Showing results by author "Melissa Addey" in All Categories

China, the 1720s. Giuseppe Castiglione, a promising and ambitious Italian painter, is recruited by the Jesuits to serve the Emperor of China. But his painting style is rejected as inauspicious. Meanwhile, Niuhuru, a grey-eyed, too-tall girl is chosen as a concubine to a minor prince and sent to live in the Garden of Perfect Brightness, where Giuseppe meets her when he is tasked with turning the Garden into a wonderland for the Qianlong Emperor. But as the Garden changes and Niuhuru is swept upwards to ever-greater importance, is something precious being lost?

China, 1700s. Lady Qing has spent the past seven years languishing inside the high red walls of the Forbidden City. Classed as an honored lady, a lowly ranked concubine, Qing is neglected by the emperor, passed over for more ambitious women. But when a new concubine, Lady Ying, arrives, Qing’s world is turned upside down.

Eighteenth-century China. Ula Nara is a happy 16-year-old, in love and betrothed. But before she can be married, she must attend the Imperial Daughters’ Draft, where concubines are chosen for the Emperor and his family. When she is chosen as a bride to the heir to the throne, Ula Nara must face a lifetime of regret while her sweetheart vows to become a monk. Determined to make her pain worth something, Ula Nara aims for the pinnacle of success: to become Empress. But perhaps being an Empress is not worth as much as she thought, and happiness may lie in the simpler things.

The city of Kairouan in Tunisia, 1020. Hela has powers too strong for a child - both to feel the pain of those around her and to heal them. But when she is given a mysterious cup by a slave woman, its powers overtake her life, forcing her into a vow she cannot hope to keep. Trapped by her vow, Hela loses one chance after another to love and be loved. Meanwhile, in her household, a child is growing into a woman who will become famous throughout the Muslim world.

The emperor has plans for gladiatorial games on a scale no one has ever seen before. But the games don’t just happen. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius. Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time - and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.

11th-century North Africa. Kella is a girl disguised as a boy, traveling the trade routes and beating all comers in the camel races. When her true identity is revealed, she is sent home to the family desert camp to be taught women’s skills. But Kella yearns for her freedom and the excitement of life on the road, and when a mighty army sets out on a holy mission, she risks marriage to its general, Yusuf. While Yusuf conquers the whole of North Africa, Kella finds herself a rival to his infamous queen consort, Zaynab, a powerful and jealous woman.

Eleventh century, Northern Spain. Isabella has been a nun in the Christian kingdom of Galicia since she was a child, a gifted herbalist leading a quiet and spiritual life, devoted to God. But on a rare journey outside of the convent, she is taken by Viking raiders and sold to Morocco as a slave. Cruelly treated by her first owner, salvation comes from an unlikely source: Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of a vast Muslim army intent on conquering all of North Africa. Isabella must struggle not only to survive her new life but to hold true to her faith, which is tested by great dangers...

When foundling Maggie takes a job caring for Edward, she knows him only as a young man declared mad and kept privately under the care of a physician to avoid any scandal for his family. But Edward is the heir to the Duke of Buckingham and when his father dies his family determine to marry him off to secure the title and the estate. Edward insists that Maggie stay by his side, so she must be passed off as a lady for one social season, during which time a marriage can be arranged.

Creating your own merchandise can bring in income and engage your audience as well as giving you the creative edge at literary events and festivals.

They’ve been engaged since they were children, so he sees no need to woo her. She wants a love match and is determined to find an alternative suitor. Perhaps a Christmas trapped together in snowy London will change both their minds. Lord Comerford has returned from the navy to claim his title, but ton life appears shallow after active service and the woman he has been promised to since birth seems a frivolous child, only interested in parties and clothes.

Commuting is bad for you. Really bad for you. If you commute for more than 45 minutes a day in each direction, you are more likely to be overweight, suffer from anxiety, stress, depression and social isolation. You are more likely to sleep badly and be exhausted, have high blood sugar (which could lead to diabetes), high blood pressure and cholesterol (which could lead to heart attacks) and experience neck and back pain. You may have lower life satisfaction and happiness than people who do not commute. Oh, and you are 40 percent more likely to get divorced.

Storytelling in business works. It enhances memory, enthusiasm, and commitment in listeners. But where do you get the stories from and when should you use them? The Storytelling Entrepreneur was developed during workshops and one-to-ones held by business consultant and author Melissa Addey with real-life entrepreneurs at the British Library’s Business & IP Centre.

When her mother falls ill, brave Kameko sets off on a journey to bring back the jewel from the Monkey-King’s crown, known for its healing properties. Along the way she is helped by both people and kindly divinities, but will the Monkey-King give up his jewel so easily? Kameko and the Monkey-King is a magical story, showing that courage and kindness bring unexpected gifts.

A false prophecy leads to the rise of a great empire...and a dangerous queen. Eleventh century North Africa. In an attempt to change her destiny, love-struck Zaynab makes a false prophecy: That she is destined to marry a man who will create an empire. Although her plan backfires, Zaynab’s intelligence, beauty, and ambition leads to four marriages, each lifting her status higher. When Zaynab becomes the queen of Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of the Almoravid army creating an empire stretching across North Africa and Spain, her status finally seems secured.

He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience. She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all. Fate has other plans in store for them both. Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of the ton, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.