Sandra Gulland was born in Miami, Florida, in 1944. The daughter
of an airline pilot, the family lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
for five years, then Miami again for a few years before settling
in her mother's hometown of Berkeley, California.
In the fall of 1970 she accepted a one-year contract to teach
Grade Two in an Inuit village in northern Labrador, Canada ("an
amazing experience"). After, she worked as a book editor for
publishers in Toronto. In 1977 she married Richard Gulland,
manager of a manufacturing company. A daughter and son were
born, and in 1980 the family moved to a log cabin near Killaloe
(population 600), in northern Ontario, where Sandra started
Words &, an editorial and writing service, and her husband
started a high-quality outdoor clothing and equipment company.
They enrolled the children in a parent-run alternative school
and eventually Sandra became principal. She handled promotion
(and played clown) for the annual Killaloe Craft & Community
Fair. Together with a friend, she started a community newsletter,
The Community News & Confuse, circulation 150. All
the while she was growing vegetables ("trying to grow
vegetables," is how she puts it), raising chickens and pigs,
and developing an unruly addiction for horses. Meanwhile, and
always, writing ... .
Sandra's consuming interest in Josephine Bonaparte and the
Napoleonic era was sparked in 1972 when she read a biography
of Josephine. Decades of research followed. She began the fictional
biography of Josephine in January, 1990. In-depth research required
knowledge of French, which she studies on an on-going basis.
As well, she traveled to France, Italy and Martinique, and consulted
with period scholars.
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., the
first novel in what evolved to be a trilogy, was published by
HarperCollins Canada in May, 1995, to excellent reviews. It
was followed in 1998 by Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe
and The Last Great Dance on Earth in 2000. The Josephine B. trilogy, which has sold over a million worldwide, is now published in thirteen languages and in fifteen countries.
“Napoleon said that he conquered countries, but that Josephine
conquered hearts,” Gulland said. “It’s amazing.
She continues to do so.”
For the last eight years, Sandra Gulland has been researching and writing a novel set in 17th century France, at the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King. The story of Louise de la Vallière, the Sun King’s mistress, Mistress of the Sun was published by HarperCollins Canada on February 23, 2008, and immediately went onto the bestseller list. It will be published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. June 3, and in Germany and the Czech Republic the following year.
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Related Links:
Author Q&A on January Magazine
"The questions are unusual, very much about the craft of writing. I enjoyed answering them."
Sandra Gulland in Wikipedia
“I use Wikipedia constantly and am pleased to have an entry in it."
Heroine of a Golden Age
"This interview accurately captures the challenges of writing Mistress of the Sun"
The
January Magazine interview
"I know it sounds strange, but it took me a while to figure
out that I was writing historical fiction."
The
PBS miniseries on Napoleon
Sandra Gulland was invited to be one of the "featured historians"
for the PBS miniseries on Napoleon. "It was an honor. I was
in distinguished company."
The Writers'
Union of Canada: author page
"Juggling children, a dog, three cats, pigs, chickens and a
succession of horses ... "
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