Advance Reader Copies of GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN

This means my publisher is now sending review copies out to bloggers and trade reviewers…so on second thought…maybe I’m nervous about it!!! Actually, I’ve been so focused on my new novel, that I just realized my publisher has ALSO set up a giveaway on Goodreads! If you’re interested, hop over and enter to win one of fifty free copies! Good luck!

Girl on the Golden Coin, a Novel of Frances Stuart

My very first novel is about the seventeenth century beauty who rejected three kings and graced England’s coins for generations as the model for Britannia. It will release February 11, 2014 from Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin’s Press. But I’m in the mood to celebrate this triumphant cover right now! Pre-order before the end of the week and comment on this blog post for a chance to win a pair of sterling-silver pearl-drop earrings like the ones Frances wears on the cover (be prepared to present your receipt).

FIND IT HERE:

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Amazon

Goodreads

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

Impoverished and exiled to the French countryside after the overthrow of the English Crown, Frances Stuart survives merely by her blood-relation to the Stuart Royals. But in 1660, the Restoration of Stuart Monarchy in England returns her family to favor. Frances discards threadbare gowns and springs to gilded Fontainebleau Palace, where she soon catches King Louis XIV’s eye. But Frances is no ordinary court beauty, she has Stuart secrets to keep and people to protect. The king turns vengeful when she rejects his offer to become his Official Mistress. He banishes her to England with orders to seduce King Charles II and stop a war.

Armed in pearls and silk, Frances maneuvers through the political turbulence of Whitehall Palace, but still can’t afford to stir a scandal. Her tactic to inspire King Charles to greatness captivates him. He believes her love can make him an honest man and even chooses Frances to pose as Britannia for England’s coins. Frances survives the Great Fire, the Great Plague, and the debauchery of the Restoration Court, yet loses her heart to the very king she must control. Until she is forced to choose between love or war.

On the eve of England’s Glorious Revolution, James II forces Frances to decide whether to remain loyal to her Stuart heritage or, like England, make her stand for Liberty. Her portrait as Britannia is minted on every copper coin. There she remains for generations, an enduring symbol of Britain’s independent spirit and her own struggle for freedom.

ADVANCE PRAISE

“In her wonderfully evocative debut, Girl on the Golden Coin, Marci Jefferson recreates the fascinating story of Frances Stuart, whose influence over England’s Charles II became the talk of a nation. As vibrant and delightful as the woman it’s based on, Girl on the Golden Coin is a jewel of a novel!”

—Michelle Moran, national bestselling author of The Second Empress and Madame Tussaud

“Beauty is not always a blessing, as young Frances Stuart finds out when her lovely face pits her between the desires and politics of rival kings Louis XIV and Charles II. Frances makes an appealing heroine, by turns wary and passionate, sophisticated and innocent, as she matures from destitute young pawn to the majestic duchess whose figure would grace Britain’s coins for centuries. Her struggles to support her loved ones, uncover her family secrets, and somehow find a life of her own amid the snake-pit courts of the Sun King and the Merry Monarch make for lively, entertaining reading in this lush Restoration novel by debut author Marci Jefferson.”

—Kate Quinn, national bestselling author of Mistress of Rome

“Girl on the Golden Coin is a fantastic novel. I couldn’t put it down. The plot is fast-paced and compelling, with intriguing characters, lush settings and captivating narrative voice. Jefferson’s debut paints an intriguing portrait of Frances Stuart, a novel worthy of the determined, golden spirit of the woman whose face became the model for Britannia herself.”

—Susan Spann, author of Claws of the Cat

“Girl on the Golden Coin is a sexy, exciting tale featuring vivid characters, rich historical detail, scintillating court intrigue, and a complexly rendered heroine in Frances Stuart, Maid of Honor to the Queen of England, who will capture the reader’s heart — as will the man she loves, that rascal King Charles II.”

– Sherry Jones, author, FOUR SISTERS, ALL QUEENS

Marci Jefferson’s Lavender Sachets: three tablespoons of dried lavender buds and five drops of lavender essential oil

But I’m not the only one entranced by lavender’s heady charms. Ancient Roman soldiers supposedly used it to perfume their bathwater. They are the ones likely responsible for importing it in 200 BC to England, where tourists still love to buy bars of lavender soap. Around 40 AD the Greek physician Pedanius Discordes wrote De Materia Medica, and proclaimed lavender to be “like Hyssop, good for griefs in the thorax. It is also mingled profitably with Antidotes.” His botanical wisdom was quoted up through the seventeenth century, when the English followed the example set by the Stuart Royals and used lavender in perfumes. Look for more about that in posts to come!

Personally, one of my favorite uses for lavender is in linen drawer sachets. I belong to a group of lady writers who have become very dear friends over the last year; they comfort through disappointments, cheer through victories. One of them is handy at the pottery wheel, and sent me a delightful tea mug. The only payment she requested was that I pay the shipping cost forward. So I distributed the sachets above to everyone in the group. It was an appropriate gift, I think, to give soothing lavender to my comforting friends.