Thursday, May 7, 2009

Le Jeudi de Josephine: Sandra Gulland Guest Post + GIVEAWAY!

Today we have a double treat…

First: The brilliant author of the Josephine Trilogy and Mistress of The Sun, Sandra Gulland will be hosting le Jeudi de Josephine. I’m honored to have her guest post on my blog!





Second: Mistress of the Sun Giveaway! Please leave a comment AND your email address to let me know that you want to be entered in the draw.





Now…Without further ado, I present to you, Sandra Gulland:

Choosing between characters? Impossible!

Sandra Gulland

www.sandragulland.com


I've written four novels, but in my mind, there are only two: Josephine's . . . and Petite's. (For those who don't know, Petite is Louise de la Vallière, heroine of Mistress of the Sun.) It's like having two children, two loves, two passions. People ask: Which one do you love the most? Who would you rather be?


These are such hard questions to answer! Josephine was a part of my life for decades, and I still feel her presence: caring, steady, wise. Petite is more of a beloved, demanding, passionate angel — a wild, innocent, impulsive child.


If I were to choose a friend, someone to come to dinner, it would be Josephine — but if I had to choose who I would rather be, I would choose Petite. It's hard to explain why. I think it has to do with all the things Petite is that I am not: reckless, fearless on horseback, passionate in the extreme. (I am, I suspect, more like Josephine by nature, although without her instinctive social graces, which are such an important part of her character.)


And my next character? I'm thinking her through right now. She's the daughter of a theatrical star, confidential maid to an aristocrat (Athénaïs de Montespan), and a "fill-in" mistress to the Sun King. There's very little known about her personally; I have only scraps to go on. She is tall, I know, bold, and not that pretty — at least not in a conventional sense. She is practical; she looks after others. She is always the back-stage hand, the assistant — always in the shadows, second-best. I am watching people, collecting attributes. I begin with her eyes . . . .




Thank you so much Sandra!


To read my review of Mistress of The Sun, please go
here:)

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13 comments:

Tea said...

Hi Lucy,

I would love to be in the drawing. How true, Sandra Gulland is a "brilliant" author.

email address teakettle58@yahoo.com

Scully Love Promo said...

I must say that I am very intrigued after reading this blog about Josephine and Petite and I will be adding Sandra's books to my must read list! Thank you Sandra and Lucy!

elena maria vidal said...

Please include moi!

Ingrid Mida said...

What an honour and a treat to hear from the author herself. Thanks so much Lucy and Sandra. Please enter me in the draw!

Luvdaylilies said...

This would be a wonderful book to read, please enter me=)

Nice interview!

Luvdaylilies at bellsouth dot net

Rachel M. said...

Sandra Gulland is a brilliant writer! Thanks for the guest blog, it was a treat.

cirencellestial@hotmail.com

kim said...

Lovely blog post by Sandra! I loved her trilogy and would love to read this new one!

Carmi Cimicata said...

This series really should be a staple in everyone's library. No doubt it is the reason for so many new Josephine fans!

EBOOKSTAGRAM said...

this blog has received the 1st Myplaceforenglish Awards in the category of Best Desing of a Blog . COngratulations (This is your second Award ms Lucy, you're the best).

sallymandy said...

I just loved this guest post. Thank you, Ms Lucy.

Darlene said...

No need to enter me Lucy. I just wanted to say terrific post and I can't wait to meet Sandra's next character. Mistress of the Sun was amazing!

Viola said...

Is this still open, Ms.Lucy? If it's available to overseas readers, I'd love to enter!

Viola said...

My email is starshine@ozemail.com.au