My Journey from Beinan to Britannia

Today my guest is author historian Laurel Rockefeller. I was intrigued when I “met” Laurel via email and she told me about her book. I was curious why she wrote about women in history. While it is a fascinating topic, I haven’t had any authors in that genre coming my way. So I was thrilled when Laurel said she would talk about it in her guest post. Read on!

March is Women’s History Month in the United States, a time when we reflect upon the achievements of women across world history and look to them as the role models they are.

So imagine my surprise this March when I conducted an informal poll asking people to name as many women as they could from world history, less than 5% of those asked could name five, let alone ten women from world history, including Queen Elizabeth I, reigning Queen Elizabeth II, or Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony from the American suffrage movement.

Alarmed, I did the only thing an author passionate about history could do: I sat down, researched, and wrote the first of my Legendary Women of World History Series biographies entitled, Boudicca: Britain’s Queen of the Iceni.

Why Boudicca? Honestly, I do not really know. Certainly as a medievalist and former member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, ancient British history was centuries out of my expertise. Perhaps the simplest answer is that Boudicca’s life of faith, courage, and conviction always spoke to me since first learning about her in both my history of England and my women’s history courses at the University of Nebraska.

History has always been my passion from childhood, my preference for true stories always trumping fairy tales. But in my writing, I always leaned towards science fiction and indeed expected to be known only for my Peers of Beinan political science fiction series which, while certainly grounded in my bachelor of arts in history, is still set in another galaxy, a setting facilitating my exploration of social issues.

Boudicca changed all that, transforming how I saw myself in the process from history hobbyist to a type of professional historian teaching not at a university but the public sphere. Following up Boudicca with book two, Catherine de Valois in June and spending this summer creating the audio edition for Boudicca with British actor Richard Mann has only intensified this personal and professional transformation from unsuccessful and largely ignored but skilled science fiction writer to a true historian using my gift for storytelling to ignite in others the passion I’ve always had for true stories told well.

Literature began with creative non-fiction, in our ancestors’ telling true stories about people and events happening long ago. Beowulf was, no doubt, one such story whose cultural references we have lost with time, as was I am certain the Iliad and the Odyssey, each of them told from the cultural point of view of each generation.

The stories I tell now in my Legendary Women of World History are, ultimately, a continuation of that tradition, one that feels natural to me as an American of Irish heritage, the old druid ways still burning brightly within.

It is time to re-discover history again, to learn the old stories and be inspired. I invite you on my journey through the past. I promise you will enjoy each adventure.

Synopsis for Boudicca

Why is The Morrígan’s raven crying? Only Britons with hearts for true liberty know!

In 43 CE Roman conquest of Britannia seems all but certain — until a chance meeting between King Prasutagus of the Iceni and a runaway slave of royal decent from the Aedui tribe in Gaul changes the fate of the British islands forever.

Rise up for liberty with the true story of Boudicca: Britain’s Queen of the Iceni and discover one of the most inspiring stories in history!

Based on the accounts of Roman historian Tacitus and supplemented with archaeology presented by the BBC. Told through the eyes of a 5th century mother and daughter facing the Saxon invasions.

For children and teens. Interactive kindle edition features optional study guide focusing on geography, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills.

USA Audible: http://tinyurl.com/AudibleBoudicca-USA

UK Audible: http://tinyurl.com/UKBoudiccaAudible
Kindle: http://viewBook.at/Boudiccakindle

SmashWords:  http://tinyurl.com/SmashBoudicca
Barnes and Noble:  http://tinyurl.com/NookBoudicca
iTunes:   http://tinyurl.com/itunesBoudicca-RM

iBookstore: http://tinyurl.com/iBookstore-Boudicca

Check out Laurel’s wonderful trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIoeN87IBN8

About Laurel Rockefeller

Born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska USA, author-historian Laurel A. Rockefeller educates while she entertains, encouraging readers to think about current events and history in a completely new way. Using exhaustive and comprehensive research across dozens of academic disciplines, Laurel’s stories come alive so vividly it is easy to forget you are learning something new.

Can it be any wonder that secondary school teacher Lorraine Carey calls Laurel’s Legendary Women of World History Series,

“…a gold mine for educators that want an all inclusive history unit?” Debb LaVoie agrees, “Laurel A. Rockefeller weaves a wonderful story.“

As a low vision author who lost most of her sight to a traumatic brain injury while in secondary school, Laurel is passionate about high quality audio books. London-born British actor and voice actor Richard Mann narrates Laurel’s audio book editions with superb performances complimentary to and enhancing Laurel’s powerful and vibrant creative non-fiction storytelling. Hear Mr. Mann in action on Audible at http://tinyurl.com/AudibleBoudicca-USA.

Students, educators, and parents: check out Laurel’s “suggested reading” bibliography list at the end of the kindle edition of each Legendary Women of World History Series book. You will also find useful study guides and/or timelines after the reading list designed to enhance your learning experience.