Ruth Hull Chatlien

Q: What are you working on?

A: I am in the rewrite and editing stage of the first four volumes of Part One (The Flame Ignites) of my serialized novel, A Wizard’s Life.

A Wizard’s Life is an adult, epic fantasy intended for those readers who grew up on J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling and Robert Jordan but who now seek fantasy with adult themes and content. The series is the autobiographical account of a master wizard, Götling Hans Velsing, beginning with his discovery of his talents and extending through his apprenticeship. In the midst of a global war against an army of undead and the threat of the return of an ancient evil, young Götling becomes the last hope of the Empire. As the Inquisition takes over his home after he is accused of being a witch, Götling must also deal with the consequences to a…

If you have managed to make it through fifth grade world history, you probably have heard the name Bonaparte at least once.

Most of us associate the Bonaparte name with the infamously small emperor with a big name: Napoleon Bonaparte.

But what of Napoleon’s younger brother? Is his a name one you can recall with certainty? Unlikely.

Jerome Bonaparte was supposed to make a diplomatic marriage according to Napoleon.

But when the ambitious Elizabeth “Betsy ” Patterson puts her mind to something, little can dissuade her.

Betsy was a prominent member of Baltimore society with ambitions and designs of her own. She dreamed that she would marry a man who would whisk her away to Europe and low an behold, Jerome Bonaparte is that man!

The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte , by Ruth Hull Chatlien, was a wonderfully enlightening read about a woman I knew little about, an American woman from Baltimore society that married Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother.  The title really does say it all, as Betsy Patterson, a young woman who always dreamed of marrying  into high society of Europe’s elite, doesn’t take any stops on her way of making a name for herself and enjoying life at French court.

However, even when most of it doesn’t work out to be pretty as a picture for her, we can admire her strength, motivation, perseverance, independence, and ingenuity. Betsy Bonaparte is thrilling to me. I admire a woman who goes after what she wants at all cost and doesn’t settle for what anyone tells her she should be content with. Of course, as this is based on a true story, I really admire the research…