I'm going to the Historical Novels Conference next week; here's the pitch I'm preparing for the editor at St. Martin's Press:
High concept: On opposite sides of a war, a man and a woman find love in 12th C Spain.
Preamble: I have a completed 100,000-word historical romance novel set in 12th Century Spain at the time of the Reconquista, when the Christians were pushing Saracens out. Concurrently, the Cathar sect and the Catholic Church were also at war.
The “elevator pitch”: DAMASCENE ROSE is a love story between two people on opposite sides of conflicting forces, played out against the vibrant Moorish culture of 12th century Spain.
Story: A young Catholic novice, Malenda de Balanguer, is rescued from an angry Cathar mob by Saracen warlord Barik ibn Hassam. When her abbey is torched by the Cathars, Malenda flees to the Saracen’s fortress where she comes to appreciate Moorish culture and falls in love with Barik.
When Christian forces attack the fortress, Malenda is torn between her Catholic world and the Arab she loves; en route to safety in the north, she is kidnapped by a Spanish count who intends to wed her against her will. Again, she is rescued by Barik, and they marry. As was common in that time, Malenda retains her Catholic faith and he holds to his Muslim tradition.
They then flee south to Granada, which becomes the center of a peacefully blended Moorish, Christian, and Jewish civilization for the next 300 years. Known as the center of the Golden Age of Spain, Granada did not fall until 1492.
The author, Lynna Banning, has a background in history, specializing in the medieval period, and is also a musician who performs Sephardic and other medieval music. She has published 17 historical romance novels to date with Harlequin Mills & Boon.
High concept: On opposite sides of a war, a man and a woman find love in 12th C Spain.
Preamble: I have a completed 100,000-word historical romance novel set in 12th Century Spain at the time of the Reconquista, when the Christians were pushing Saracens out. Concurrently, the Cathar sect and the Catholic Church were also at war.
The “elevator pitch”: DAMASCENE ROSE is a love story between two people on opposite sides of conflicting forces, played out against the vibrant Moorish culture of 12th century Spain.
Story: A young Catholic novice, Malenda de Balanguer, is rescued from an angry Cathar mob by Saracen warlord Barik ibn Hassam. When her abbey is torched by the Cathars, Malenda flees to the Saracen’s fortress where she comes to appreciate Moorish culture and falls in love with Barik.
When Christian forces attack the fortress, Malenda is torn between her Catholic world and the Arab she loves; en route to safety in the north, she is kidnapped by a Spanish count who intends to wed her against her will. Again, she is rescued by Barik, and they marry. As was common in that time, Malenda retains her Catholic faith and he holds to his Muslim tradition.
They then flee south to Granada, which becomes the center of a peacefully blended Moorish, Christian, and Jewish civilization for the next 300 years. Known as the center of the Golden Age of Spain, Granada did not fall until 1492.
The author, Lynna Banning, has a background in history, specializing in the medieval period, and is also a musician who performs Sephardic and other medieval music. She has published 17 historical romance novels to date with Harlequin Mills & Boon.
1 Comments:
When can I read the book? I LOVE medieval Spain! I do hope St Martin's accepts it.