Although some historical fiction authors like to give free reign to their imagination, I like to make sure my books are as historically accurate as possible. In the research for my current work in progress about Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, husband of Mary Tudor (Queen of France), I discovered this translation of a letter from ambassador Nicholas Sagudino to Alvise Foscari, Patriarch of Venice, which gives some idea of the level of detail available to researchers:
To do honor to the Flemish envoys, the ambassadors were invited to a joust on the 7th. The King entered the lists about two. First came the marshal in a surcoat of cloth of gold, surrounded by thirty footmen in yellow and blue livery; then came the drummers and trumpeters in white damask, followed by forty knights in cloth of gold; "and after them twenty young knights on very fine horses, all dressed in white, with doublets of cloth of silver and white velvet, and chains of unusual size, and their horses were barbed with silver chainwork, and a number of pendant bells, many of which rang. Next followed thirteen pages, singly, on extremely handsome horses, whose trappings were half of gold embroidery and the other half of purple velvet embroidered with gold stars. Then came fifteen jousters armed, their horse armor and surcoats being most costly; and alongside of each was one on horseback, sumptuously dressed, carrying his lance, with their footmen." Then appeared the King in silver bawdkin, with thirty gentlemen on foot, dressed in velvet and white satin. Among the jousters were the Duke of Suffolk, the Marquis of Dorset, and my Lord Admiral. The King jousted with Suffolk, and tilted eight courses, both shivering their lances at every time, to the great applause of the spectators. The jousts lasted four hours, but the honor of the day was awarded to the King and the Duke. Between the courses the King and other cavaliers made their horses jump and execute acts of horsemanship, to the delight of everybody. Under the windows were the Queens of England and France. The adjoining chamber was occupied by the Cardinal and his attendants. The jousts being ended, a beam was brought, some twenty feet in length and nine inches in diameter, and was placed on the head of one of his majesty's favorites, by name Master Carol, [Sir Nicholas Carew] who was one of the jousters, and he ran a long way with the beam on his head, to the marvel of every body. Of the two tents, one of cloth of gold cost the King 10,000 ducats, and was made when he crossed over to France in 1515; the other was of silk, surrounded by scaffolds, containing 50,000 persons. After the joust was a banquet, and at the head of the hall sat the King, between the Queens of England and France, and with them the Cardinal; at the side the ambassadors, with the handsomest ladies. In the centre of the hall there was a stage on which were some boys, some of whom sang, and others played the flute, rebeck and harpsichord, making the sweetest melody. The banquet being ended, the King and the guests above mentioned betook themselves into another hall, where the damsels of the most serene Queen were, and dancing went on there for two hours, the King doing marvellous things, both in dancing and jumping, proving himself, as he in truth is, indefatigable. Returned next day to London. Everybody is talking of the late entertainment.
Almost 40% of Americans will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Small town Willow rarely found herself on the right side of the odds. And so, at thirty, her six-months-to-live terminal diagnosis seemed almost fateful.
Now, she has two months to reconcile decades of tragedy, from a toxic marriage to growing up with her Vietnam veteran father, all while navigating a transition from Wyoming’s wide-open high desert to Portland’s hipster oddities.
Refreshingly honest and intimate, Willow’s reflective and poetic diary entries countdown her last sixty days as she shares her history in lost love, denied dreams and a surprisingly uplifting lesson for the living. With heart and soul, this debut novel explores the taboo topic of life on the threshold of death’s door.
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About the Author
Andrea Lechner-Becker is a lot like her last name, a little awkward, kinda funny and very German (only the GOOD German stuff, if ya know what I mean). She left her prestigious and high-earning career in technology to write full-time, because the stories in her head and heart just had to be told. Find our more at www.andrealechnerbecker.com and on Facebook and Twitter @andreaelbee
In the time of Richard Lionheart, during the bloody Border Wars between England and Scotland, Tovan, a faer (or “faery,” as we quetan call them) rescues the child Corwin from the massacre of his village. Tormented by recurring nightmares of that day, Corwin struggles to answer Tovan's question: “Why do you quetan do this?” His quest is perhaps a hopeless one: to end war, so that no child will ever again have to
endure such trauma.
Today I'm pleased to welcome Author Teri Gray:
Tell us about your latest book
I've been a Tolkien fan since my teens, but I always thought, Why does it always have to be about fighting? And just how do elves manage to live such a luxurious lifestyle in the woods with no visible means of support? For years I nibbled at the edges of those questions, trying to figure out how to express them in a way that would be a fun, exciting read.
Murdoch's Tale is a story within a story. There's Corwin, a child from 12th Century Northumberland, who is rescued from the massacre of his village by Tovan, a Faer, or faerie, as we humans like to call them. Corwin, a drifty kid with a head full of stories, eventually becomes apprenticed to Philippe, a French troubadour. And then there's Murdoch, orphaned by war like his creator, Corwin, but with all the attributes of a conventional hero (big, strong, handsome, co-ordinated) who has taken a vow of non-violence in an effort to assure that no child will ever have to go through the trauma he experienced. Complications ensue as Corwin weaves his life--including the time he spends among the Faer--into his stories. And yes, there's sword fighting. And people fall in love.
What is your preferred writing routine?
I wish I had one. If I did, this thing would have been on the shelves 20 years ago. (Well, not really. The last piece of the puzzle of creating a distinct mindset for the Faer fell into place in September 2016, when I read The Hidden Life of Trees. Murdoch's Tale is much better than it would have been 20 years ago.) For a time, this series was roaring through my head like a freight train. I would get up at 5 am, unable to sleep, type like a madwoman for an hour or so, take a nap and then begin the kids to school/me to work routine.
Then I got sick and it took me 4 years to recover. During this time, I'd get the kids off to school, sleep until lunch, eat, type the 2 hours worth of story that had backfilled into my brain, nap until the kids got home, and then dinner and kids until bedtime.
Now that they're grown and in their own nests, you'd think I'd be writing non-stop, but somehow, I'm a bit floaty. I'm in a stage of revisions and proofing--Volume 1 for the past few months, and now Volume 2. It's a whole different mindset. It literally uses a different part of your brain. It will be interesting to see what happens when I tackle the rest of Volume 3.
One thing I have noticed is that my creativity as been at its most productive at the times when my personal life was the most miserable. Reading the lives of many writers, this seems to be not unusual... escaping from a life where things are not going to one's specifications into one where you have total control over events. But in my case, I'm not consciously controlling anything. It just sort of leaks out around the edges.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Persistence pays. There's so much advice out there, with half of it contradicting the other half. I found critique groups invaluable, but it needs to be a good critique group, one in which the members are devoted to making each other's work the best it can possibly be, not devolving into critiquing manuscripts as a metaphor for dissecting each other's personality flaws. Critiquing others' work teaches you to see things differently. It's not your baby, so it's easier to see the places where the work can be improved and then to apply those insights to your own work. Other people in the group will see things you never thought of and vice versa. Write, send things out, rejoice in your acceptances, don't let the rejections get you down, and don't think that one acceptance is a substitute for a day job.
What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?
As a marketing newbie, my jury is still out on that. I've expanded my list of facebook friends, am learning the ins and outs of hashtags, connecting with folks who run faerie festivals and pagan events, making friends with local librarians, bookstore owners, and folks like Tony, my kind host here. And of course, working the fact that my book is published into casual conversation.
Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research
I have no idea why I had my characters stop in Lancaster on their journey. There are certainly other English cities between Northumberland and Cornwall. In fact, they probably would have passed through York to get to Lancaster, but if they did, I didn't write about it. For reasons of plot, I not only had them stop in Lancaster, but wrote in a duchess who ruled in her own right.
Years later, I discovered that at that particular time, Lancaster was ruled by Avice, Lady of Lancaster. (There's a piece about her on my blog, www.tfgray.com.) What's even more fun is that I gave her one son (again, plot reason) named Hubert and named one of the castle pages William. As it turns out, she did have a son...named William, so a little find/replace restored historical accuracy. She also had a daughter, who does not appear in Murdoch's Tale, who was married and living in Scotland by the time the events in the book occurred. That was weird.
What was the hardest scene you remember writing?
Revealing that would be a spoiler. But I can say that I was so depressed after writing it that I didn't write a word for months. You'll know it when you read it.
What are you planning to write next?
Alana's Tale, Volume 2 of Corwin's Chronicle is just about ready to go to the editor. Volume 3, The Tale of Roderik and Sophie is about half written, and the final volume, The Tale of the Children, is still just a gleam in my eye.
Teri Gray
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About the Author
Teri Gray grew up in the Jersey 'burbs, twenty miles from Times Square, in a town too small to have a traffic light, wandering the forest, fantasizing about people living in holes in the ground, long after the other kids her age had outgrown that sort of childish nonsense. She came to writing like most everything else in her life. High school newspaper editor-in-chief followed by a degree in art ed, followed by a stint as editor of a small publication in Honolulu, in addition to a wide assortment of jobs ranging from restaurant hostess to bartender to field interviewer to postmistress relief to banking to her personal favorite, Communications Director of the Newark Food Co-op. Along the way, wedged between work, raising three children, and the occasional bout of illness, she wrote. Eventually, she found out about the existence of critique groups and started actually learning how to write. She’s not an example of the breakthrough novelist. If anything, she’s an example of the motto, Persistence Pays. The child who was a toddler when she started writing Corwin’s Chronicle is now pushing thirty. She is a facilitator with the Alternatives to Violence Project, (www.avpusa.org) and has worked with the AVP program at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center. Find out more at Teri's website www.tfgray.com and find her in Facebook and Twitter @t_f_gray
1588. Abel de Santiago has deserted the army and all but avenged his murdered wife, when he is captured and sold as a galley slave. As the Spanish Armada sails for England, there can be few souls on board more reluctant than him.
THE SPARK
Inspiration, it’s a curious thing. I’m often asked what inspired me to lock myself away for nine years and complete a five-novel series set in Tudor (well, almost) Ireland, called The Sassana Stone Pentalogy. I can still remember the day I stepped into the now defunct Bridgepoint Books, a second-hand bookstore at the Bridgepoint Shopping Centre in the absolutely beautiful Sydney suburb of Mosman.
I was a recently landed immigrant back in ’08, having moved to Sydney from Malta, and becoming increasingly absorbed by the sixteenth century, which the French call ‘Le Grand Siècle’, the great century. These were the days when Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall had hit the literary world like a sledgehammer. I was trying to read everything about the period that I could lay my hands on, when in the corner of my eye I noticed a curious little book called Ireland: The Graveyard Of The Spanish Armada by Irish journalist T.P. Kilfeather.
Ireland? Spanish Armada? This was news to me. What on earth did Ireland have to do with the Spanish Armada? I opened up the curious little book, and was taken aback to discover that in 1588, the ships of the Spanish Armada chose to round Scotland and Ireland to head back home, in order to avoid being cut to pieces by Dutch pirates who were allied to Queen Elizabeth I of England. Terrible storms plagued the Armada on what was in truth a familiar and well-worn homeward tack, so that many of its ships were wrecked upon the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
The western Irish coast was increasingly falling under the sway of the English crown back then. Which is why the Spanish Commanders expressly prohibited Armada crew members from attempting landings upon the Irish coast, despite the fact that they were plagued by storms, heavily leaking ships, thirst, hunger and disease, amongst others. But you don’t have much of a choice when you’re shipwrecked upon the Irish coast by a squall, do you? Yet not in vain did the Spanish Commanders warn against any landings in Ireland, for no sooner did the first Armada castaways land upon the beaches, that a chilling order was instantly issued to all English garrisons by Queen Elizabeth I’s Viceroy in Dublin:
“Execute all Spaniards, of what quality soever. Torture may be used.”
Upon receiving the order, scores of troopers were immediately despatched towards the beaches, to slay or capture all of the shipwrecked Spaniards who came into their power. And yet, I found myself also reading the accounts of Spanish survivors in Kilfeather’s book. Survivors? How could anyone have survived such treacherous odds, when the very fact that you were an Armada castaway meant you were a dead man walking?
I was near breathless as I devoured the pages which I held in my hands, which were almost shaking as I read through the hair-raising and horrifying accounts of strangers in a strange land, hunted like wild beasts by a merciless enemy. This stuff was almost as good as Mel Gibson’s epic drama ‘Apocalypto’, not to mention Charriere’s ‘Papillon’! Hold on - this was even better! Why don’t more authors write thrillers like this? And how curious was it that the Spaniards, having long persecuted the length and breath of the known world, suddenly found themselves persecuted in turn? As I read on and on, I felt like I was on some crazy rollercoaster ride, except that the events recounted were based on real human history!
The questions instantly resounded through my head: how was it that this story had never been dramatized before? Why had I never heard of this incredible episode? And how amazing was it, that the Armada landings caused a dramatic and violent juncture between the Spanish counter-reformists, English reformists and the late medieval Irish? And that’s not even mentioning the many militias full of Scottish gallowglasses!
I knew then, that I had finally discovered my inspiration. What Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone called ‘the spark’, in his case the fight between Chuck Wepner and Muhammed Ali, which led him to pen Rocky. After reading Kilfeather’s book from cover to cover, I then bought it for five bucks and headed straight to my apartment in Mosman. I only left it to buy groceries, and a week later I had punched out the first manuscript which I called The Sassana Stone.
At the prompting of an established UK literary agent, I decided to further research the period of my novel, to ensure that it was based on fulsome and exhaustive historical research. I had already read scores of books on the period, and practically lived at the Fisher Library of The University of Sydney for the whole of 2011, during which I was increasingly hooked to the sources I found. Nothing had prepared me for the sheer complexity of the Gaelic civilsiation in Ireland, which the Tudor Sassenachs or ‘New English’ were seeking to subdue. A civilisation in which women still had most rights of men, and in which divorce was also permitted, despite the encroaching influence of Roman Catholicism. Which is not to mention the incredibly sophisticated bodies of law and the ancient bardic tradition. And that’s not even getting into practices like fostering, amongst others, which GRR Martin famously uses in his world of Westeros. How had no one built an epic literary arc around these incredible happenings and fantastic civilisation?
While typing away late at night I would bang the table countless times, and reprimand myself: ‘that’s enough research James!’ Yet the sixteenth century Gaelic world was both enchanting and mesmerising, and I knew that I had to plough on, no matter how exhausted I felt at the end of a day’s commitments, to extract as much information as I could to bring this story to life. I also made it to the western coast of Ireland in October of 2012, an unforgettable fieldwork trip (they have great weather there in October) in which I visited all of the breathtaking and incredible sights which feature in my story.
All of which meant nine years of rewriting and research (I also had a dayjob, got married and had two babies during this time), which grew my manuscript from 80,000 words to over 450,000 words. I absolutely loved every single minute of it, and I ended up with a five-novel series, the first of which is called ‘The Sheriff’s Catch’ and was published last month by award-winning publisher Unbound. The novel was an instant hit on Unbound’s platform, with presales worth 4000 GBP secured in its opening week! It was subsequently serialised on international digital book club The Pigeonhole, used by Ken Follett to promote ‘A Column Of Fire’. The reviews which followed have been quite simply sensational, and can be read on both Goodreads and Amazon.
I am proud to have dedicated nearly a decade of my life to telling this amazing story, and I hope to transport readers into the breathtaking events preceding and following the Spanish Armada landings. One literary critic has praised ‘The Sheriff’s Catch’ as ‘a fine debut’ and ‘a blockbuster with depth’. Another enthusiastically wrote to me to say that he hadn’t picked up such an ‘unputdownable’ novel since he’d read ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Much as I am flattered by these descriptions I also believe that they’re apt, and that my debut is a curious and powerfully written yarn that will fling readers into an endless rollercoaster ride of incredible emotions, with unforgettable characters, cliff-hangers and narrow escapes aplenty. Strap on your seat belts before giving the first chapter a read, and get ready for a great deal of fun while you learn heaps without even realising it!
James Vella-Bardon
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About the Author
James Vella-Bardon was born and raised in Malta, an island nation steeped in the millennia of history. As a boy he often caught a rickety old bus to the capital of Valletta, where he would hover around the English bookshops to check out the latest titles in fiction. Growing up he was an avid reader and a relentless day-dreamer, with his standout subject at school being English composition. He also won a couple of national essay competitions. Although he spent seven years studying and obtaining a doctor of laws degree, this did not cure him of his urge to write stories. So after emigrating to Sydney in 2007 he resolved to have a proper stab at writing his first novel. The result of this decision is an epic, sprawling five-part historical fiction series called The Sassana Stone Pentalogy. It is the product of nine years of intense rewriting and research, and tells the story of a Spanish Armada survivor who is shipwrecked in Ireland. Find out more at www.jamesvellabardon.com and find him on Facebook Twitter @jamesvbardon
Laura Cutty is in love with a murderer. She knew when she married him that Thomas Cutty was a killer. Twelve years of marriage and two beautiful babies later, and Laura and Thomas have learned to love the life they built together – a life that depends on Laura never asking the question: Who did Thomas kill last night?
I'm pleased to welcome prolific author Daralyse Lyons to The Writing Desk today:
Tell us about your latest book
My latest book, The Murderer's Wife, is a story about a loving, mutually-supportive marriage. In fact, the relationship has only one problem: The husband is a murderer.
What is your preferred writing routine?
Because I'm not a night person, I try to write in the morning or early afternoon. And I write every day. I think it's important to see writing as a discipline. Yes, it is great to feel inspired, but it's not a prerequisite for putting pen to page.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
I don't know that I believe in "aspiring" writers. I think, if you write, then you're a writer. My suggestion would be to just start writing. There's a wonderful exercise in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way that advises writing each and every day without judgment, censorship, or an eye toward a specific "goal." I highly recommend that new writers start off forming a habit, then get more specific with writing goals and dreams after building a sense of creative routine.
What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?
I believe in really connecting with my readers. When a reader reads and enjoys one of my books, he or she will read another and tell a friend. I'm a huge fan of authentic engagement and a two-way reader-writer relationship.
What was the hardest scene you remember writing?
Oh gosh. For me, the challenge isn't in the writing. It's in the editing. I think my "hardest" scenes were some of the killings. Trying to figure out how much to describe and how much to leave to the imagination. I find it difficult to determine what should stay and what should go. I killed quite a lot of darlings.
What are you planning to write next?
I'm currently working on a memoir and it is fun, cathartic, painful, and exhausting. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever written.
Daralyse Lyons
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About the Author
In the second grade, Dara (or “Daralyse Lyons” as her angry teacher called her) was sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving. When she arrived, instead of going in to see the principal and accepting her punishment, Daralyse lied about having a stomach ache and needing to see the nurse. She’s been telling stories and putting on performances ever since. She wears many hats as an author, actress, yogi, and transformational coach/speaker, but the common thematic elements to all her endeavors is her love of stories and desire to help people find happiness. A summa cum laude graduate of New York University with a double-major in English Literature and Religious Studies and a minor in History, Daralyse brings intelligence, sensitivity, enthusiasm, creativity and business acumen to all of her endeavors. She lives in the quaint Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Find out more at her website
The Little Girl and the River and other poems is a refreshing take on human emotions – love, sorrow, happiness and much more.
The collection of poems is a passionate portrayal of the vitality of love that supersedes loneliness, of hope and optimism in difficult times, of the power of dreams, and of how courage and the determined human spirit ultimately triumphs over the pervasive malice around.
The Little Girl and the River
The little girl sits by the riverside
Heavy her heart, her tears a tide
A shattered soul within, challenges her might
She budges a little, but chooses to fight
Hope is faint, no anchor to prod
Bruised and beaten, yet her dream is her god
An unknown strength nudges her spirit
A thorny path ahead, yet she cannot quit
Her past, she buries in a casket of gold
A few memories fond, the others she cannot hold
The river calm as it flows by
Seeks to embrace what her heart doesn’t defy
She finds her voice in the song of the river
How the waves persist despite the wind’s quiver
She sleeps in the elixir of joy for a while
As the river looks up and returns her smile…
The Little Girl and the River is also a beautiful ode to women power, fighting adversities with hope and courage, of their remarkable endurance and selfless devotion.
The poetry is inspiring and uplifting, in that it celebrates the power of the human spirit - of dreams and optimism and the ultimate victory of the resolute human soul over the vagaries of life.
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About the Author
Alessa Mark is an ebook author, poet and a freelance content writer. Her writings have appeared in local journals and blogs. She’s an MBA with a fervent passion towards writing from a very young age. Her poetry ebook 22 Poems on Love and Life! Memoirs and Reflection can be found on Amazon. Her hobbies include reading and writing short stories, traveling and cooking. Find out more at Alessa's website https://inspirationdailyforyou and find her on Twitter @Alessamark_1
The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen follows on in time through Elizabeth's amazing life, the confusion of the Stuart dynasty, the devastation of a Civil War led by Oliver Cromwell and the turbulent and discordant Hanover dynasty with their
intricate family squabbles.
There are many unanswered mysteries surrounding the life of Elizabeth I, the 'virgin' of the title of Trisha Hughes second book in the V 2 V series. I enjoyed the first book, Vikings to Virgin - The Hazards of Being Kingso was looking forward to this with high expectations.
I wasn't disappointed, as Trisha's lively and engaging style takes us on a grand tour of those who enjoyed wearing the crown from 1559 to 1838. Although I'd say I'm well informed about Elizabeth, I doubt I'm alone in being less knowledgeable about her successors, so this book is an accessible way to understand how our history was shaped over those very different eras.
This is history with an enjoyable irreverence. Queen Elizabeth 'threw a wobbler' when she heard her lover was secretly courting one of her ladies-in-waiting (Lettice Knollys). King James I (not handsome, not even close) is accused of fiddling with his codpiece, and 'no one had ever called Queen Anne glamourous. She had poor vision and was not very intelligent.'
The stories behind these monarchs are as strange as any you'll find in fiction, from Elizabeth's paranoia to King George III planting a juicy steak in the garden to see if it would grow. As Trisha Hughes says, 'these stories span hundreds of years of lust, betrayal, heroism, murder, cruelty and mysteries.' What more could you ask for?
Tony Riches
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About the Author
Australian born Trisha Hughes began writing 18 years ago with her best-selling memoir ‘Daughters of Nazareth’. Trisha’s passion is history and she loves bringing it alive in a way that is easy to read and enjoy. Her hope is to inspire young readers and the young at heart to understand and enjoy stories and legends from the past. While living in Hong Kong, she writes for a local magazine and is involved with young writers. Find out more at Trisha’s website: www.trishahughesauthor.com and www.vikingstovirgin.com. You can contact Trisha on her Facebook page, Trisha Hughes Author and on Twitter @TrishaHughes_
Disclosure: A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the publishers.
