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Ginny Christensen

Ginny Christensen

About

I am a California native, mother of two, work full time at a law firm, and write in the wee hours of the night. My published works include two children's picture books (Nicky's Nocturnal Octopus and Princess Andrea's Birthday Surprise). Mr. Maloof, There's No Place Like Home, is a Chapter Book that is out for submissions.

I also am working on two romance Novels, Unwrapped Secrets and In Search of, The Ultimate Reward.

I am a member of Romance Writers of America and Yosemite Romance Writers.

To find out more about me and my works, please visit my website (www.ginnymchristensen.com)

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

Story Behind The Book

This book was written for my daughter and is about a pet duck she used to have and the mischief it got into!

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Reviews

Princess Andrea's Birthday Surprise by Ginny Christensen is a heartwarming tale about what Andrea gets for her eighth birthday. I found this to be a really cute story for any little girl around the ages of 6 to 7 years old. Although there is a small editing issue I will be recommending this book to a school librarian that I know. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2JOQU0R62V1PD/ref=cm_pdp_pop_prof_name"><strong><font color="#003399">Carol Langstroth</font></strong></a> )<br /><br /><p><font face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Arial;">When Andrea woke up the morning of her birthday, she was so excited for her princess birthday party. When she got her present, a baby duck, she was overjoyed. Soon, however, the baby duck grew, and was causing problems. Saddened, Andrea knew it was time to set the duck free, but not before giving the duck a present. This children’s picture book, targeted for girls age four to eight, is told in a rhyming format. I’m not so sure about the duck as a gift, as a parent myself, I was wondering what her parents were thinking, but it demonstrated the boundaries of wildlife captivity on a child’s level. The illustrations were beautiful and the poetic format of the book flowed smoothly. I really loved the duck facts at the end of the book. Princess Andrea’s Birthday Surprise, is a sad, sweet, and memorable story for children.   </span></font></p><table class="MsoNormalTable" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="border-right:#000000 1pt solid;padding-right:3pt;border-top:#000000 1pt solid;padding-left:3pt;background:#3c4150;padding-bottom:3pt;border-left:#000000 1pt solid;padding-top:3pt;border-bottom:#000000 1pt solid;" bgcolor="#3c4150"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.authorkellymoran.com/nno-review.htm"><font color="#FFFFFF"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">Kelly Moran, Author &amp; Reviewer</span></font></a></span></font></strong></p><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><font color="#000000"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></font><p></p>