Good
things come in Threes
Or
Why
I was foolish enough to not stop at one book in The Lydiard Chronicles
By
Elizabeth St.John
Ever thought of
the origin of “Good things come in threes?” Apparently, the phrase came out of
the tradition of oral storytelling, where narrators found the cadence of threes
pleasing to the audience and memorable to retell. Three Billygoats Gruff.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears. And The Three Musketeers. There’s a certain
satisfaction to the rhythm of the phrasing of threes.
And, in storytelling,
folklorists observe that events are often stated three times, so they can be
negated twice and repeated a third. Think of Rumpelstiltskin and his three days
of spinning. Or the Love of Three Oranges, where only the third was the magic
solution.
Take it a step
further. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Stop. Look. Listen. Or a
Mars a day helps you work, rest and play. (OK, so that one is an ad slogan.
Still memorable.)
When I first
discovered Lucy Hutchinson’s memoirs and notebooks, I knew I wanted to write
her story. The biographical fragment within contained such a rich account of
her life and family, it would easily fill a novel. And so I wrote The Lady of
the Tower, which narrates the extraordinary life of her mother, Lucy St.John.
About half way through I realized I was never going to fit everything I wanted
to explore into one book, and so make the decision to end it chronologically on
the eve of the English Civil War.
So here goes the
second book, By Love Divided, which tells of the devastating and uplifting
panorama of England at war with itself. The story brings you into the lives of
the people who fought so strongly for their beliefs a new commonwealth was born
from their strife. Only about half way through I realized there was a lot more
to tell than just a war story. There was the emergence of women’s’ voices, the
politics of change, and how love truly does conquer all. This book ended at the
capture of King Charles I, and the expectation from my family that life would
resume. A new normal, perhaps, but recognizable.
And then I started writing the third book. Obviously I had carefully planned a trilogy from the very first word in The Lady of the Tower (not.) But this book nagged at me. The execution of a monarch. Government by parliament. Military rule. An exiled prince. A restoration of the throne. And what ultimate price did my family pay for their role in England’s future? All fascinating stories to be explored.
So, in the true
rule of threes, I’m excited to release the third book in The Lydiard
Chronicles, Written in their Stars, in November. And here go the “threes”
again. This novel follows the story of three women in my family who lived
through these times, and not only through their husbands but through their own
actions, changed history.
I hope you’ll
enjoy spending time with Luce Hutchinson, Frances Apsley and Nan Wilmot. The
rebel. The courtier. The spymistress. Who hold the fate to their families — and
England’s future — in their hands.
Written in their
Stars will be released November 19th, 2019, along with updated
editions of The Lady of the Tower and By Love Divided containing expanded
author’s notes.
The Lady Of The Tower
Orphaned Lucy St.John, described as "the
most beautiful of all," defies English society by carving her own path
through the decadent Stuart court. In 1609, the early days of the rule of James
I are a time of glittering pageantry and cutthroat ambition, when the most
dangerous thing one can do is fall in love . . . or make an enemy of Frances
Howard, the reigning court beauty. Lucy catches the eye of the Earl of Suffolk,
but her envious sister Barbara is determined to ruin her happiness. Exiling
herself from the court, Lucy has to find her own path through life, becoming
mistress of the Tower of London. Riding the coattails of the king’s favorite,
the Duke of Buckingham, the fortunes of the St.Johns rise to dizzying heights.
But with great wealth comes betrayal, leaving Lucy to fight for her
survival—and her honor—in a world of deceit and debauchery. Elizabeth St.John
tells this dramatic story of love, betrayal, family bonds and loyalty through
the eyes of her ancestor Lucy and her family’s surviving diaries, letters and
court papers.
By
Love Divided
Fiercely independent, Luce Apsley rejects the
dazzling English court and an arranged marriage by her aristocratic family, and
falls in love with a Roundhead soldier. Desperate to rebuild their lives, her
mother embraces the Puritan cause and yet Luce’s beloved brother, Sir Allen
Apsley, chooses to fight for king and joins the gallant Royalists. As England
marches into civil war, Luce embraces Parliament's radical views and challenges
the very core of the family's beliefs. When their influential Villiers cousins
raise the stakes, King Charles demands a loyalty of Allen that could jeopardize
them all. Allen and Luce face a devastating challenge. Will war unite or divide
them? In the dawn of England’s rebellion, love is the final battleground.
Elizabeth St.John
Elizabeth St.John was brought up in England and lives in California. To inform her writing, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Nottingham Castle, Lydiard Park, and Castle Fonmon to the Tower of London. Although the family sold a few castles and country homes along the way (it's hard to keep a good castle going these days), Elizabeth's family still occupy them - in the form of portraits, memoirs, and gardens that carry their imprint. And the occasional ghost. But that's a different story...
Thanks so much for having me on your lovely blog, Mary Anne! Always a pleasure to visit you.
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