Realm
Alexandrea Weis
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: May 14th 2019
Genres: Historical, Young Adult
Alexandrea Weis
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: May 14th 2019
Genres: Historical, Young Adult
Based on a true story.
When her homeland is conquered by the mighty Alexander the Great, Roxana—the daughter of a mere chieftain—is torn from her simple life and thrown into a world of war and intrigue.
Terrified, the sixteen-year-old girl of renowned beauty is brought before the greatest ruler the world has ever known. Her life is in his hands; her future his to decide.
Without formal education or noble blood, Roxana is chosen by the Greek conqueror to be his bride. Soon she comes to know profound happiness and unyielding desire in her warrior’s arms.
However, being the king’s consort comes at a heavy price. To survive her husband’s treacherous kingdom, she must endure continuous warfare, deadly plots, jealous rivals, victory-hungry generals, and the stigma of being a barbarian. Persian blood will keep her from claiming the grandest title of all—queen—but her reign will seal the fate of an empire.
History tells his story. This is hers.
Guest Post
Topic: What was your favorite
part about researching/writing Roxana's story?
I absolutely adore history, especially
ancient history, so writing Realm was a work of love for me. The research
element of it was fascinating. Learning how to entwine the past with fiction
has been a passion and for me, the most thrilling part of writing any
historical piece. Research is essential for writing any novel and giving it an
authentic feel. Even modern-day stories need some research if to get the facts
and images of a city down to engulf the reader. But historical novels do take
your study to a much higher level, and you also have to be keenly aware that in
writing your tale about any historical person, you also have an opportunity to
educate your readers about the past. I find the best teaching comes when a
story goes along with the lesson, and writing historical fiction is no
different. For a reader to feel a part of the story, they have to be sent back
into the past. But how does one go about conducting such in-depth research?
Wikipedia does not tell you everything you need to know. You have to dig deep
into books on the past, actual books because many ancient historical texts are
not online. I have amassed quite a collection of books about Alexander the
Great, and I dove into those to find the facts I needed. But when writing such
fiction, you do have to embellish and add to the elements of history to create
a tale that will keep the reader engaged. And you have to take license to
address certain issues not known to history. For instance, much about Roxana’s
life is s mystery. Her looks, day-to-day life, and even how she died is, at
best, a guess. We do know where she is buried, however. Many believe her ashes,
and those of her son Alexander Aegus were found at Vergina in Northern Greece.
Because she was cremated, we will never know how she died, but because I wanted
to make her story accurate to the violent times in which she lived, I gave her
the demise I envisioned her enemies inflicting. In the end, research can take
you so far in writing books such as Realm. The rest requires a great deal of imagination.
Author Bio:
Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author of over twenty-seven novels, a screenwriter, ICU Nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers Association, Weis writes mystery, suspense, thrillers, horror, crime fiction, and romance. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.
Sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteSounds good
ReplyDelete