Four Stars From the 'British Weekly'

Very excited to share that The Tapestry received four stars from the publication The British Weekly.

"Bilyeau is masterful in creating details that move the narrative story forward and in creating real dilemmas for Joanna Stafford in this book. Bilyeau’s words transport the reader back to the English court at a time when you had to be careful what you said or risk losing your head. The author Bilyeau tries to strike a balance between the politics the King Henry VIII’s court and Joanna’s personal life. For the third book, you don’t have to read the first two books in the series, but it makes more sense if you do...."

To read the rest, go here.

Recap of Wolf Hall, Episode 6 "Master of Phantoms"

What’s easy to miss in Wolf Hall is that, during his lifetime, Thomas Cromwell was feared. In the television series, based on Hilary Mantel’s two novels, Cromwell has shown himself, up until Episode 6, as both intelligent and cunning, with an easy familiarity with corruption. He has been a crook as well as a lawyer; he knows how to outsmart people. Still, he loves his family, he supports religious reform, he likes to cuddle kittens. This man is a Machiavellian with a heart of gold.


To read the rest on medievalists.net, go here.

Guest Posting on NunBlog

I'm honored that Sister Anne of the Daughters of St. Paul asked me to post on her website about my series of novels.

She wrote:

"A few weeks ago, I mentioned the TV series "Wolf Hall" and its inaccurate presentation of St Thomas More, recommending a series of novels set in the same time frame that offer a very different (and more true to life) perspective. Today NunBlog is honored to welcome author Nancy Bilyeau, Twitter's @TudorScribe, as a guest blogger":

To read the guest post on nunblog.com, go here.

A Review from Mystery People

I'm delighted that the UK crime fiction group Mystery People has reviewed The Tapestry. This is a wonderful group that posts reviews and events and shines the light on authors' work! Here is the review on the website of Lizzie Hayes, who also runs the blog Promoting Crime Fiction:


"....Nancy Bilyeau has woven a most complicated tapestry as Joanne picks her way through the court intrigues, trying to keep clear of the whims of the awful Henry, and away from the clutches of the nasty Thomas Cromwell. Ingeniously plotted, the book makes for gripping reading, portraying a young woman struggling to keep her sanity and beliefs during a most appalling period of British history."

For the full review, go here.

Recap of Wolf Hall, Episode 5, "Crows"

He asked me if I would look kindly on him, if he were to write me a poem, for instance. I said yes." Henry VIII finally makes it to Wolf Hall, plus the king's famous jousting accident and the Boleyns become "desperate and dangerous."


To read the full recap, go here.

The Strange and Beautiful World of Tapestries

In the year 1540, in the city of Brussels, a team of men worked indefatigably at their workshop looms. Using wool, silk and the most exquisite--and astoundingly costly--threads of gold and silver gilt, they wove the story of Hercules, a demi-god of ancient Greece, for the pleasure of a man who had made himself the head of the church of England and may well have considered himself close to a god: King Henry VIII.


The drawing they placed on the looms to guide the weave was created in the school of Raphael. Born Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, he is the third artist in the triumvirate of Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo--the High Renaissance geniuses. Befriended by Pope Leo X (who excommunicated Martin Luther), Raphael produced transformative paintings such as The Madonna of the Meadow. In 1516 Raphael created 10 drawings of St. Peter and St. Paul that were to become tapestries to hang in the Sistine Chapel. He died in 1520 of a fever supposedly following a night of vigorous sex with his mistress.

Read the full post on tapestries  here