible, unfair death is Katherine Grey, only 13 at the time her sibling was crowned Queen of England for nine days only to be  sentenced to death as a traitor soon after by Queen Mary Tudor  (1554). After Jane’s death,  also the life of Katherine Grey will be full of sorrows and pains in her constant attempt to pursue  true love as well as  the recognition of her status as heiress to the throne of England. She will have to fight against a fierce and very powerful rival, Queen Elizabeth I,   who saw her as a danger to her rule.

Lady Katherine Grey’s fate is intertwined with the story of another unlucky young royal child, Kate Plantagenet, Richard III’s  illegitimate daughter.  Katherine Grey finds her miniature portrait and a diary, and starts feeling sympathy for whom she imagined to be,  like her,  an unhappy victim of a dangerous inheritance: they both have their destinies signed by their having royal blood running through their veins.

The two stories develop onto parallel levels, distant in time, but so close in human suffering. Both girls will have to fight in the pursuit of true love: being of royal blood, a marriage for love is highly improbable for them. They have to marry for state reasons, they have to accept what parents and monarchs choose for them. The two  different levels of the narration offer a privileged perspective on historical figures and facts: Kate Plantagenet lived at Richard III’s court after his marriage to Anne Neville, while Katherine Grey is part of the Tudor family, cousin to Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth and always kept close to the court by all of them in order to check her movements as a possible contender.

The two stories merge into a quest for the truth about the tragic fate of the Princes in the Tower, after Richard III’s coronation as king of England. Kate wants to purge her father tainted fame after his death at Bosworth, even risking her own life,  and Katherine Grey, imprisoned like the young Princes in the Bell Tower  by Elizabeth I,   will try to get to the truth thanks to Kate’s diary.

Is the mystery solved in the end? You’ll have to check that out yourself reading the book. I’m not revealing any further detail.

AUTHOR GUEST POST - PHILLIPA ASHLEY, ROMANTIC ADVENTURES

Phillipa Ashley is my guest today with a lovely post about romantic adventures, castles and pirates. I love the setting of her latest romance, Miranda's Mount. It's a very special place I just happened to visit  last summer, it's in Cornwall and ... unforgettable. Discover more, read Phillipa's post!

As long as I can remember, I’ve loved romantic historical adventure stories such as The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Three Musketeers and I’m an addict for period dramas in this vein. In fact I think that the BBC’s version of Lorna Doone with Richard Coyle as John Ridd is probably my favourite of period drama of all time (alongside N&S of course!) I love the drama, the passion and the sheeer thrilling adventure of these wonderful books and productions.

Even now, if I’m not careful, I’ll find myself hooked on an old Errol Flynn Robin Hood movie, or Elizabeth & Essex... and The Wicked Lady would be my desert island movie. It may be in black & white but I love it so much I ordered a copy on DVD. Even my daughter, who saw it while at home ill with glandular fever, is now hooked.

Lorna Doone - BBC 

Are you ready for Halloween? The Rise of Zombie "Semi-Historical" Literature: A Growing Popularity with Students and Spook Thrillers

(by guest blogger Caroline Ross)

Traditionally the "living dead" doesn’t move with great speed or finesse, but in the book publishing industry Zombies have taken off like the speed of light. Over the past few years, book stores have displayed an increasing number of zombie-related historical fiction that has seemed to do quite well with the youth—so much in fact that some titles are even appearing on required reading lists at select universities. But of course you don't need to be a student to enjoy them. If you're looking for a few good historical reads with a satirical, dark twist then check out some of these titles just in time for Halloween.

Pride, Prejudice and Zombies

Just like the title sounds, this parody piece is a smashup of the classic 1813 Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice with sprinkles of brain-eating zombies, courtesy of author Seth Grahame-Smith. It might seem a little bizarre to picture a zombie infested 19^th century England and a zombie-slayer Mr. Darcy, but the story line actually works. Not only does Grahame-Smith do a stellar job at creating an alternative universe within a classic story such as Pride and Prejudice, but he's also successful at bringing out the laughs—this book is funny with a capital F. (2009)

BOOK BLAST - THE WAITING BOOTH BY BRINDA BERRY + GREAT GIVEAWAY

The book

A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal... Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High-find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia's drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it's no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia's secrets, she begins to wonder if there's more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...


Praise for The Waiting Booth 

"The book kept me on the edge of my seat with its perfect balance of teenaged angst, interdimensional portals, and a fractured family."

~ Author Christine Ashworth

THE SPOOKTAKULAR GIVEAWAY HOP - MEET KARELLEYN BRAE WADE & WIN DHARIYA: PRELUDE TO A DARK LEGACY

This post is part of the Spooktakular Giveaway Hop hosted at I Am A Reader Not a Writer and at The Diary of a Bookworm. Welcome to the creepiest giveway contest of the year which will go on till Halloween. Leave your comment below this post and choose your options in the rafflecopter form at the end of the interview. Only one option  is mandatory: become a follower if you are not already one! All the others are optional but will give you more chances to win. So, get all your chances to receive a free signed paperback copy of  Dhariya ~ Prelude To A Dark Legacy by Karelleyn  Brae Wade. Moreover,  don't forget to browse through the list of blogs participating in this incredible hop: there are more than 500!  It means you've got chances to win up more than 500 prizes! Click HERE and go to the list of blogs. Now it 's time to meet the author and discover more about your prize!

*************

Hello and welcome at FLY HIGH,  Karelleyn. It’s always a pleasure to find intriguing books and new writers to present to our readers, so thanks for being my guest today. Since your Dhariya ~ Prelude To A Dark Legacy is a gothic novel, could you please start telling us what is the appeal of the gothic genre to you?

I love the classic gothic novels such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights...the elements of dramatic intensity, passion and the hidden mystery within the darkness greatly appeals to me.

The aim of a gothic tale is usually to entertain the readers frightening them. Your purpose instead?

I find today’s gothic stories are more frightening and horror filled...I feel the depth is lost within this sensationalism....I much prefer the old world traditional gothics and follow this path ...to weave the web of intrigue and mystery which compels the readers onward ....luring them deep into the shadows to uncover hidden truths along the way.

AUTHOR GUEST POST - SUSAN BUCHANAN, HER LOVE FOR EVERYTHING ITALIAN AND SIGN OF THE TIMES + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY

I have been asked to explain why I chose Tuscany for the setting of the start of my novel Sign ofthe Times.

To be honest, it wasn't a difficult decision. I love Italy and all things Italian. I had rented a villa in 2003, with seven friends, in Bibbiena, which features in the novel. At the time, it hadn't occurred to me that I would use it in a novel, and indeed I wasn't even writing back then.

But when I sat down to start writing Sign of the Times, and chose my first character, Holly, and made her a travel writer, it seemed instantly clear to me where she should research her next book.

Bibbiena is a lovely little village, in my mind, very traditional. It's close to Arezzo, which is briefly mentioned also. We stayed at a beautiful villa called Casa Cardinale.  As it turns out Holly's B&B where she stays is a mix of this villa and a hotel I stayed in in Positano. Both times the owners virtually adopted me, as they were so delighted I spoke fluent Italian.

From Casa Cardinale we could see up the hillside to other villas. One of those villas was the setting for the Italian wedding in the book.

Many of the scenes in the book are those which I actually experienced: going to the market place, watching the wizened old men playing chess outside a café, going to the bottega where Holly deliberates over the prize-winning olive oil and which wine to buy. The fact that shopowners and locals alike, knew who we were, happens to Holly also.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JENNY BARDEN & GIVEAWAY OF MISTRESS OF THE SEA

I'm extremely  glad to welcome best selling author Jenny Barden at FLY HIGH to discuss her latest release, Mistress of the Sea. Read the interview, leave your comment + e-mail address to enter the giveaway contest for a signed first edition copy of her book. The giveaway is open internationally and ends on November 2nd.

Jenny Barden has had a love of history and adventure ever since an encounter in infancy with a suit of armour at Tamworth Castle. Training as an artist, followed by a career as a city solicitor, did little to help displace her early dream of becoming a knight. A fascination with the Age of Discovery led to travels in South and Central America, and much of the inspiration for Mistress of the Sea came from retracing the footsteps of Francis Drake in Panama. She is currently working on a sequel centred on the first Elizabethan 'lost colony' of early Virginia. Jenny has four children and lives in Hertfordshire with her long suffering husband, a loving Labrador and a deadly Bengal cat.

Welcome to FLY HIGH, Jenny, and many thanks for accepting my invitation. Now, my first question for you is: Mistress of the Sea is set in the Elizabethan Age, the first part of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. What is it that you find most fascinating in those years?

Mistress of the Sea covers the years 1570-3; it begins twelve years into Elizabeth I's long 44 year reign. At that time England was on the point of emerging as a power to be reckoned with on the world stage, free from the Church of Rome and domination by any other state. Her seafarers, Francis Drake among them, were voyaging far and opening up new opportunities for trade, colonisation and piracy. They were developing the skills in navigation, sailing and ship-design that would lay the foundations from which the British Navy and the British Empire would later emerge. In 1570 England was about to enter her Golden Age, Shakespeare and Marlowe were only boys but they would epitomise the flowering of the English Renaissance; Edward de Vere was already writing beautiful poetry and Nicholas Hilliard was starting to produce the exquisite paintings that would help create the iconography supporting the image of Elizabeth as 'Gloriana'; the sublime music of Thomas Tallis graced the chapels of the royal household and nobility. There was a new confidence and optimism. The country was free, relatively liberal and growing economically. England was looking outward and toward a 'brave new world'. What I particularly like about the true adventure which forms the backdrop toMistress of the Sea is that it encompasses so much of what was pivotal in England's development at this exciting time.