Alice Borchardt

Alice Borchardt ( Alice Allen O'Brien; October 6, 1939 – July 24, 2007) was an American writer of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. She shared a childhood of storytelling in New Orleans with her sister, the novelist Anne Rice, who was two years younger. A nurse by profession, as a writer she nurtured a profound interest in little-known periods of history.

Biography

Alice Allen O'Brien was born in New Orleans on October 6, 1939. She was one of four sisters. Their father Howard, a postal worker, helped her apply for her first library card at age 7. "It was the best gift I ever received," Borchardt said in a 1999 interview with the Austin American-Statesman. The Houston Chronicle published an obituary five days later. In addition to her husband and sister, who lived in Rancho Mirage, Borchardt was survived by sisters Tamara Tinker of Daly City, Calif., Karen O'Brien and Micki Jenkins of Dallas; and by two nephews, Christopher T. Rice of Los Angeles and Daniel Tinker of Oakland. The daughter of a powerful pagan queen, Guinevere grows up under the protection of a Druid and the shapeshifting man-wolf, Maeniel, until the sorcerer Merlin forces her to fulfill her destiny as Arthur's queen. The Raven Warrior (Del Rey, 2003) In Dark Age Britain, wild magic and superstitions hold sway. Even now that Guinevere has accepted the power of the Dragon Throne, she faces the threat of the Saxons and must strike first to protect her people. At the same time, Lancelot AKA Blackleg, Maeniel's wolf-born son, must prove himself as a man and a warrior.