Elena Maria Vidal

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Elena Maria Vidal (born 1962) is a historical novelist and noted blogger living in Easton, Maryland. She was born in Florence, Oregon and grew up in Frederick, Maryland. She is known for her defense of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette by means of her novels Trianon and Madame Royale and her Tea at Trianon blog.^[1]

Education

Vidal graduated in 1984 from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland with a BA in Psychology, and in 1985 from the State University of New York at Albany with an MA in Modern European History.

Publications

In 1997 Vidal's first historical novel Trianon was published by St. Michaels Press. The historical novel tells of the life and death of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. In 2000, the sequel Madame Royale was published, as well as the second edition of Trianon, by The Neumann Press. Madame Royale chronicles the life of Marie-Antoinette's daughter, Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte. In 2010, the third edition of Trianon and the second edition of Madame Royale were released.^[2] In November 2009, The Night's Dark Shade was published by Mayapple Books. The new historical novel deals with the controversial Albigensian Crusade in thirteenth century France. Vidal has been a contributor to Canticle Magazine, Touchstone Magazine, The American Conservative, The National Observer and Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine. She blogs at Tea at Trianon.

Career

In May 1984 Vidal was a student delegate at the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference in Annapolis, Maryland. She has worked as an elementary school teacher ^[3] and private tutor.^[4] In 2006, Vidal was interviewed by Doug Keck on the EWTN Bookmark show.^[5] In April 2009 she was a speaker at the Eucharistic Convention in Auckland, New Zealand. In August 2010 Vidal spoke at The Catholic Writers Conference in Valley Forge, PA. In October 2010 she was presented to His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Imre of Austria and to His Imperial Highness Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza in York, PA.^[6] Vidal is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the Eastern Shore Writers Association. In 2011, Vidal interviewed David Chambers, the grandson of ex-Communist spy Whittaker Chambers, published in the The American Conservative^[7] (USA) and The National Observer^[8] (Australia). In August, 2011 Vidal became a reviewer for the Historical Novels Review, the journal of the Historical Novel Society.^[9]

Personal life and family

"Elena Maria Vidal" is a nom-de-plume chosen to honor her Spanish grandmother; Vidal's legal name is Mary-Eileen Russell.^[10] She is the daughter of the late John Charles Laughland and of Alice Strong Laughland. Among her cousins are British journalist John Laughland, Canadian novelist Jennifer Lanthier, and Canadian poet Kateri Lanthier.^[11]^[12]^[13] Vidal's great-grandfather was the socialist politician James Vint Laughland. She is also the cousin of actress and comedienne Norma Jean.^[14]

In 1986, Vidal joined the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. She briefly explored the religious life by entering a Carmelite monastery in the late 1980s.^[15] She has described a trip to Lourdes, France in 1994 and a trip to Austria in 1995 as influencing her decision to write historical fiction.^[16]^[17]^[18] In November 1996, Vidal married businessman Michael J. Russell.^[19] She currently lives in Maryland with her family and is working on a historical novel about her Irish ancestors.^[20]

References

External links

Authority control	VIAF: 46207038

Persondata
Name	Vidal, Elena Maria
Alternative names
Short description	American author
Date of birth	1962
Place of birth	Florence, Oregon
Date of death
Place of death

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