Elizabeth 'Emac' MacDonald Releases Skirting Heresy: The Life & Times of Margery Kempe

NEW YORK, June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ Acclaimed journalist Elizabeth MacDonald, who created Forbes Magazine's "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" annual ranking, has now turned her attention from the world of finance to an unsung trailblazer of the Middle Ages. Skirting Heresy: The Life & Times of Margery Kempe (published June 2014, by Franciscan Media), is a bold, new look at the mysterious and misunderstood Margery Kempe, the first autobiographer in the English language. It brings the 15 th century mystic to a new level of understanding, including the revelation that Kempe is indeed the Patron Saint of Gossipthere currently is no Patron Saint of Gossip for those who suffer from malicious talk.

"What a dazzling achievement," says Steve Forbes. "MacDonald vividly brings to life both the world of Medieval England and even more impressively, the heroic Margery Kempe, whose insights and courage speak to the modern world. This book will absorb and enlighten you."

Skirting Heresy reads like an historical adventure novel, filled with romance, intrigue, bravery, and betrayal. At the same time it shows the anxieties, humor, fears, hopes, and failings shared by Kempe and the medieval world are the same issues the modern world deals with today.

MacDonald's artful pen created an immersive tale, a deep and meaningful connection with the reader that is more than a book. Skirting Heresy fills a cultural void, providing not just an historical narrative, but a tale filled with gripping humanity, comfort, explanation, and hope for all those who struggle through their daily lives. Kempe's story is sure to have a resounding impact and is certain to become a compelling read for many, including teenagers, who have suffered from gossip, falsehoods, and rumors. After reading Skirting Heresy, one will be hard-pressed to disagree that MacDonald has made a convincing case that Kempe is indeed the Patron Saint of Gossip.

CNBC anchor and economist Larry Kudlow saysSkirting Heresy is "one of the best historical narratives I've read in a long time, a gripping, bold new take that shows what was happening in Catholic England before Joan of Arc was executed," as the 600 th anniversary of the saint's death approaches. FOX News' Greta Van Susteren says: "Elizabeth MacDonald is a gifted reporter. Her ability to weave passion and truth together shines in Skirting Heresy, a compelling must-read for religious readers and history buffs alike." FOX's Neil Cavuto adds: "Quite a book. Quite a subject. Quite, an author." And historian Father George W. Rutler calls Skirting Heresy "an interesting introduction to the life of a remarkable woman who if, in the eyes of the world, was an eccentric and even neurotic."

For more information, please visit the website http://www.skirtingheresy-margerykempe.com. To receive a review copy or to schedule an interview with Ms. MacDonald please contact Alexandra Preate at CapitalHQ on (212) 588-9148.

ABOUT ELIZABETH MACDONALD

Elizabeth MacDonald is a business journalist who has covered the markets, corporate accounting scandals, the IRS and taxes at The Wall Street Journal and as a senior editor at Forbes Magazine, where she created "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" annual ranking, now widely tracked around the world. MacDonald joined the FOX Business Network (FBN) as stocks editor in September 2007, and is a regular on Forbes on Fox, having been with the show since its inception in 2001. While at the Wall Street Journal, MacDonald delivered front-page stories, news-breaking articles, Heard on the Street columns, and editorials.

MacDonald was one of the first journalists in the country to sound the alarm in the mid-nineties about the coming wave of accounting scandals. MacDonald also broke stories about the Church of Scientology's historic, secret settlement with the IRS that finally established it as a world religion, and the Kennedys' use of the IRS to target political enemies for auditsincluding its audit of Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's group. Prior to that, MacDonald was a financial editor for Worth Magazine and covered the IRS and taxes for Money Magazine. MacDonald reported an award-winning investigative series on IRS abuses that led to improved taxpayer rights and reforms at the agency. It also led to Congress calling MacDonald in to testify about IRS and tax reform.

MacDonald has received more than a dozen journalism awards, including the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Journalism (as well as a nomination in an ensuing year); the Society of Professional Journalists' Award for Outstanding Public Service reporting; and the Newswomen's Club of New York Front Page Award for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. MacDonald is a native of Rockville Centre, New York.

SOURCE Elizabeth MacDonald

To post a comment, you must register and login.