Welcome to My Official Web Page!

Welcome to My Official Web Page!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Another Blurb!

It's almost exactly 1 1/2 months until the debut of The Secret History, and things are starting to get busy. There will be a blog tour, giveaways (books and Byzantine coins--ohlala!), and I might even have some other excitement hidden up my sleeve. 

(Okay, so I do, but you'll have to wait until later to find out about the rest of the fun). 

I've also received another blurb (publishing-code for the author quotes on the cover and front pages) for The Secret History, this one from Jeane Westin: 

"Loss, ambition and lust keep this rich story moving at top speed. Stephanie Thornton writes a remarkable first novel that brings a little known woman to full, vibrant life...A sprawling and irresistible story."—Jeane Westin, author of The Spymaster's Daughter

If you haven't already read it and you're looking for a great read on Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley (talk about one of the greatest love stories of all time!), I highly recommend Westin's His Last Letter. It's definitely swoonworthy!

And now I'm headed back to the revision cave to romp around the Mongolian steppes with Genghis Khan for The Tiger Queens. School ends this week and then I'm looking forward to some serious editing time! 

 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

A Secret History Excerpt: Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! In celebration, I have for your reading pleasure an excerpt of The Secret History. Let's just say Theodora and her mom have a rather complicated relationship. 


The silence expanded around us. “You didn’t come all this way, with a trunk, to tell me about Vitus.”

My mother sighed and tried to shift in her seat, but she gave up when Tasia stirred. “No, I did not. I’m moving in with you.”

“What? Here?” I gestured to the room, so small Antonina and I could scarcely lie head to head without our feet touching the walls. We’d tried it.

“Your sister has a patron now, some Tyrian dye merchant.” My mother shrugged. “There’s not exactly room for me in his villa.”

My proud, passionate mother. This was not the life she’d envisioned for herself, for any of us. “I don’t know—it’s not my room. Antonina’s gone most nights, and I’m going to find a position as soon as I’m clean.”

“I’ll take care of Tasia while you two are out—God knows she’ll need someone to make sure she doesn’t end up like you. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Right. It’ll be like sharing a room with a fury.”

She made a noise in the back of her throat, half laugh, half snort. “Sometimes I think I should have drowned you at birth.”

Ah yes. It was so lovely to have my mother back.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

An Unexpected Congratulations

I've sent a few letters to my senators in recent months, so when a letter from Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski landed in mailbox, I expected a run-of-the-mill form letter. 

Instead, she was writing about The Secret History!



I'm not sure who told her about my "ability to seamlessly weave history and prose into my compelling narrative," but talk about a pleasant surprise! So cool!