The Inspiration
"I have a confession to make—when I first approached the concept of Tarnish, Henry Percy was the love interest. There is a wonderful amount of heartache in that idea—a young couple who fall in love and are torn apart by family whims and court interests. (And eventually, he has to serve on the jury that convicts her of treason.) So very Romeo and Juliet. But as I was writing, Anne fell in love with someone else—sometimes the characters just take over, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
"But I didn’t change my visual inspiration for Percy—I pictured him looking and sounding a bit like Benedict Cumberbatch (star of Sherlock, War Horse, Star Trek: Into Darkness, etc.). Tall and angular and unconventionally handsome."
-- Katherine Longshore
The Teaser
“We have come to entertain the ladies,” Henry Norris says as he enters. His gaze slides across my brow and finds the duchess and her confederacy behind me. He is followed by George, who studiously ignores my existence, and Wolsey’s men, who crowd up behind him, eager and wriggling like puppies.
I stand to one side, barely observed and highly invisible, as more seductive prey is spotted within the room.
Finally, I can no longer stand it and push my way through the door, running nose first into a russet doublet. I look up into the face of a boy my age. His eyes are strange. Like chalcedony—more blue than gray but almost colorless. His hair is the color of fox fur, and just as thick, a swatch at the back of his head giving the impression of a feather in a cap. His face is cut at angles like stone, creating broad planes, sharp edges, and deep shadows. But when he smiles, the shadows melt away and I feel something warm and delicate rising within me.
He’s looking at me. He sees me.
The Books
Title: GiltAuthor: Katherine Longshore
Publisher: Viking Juvenie
Publishing Date: May 15, 2012
Pages: 406
Goodreads│Amazon│
Barnes & Noble
In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all.
When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.
Title: Tarnish
Goodreads│Amazon│
Barnes & Noble
In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all.
When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.
Title: TarnishAuthor: Katherine Longshore
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publishing Date: June 18, 2013
Pages: 448
Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court—and to convince the whole court they’re lovers—she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice—but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart’s desire and the chance to make history.
The Author
Katherine Longshore grew up on the northern California coast. At university, she created her own major in Cross-Cultural Studies and Communications, planning to travel and write. Forever. Four years, six continents and countless pairs of shoes later, she went to England for two weeks, stayed five years and discovered history. She now lives in California with her husband, two children and a sun-worshiping dog.
The Giveaway
Win a copy of Tarnish, the second book in The Royal Circle series! There are two giveaways--one for the US and Canada, and one that's international via the Book Depository. Be sure to enter!
US/Canada
a Rafflecopter giveawayInternational
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I really want/need to read these books. They sound really good and I am big fan of historical fiction set in that era.
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