My second novel, Enchantress of Paris, hit bookstore shelves yesterday. The launch event at Barnes & Noble and all the wonderful feedback from readers and reviewers have touched my heart. Have I mentioned how much I love and appreciate you, dear readers? Thank you for making my work possible!

USA Today just allowed me to write as their guest and published my article about the unsung heroines of history here.

Also today, Harper Collins is revealing the cover for our WWI anthology A Fall of Poppies. I’m pleased and humbled to be included in this anthology centered around Armistice Day with such incredible, bestselling authors as Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, and Lauren Willig. The line about a Belgian rebel in the following blurb…that’s my story!

~ “Top voices in historical fiction deliver an intensely moving collection of short stories about loss, longing, and hope in the aftermath of World War I…

A squadron commander searches for meaning in the tattered photo of a girl he’s never met…

A Belgian rebel hides from the world, only to find herself nursing the enemy…

A young airman marries a stranger to save her honor—and prays to survive long enough to love her…

The peace treaty signed on November 11, 1918, may herald the end of the Great War but for its survivors, the smoke is only beginning to clear. Picking up the pieces of shattered lives will take courage, resilience, and trust. Within crumbled city walls and scarred souls, war’s echoes linger. But when the fighting ceases, renewal begins…and hope takes root in a fall of poppies.” ~

Without further ado, I give you…the cover & links…. [isn't it beautiful?!!]

Fall of Poppies Cover Reveal

Barnes & Noble / Amazon / IndieBound / Books-a-Million

William Morrow Trade Paperback; March 1, 2016; $14.99; ISBN: 9780062418548

About Kate

Kate Quinn is a native of southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written three novels set in ancient Rome: “Mistress of Rome,” “Daughters of Rome,” and “Empress of the Seven Hills,” all of which have been translated into multiple languages.

Kate made the jump from ancient Rome to Renaissance Italy for her fourth and fifth novels, “The Serpent and the Pearl” and “The Lion and the Rose,” detailing the early years of the Borgia clan.  She also has succumbed to the blogging bug, and keeps a blog filled with trivia, pet peeves, and interesting facts about historical fiction. She and her husband now live in Maryland with a small black dog named Caesar, and her interests include opera, action movies, cooking, and the Boston Red Sox.

The official blurb for THE SERPENT AND THE PEARL:

Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and riddled with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous – or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web . . .

Now Kate, give us your quick-drop on THE SERPENT AND THE PEARL…

Take a vivacious blonde with floor-length hair, add a cynical dwarf on the hunt for a serial killer, toss in one fiery cook with a dangerous past, then stir to a boil, light on fire, and serve for a hell of a read!

Why the switch from ancient Rome to Rome under Borgia rule? 

Because I was starting to have daydreams about writing a book where I never, not once, had to type the word t-o-g-a.  I love ancient Rome, but I needed a vacation!  And the Borgias grabbed me as soon as I started reading about them.  That whole era is just saturated with artistic and scientific advancements side by side with bloody mayhem, and the Borgias are the poster children for all that gorgeous Renaissance chaos.

You say your culinary husband inspired dishes in the Serpent and the Pearl, and that his traits appeared in the hero of Mistress of Rome. Can I borrow him? In what other ways does he influence your work?

My Navy sailor husband probably shows up the most clearly in my last book, “Empress of the Seven Hills,” which features another tall freckled left-handed military man who doesn’t suffer fools even when they’re superior officers! As for “The Serpent and the Pearl,” one of my two heroines is inspired directly by my husband’s fiery Sicilian grandmother, the one who taught him to cook so well.  To this day he can’t break pasta into a pot of water without a wince and a “Sorry, Grandma” because just like my Renaissance cook heroine, his grandmother would whack you over the head with a wooden spoon for daring to break pasta instead of folding it.  She turned my husband into a fabulous cook; now that “Serpent and the Pearl” is out, he’s having fun cooking his way through all the recipes in it.  Who knows, maybe there will be a companion cookbook?

I’m really into the use of cosmetics throughout history. Did you uncover any interesting beauty regimens during your research of the Borgia family?

My second heroine Giulia Farnese was one of the most famous beauties of the Renaissance, especially known for her floor-length hair, so you can bet her beauty routines are meticulous.  Some of the Renaissance cosmetics recipes I found are absolutely vile, like a face mask that calls for dove entrails.  Others, like a rinse for blondifying hair which was made out of saffron, cinnabar, and sulphur, sound a bit nicer.  Renaissance ladies were all mad for fair hair, so a favorite girls-day-out back then was to head up to the rooftop and put on big-brimmed crownless sun hats so you could spread your hair out under the sun to bleach it, but still keep your skin white!

Finally, a discussion on craft. Your sentences are so precise and well paced! Is this a natural gift or do you have to edit a work to death before it’s in such great shape?

Edit, edit, edit.  Re-read, curse a little, edit some more.  One of my worst habits is that I start unconsciously relying on favorite words or phrases.  Almost the last thing I do is to run a Search in my manuscript for the words and phrases I like to overuse: shrug, smile, grin, glare; arms folded across chests; people tilting their heads; etc.  But it’s like a Whack-A-Mole game: no sooner do I push down one set of over-used words than another set pops up in its place!

Thank you, Kate! It is always a pleasure! Do I finally have the secrets to your own lovely golden tresses? Is that saffron or cinnabar I smell? I’m headed for the spice aisle right now!

The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn

~Praise for THE SERPENT AND THE PEARL

“Three compelling characters weave a tangled trajectory through the life and politics of 15th-century Rome.  Carmelina’s sharp tongue, Leonello’s caustic wit, and Giulia’s unconditional good humor in the face of danger play off each other beautifully to create another riveting novel from Kate Quinn.”

– Historical Novels Review, August 2013

 Buy Kate’s Books

Twitter  |  Website and Blog  |  Goodreads  |  Facebook

Not just any author, the talented Susan Spann, here to talk about her debut novel The Claws of the Cat, the first in her Shinobi Mysteries series. Why have I ventured out of my comfortable historical-cosmetics zone, you ask? Because Susan is special. We met in San Diego at the Historical Novel Society Conference in 2011, becoming instant friends and later writing group partners. As writers go, she is the real deal. The kind of writer who isn’t comfortable unless she writes every day, the disciplined kind who can focus on nothing but writing until she types “the end,” the talented kind who’s prose is always tight and fast paced. And, if my predictions prove correct, the kind of writer who will end up on bestseller lists everywhere. The book released July 16 and, based on reviews and early sales, she’s already off to a great start!

1) Susan, tell us about Claws of the Cat.

The inspiration for the series came as a single, unexpected thought: “Most ninjas commit murders, but Hiro Hattori solves them.”

Claws of the Cat is the first installment of the Shinobi Mystery Series featuring shinobi (an alternate word for ninja) detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Here’s the scoop:

Kyoto, 1565: When a samurai is brutally murdered in a Kyoto teahouse, master ninja Hiro Hattori has no desire to get involved. But the beautiful entertainer accused of the crime enlists the help of Father Mateo, the Portuguese Jesuit priest who Hiro is sworn to protect, leaving the master shinobi with just three days to find the killer and save the girl and the priest from the dead mans vengeful son.

The investigation plunges Hiro and Father Mateo into the dangerous waters of Kyotos floating world, where they quickly learn that everyone from the elusive teahouse owner to the dead man’s dishonored brother has a motive to keep the samurais death a mystery. A rare murder weapon favored by ninja assassins, a female samurai warrior, and a hidden affair leave Hiro with too many suspects and far too little time. Hiro must use his ninja skills in a secret mission designed to reveal the assassins identity and save the Jesuit from execution. But the mission uncovers a host of secrets that threaten not only Father Mateo and the teahouse, but the very future of Japan.

2) You studied Japanese history and culture in college. Can you tell me something about how you became interested in Japanese Studies?

My interest in Japanese culture sprang from a book I never read. My seventh grade history syllabus included a book called Through Japanese Eyes, which we were supposed to study at the end of the second semester. The class ran long, and we never got to read Through Japanese Eyes, but the title haunted me for years, along with the idea that I could study a culture by trying to see “through the eyes” of its own people.

When I started college, I immersed myself in the history, culture, and languages of China and Japan. My studies focused on the Warring States period in China and on medieval Japan – the period when the shoguns “ruled” the country. The more I learned about Japan, the more its dangerous history and vivid culture drew me in. I’m delighted that my novels allow me to share, and expand on, this lifelong fascination.

3) I’m ashamed to admit I know little about Japanese history. But because of research I did on the Portuguese enfanta Catherine of Braganza (a supporting character in my novel Girl on the Golden Coin), I know Portugal was the first western nation able to enter serious trade with Japan. Father Mateo, the Portuguese priest in Claws of the Cat, is apparently ministering in Japan while his merchant buddies do some local business. This is a significant moment in world history, and I suspect a lot is going on behind the scenes that you haven’t elaborated yet. Can you talk about it more without giving away future plot secrets?

The Portuguese first landed Japan in 1543, and Jesuit missionary activities started there in earnest in 1549. Before that, Japan had little contact with the Western world (by choice). 95 Jesuits worked in Japan between 1543 and 1600, making Father Mateo a fictitious member of a small but well-documented group.

The Shogun attempted to expel Christian missionaries from Japan in 1587, and many Japanese warlords tortured and persecuted priests during the later part of the 16^th century.

The second half of the 16^th century also represented the height of shinobi (ninja) activity in Japan, and a time when the shogunate changed hands with startling frequency. In fact, the second Shinobi Mystery centers around a plot to assassinate Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who did, in fact, die in June 1565.

Setting my series in a period of social and political upheaval created both a dramatic backdrop and the opportunity to weave exciting historical moments (and people) into the Shinobi novels.

4) Ok, WOW! I’m seeing lots of fodder for future novels and am even more excited for future installments. But you know I like to talk about historical cosmetics on this blog. Ladies might assume a Shinobi Murder Mystery with male protagonists lacks beautifying elements. But there are soft touches that female readers will love. Your penchant for using flowers, the elegance of a female suspect, and, my favorite, Hiro’s hair. I’m nuts about Hiro. Please elaborate on how he cares for and styles that gorgeous hair of his!

During the medieval period, most samurai men and women visited professional hairdressers at least once a week (and sometimes more!). Samurai men wore their hair long, with a shaven pate. The hair on top and at the back of the head was worn in a special folded topknot called chonmage. Although some people could fix the chonmage themselves, samurai who could afford a hairdresser usually had their hair “professionally styled” about once a week.

To prepare the chonmage, the hairdresser brushed and oiled the samurai’s hair, sometimes with expensive scented oils. Then he (hairdressing was an almost exclusively male profession during this era) fastened the hair in a tail on top of the samurai’s head and folded the tail back and forth from front to back. Once the hair was folded neatly, the hairdresser secured the folded hair with a second band (usually made from cloth or leather), creating the distinctive chonmage knot on top of the samurai’s head.

Since the knot would come undone if handled or pushed, samurai often slept with wooden “neck rests” instead of pillows, to preserve the hairstyle as long as possible.

In many ways, medieval Japanese samurai were as fussy about their hair as any modern man – or woman – might be today!

Thank you so much, Marci, for hosting me today! It was great fun to talk with you about Claws of the Cat and medieval Japan!

Thank you, Susan, it has been a pleasure! Readers, check Susan’s website for more information at http://www.susanspann.com/