A Triple Knot

Yes, I’ve been quiet, but for a good reason. I’m reviewing the copyedit of A Triple Knot and making the last substantive changes–a tense yet exhilarating point in the birthing of a book. I’m reading it aloud to catch infelicitous phrases, inconsistencies, and repetitions. To my delight, I’m finding it a great pleasure. This is a good sign!

I am, however, quite hoarse by the end of the day, requiring copious amounts of lemony tea with honey. And my cat is irked that my office door is closed for hours. But she, clever kitty, has found a workaround: she approaches from outside my window, mewing and tapping on the pane until I succumb.

And now, without further ado, the unveiling of the cover and my publisher’s marketing copy.

The critically acclaimed author of The King’s Mistress brings another fascinating woman from history to life in an enthralling story of political intrigue, personal tragedy, and illicit love.

Joan of Kent, the renowned beauty and niece of King Edward III, seems blessed with a life of royal privilege until her father is executed for treason and she becomes a ward of the king, living amongst those who deem her the daughter of a traitor. Joan begins to understand the brutal constraints and dangers inherent in being of royal blood. There is one at court who loves her, but his love proves the greatest threat of all.

As an impetuous teenager, she escapes into a clandestine marriage in a bid for freedom, then must hide it for nearly a decade, as her guardians marry her off to another man. After her first husband’s death, Joan—now a mother of four—enters into another scandalous relationship, this time with the heir to the British throne, Prince Edward, hero of Crécy and Poitiers, who has loved her all along. But his devotion comes at a terrible price. Haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution and the ruthlessness of her royal kin, Joan must reconcile her passion for the crown prince with the potentially tragic costs of a royal life.

Look for it on 29 July 2014!