Welcome to 2021

Hello historical fiction fans! In this episode, I make a few feeble attempts to explain why I haven't published a podcast since December 17, and I talk about the four interviews I have coming up! 

I promised I'd include links to order their books, so here they are:

Lauren Willig, Band of Sisters
Mary Sharratt, Revelations
Erika Shepard Robuck, The Invisible Woman
Patricia Bracewell, The Steel Beneath the Silk

Transcript

0:28

What can I say, welcome to 2021, which I really hope is a better year than 2020 was. Anyway, I'm here again. Happy to be speaking with you. To tell you all the goodies that are coming up soon in my podcast. But first. A little bit of an explanation. It's been awhile. And I have some great interviews coming up. With some of my favorite authors, there's lots of terrific historical novels coming out this spring. And I'm going to get to talk to at least four of those authors with books coming out. But first. I think I owe you all in explanation. Yes. It's been weeks since my last podcast. I think the date was December 17th, 2020, that infamous year. Obviously the holidays intervened a bit of a slowdown, but you know, These days, that's not too much of an excuse. But my, my excuse really is that it's been a very intense and busy time. Not only in the world, but also in my life. First of all, we'll talk for a minute about the world. I imagine you are all well aware of the tensions and dramatic events that have occurred. All over the world, but probably mostly in the U S. So they there's just no need for me to go over them here. Except to say that I sincerely hope everyone who hears this and their friends and families have been spared. The ravages of COVID. Please mask up and stay safe. We're not out of the woods yet. I'm hoping to get my vaccination next month. Cross fingers. Anyway. Suffice it to say that. Having historical novels to immerse myself in was the only way for me to get through all of these times in December and January. Partially it was being cooped up partially just witnessing the chaos. But those, aren't the only reasons. I have sort of complicated reasons for why I disappeared. There's something about the closing in of this particular winter, the dark, the cold that made me curl in on myself. I'd managed to forge ahead and keep everything relatively positive through the first eight months of COVID. But as December, March down, I found it hard to muster the Moxy one needs for a podcast. So I just went dormant along with the world. Because of course, in addition to the hutzpah needed to do the actual interviews and trust that people will want to listen to them. And that you'll think of good questions to ask and be entertaining and all that stuff. Just getting writers to agree to talking to me, involves putting myself forward and reaching out in a way that I just couldn't for all of December and January. There were other practical considerations. Of course, I have genuinely been very, very busy. Which is basically a good thing. And I book coaching business is going well. I have two projects that I needed to pretty much wrap up by the end of January. And they were quite intensive. One is the final revision of the third volume of my trilogy. Which is now ready for beta readers. Yay. And which I hope to send to my publisher at the end of February. The other. It's a little bit more of a departure for me. Exciting. But intense. I'm working on a nonfiction book proposal for a young adult book on the history of women composers. That might sound a bit random to you if you don't know much about me, because you wouldn't necessarily know that I have a PhD in music history from Yale. And most of my scholarly work. Of which there is. Not very much. Casta feminist lens on music, history and music theory. That's one of the reasons that music. Threads through so much of my fiction to one of the things that gave birth to Teresa, my young Viennese violinist, for instance, But it wasn't until I did the author accelerator. Non-fiction coaching course. Oh, and that's the other thing I'm certified. Yes. Me. Yay me. Anyway, it wasn't until I did that course, that it occurred to me that I could write nonfiction that might actually really get me excited. I knew I'd never want to write a memoir. But this. This book brings together so many sides of me It's been really fun to work on the proposal with my fabulous coach, Barbara Boyd. It's also pretty fun to know that she's actually in Rome when we're working together. I just love that part of working virtually being able to talk to people all over the world or just the country or just next door. That's really kind of a benefit of AR. Current situation. What changed my mind about nonfiction was that in the course, as I learned about all the elements of a book proposal, and there are eight of them, I think. I saw how you make a case for a book. It's kind of like a business plan for a book. And I realized that I could make that case for a why a book about women composers in history. That it could really have a shot at getting published and into the hands of young musicians. And music teachers. If that comes to pass. It would make me so happy. I've got at least a draft of all the elements now, but still some more work to do with my coach. I hope to start pitching it next month. Now, if you've listened to this far, you deserve the news. You really came for what's coming up, who I'm interviewing. First will be the lovely Lauren Willig. I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of her forthcoming book band of sisters last year. Apart from the fact that I'm a huge Lauren Willis fan. I have a special interest in this book. Because it's about the women of Smith college in world war one. And the relief work they did in the French towns that had been destroyed by the Germans. It's full of heart has great characters and shows me a side of that history. I never knew. But more than that. As a Smith graduate myself. And it's my 45th reunion. This June. And I got an ma in musicology there in 1991. Being a Smith graduate myself and being familiar with the riches buried in the Smith archives. I was thrilled to learn that Lauren was bringing those remarkable women to light. She does a fabulous job and I can't wait to talk to her next week. I'm also currently reading two arcs of beautiful novels by two terrific authors. Mary sheruts revelations, which received a starred Kirkus review and comes out in April is one of them. It's gorgeous. Just like her novel about Hildegard of Bingen, which is one of my favorites of hers. And Hildegard happens by the way to be in my nonfiction women composers book, along with Alma Mahler, who is the subject of another one of Mary's books. But I'll be talking to Mary. Sometime in the next few weeks, I hope. The other arc I'm reading is Erica Shepard Robux. The invisible woman. Which comes out next week. Oh, boy, it's a real nail biter. A world war II story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I'm tearing through this book and as I'd expect her main character is fabulous. I really, really like the character and. What she's done with her and. Well, you'll hear when we talk. Anyway, I'll be talking to her soon, too. Finally, how can I forget my Bella story at press sister, Pat Bracewell. I'm about to dig into the third volume of her Emma of Normandy, trilogy the steel beneath the silk. I absolutely loved the first two volumes and go rush out and buy them and read them. They are so wonderful. The third and final volume will be out on March 2nd. And by the way, I'll put links to purchase all of these books in the show notes. Anyway. I'm at last, ready to crawl out of my hole and start peering out at the world again. Me and the Groundhog yesterday, I guess. Maybe because it's February. And February is my birth month, actually. Maybe that's why. And by the way, I'm also giving my readers a birthday present. The Paris affair ebook. Is only 99 cents from now until February 19th. The day I turned 66 years old. Or maybe I'm out again, because more than a month of winter has passed and the days are getting longer. I don't know about you, but I really welcome that return of the son. Whatever the reason. Thanks for listening. And stay tuned for Lauren Willig. Next Thursday.