Pump Up Your Book Presents The Queen of Sparta Virtual Book Publicity Tour

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Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you T.S. Chaudhry’s THE QUEEN OF SPARTA virtual book tour April 6-30!

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PUYB Inside the Book

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The Queen of Sparta 3 Title: The Queen of Sparta
Author: T.S. Chaudhry
Publisher: Top Hat Books
Pages: 383
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Author T.S. Chaudhry offers a new spin on Spartan history in his novel, THE QUEEN OF SPARTA. In the book, Queen Gorgo, the wife of the courageous Spartan leader, Leonidas, surreptitiously organizes the Greek resistance against the invasion of the mighty Persian king, Xerxes, and his massive army. Although founded on the writings of historian, Herodotus, Chaudhry’s revision of the 480 B.C. invasion challenges readers to imagine the brilliant and politically savvy Queen Gorgo as the Spartan leader who wielded her power with stealth and cunning to end the Persian occupation of Greece.

Gorgo devises a strategy using espionage and diplomacy, in addition to Sparta’s military might, to defeat the Persians and drive them out of Greece. During the last battle of the war, Prince Sherzada, a Saka, is captured while fighting on the Persian side. He is imprisoned by Gorgo, who has vowed to kill him. However, an unexpected alliance blooms between Gorgo and Sherzada, based on common perceptions and a shared dark secret. As allies, the queen and prince face new dangers from within Sparta that threaten the safety of Gorgo and her young son, the king.

As the story progresses, Queen Gorgo must choose between confronting the reactionary forces within Sparta directly or saving her life and the life of her child.

THE QUEEN OF SPARTA begins on the Banks of Indus, and takes the reader through time and space to Greece, Tuscany, Rome, and the Baltic coast of northern Europe and attempts to link some of the main cultures of that time period. “In the novel, I tried to present the conflict through the eyes of two protagonists,” Chaudhry states. “The Greek viewpoint is presented through Queen Gorgo, and the opposing one is represented by Prince Sherzada, who becomes her prisoner. The whole story is also a deliberate attempt to confuse ‘the possession’ of history because, actually, history belongs to all of us.”

THE QUEEN OF SPARTA informs the reader about the politics of ancient Greece in the 5th Century, B.C. and about Sparta, its people, and its culture; the book also describes what made the Spartans great while sharing the flaws and contradictions within their society. Chaudhry notes that “fiction is art immitating life. That is how I see the relationship between historical fiction and history. History has wonderful stories to tell. And it gets more wonderful the further in the past you go where evidence is sparse, but the realm of creativity is rich. I love to find out how things happened the way they did. Ancient history provides us with a rich variety of potential answers that are always fun to explore.”

The author’s goal in writing THE QUEEN OF SPARTA was to share the message that “one must stand for one’s principles, for what one believes to be right, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.”

For More Information

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PUYB Meet the Author

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T.S. Chaudhry T. S. Chaudhry was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a master’s degree from Harvard University, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Formerly a Pakistani diplomat, Chaudhry currently works for the United Nations on peace and security issues in Africa.

THE QUEEN OF SPARTA is Chaudhry’s first novel. He came up with the idea to write a story about Queen Gorgo being the architect of the Greek resistance against the Persian invasion while reading Herodotus for his A-Level examination in England several decades ago. “As a lover of history, or a ‘history-buff,’ I have always enjoyed reading both fiction and nonfiction about this period.”

Chaudhry is currently working on a “prequel” to THE QUEEN OF SPARTA based on events leading up to the Battle of Marathon, called Fennel Field.

For More Information

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PUYB Tour Schedule A

Monday, April 6

Interview at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, April 7

Book Featured at Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews

Wednesday, April 8

Book Featured at Bound 2 Escape

Book Featured at FictionZeal

Thursday, April 9

Book Review at Books, Reviews, ETC

Monday, April 13

Book Review at Griperang’s Bookmark

Tuesday, April 14

Book Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Wednesday, April 15

Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner

Thursday, April 16

Book Review at Vic’s Media Room

Book Featured at Confessions of a Reader

Friday, April 17

Book Featured at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews

Monday, April 20

Book Featured at First Page to the Last

Tuesday, April 21

Book Review at Quirky Book Reviews

Wednesday, April 22

Book Featured at CBY Book Club

Thursday, April 23

Character Guest Blogging at The Literary Nook

Friday, April 24

Book Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Book Review at Blooming with Books

Monday, April 27

Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Tuesday, April 28

Book Review at Perfectly Unperfect

Wednesday, April 29

Book Featured at Undercover Book Reviews

Thursday, April 30

Book Review at A Simple Life, Really?!

Book Review at Book Babe

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