Shakespearean Times...

Or, how love of the Bard made me write a novel

Only In Your Arms

By Tracy Cozzens

Available from Kensington Publishing, ISBN: 0-8217-6530-2

1998 Golden Heart Winning Historical Romance

A COMMONER'S DESIRE

On behalf of his aristocratic best friend, Marcus Sinclair had agreed to woo the beguiling Lady Judith Ashton away from her fiancé. But the moment he gazed into her eyes, Marcus himself was smitten. Knowing a lowly thespian could never claim her fair hand, he faced the performance of his career—to feign utter disinterest in a regal beauty who, with the slightest touch, could arouse a tempest within him.

A NOBLEWOMAN'S LONGING

When the gallant Shakespearean actor rescued her from one loveless betrothal only to deliver her into another, Judith resigned herself to the upcoming nuptials. After all, she could hardly forsake her family by running off with a rogue like Marcus. Besides, he scarcely seemed aware of the forbidden feelings he had awakened in her. But then they shared one night together—one passionate midsummer night that would have to last them a lifetime…

In the tradition of the Academy Award winning movie, "Shakespeare in Love," Only In Your Arms brings to life Shakespeare's theater in Elizabethan England, but comes with a happy ending! The story features two pairs of mixed-up lovers in the tradition of the Bard. Murder, deception and betrayal spice the plot. Set in England in 1601, "Only In Your Arms" tells the tale of one of the original Shakespearean actors.

Reviewers rave...

"FIVE STARS. Run, do not walk, to get this book! Ms Cozzens has written a story that even The Bard would be proud of. Reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet this is a love story that not only entertains but will keep you enthralled till the last page is turned. I laughed, I moaned, I cried right up to the amazing ending."—Maureen Boylan, Scribes World Reviews

"Gifted author Tracy Cozzens has penned an imaginative and triumphant story of star-crossed lovers, set in the opulent Elizabethan era. A truly enjoyable romantic read!"—Susan Wiggs

"Only In Your Arms by Tracy Cozzens is a stunning tapestry of Elizabethan England, peopled with delightful and enchanting characters. Don't miss it!"—Deb Stover

"Ms. Cozzens is a real find."—Romantic Times

Why Shakespeare?

I've loved Shakespeare and the world of the Globe Theater ever since junior high and my first trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore. When I grew up, my husband and I made numerous return visits to the Festival to see Shakespeare performed live. In writing "Only In Your Arms," I've done my best to depict the original Shakespearean troupe—hardworking, low-paid entertainers who lived a rough, colorful existence with none of the respect we now heap on Shakespearean actors.

All of the actors mentioned in the story really lived, except for Marcus Sinclair and Alan Tremaine (interestingly, I learned after creating Marcus that there had been a Globe Theater actor by the name of Sinclair.) I felt an actor such as Marcus Sinclair—who in our day would most likely be a celebrity--deserved a little respect and, of course, true love.

This is my second book for Kensington Zebra. I love to hear from readers. E-mail me.

I'd like to share my fascination with Shakespeare's England...

It was a vibrant time in England's history, a flowering of discovery, exploration and, of course, art.

All the world's a stage...

In Only In Your Arms, our hero Marcus Sinclair works at the Globe Theater as a member of William Shakespeare's acting troupe.  

The year is 1601,  and unlike the reverence heaped on Shakespearean actors today, the young men who first brought Shakespeare's plays to life received precious little respect. Sure, they worked long hours, mastered difficult stunts and swordplay, and memorized parts in up to 30 different plays at once-all for less than the wages of the average laborer.

Yet respectable Elizabethan society considered actors little better than rogues, and London theaters hotbeds of crime and disease.

Marcus Sinclair dreams of raising the 50 pounds needed to buy part ownership in Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. In class-conscious Elizabethan England, he can aim no higher. Certainly he can never win the hand of a baron's daughter, despite an intense attraction between them.

You don't have to be familiar with Shakespeare's plays to enjoy "Only In Your Arms," but you might recognize a few of the Bard's favorite elements. Marcus and Judith suffer the slings and arrows of love at first sight when he rescues her from marriage to the reprehensible Viscount Mowbray, who plans to make Judith his fifth wife. Marcus is actually rescuing her for marriage to his friend Lord Richard, who seems more interested in seducing Judith's saucy maid Audrey. The two pairs of mixed-up lovers struggle to sort themselves out, despite their impossible desires. Like several of Shakespeare's heroines, Judith and Audrey disguise themselves as boys to meet the men for a garden tryst.

The story takes a dark turn when Marcus is punished for loving Judith, embroiling him in Lord Essex's attempt to steal the throne from Queen Elizabeth. "Between her father's attempts to thwart their love and marry her off to various noblemen, a beating, blackmail, Marcus' pride and a murder charge, their love is put to the test," says Scribes World reviewer Maureen Boylan, who gives "Only In Your Arms" five stars. The Bard himself makes an appearance to ensure a happy ending.

When writing, fate sometimes takes a hand. After I created Marcus Sinclair, I discovered there actually had been a Globe Theater actor named Sinclair. I know I like to think Marcus and Judith really lived and loved.

The song Marcus composes and sings to Judith is an actual 16th century song by an unknown artist. Here is the complete poem:

Come Away

"Come away, come, sweet love,
The golden morning wastes:
While the Sun from his sphere
His fiery arrows casts,
Making all the shadows fly,
Playing, staying, in the grove;
To entertain the stealth of love."

"Thither, sweet love, let us hie
Flying, dying in desire,
Winged with sweet hopes and heavenly fire.
Come away, come, sweet love."

God save the Queen...

Queen Elizabeth loved the theater. Shakespeare's troupe, the Chamberlain's Men, was under the patronage of  the Lord Chamberlain, was the queen's top advisor on matters of entertainment.

(The Chamberlain at the time, Lord Hunsdon, makes a cameo appearance in "Only In Your Arms," helping Marcus—or not.)

The comedies Shakespeare wrote between1595 and 1600 indirectly paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth by creating more important roles for women and giving many of them "feminist" voices. For instance, Rosalind in As You Like It playfully rebukes her suitor, Orlando, and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, who meets Benedick's "for truly I love none" with the retort, "I had rather hear my dob bark at a crow than a man swear he loved me." Judith's young maid, Aubrey, reflects this sharp-tongued type of woman.

A reflection of reality

When I began researching "Only In Your Arms," I soon learned the biggest challenge of writing historical fiction. How do I tell myown story, yet keep it true to the times? For fun, here are a few examples of events in my novel and the facts which inspired them:

The hero, Marcus, left the country when he was a youth to seek his fortune in London theater. Shakespeare himself had moved there from Stratford-upon-Avon in 1592. London was booming, and Marcus represents only one of thousands who moved to the city from the country to seek their fortunes. Under Henry VIII, who ruled from 1509 to 1547, the London population numbered 50,000 people. But under Queen Elizabeth, 200,000 were crammed inside the city walls. The overpopulated (and filthy) city was bursting with spectacle and wonder—and theater. It also seethed with crime. Marcus meets his best friend Richard when the young lord saves him from a cutthroat's knife.

Judith finds herself  lost in a hedge maze at the home of wicked Lord Mowbray, her betrothed. For his part, Marcus takes on the persona of a gardener to get close to the lovely noblewoman. Hedge mazes and gardens carefully laid out in geometric patterns were the rage in Elizabethan England, and no doubt influenced the setting of some of Shakespeare's plays, such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Meanwhile, country folk tried to cling to traditional celebrations such as May Day, despite the charges of "devil worship" from zealous Puritans. At one such May Day celebration, Judith finds herself free of the constraints of her nobility, and indulges in a taste of desire with Marcus.

Historically, the Puritans also managed to shut the theaters down, at least for short periods. The various London acting troupes, including Shakespeare's, were constantly fighting to keep them open.

To learn more about Shakespeare and his times, try these links:

For modern Hollywood treatments of Shakespeare's works see these entries from the Internet Movie Database:

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William Shakespeare was born in this house in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Tracy Cozzens © 2003 All Rights Reserved