A Queen Forgotten Springs to New Life in Bellastoria Press’ Historical Novel by Patricia Bracewell
Industry: Books
Bringing the "peace weaver," Emma of Normandy, from obscurity is the passion of author Patricia Bracewell. Her final novel, The Steel Beneath the Steel, sets this woman's history straight!
United States (PRUnderground) March 4th, 2021
Author Patricia Bracewell’s early fascination with the history of Britain inspired a lifelong obsession when she stumbled across an obscure on-line reference to an unfamiliar queen, Emma of Normandy—a woman whose powerful presence had become lost to history. Bracewell’s serendipitous discovery led her to create her celebrated Emma of Normandy trilogy. The third volume, The Steel Beneath the Silk, launches on March 2 in celebration of Women’s History Month.
“Perhaps Emma’s obscurity is due to the thousand years that separate us from her,” Bracewell observes, “but there are two other factors that I suspect are just as likely: that women and their actions, even those of queens, were rarely mentioned in contemporary chronicles; and that it has been a long-held, although incorrect, belief that English history began only with the Norman Conquest of 1066.”
Bracewell’s curiosity revealed one of the most influential women in early Western Civilization.
“The Norman Conquest would never have taken place had it not been for Emma, her children, her familial and political connections, and her marriages,” Bracewell reveals, underscoring why she decided to fill in the missing pieces of a life that had been distorted and forgotten.
How do you resurrect a long dead queen?
Bracewell’s three novels, based on meticulous research, reveal the difficult, passionate life of a “peace weaver” in a time of nearly endless war—a woman who reshaped the history, religion, and politics of Denmark, Norway, and England for hundreds of years.
The Steel Beneath the Silk, the final novel in Bracewell’s trilogy, does far more than celebrate the years of Emma’s greatest contributions and deepest losses. Bracewell brings readers into the heart and mind of a woman who puts her life and freedom on the line to protect her people and children from war and betrayal.
In Bracewell’s hands, Emma of Normandy breathes once more.
ABOUT THE STORY
With a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies. In the final book, The Steel Beneath the Silk, Emma is determined to outmaneuver her adversaries and protect her children and countrymen. She forges alliances and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patricia Bracewell taught literature and composition before embarking upon her writing career. A lifelong fascination with British history and a chance, on-line reference to an unfamiliar English queen led to years of research, a summer history course at Downing College, Cambridge, and a stint as writer-in-residence at Gladstone’s Library in Wales. Patricia lives with her husband in Northern California.
About Bellastoria Press – Vana Nespor
We are a high-quality, small publisher devoted to providing talented authors a pathway to a world of readers with well-crafted, skillfully designed, and carefully produced print, digital, and audiobooks within a supportive and collaborative partnership.
