|
Author
I was born in Miami, Florida, in 1944. The daughter of an airline pilot, Robert Zentner, my family lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for five years, then Miami again for a few years before settling in my mother's hometown of Berkeley, California.
In the fall of 1970 I accepted a one-year contract to teach Grade Two in an Inuit village in northern Labrador, Canada—an amazing experience. After, I worked as a book editor for publishers in Toronto.
In 1977 I married Canadian Richard Gulland, manager of a manufacturing company. A daughter and son were born, and in 1980 we moved to a log cabin near Killaloe (population 600), in northern Ontario, where I started Words &, an editorial and writing service, and my husband started a high-quality outdoor clothing and equipment company. We enrolled the children in a parent-run alternative school and eventually I became volunteer principal.
I handled promotion (and played clown) for the annual Killaloe Craft & Community Fair. Together with a friend, I started a community newsletter, "The Community News & Confuse," circulation 150. All the while I was growing vegetables—or, rather, trying to grow vegetables—raising chickens and pigs, and developing an unruly addiction for horses.
Meanwhile, and always, writing ...
My consuming interest in Josephine Bonaparte and the Napoleonic era was sparked in 1972 when I read a biography of Josephine. Decades of research followed. I began the fictional biography of Josephine in January, 1990. In-depth research required knowledge of French, which I continue to study on an on-going basis. As well, I traveled to France, Italy and Martinique, and consulted with period scholars.
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., the first novel in what evolved to be the trilogy, was published by HarperCollins Canada in May, 1995, to excellent reviews. (Which surprised me.) It was followed in 1998 by Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe and The Last Great Dance on Earth in 2000. The Josephine B. Trilogy has sold over a million worldwide, and is now published in thirteen languages and in fifteen countries.
Napoleon said that he conquered countries, but that Josephine conquered hearts—and she continues to do so!
In 2000, I began researching and writing a novel set in 17th century France, at the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King. It was a long process.
The story of Louise de la Vallière, the Sun King's mistress, Mistress of the Sun was published by HarperCollins Canada on February 23, 2008, and immediately went onto the bestseller list. (Believe me, this is exciting!) It was published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. June 3, in Germany and the Czech Republic the following year, followed by Serbia, Hungary, Russia and Turkey. A French edition has been published in Quebec, Canada.
I am now writing another novel set in the fascinating Court of the Sun King. This novel is about Claude des Oeillets, a woman who, as hand-maid to divas (her mother the theatrical star, Madame de Montespan, the King's mistress), had an intimate view into three fascinating worlds of the period. The first was the world of the theatre—Corneille! Racine! Molière! The second was the world of the Court of the magnificent Sun King (the father of her daughter, I should add). And, last, but very nearly fatally for her—the world of Black Magic.
For more on how this novel continues to evolve, be sure to read my blogs, Notes on the Writing Life and Baroque Explorations, a blog on research into this period.
........................
Related Links:
My entry in Wikipedia
I use Wikipedia constantly and am pleased to have an entry in it.
"Heroine of a Golden Age"
This interview accurately captures the challenges of writing Mistress of the Sun,
The January Magazine interview
I know it sounds strange, but it took me a while to figure out that I was writing historical fiction.
The PBS miniseries on Napoleon
I'm proud to have been invited to be one of the "featured historians" for the PBS miniseries on Napoleon. It was a great honor. I was in such distinguished company!
The Writers' Union of Canada: my author page
Juggling children, a dog, three cats, pigs, chickens and a succession of horses ...
Also: articles by and about me (scroll down).
........................
A video inteview, some of it in gown (of course!), in which I talk about how I came to be a writer:
Back
to top.