Edghill, India

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Edghill, India

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Home—Mid-Hudson Valley, NY Agent—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Librarian and writer. Worked as a temporary secretary in New York, NY, and at Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY, in the interlibrary loan department.

WRITINGS:

Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen, Xlibris (Philadelphia, PA), 2000.

File M for Murder: A Cornelia Upshaw and Fancy Mystery (fiction), Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2004.

Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba, (fiction), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2004.

Stories have appeared in numerous publications, including Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy and Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction; and in anthologies Catfantastic IV and Catfantastic V.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Two biblical historical novels: a prequel to Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen and Solomon and Sheba.

SIDELIGHTS: India Edghill could not find a publisher for her first novel, Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen. "The usual reaction was something like 'this is lovely, but we don't know how to sell a biblical novel in today's market,'" Edghill told Sara Nesbeitt in an article on the Historical Novel Society Web site. As a result, Edghill published the book herself through Xlibris and sent out free copies to editors and critics, which resulted in good reviews. The novel was subsequently published by St. Martin's and went on to be picked up by noted book clubs, including the Literary Guild and the Book of the Month Club.

Queenmaker retells the biblical story of King David through the life of his little-known wife, Queen Michal. Basing the story on a few lines in the Bible, Edghill creates a tale that begins with Michal marrying David when she is thirteen years of age. Her father, Saul, distrusts David, however, and plots his son-in-law's murder. Michal helps David to escape, and is subsequently married off by her father to Phaltiel. When David returns to conquer Jerusalem ten years later and reclaim his bride, Michal has fallen in love with Phaltiel and is unhappy to be forced to reunite with her first husband. Despite enjoying riches and other luxuries, Queen Michal is determined to exact some type of revenge on David. Nevertheless, when he falls in love with Bathsheba, Michal befriends the young woman and eventually helps raise Bathsheba's son, Solomon, to be David's successor.

A contributor to Publishers Weekly commented that Queenmaker "provides a tantalizing glimpse into the past, but fails to deliver full-blooded characterizations or sufficient period flavor." However, a Kirkus Reviews contributor called the novel "a riveting debut," and added the book is "an intriguing and colorful retelling that incandescently illuminates and interprets an old story." Jane Baird, writing in Library Journal, noted that the book "may offend some readers who subscribe to a literal translation of Scripture," but called this "a minor caveat" and stated that the book has "excellent writing, dynamic characters, and galloping pace."

In Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba Edghill once again takes a brief biblical story and expands it into a novel emphasizing the role of women. This time, she tells the love story of King Solomon and the queen of Sheba through a variety of narrators—including Solomon, the queen, some of Solomon's wives, and a general in Solomon's army. In the kingdom of Sheba, women have reached a higher level of social acceptance; in fact, the kingdom's leader is always a woman. The queen's initial interest in Solomon is due to the fact she needs an heir. She travels to Israel and falls in love with Solomon, who would like his own daughter, Baalit, to succeed him even though he knows that it is impossible in this patriarchal society. As Solomon and the queen of Sheba build their relationship, the queen tries to convince Solomon to let Baalit return to Sheba to succeed her. Simultaneously, Rehoboam—Solomon's son and heir to the throne—and the prophet Alijah plot to derail the queen's plans. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called Wisdom's Daughter "persuasive and intriguing." Jennifer Baker, writing in Booklist, noted "this atmospheric story is packed with political intrigue."

Edghill turns from biblical histories to a modern mystery tale in File M for Murder: A Cornelia Upshaw and Fancy Mystery. The widowed Cornelia Upshaw works as a temporary secretary and has moved from Savannah, Georgia, to New York after the death of her husband. Before long, she falls in love with Lieutenant Victor Kosciusko of the New York City Police Department and finds herself involved in the investigation of her boss's murder. A Kirkus Reviews contributor felt that the novel is not on a par with Edghill's biblical histories and noted "very little happens here to interrupt the flow of archly self-infatuated wit" demonstrated by the novel's heroine. However, Harriet Klausner, writing for AllReaders.com, called the novel an "exhilarating investigative tale."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 1, 2001, Eileen Hardy, Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen, p. 628; March 1, 2004, Ilene Cooper, "After The Red Tent," p. 1134; September 15, 2004, Jennifer Baker, Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba, p. 207.

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2001, review of Queenmaker, p. 1503; August 15, 2004, review of Wisdom's Daughter, p. 761; October 15, 2004, File M for Murder: A Cornelia Upshaw and Fancy Mystery, p. 985.

Library Journal, November 15, 2001, Jane Baird, Queenmaker, p. 96.

Publishers Weekly, November 19, 2001, review of Queenmaker, p. 48.