Former Creative Writing MA student Gaby Pritchard returns to the University next month to launch her acclaimed debut novel, His Last Duchess (Little, Brown, 2010), published under the pen name Gabrielle Kimm.
The novel, a passionate love story inspired by a Robert Browning poem, was described by The Irish Times as a “a stunning debut, rich in historical detail, that explores women’s freedom, forbidden love and the passions and people of 16th century Tuscany and Ferrara”.
Gaby, who lives and works in rural West Sussex, graduated with Distinction from the University of Chichester, where, three years on, she still meets regularly with a writing group of fellow graduates.
Her launch event at the University of Chichester on 4 October will take place between 5.15pm-6.30pm in Cloisters Chamber. Entry is free, and open to all staff, students and members of the public. As well as answering questions from the audience, Gaby will read from her novel, which the magazine Now described as “so captivating you’ll wish you owned a lace bodice, waiting to be untied!’
His Last Duchess centres on the romantic ordeal of sixteen-year-old Lucrezia de’ Medici, whose marriage to the fifth Duke of Ferrara is fraught with difficulties from the start.
As the Duke’s problems grow, he begins to plot an unthinkable way to escape his problems… an escape which plunges his young bride into mortal danger.
Kate Furnivall, author of The Russian Concubine, praised Gaby for writing “with a charm that entices us into a world of intrigue and dark undertones. She creates a passionate love story that gets under your skin, intimate and touching, against a backdrop of danger and treachery. Her vivid portrayal of Medici life is rich and wonderfully imagined, as she draws a skilful portrait of a fascinating time and place.”
Gaby, a native of West Sussex, is married, with two teenage daughters and a grown up stepson. As well as writing, she teaches English and Drama part-time at secondary school level. She is currently working on her second novel, ‘The Courtesan's Choice’, which is nearing completion and is due out in 2011.
Visit her website at http://www.gabriellekimm.co.uk/.
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