Nancy Bilyeau's Blog, page 31

New! Historical Novel Society Review of The Chalice

"Faith, its value, and the willingness of supposedly true believers to exploit faith for their own ends become intriguing, multifaceted themes in this book. Bilyeau continues from her first novel the subtle, complex development of Joanna’s character and combines that with a fast-paced, unexpected plot to hold the reader’s interest on every page. From mystical prophets to court intrigue to the challenges of romance and love amidst those who had once sworn themselves to chastity, The Chalice is writ large across England and the Continent as history and supernatural mysticism combine in this compelling thriller."


To read the full review, go to: http://bit.ly/YSlG1v

New: My Blog Series on Abbey Ruins

This is the debut of a series devoted to the monastic ruins of England. My two novels, The Crown and The Chalice, are set in the 1530s; the main character is a young Dominican novice at a priory facing destruction.

"You love faded glory," said my husband, who knows me better than anyone in the world. He's right—I feel a strong pull toward grand old houses, pallid churches, neglected cemeteries, seldom-visited  landmarks. To me, few ruins are as poignant as those of an English abbey. 
To read more, go to "In Lone Magnificence a Ruin Stands."

Catholic Herald: "My poignant journey in search of the martyrs"

I wrote an article for the Catholic Herald in England about writing my historical thriller.

"When I decided to create a 16th-century Dominican novice as the main character of my debut novel The Crown, my motive was to find a new way into the era. Queens, princesses and ladies-in-waiting, living in royal palaces, dominated Tudor fiction. For my planned thriller, I wanted to open the door to a different world and a new sort of female protagonist. Eight years of research and two books later, I feel a complex tumble of emotions – intrigued, humbled, exhilarated, saddened and outraged – over what I learned about England’s lost monastic life....






I began my journey as a life-long Tudor history addict but fairly ignorant of the specifics of the religious orders. I had no spiritual agenda; I was raised by agnostic parents in the American Midwest. But after I learned a family secret when I was 19, I felt increasing curiosity about the Catholic Church. In the last month of her life, my grandmother told my mother that while she and my grandfather, Francis Aloysius O’Neill, babysat me as an infant, they took me to a priest in Chicago, Illinois, for baptism. The first priest they approached for baptism without the parents being present said no; the second one said yes. I was baptised in the Catholic Church but for nearly 20 years did not know it."
To read the rest, go to: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/features/2013/04/30/my-
poignant-journey-in-search-of-the-martyrs/

WRITING A THRILLER HEROINE

I'm delighted that many readers tell me they like the protagonist of The Crown and The Chalice: Joanna Stafford. 

I was always determined to write a female main character, and I like to thinks she's as far from a damsel in distress as you can get. 



She's a strong woman.

Some novelists write characters that are based on themselves or based on someone in history. Joanna fits into neither of those two groups.

I wrote a guest post about how I constructed Joanna for the blog Drey's Library.

Read about how important flaws are to making her a real person:

http://www.dreyslibrary.com/2013/04/12/blog-tour-58-nancy-bilyeaus-the-chalice/

Recovering From Kindle Daily Deal

Yesterday was a day like no other!

I knew that when amazon picks a book for the Kindle Daily Deal it can give a novel a boost, but I had no idea that the boost was like a rocket ship.

My first novel, THE CROWN, soared to the Number Two position overall, and is *still* at 9 am the next day the Number One-selling e-book in literature, historical fiction and thriller categories.

THANK YOU to all the friends who helped spread the word!

THE CROWN
Amazon Best Sellers Rank 4/13/13
#2 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical
#1 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

On Friday, 4/12/13: THE CROWN is the Kindle Daily Deal!

I'm very excited to report that amazon chose my first novel, THE CROWN, as the Kindle Daily Deal for this Friday, which means the e-book will sell for $1.99 for 24 hours.

I hope that this way, some new readers will discover my series!

The Wall Street Journal: "Hollywood's Gift to the Novel"

I was honored to be asked to write a WordCraft column for the Book Review section of the Wall Street Journal. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324735304578354201034801718.html

Here is the article, which appeared on March 16, 2013:


By NANCY BILYEAUReaders want fiction to plunge them into a fully imagined world, one that not only enthralls but also convinces in its scale and defining details.In my novel "The Chalice," I try to oblige by propelling the main character—Joanna Stafford, a former Dominican novice—through the Reformation-torn England of 1538. Readers learn about the sound of a rippling ship's sail, the look of a stand-alone wooden confessional, the feel of an aristocrat's cloth-of-silver gown. Atmospherics matter a lot: "A chalky white mist hung above the street, obscuring the buildings beyond the glazier's shop. It was as if a cloud had descended to earth. The stench of the shambles—the smell of rotting fish—encircled us."Where did I learn to focus on the most vivid details of a scene? In screenwriting class. Screenplays are widely perceived as minimalist pieces of writing, bereft of the flair and texture of prose. But that's not true. A fine script includes complex characterization, flavorful dialogue and evocative action—all greatly distilled. It's boxed French cognac to a novelist's bottle of Merlot.F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and Dashiell Hammett infused their film scripts with novelistic craft. Now, as more and more writers churn out both scripts and novels, the influence goes the other way."Show, don't tell" is an admonition in fiction class but an imperative for screenwriters, who are limited to dialogue and action. And then there's pacing. Producers frown on screenplays of more than 120 pages, which forces a ruthlessness that many novelists would recoil from. Derek Haas, whose script credits include "3:10 to Yuma," is also the author of novels like "The Right Hand." His novelistic style, he says, owes a lot to screenwriting: "Keep it tight, keep those pages turning, delete the extraneous."Novelists must choose between first-person and third-person point of view (unless they're Jay McInerney). In screenplays, first person doesn't even exist. Moreover, some of the most important movies of our time, such as "The Godfather" and "The Silence of the Lambs," take point of view to the extreme, leaping around in a series of tightly controlled crosscuts.Such intercutting between scenes, settings and points of view is "something I've found effective, especially in creating tension" in fiction, says David Levien, co-screenwriter of "Ocean's Thirteen" and author of such acclaimed novels as "City of the Sun."A screenwriter must make characters come alive quickly. Without the space to list age, height, weight and coloring, screenwriters aim for one original, defining detail. I found myself doing the same in my novels, even though I had plenty of room to play. My introduction of Jane Boleyn in "The Chalice": "Her skin was alabaster white; gleaming, yes, but devoid of any depth to its glow, like an egg kept overlong in a cupboard."Every screenwriter pushes for a taut fusion of imagery and words. Consider this description from the playful action/exploitation film "Machete" (2010), co-written by Roberto and Álvaro Rodriguez:[EXTERIOR.] PARKLANE COUNTRY CLUB HOSPITAL—DAYIt's modern, tranquil, soft jazz, sharp contrast to county. Sartana walks down the hallway, high heels clip-clopping."In poetry, you use words as images to evoke a feeling," Álvaro Rodriguez says. "Journalism teaches you a 'just the facts, ma'am' approach to writing. [Both] lend themselves to screenwriting. And then, much of that technique carries over into fiction."—Ms. Bilyeau's second novel, "The Chalice," was published in March. She is the executive editor of DuJour magazine.
A version of this article appeared March 16, 2013, on page C12 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Hollywood's Gifts to The Novel.

THE CHALICE IS ON SALE!

It's March 5th and my second novel, The Chalice, is now on sale in North America. It's an emotional time in my life, a culmination of my work to create this world for Joanna Stafford the rest of my characters.


I am proud to present this review from the book blogger Luxury Reading!

A highlight: 


"I have looked forward to Nancy Bilyeau’s The Chalice  since I reviewed her debut novel, The Crown , a year ago. It has been well worth the wait; once again, Bilyeau’s words flow off of the page and into the imagination, drawing the reader in to the latest exploits of Joanna and company….…With the concept of the titular chalice, Bilyeau puts another brilliant mystical spin on Tudor history and myth, this time addressing the most curious of Henry VIII’s marriages. Joanna, if she chooses of her own free will, has the opportunity to change the entire Tudor dynasty – and the future of the country and people she loves. With gripping prose and a touch of the fantastic, The Chalice is yet another masterpiece of historical fiction."
For the full review, go to: http://luxuryreading.com/thechalice/

PRE-ORDER TIME! LIKE A BOOKMARK?

Pre-orders are critical to an author's viability. They help determine the amount of publisher support a writer gets, the size of the print run, and whether there is enough momentum to consider another book.

My friend Sophie Perinot, author of "Sister Queens," explains the importance of pre-orders in her post on "From the Write Angle: Not All Sales are Created Equal--What Your Writer Friends Wish You Knew But Are Too Polite to Tell You." 

Today is the last day before the official North American release. I would love it if you could pre-order THE CHALICE. Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Indie Next, iTunes, Mysterious Bookshop. Doesn't matter which you choose.

Anyone who pre-orders, please send me an email at tudorscribe@gmail.com and I will pop a bookmark in the mail to you. Postage is on me. 

WELCOME TO THE PREMIERE OF THE TRAILER

"A curse to kill a king, a fight to save a nation."





On March 5th, The Chalice, the sequel to The Crown, will be published in North America. Once again, Joanna Stafford comes up against the most powerful men of the land. Based on detailed research into the tumultuous late 1530s, it's a mystery, an untangling of the political threads of the deadly court of Henry VIII, a poignant romance and a race-against-the-clock conspiracy tale. Think Day of the Jackal meets The Tudors.


Screenwriter Christie LeBlanc and filmmaker Norman LeBlanc, two extraordinarily talented people, created a book trailer for The Chalice that captures its adventurous yet eerie mood.


Without further ado, the Book Trailer! (Hit full screen, far right, to get the full impact.)



Isn't that intriguing?

To find out more about the book, read my interview with International Thriller Writers,  the book's earliest review from Kirkus and a recent review from respected British author M.M. Bennetts.

As for this wonderful book trailer, I asked Christie to share how she created it. The first step...I mailed her one of the first advance galleys of The Chalice. :)

Says Christie: "My aim was to make something visually cool on a shoestring budget that didn't allow for live action. Armed with Adobe Creative Suite and just barely enough knowledge to be dangerous, I pieced together stock footage and photos, and mixed in a dash of original material.  Then I hunted down some fabulous music! When I wasn't happy with the result, I used Norman's amazing skills without mercy. He finessed it until we ended up with a final product we both loved and hoped would do justice to a fine book."

Christie is one talented writer--and don't take my word for it. Follow her on The Single Screenwriter.

And remember: The clock is ticking...The Chalice is almost here!