Cynthia Haggard

Cynthia Haggard

About

Cynthia Sally Haggard was born and reared in Surrey, England. About 30 years ago she surfaced in the United States, inhabiting the Mid-Atlantic region as she wound her way through four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer, and novelist. 

 

Cynthia graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, in June 2015.

Her first novel, Thwarted Queen, a frustrating tale (hence the title) of Lady Cecylee (Cecily) Neville (1415-1495) who was nearly crowned Queen of England, was shortlisted for many awards, including the 2012 Eric Hoffer New Horizon Award for debut authors. To date, sales have surpassed 38,000 copies.

Her second novel, Farewell My Life, a Cinderella-ish tale with not-so-charming princes who inhabit the edgy setting of 1920s Berlin, won a Pinnacle Award (2019) and a Distinguished Favorite (New York City Big Book Awards, 2019).

 

When she’s not annoying everyone by insisting her fictional characters are more real than they are, Cynthia likes to go for long walks, knit something glamorous, cook in her wonderful kitchen, and play the piano. You can visit her at www.spunstories.com.

The Light of Reason (The Seekers Book 3)

The Light of Reason (The Seekers Book 3)

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<p><strong><em>“But what are we without dreams?”</em></strong></p><p>Orah and Nathaniel return home with miracles from across the sea, hoping to bring a better life for their people. Instead, they find the world they left in chaos.</p><p>A new grand vicar, known as the usurper, has taken over the keep and is using its knowledge to reinforce his hold on power.</p><p>Despite their good intentions, the seekers find themselves leading an army, and for the first time in a millennium, their world experiences the horror of war.</p><p>But the keepmasters’ science is no match for the dreamers, leaving Orah and Nathaniel their cruelest choice—face bloody defeat and the death of their enlightenment, or use the genius of the dreamers to tread the slippery slope back to the darkness.</p><h1><strong><em>THE LIGHT OF REASON</em> by David Litwack</strong></h1><p>Evolved Publishing presents the third book of &quot;The Seekers&quot; series, closing out the story started in the critically-acclaimed, multiple award-winning <em>The Children of Darkness</em>, and continued in the award-winning <em>The Stuff of Stars</em>. [DRM-Free]</p><h2><strong>Books by David Litwack:</strong></h2><ul><li><em>The Children of Darkness</em> (The Seekers - Book 1)</li><li><em>The Stuff of Stars</em> (The Seekers - Book 2)</li><li><em>The Light of Reason</em> (The Seekers - Book 3) [Coming November 28, 2016]</li><li><em>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</em></li><li><em>Along the Watchtower</em></li></ul><h2><strong>More Great Sci-Fi from Evolved Publishing:</strong></h2><ul><li><em>Red Death</em> by Jeff Altabef</li><li><em>Shroud of Eden</em> by Marlin Desault</li><li><em>The Jakkattu Vector</em> by P.K. Tyler</li></ul>

Story Behind The Book

I started to write this novel about Cecylee Neville when I heard that Michael K. Jones, a British historian, had been combing through the archives of Rouen cathedral and discovered that Cecylee's husband Richard of York was absent for 5 weeks during the summer of 1441. Nine months later, Cecylee's son Edward, who later became King Edward IV, was born. This piece of research seemed to give credence to the idea that Edward was illegitimate. I wrote the novel because I had a burning question: What on earth did Cecylee say to her husband when he returned home from fighting the French?

Reviews

<ul class="xoxo sidebar-list"><li class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"> <p>“THWARTED QUEEN is a gripping, well-researched historical novel, revealing a violent age. Cecylee and the other characters are well-drawn, with great subtlety and depth.&quot; Lindsay Townsend, author of TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT.</p> <p>&quot;The author immerses the reader in a complex and vivid world that is depicted with persuasive confidence.&quot; Curtis Sittenfeld, author of AMERICAN WIFE.</p> <p>&quot;THWARTED QUEEN is a wonderful novel to introduce Cecily Neville and historical biographical fiction to young female readers.&quot; Mirella Patzer, author of THE PENDANT.</p> <p>&quot;The characters in THWARTED QUEEN were very developed with great personality and really brought history to life.&quot; Star, from THE BIBLIOPHILIC BOOK BLOG.</p> <p>&quot;The pacing is phenomenal. THWARTED QUEEN is eminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. I anxiously await a second book&quot; Phillip Tang of PHILLIP TANG BOOK REVIEW BLOG.</p> </div> </li> </ul>