A Royal Likeness: an interview with Christine Trent *giveaway*

Today we have the pleasure to welcome Christine Trent to our blog. She is the author of The Queen’s Dollmaker and her second novel, A Royal Likeness was released December 28. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview and also for your patience, Christine!

Historical Tapestry: Both your published novels are set during the 18th and 19th century in France and the United Kingdom. What draws you to this specific time period and places?

Christine Trent: Interesting that you observed that, Alex. My next novel is also early 19th century England, and oh, wait until you see what happens to mid-19th century England in my fourth book. I think the century covering roughly 1765—1865 was one of great social and political upheaval, what with the French Revolution, Napoleon stampeding across Europe, and the industrial coming-of-age that would create so much chaos in England. There’s just so much rich material to draw from that you hardly have to make anything up!

HT: Madame Tussaud is a character larger than life. She owns every scene she is in and you can't help but to immediately bond with this practical and inspiring woman. Until reading your book, I knew little about Madame Tussaud and her wax figures. What compelled you to write about her?

CT: As you know, Madame Tussaud was an important secondary character in my debut novel, THE QUEEN’S DOLLMAKER. I placed her in that book after visiting Madame Tussauds in London and learning that she knew the royal family as art tutor to Louis XVI’s sister. A quick search revealed that there was one obscure European novel written about Tussaud, and no other fiction. Here, I thought, was a fascinating woman the world knows little about.

When my editor asked me to write a sequel to THE QUEEN’S DOLLMAKER, I knew immediately that Marguerite’s story needed to be told, and that the indomitable Madame Tussaud required another appearance. She was a remarkable woman living in chaotic times, and managed to make herself one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the 19th century.

HT: After unveiling the secrets of dollmaking in your first book, your second novel opens the door to a quite mysterious world: wax figures. How did you conduct your research? Is there a favourite book about the subject that you would recommend us?

CT: I am fortunate in that I’ve seen Madame Tussaud’s work up close. However, the challenge in writing about her work is that you can find a plethora of information about how wax figures are created with today’s modern technology, but little about how it was done in her time. I used several biographies (some are out of print now, but you can find them on addall.com or Ebay):

• Chapman, Pauline: MADAME TUSSAUD IN ENGLAND, MADAME TUSSAUD, WAXWORKER EXTRAORDINARY, and THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AS SEEN BY MADAME TUSSAUD, and MADAME TUSSAUD’S CHAMBER OF HORRORS. Ms. Chapman was an archivist and researcher at Madame Tussauds for many years.

• Berridge, Kate: MADAME TUSSAUD, A LIFE IN WAX
• Pilbeam, Pamela: MADAME TUSSAUD AND THE HISTORY OF WAXWORKS

• Ranson, Teresa: MADAME TUSSAUD, A LIFE AND A TIME

This should keep anyone interested in Madame Tussaud busy for weeks!

HT: First a dollmaker, then a wax artist and in your upcoming book, The Prince's Pavilion, the heroine will work as a draper. What makes you choose these unusual professions for your heroines? How do you choose them? Or do they choose you?

CT: I’ve always loved historical fiction. It’s fun to both learn something and be entertained at the same time. The more that I’ve read both historical fiction and history books themselves, the more I’ve realized that women have not, contrary to conventional wisdom, always been prevented from being independent or making their own livings. That was a curse generally reserved for the upper classes. There were plenty of working women out there. They frequently worked side-by-side with their husbands, and even took over after their husbands’ deaths. Knowing this, I wanted to explore some more unusual or generally unknown occupations a woman might have. How do I choose them? Well, I’m a doll collector myself, so the dollmaker one was easy. Madame Tussaud tumbled out right behind her. As for the draper, well, there is a secondary profession in that novel, cabinetmaking, that I wrote has an homage to my husband, a brilliant woodworker (if I do say so myself). Having a heroine who is a draper nicely complemented the cabinetmaker. And I’m not revealing anything about my next heroine, who will make the dollmaker, waxworker, and draper quite boring by comparison.

HT: After reaching the last page of A Royal Likeness, I was already impatient to discover The Prince's Pavilion (released scheduled for 2012). Would you like to let us know a little more about it?

CT: THE PRINCE’S PAVILION, about a cloth merchant named Annabelle Stirling, should be released in early 2012. Thanks to her patron, the great architect John Nash, Belle Stirling is a rising star in the homes of London’s fashionable elites. Even the Prince Regent wants her elegant, high quality fabrics used in the decoration of his new palace, The Royal Pavilion. But when those closest to her conspire against Parliament, she risks losing her reputation, her business…and even her life. To read the prologue, visit here: http://www.christinetrent.com/theprincespavilion.html#excerpt

As always, I plan to bring in historical events both great and small, including the Luddite riots, the Cato Street Conspiracy, the rebuilding of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, and other events of Regency England. I hope readers will be as fascinated as I was by details of early 19th century cloth manufacture.

My fourth novel will encompass my most unusual profession yet, this time a dark and mysterious one set in Victorian England. And that’s all I’m saying for now!

HT: A last question and a special one because I couldn't stop thinking about your answer. When I read the first scenes with Officer Hastings, he made me think about another character of a very famous classic book, Pride and Prejudice. For me he has something of Mr. Darcy going on that immediately won me over, despite his initial arrogance and rudeness. Is this just some wishful thinking or did you channel some Darcy attitude into that handsome man?

CT: Guilty as charged. And not just any Mr. Darcy: Colin Firth.

 

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Christine Trent was our guest blogger last year and she shared with us a captivating Why I Love writing about unusual historical professions. You can learn more about her and her novels at her website: http://www.christinetrent.com/

THE GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the generosity of Christine we have a copy of A Royal Likeness to give away to one of our readers.

- to participate you just need to leave a comment and your email address
- open worldwide
- one entry per household
- ends January 18 at midnight GMT

Good luck to everyone !

Michelle Moran Week - In Which Michelle Answers Questions

For today, I have an interview with Michelle. Since Michelle is doing a lot of blog tours, though, I wanted to try and make my questions a bit different! I went back and looked at the other two interviews that I conducted with her and built from there. I hope you enjoy!

1. They say that the third time is the charm. I am not sure if that necessarily applies to published novels, but do you feel any differently about this book that you did about the other two?
Actually, yes! Of all my novels, Cleopatra's Daughter was the most fun to write. The lighter approach I took to Roman history (meaning more conversation and action than my previous novels) and the fact that my characters were so young, made this an enormously fun novel to write.

2. You said in your interview last year that you didn't read Egyptian historical fiction because it didn't appeal to you. How about Ancient Rome historical fiction, or do you not read that either?
When writing my first three books, I tried to stay clear of both Egyptian and Roman fiction simply because I didn't want anything to influence my research or my writing style. Now that my fourth book is on the French Revolution, I am delving into historical fiction set in the ancient world and loving every minute of it!

3. In a year that has seen a lot of controversy surrounding books and book blogging, how do you feel about it? You said last year that you owe a lot of your success to the blogosphere, would you still back that claim?
I would definitely still make that claim. Bloggers have been such an enormous part of my publishing experience. I couldn't even fathom a book publishing world without them.

4. I am always curious about the deleted scenes, so like with your previous two novels, I have to ask if there are any deleted scenes from this one that you would like to share?
Actually, there were very few deleted scenes this time. After having to trim 100 pages for my last two books, I wised up and made sure to stay in the 450 page range!

5. Do you feel confident with your move from Egypt to Rome, or do you think you might still have some Egyptian tales to tell in the future?
I would never say never, but I'm pretty sure my time in ancient Egypt is done. I can certainly see myself returning to ancient Rome, but I doubt there will be a return to Egypt.

6. For those that you read my interview last year, they will know that I asked about the roses you mentioned in your author bio. Is the garden still thriving?
Actually, I don't know! My husband and I sold our house recently with the intention of moving either to Virginia or France. Virginia is looking more likely right now, since my mother is in CA and the flight to France would be pretty long and torturous for her every year. We're giving ourselves until April to make a decision. Either way - I'm very excited! Virginia and France are two of my favorite places in the world, and wherever we end up choosing, we'll be spending a great deal of time in both paces I'm sure.

7. Now, for something completely different. Why do you write? Did you wake up one morning and decide that was what you wanted to do, or was it something that you had to progress into? What makes you keep on writing now that you have published a couple times and know all the hard work involved?

I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was in the single digits – eight or nine at the latest. I simply loved the joy of putting words together to make up a story. My first attempt at getting published was in seventh grade, when I was twelve. I had written a full length book that was certainly pathetic but everyone praised it and my father hailed it as the next Great American Novel. My father was very good at ego-boosting. But no one knew how to go about getting published, so I went to my local Barnes and Nobles and asked them how. And instead of laughing, the bookseller took me to the writing section and I purchased the current edition of Writer's Market. From then on, no agent or publishing house was safe. I learned how to write query letters and regaled them all. And some of them sent personal letters back too, probably because I had included my age in the query letter and they either thought a) this kid has potential or b) this is sad and deserves at least a kind note.

Now that I'm on my fourth novel, I've learned that publishing is 40% writing, 60% marketing and publicity. And - sadly - it's becoming this way for more and more authors (even the bigger names, who used to spend all their time writing). I try to find joy in every element of the publishing process since I know I am very fortunate to be doing what I love as a job.

8. Okay, and just because I always want to know, favourite reads of the year so far? (They don't have to be historical fiction).
Ohhh... my favorite question! I devour as much narrative nonfiction as I do historical fiction. Some of my favorite reads this year have been Benjamin Wallace's THE BILLIONAIRE'S VINEGAR, THE SUSPICIONS OF MR. WHICHER by Kate Summerscale, THE LAST QUEEN by C.W. Gortner and Robin Maxwell's SIGNORA DA VINCI.

Interview with Elizabeth Chadwick

Continuing with Elizabeth Chadwick week, we are very excited to welcome Elizabeth Chadwick herself to Historical Tapestry!

How did your interest in the medieval period begin, and how did that lead into writing books set in that period?

When I was eight we had a teacher at school who used to get us to dress up as the historical characters we had just learned about and act out their stories in front of our classmates. We were doing the medieval period at the time, so I guess this was the first ever spark. After that, I fell in love with a crusader knight on a children's TV programme and began writing a story set in those times. Once I'd written on story, I was hooked and started straight on the next! The more research I did on the period, the more interested I became.

You spend some of your free time doing medieval reenactments. How does this help your research?

It gives me a 'hands on' feel for the period. It's all very well to look at an artefact in a book or in a glass case at a museum, quite another to use it as it would have been used in the period. I know what it looks like to peer through the eye slits in a jousting helm. I know how it feels to spin raw wool on a spindle. I know how it feels to climb castle stairs in a pair of heel-less goatskin shoes. It's absolutely priceless research for bringing the 'feel' into my novels.

Could you see yourself living in that time, and if so what would be the things from the modern world that you would miss most? Any amusing stories you care to share from reenactment?

I would love to go back for say a fortnight's holiday once a year, varying the seasons so I'd get a feel for them, and I'd spend most of my time as either a noble or a merchant. One day as a peasant for the experience would be enough each time! I would definitely miss chocolate, flushing toilets and clean, bright light at the flick of a switch. Then again, if the night was clear, I'd get to see the stars in all their beauty.

I think one of the funniest things that has happened in re-enactment was when one of our members got his head stuck inside his helmet in exactly the same way that William Marshal did in his jousting days. Our man had to put his head down on the table and be carefully prised out of the helm by a blacksmith in a near repetition of an event that happened 800 years ago!

If you could be one historical person, who would you choose to be?

William Marshal's wife Isabelle de Clare definitely! Ummm....apart from the ten children! I could do without those.

Over the years your books have changed a little in tone from being romances with a lot of history, to historicals with a bit of romance. What prompted that change in style?

Partly it was a natural progression as I grew more confident with the historical material. I found myself wanting to write about real people. Partly it was market forces as historical novels moved in that direction. I had no desire to swim against the tide. Indeed, it was a catalyst. I still love my more romantic novels, but I thoroughly enjoy writing fiction about characters who lived too.

Your books have been quite successful in the United Kingdom and other countries. What does it mean to you to have The Greatest Knight released in the US by Sourcebooks?

It is wonderful to finally have a USA paperback publisher, and one as keen and dedicated as Sourcebooks. I have received hundreds of e-mails from USA readers asking why they can't obtain my novels in the States. Now they can. Sourcebooks are real innovators in the marketplace and going from strength to strength, so I couldn't be more pleased, I hope the readers are too and I promise to do my best for them.

Do you see yourself continuing to write about the Marshals and their contemporaries or do you have some other characters or period that you are looking to write about?

Beyond The Greatest Knight I have written several novels continuing the story of the Marshals and their contemporaries. Sourcebooks will publish the follow up to The Greatest Knight in spring 2010 - The Scarlet Lion and also in the UK in spring 2010, Little Brown is publishing To Defy a King, the story of William's daughter and her conflict-filled life. Just now I am starting a novel on The Empress Matilda and her stepmother Queen Adeliza. The latter was actually the same age as Matilda. It's likely title is Lady of the English, and it will look at the lives of these women up close and personal. I'm keen to get properly going on it.


Looking at the characters in The Greatest Knight, Richard de Clare certainly captured the attention of a few readers. Did you ever feel compelled to write his story? Are there are other secondary characters that you would like to have the chance to focus on a some stage?

I did think about writing about Richard de Clare at one point, but as you know, I like to write novels spanning the years. Richard marred Aoife McMurrough, begot a son and Isabelle, and promptly went and died when they were tiny, so his life story would have to be his early life and the fight for Leinster. I feel that his story arc was a little too short for my purposes. Secondary characters quite often suggest stories, or at least story lines. but for the moment I have a fairly full agenda with what I've got. I confess that I became very interested in Wigain, the clerk of the Young King's kitchen. I found him in a chronicle, lurking with various high born bishops and the like. He'd obviously been on an important mission somewhere. What was he doing? What was he up to? A common kitchen clerk in such exalted company? So it's not always the big names I wonder about. At some point I'd love to write 'Wigain's tale.'!


What's next for Elizabeth Chadwick?

Well, there's the re-issue of one of my early romantic novels at Christmas - The Running Vixen. Then as aforementioned in the spring there's The Scarlet Lion out in the USA and To Defy a King in the UK. While all that's going on, I'll be busy with Lady of the English about the Empress Matilda. After that, we'll see, but the women of the Norman Conquest might just be on the agenda...


Don't forget that you can win Elizabeth Chadwick books! Full details can be found on Monday's post! Click here!

Interview with Robin Maxwell, Author of Signora da Vinci

This interview first appeared on my blog, So Many Precious Books, So Little Time. We thought you may enjoy it here on Historical Tapestry.

I am so excited to welcome Robin Maxwell, author of Signora da Vinci to So Many Precious Books, So Little Time! When I first heard about this book, I went begging for a review copy. It did not disappoint! (See my review).

Now for the interview:

Teddy: What inspired you to write about Leonardo da Vinci's mother?

R.M.: Actually, my first thought was to write a book about Leonardo, because he was -- and remains today -- much more than just an astonishing artist. He had the most original mind of any man of any century. He was an inventor, scientist, philosopher, atheist, believer in Nature as God, vegetarian (when such a thing was a heretical act!), a homosexual, a believer in freedom of the human spirit, and that learning did not come from books but from personal, first-hand experience. However, the publishing business today -- especially in the historical fiction genre -- is quite fixated on stories told from a woman's point of view. So I was forced to revise my thinking.

In retrospect, SIGNORA DA VINCI might not have been quite as appealing a book as it was with Caterina, because with her as the protagonist, she was able to observe Florence's all-male "inner circle", secretly, through female eyes, as well as have a love relationship with a man. If I'd only had Leonardo to work with, I would have been writing primarily about homosexual relationships and truthfully, though I have several close friends who are gay, I'm not familiar (from an "insiders" point of view) with that kind of sexuality.

Teddy: How long did it take you to do research for this book? Please tell us about your research process for the book.

R.M.: Since this was, after having written six novels of Tudor England and Ireland, my first in Renaissance Italy, I was starting from scratch -- locations, characters, world view, philosophies, politics, arts and sciences -- absolutely everything was new to me. I'd never been to Florence or Milan, had never set foot in Italy at all, yet I knew I had to really evoke a sense of this most extraordinary moment in time, as it was in Florence, with this particular group of people, where the Renaissance began. The Renaissance was the most significant turning point in history up to that time, and I had to do it justice.

So I stared buying and acquiring research books -- mostly online through Amazon, Powell's, and Alibris -- and scouring the internet, and I began immersing myself in the period. I read a dozen books on Leonardo alone. Not only his body of work in painting, architecture and sculpture, but his NOTEBOOKS, a prodigious treasury of technologic inventions, science, biology, anatomy and optics, as well as his philosophies which -- it would be an understatement to say -- were radical...downright heretical.

I was lucky enough to find some great books on Florence, one that had a street map of the city in 1500 with all the important landmarks, churches, palazzos, public buidlings and bridges, and I referred to that constantly, making sure my characters were getting around from place to place on the correct streets.

I read several wonderful biographies of Lorenzo "The Magnificent" de' Medici, and one autobiography with all his famous sonnets and explanation of their meanings. I also saw every visual image we have of him -- paintings, busts and even his death mask. During the course of researching and writing this book, I totally fell in love with Lorenzo, so it was easy to write my protagonist -- Caterina da Vinci -- falling in love with him, too.

With regard to the Turin Shroud hoax, which is an important part of the plot, I used two books by the non-fiction authors, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, and depended upon their research and experiments very heavily.

In terms of length of time and depth of effort doing research for a novel: SIGNORA DA VINCI takes its place alongside THE QUEEN'S BASTARD and THE WILD IRISH, though in SIGNORA DA VINCI I was still sitting there with research books in my lap as I was writing the very last page of the epilogue. When I was finished I had a bit of a mental meltdown where I couldn't put two thoughts together, was forgetting simple words, and literally walking around in circles. I can finally say (after nearly a year) that my head is back to normal.

Teddy: At what point in your writing the book did you decide that Caterina would become Cato?

R.M.:I always write a detailed outline of my novels to start (this is how I sell my books -- based on proposals) so as soon as I came up with my storyline, it became clear that if I wanted Caterina to follow her beloved son, Leonardo, into Florence to watch over him, and if I wanted to illuminate the secret world of the city -- what I call "The Shadow Renaissance," (see more about that in a page on my website http://robinmaxwell.com, BONUS PASSPORT TO THE 15th CENTURY called "What is the Shadow Renaissance?"), from the inside, from her perspective, she could not be a woman. Women were kept cloistered in their fathers' houses till they were married (or went to a convent) and then cloistered in their husband's houses till they died. They were only allowed to go out to confession or gather with their women friends for special occasions like marriages and the birth of children. And since I learned that there were women who cross-dressed all throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance (and found some wonderful research books on the subject), I had no choice but to turn Caterina into "Cato."

Teddy: Was there really a time in history with Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo de’Medici. Please tell us about that time.

R.M.: There's actually a controversy about that. Some historians say that because Lorenzo de' Medici did not send Leonardo with other painters like Botticelli (on loan) to Rome to decorate the Vatican, and because he DID send the 30 year-old already famous painter to live and work in Milan in the court of Ludovico Sforza, that Lorenzo did not think highly of Leonardo. That is because Leo was not a highly educated man (as Lorenzo was), but something of a "country bumpkin," Lorenzo felt Leo was "below him" socially. I think that's hogwash.

Other historians say Lorenzo was Leonardo's patron and "godfather," and while only one suggests that da Vinci may have lived for a while at the Palazzo Medici (like Michelangelo and Botticelli certainly did for several years as "adopted sons") I don't think Lorenzo went that far with Leonardo. He did appreciate his genius, from a very young age (Leo was an apprentice with the Medici court Artist, Verrocchio), and there's reason to believe that if Lorenzo knew of Leo's heretical leanings (which he had to have known about, as Leo was very open about them) then sending him to his friend Ludovico in Milan, to a much less religiously repressive place than Florence under Savonarola, was a protective measure. In any event, the latter was the choice I made that fit my story and the interaction between Leonardo, his mother and the Medici family.

Teddy: What are you working on now?

R.M.: My next novel, O, JULIET, is the first retelling of the the world's greatest love story in the form of a historical novel. I set it in Florence (and only a few parts in Verona) in 1444. Lorenzo de' Medici's mother, Lucrezia (at age 18, just before she marries into the Medici family), is Juliet's best girlfriend, and while the story is told primarily in Juliet's voice, Romeo gets to tell his side of it as well. It'll be published in the beginning of 2010.

Teddy: What is one of your favourite books/authors?

R.M.: I have too many much-loved authors and books to list, but my new two favorites in historical fiction are C.W. Gortner (THE LAST QUEEN) and Michelle Moran (NEFERTITI and THE HERETIC QUEEN).

I would like to thanks Robin Maxwell for taking time out of her busy schedule for this interview!

Interview with Jules Watson

Ever since I read the first book in the Dalriada trilogy by Jules Watson, I have been hooked on her writing! I have been anxiously anticipating the release of The Swan Maiden. I was therefore very pleased to get the opportunity to interview Jules on behalf of all of us here at Historical Tapestry. I think I might have been a little bit excited on the Australian connection on the day I wrote the questions, but I hope that I can be forgiven for that!


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How does an Aussie girl end up living in Scotland, writing books about Ancient Celts?

I had "this thing" about the Celts even as a child - for no reason whatsoever. My parents were English immigrants. I'm not Irish or Scots by blood, and no one in my family knew about such things. It just came up from within! It made me start reading all the Celtic-inspired fantasy authors for kids, such as Susan Cooper, Alan Garner and LLoyd Alexander. I was obsessed with ancient peoples, and when I got to university I did a degree in archaeology to feed the maw of the history beast. That sealed my love of the Celts. I then fell in love with The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, set in Dark Age Britain, which had Celtic undertones. I kept waiting for another Mists of Avalon, with the same mixture of adventure, romance and Celtic spirituality, but no one was writing such a book. When I decided to write, I knew that's what I had to do. My husband is a Scot transplanted to Australia as a child, but I did not get my connection to Scotland from him. I just knew I had to go there, I was drawn there, and the moment I saw the wild mountains I knew instinctively it was my home. I've been trying to get my husband to move back there ever since, and finally I succeeded! The Celts came first, the history second, Scotland third, and writing fourth. And last is that I married all of it together and ended up married to a Scot, in Scotland, writing Scottish history.

Looking about your About Me page on your lovely new website, you have had some pretty interesting jobs. What was the strangest, or most interesting job that you have had?

I would have to say driving huge trucks on a gold mine in Western Australia. One minute I was a bookish city-dweller, the next I was standing in 60 C heat in a red desert, surrounded by gigantic machinery digging rocks out of a kilometre-long hole in the ground. It was like a Wild West camp, with only kangaroos and tattooed bikers for company! I had an absolute blast. My memorable moment was when I was driving an enormous house-sized truck, piled with rock, out of the pit. The track was wet when I got to the dump, and I lost control. This behemoth started to slide beneath me, and then did a complete spin in what felt like slow motion. When I stopped I just sat there, wondering if I was alive. So yes, that was interesting!

One of the things that I often hear from authors is that they don't get time to read very much anymore, or that they have to read outside their genre. Do you still find time to read, and if so what are a couple of your favourite recent reads? What are your favourite books and/or authors?

I am guilty of that. The problem is that when you become an author, you tend to write the kinds of things you liked reading before. But now you can't read them, in case you accidentally cross-pollinate. So all of a sudden your reading slows. Also, after looking at words all day I need a break from that. I have stopped reading, and it's awful, so I am trying to start up again. My favorite books are The Mists of Avalon and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, plus Lord of the Rings. I also really liked Joan Wolf's series about the Saxons and Britons. I obviously have to read outside my genre, but have not been very good at it of late.








When I read the Dalriada trilogy, I was particularly impressed with the detail that you were able to provide of life in the tribes. Reading the authors notes, it seemed that there is very little known, so how much freedom does that give you as a writer? Is the same true for your new book, The Swan Maiden?

One reason I wrote about the first century AD in Scotland is because not much is known. I wanted to write a great adventure romance, and I didn't want to be too restricted by historical records. I have stuck to the bits we know - mainly from Roman records about their invasions into Scotland - but I personally loved setting my imagination free to do the rest. I thread aspects of Celtic spirituality all through my books, in the sense of dreams and visions, and I think that sits better in a little-known time. It's a cliche, but the Scottish landscape IS mysterious, and if you set any story here, the edges naturally start dissolving into the mists. I like hovering at the fringes between known and the great unknown, between civilisation and wilderness, and that translates into my books. This is even stronger in The Swan Maiden, since it is based on an Irish myth. My previous trilogy used scraps of Roman history, and archaeology of the first century AD. But scholars don't even know when the Irish epics were set, so even that certainty is taken away. I chose to set The Swan Maiden in the first century BC, so the lifestyles of the characters are roughly the same as in the Dalriada trilogy, and I draw on the same archaeology and snippets of Roman writings about the Celts from across the "Celtic" world.

Tell us a bit more about The Swan Maiden? What inspired you to tell this particular story? What are you hoping the reader takes away from the book?

It is based on the tale of Deirdre and the Sons of Usnech, which though it was not written down until the 12th century, probably dates to earlier than the 6th century. I love the heroic Irish myths for all their drama and nobility, and the Deirdre tale is one of the most beautiful and tragic. I always found it inspiring: the tale of a girl betrothed from birth to an old king, who finally takes her fate into her own hands. She defies her king and her people and runs away, claiming her own love and a life of freedom. It's incredibly romantic in the same vein as Romeo and Juliet, Paris and Helen of Troy, and Tristan and Isolde: lovers defying society to be together. There's also a feminist element, I suppose, of a woman rejecting the shackles put around her by a male world of warriors and power-hungry kings. I hope her courage is inspiring, but most of all, I like the way she breaks away to discover who she really is in her deepest self. She claims her right to stand as herself alone, not existing only in relation to a man. I think that's inspiring for everyone, male or female - to somehow be your own unique self in this crazy world. Of course, she also risks all for love, and I think love is a vital thing to cling to the crazier the world gets. I'm also interested in the spiritual elements of the Celts: the ability of souls to move between different forms; the existence of an Otherworld close to our own. So I hope readers go away feeling uplifted, that we can transcend violence and tragedy and still triumph.

Your current agent represents some really big names in historical fiction. How important is this in terms of getting your books out, particularly into the US market? Does the same agent represent you in all regions?

Yes, it is important. Over thirty years, he has built up a reputation for spotting bestsellers, and signing leading authors in the historical fiction / fantasy genre. He knows all the US editors buying work like mine, and they respect his judgement. So when he's putting me forward, they are least going to listen to what he says. They may still pass, of course, because they don't like it even if he does, or it's not their thing. But having a great agent puts you way ahead of the pack. He represents me worldwide.

What's next for Jules Watson?

I'm currently working on the second book based on ancient Irish myths. It's not strictly a sequel to The Swan Maiden, and both books can stand alone. It is called The Raven Queen, and it's a reimagination of the life of Queen Medb or Maeve, and her part in the famous Irish epic The Tain. She is a juicy character, since the monks that wrote down the oral tales about her in a later period portray her as a sex-crazed war-mongerer. I wanted to imagine what sort of woman she "could" have been to inspire such hatred. My previous heroines have all had a spiritual dimension, often being seers or priestesses, but in this case Maeve is a warrior and ruthless ruler in her own right. Though there is an intriguing druid lurking about in the background...

Last question. Having lived overseas myself, every now and again there were things that I missed from Australia. Is there anything that you miss from Australia and why?

I don't like the blazing heat, but I miss the feel of the air in Perth on a summer's eve when the burning sun had just dropped below the horizon. Then there was a magical hour of dusk where you could sit on the beach and smell the salt air, and enjoy the balminess. I miss balmy. I also miss Australians! They are so easy-going and up for anything, and I like how they are free of class consciousness. I didn't realise there was an "Australian-ness" of character until after I left. Oh, and good Thai food...and swimming... It was hard to write misty Scottish epics in such a climate, however. I get very inspired hiking up Scottish hillsides, despite the rain!

Jules Watson
Author of Celtic historical fiction

NEW BOOK: THE SWAN MAIDEN -
the ancient myth of Deirdre,
the Irish "Helen of Troy"

http://www.juleswatson.com



Thank you so much Jules for taking the time to answer our questions. You can read reviews of all of Jules' previous books by clicking on the following links:

The White Mare
The Dawn Stag
The Boar Stone

Please note that The Boar Stone is published in the US under the title, Song of the North.

Interview With Lynne Connolly

Lynne Connolly writes several different genres and is the author of the Richard and Rose series - historical mysteries set in the Georgian era.

Hello Lynne and thank you for agreeing to do this interview for Historical Tapestry!

It's my pleasure!



We have already reviewed two of your books here at the blog. The first two books in the Richard and Rose series. The books have been very hard to find but now Samhain is going to publish them with the first one coming out Dec 5th.Would you like to tell us how you decided to tell Richard and Rose's story? I believe these were among the first books you've written, had you planned them for long?

Yes, I had the first two in my head for a long time, but when my children were little, I didn't have the time to write them down! I've always written, but when I learned about Richard and Rose, I knew this was the one I should try to get published.
Richard appeared to me on the page. I originally planned a mild-mannered minor nobleman who everybody overlooked, but in the first scene of Yorkshire, he appeared, and I had to stop and rethink!



They are written in the first person from Rose’s point of view. Was that something you planned ahead?

I tried it in the third person, but they didn't work, and I didn't know if I could write the books. But I started again in Rose's point of view and they just came alive. It's the only series I've ever written in the first person.



I see they are labeled by the publisher as Historical Romance which is interesting because I usually think of them as Historical Mysteries with some romance. How do you think of them?

Historical romantic suspense, I always thought. Their love story intruded on what I originally planned as a series of mysteries. The more the series progressed, the more it became about Richard and Rose and the way they coped with each other and fell more deeply in love.



Why did you decide to set them during the Georgian period? The reason I ask is because the Regency seems to be all the rage for a number of years now.

My love affair with the Georgian era is the longest of my life. At school, when I was 9, we did a project on tea and coffee, and we had a talk on Georgian coffee houses. Right then and there I fell in love. So I've read the period all my life and it was natural to set stories there.



How important is historical accuracy for you? Was it hard to research that period?

Extremely important. If something isn't right, it pulls me straight out of the story. I also think it's a bit of an insult to readers, to assume that they won't notice, or that it doesn't matter.
Not hard at all, because I love the period so much. Some literary giants inhabited the era (Pope, Swift, Defoe, Jane Austen), and there is lots of information. Since I've been reading it for a very long time, and I would read it anyway, my only problem is knowing when to stop researching and start writing!



Were you planning on a series of books from the start? Or was just a natural evolution? How many books does the series have now?

I originally thought of "Yorkshire" and "Devonshire" as one book, leading up to their wedding, but the stories grew too long, and then I got the idea. So many romances end at the wedding but isn't that just the beginning? And I used to watch soap operas (I gave them up) where couples never had a happy ending. When the writers wanted to stir things up, they'd split a couple up, just for the story. I wanted to show a love affair that grows and matures.



Do real people appear in the books? We know the main characters are fictional, did you based them on someone or did they just "appear" in your head?

The more I wrote them, the more I got to know them. It usually happens that way. I do plan my books before I write them, but they still take me by surprise, sometimes!
There are quite a few real people in the books, the Fielding brothers of Bow Street, and several of the nobility, but I try to stick to accepted historical facts, and I don't distort them for my own purposes.



Were there any authors who influenced you in your writing? Any authors you admire?

None that influenced me, really. I discovered the US historical romance market after I wrote Richard and Rose! But I've since discovered authors in many genres that I love reading. Laura Kinsale, for historicals, also Loretta Chase and Liz Carlyle. And, of course, Georgette Heyer, who probably started me on the journey in the first place. I was so broken up when she died, I wanted to read more, but the only way was to write them for myself!



Last but not the least we know you are a versatile author and write in several different genres. Would you like to tell us about your other books and how can people find them?

I write paranormal romantic suspense, also known as urban gothic and urban fantasy. Ellora's Cave publishes the Pure Wildfire series, and the upcoming S.T.O.R.M. books, and Loose-Id publishes the Department 57 books. I love writing in different genres, I think it keeps me fresh! I did write a Harlequin book last year, I know it's with an editor, but it's a long wait to hear about it!


Thank you so much Lynne!

The publishing dates for the series are:

Yorkshire - December 5th 2008
Devonshire - Jan 2nd 2009
Venice - May 1st 2009
Harley Street - August 7th 2009
Eyton - November 3rd 2009
Darkwater - January 5th 2010

After that, there will be at least two more stories featuring Richard and Rose.

Interview with Barbara Quick

Last year we reviewed Barbara Quick's Vivaldi's Virgins. Recently we had the opportunity of doing an interview with her and we couldn't let it pass as we were curious about the story behind the book. Barbara Quick was really nice and provided us with really interesting information both about this book and her new one that will be released next year.

Hello Barbara and thank you for doing this interview with HT! As fans of historical fiction we are always interested in knowing where the ideas for the plots come from. Your last book, Vivaldi's Virgins, has an interesting and long story behind. Would you like to tell us more about why you felt compelled to write it?

This story chased me for about 18 years, Ana!

It all started with an engraving I bought from a street artist in Budapest. The engraving, which was entitled "Vivaldi," showed a young composer sitting at a keyboard, surrounded by what I took then to be angel musicians. I brought the engraving home and framed it beautifully. But it took me almost two decades to discover what it really meant.

I had written five other books before I heard somewhere that the composer Antonio Vivaldi was also a priest who taught in an all-girls' orphanage. This seemed like a fascinating setting for a novel (which it turned out to be!). I started doing library research--and eventually made my way to Venice, the site of the Ospedale della Pieta, where Vivaldi taught and composed in the early part of the 18th century.

It was only after the novel was well under way that I got my "Vivaldi" engraving out of storage and onto my bedroom wall, looked at it and realized, "Those aren't angel musicians--those are the orphans!" And it was as if the picture looked back at me in that moment and said, "Finally!"


With little known about Anna Maria dal Violin, how did you find her voice and built her life story? How much of it was based on research for the period and how much was your intuition speaking?

My first drafts of the first "letters" that my heroine writes to her mother--a person whose existence she can only dream of--were written for a completely made-up character I called Pellegrina. I imagined her as one of Vivaldi's favorite violinists, to whom he'd dedicated a lot of solos.

Well, then found a chapter in a book of academic essays (referenced in the bibliography at the end of my novel), highlighting the life of one Anna Maria della Pieta, one of Vivaldi's favorite violinists, to whom he dedicated nearly 30 violin solos. The outlines for Anna Maria's life nearly identically matched the life I'd made up for Pellegrina. So Pellegrina went out the door and Anna Maria came in.

I went to Venice again, met with the director of the Vivaldi Institute, Francesco Fanna, and was given a wonderful article written by the scholar Micky White, containing biographical details about all the female musicians who were contemporaneous with Vivaldi during his tenure at the Ospedale della Pieta. Using the seven or so factoids contained in the sketch about Anna Maria--when she was promoted, when she was put on a special diet of chicken, given an extra measure of oil, etc.--I was able to build an armature for the life of a flesh-and-blood girl growing up in a cloistered institution with the canals of Venice outside her barred windows, a girl who ate, breathed, and drank music every hour of every day.

Anna Maria was obviously a musical prodigy--and yet her promotions came much later than those of her cohort. And I figured, this girl must have been breaking the rules and getting into trouble. Why else would her promotions have been postponed?

Very soon after I started writing, the voice of Anna Maria--well, I don't want to say that it spoke to me. But I could hear her--or maybe it would be more accurate to say I could overhear her. I heard her speaking in whispers with other girls in the dormitories and hallways of the Pieta. I heard her voice as she composed her letters to her mother, desperate with the hope that her mother not only lived but would hear her and come to claim her.

Later, as Anna Maria spoke from the perspective of her fourth decade, I heard a different voice--one that reflected all she had learned. A voice filled with wisdom and a touch of irony and a great deal of compassion for the frightened and lonely girl she'd once been.




Do you feel your approach to the people and places you mention in your book to be different from other authors?

I would think so! I think every writer must have his or her own unique approach to the people and places they write about.

Two writers can write about the exact same thing and write completely different novels! I'm looking forward to reading the novel about the Pieta by a writer named Laurel Corona that's being published in November. The difference is not in the subject matter, but in what the writer brings to it. Writers have to dip into their own emotional well to find the resonance needed to create a convincing emotional life for their characters--you have to feel it when you write it.

I laugh and cry and sometimes talk to myself when I write. I really think I go into another world, where I lose track of time and even lose track of myself. It's both wonderful and exhausting to write fiction--and it must look really weird to anyone who happens to be watching. (I try to keep myself in check when I'm writing at cafes, which I often do!)


We already know you have a new book coming out in 2009. The existence of your new heroine seems to be a point of controversy among some scholars. Were you already aware of that when you chose to tell her story? Or was it because of that that you chose her? And is there a story behind that book much like that behind Vivaldi's Virgins?

The new novel I'm just finishing up for HarperCollins children's division, A Golden Web, is about a young woman in Emilia-Romagna, in the northern Italian penninsula, in the early 14th century, who dreamed of going to medical school and studying human anatomy. Of course, this was completely out of the question for a female in the 1300s. So, in my story she disguises herself as a boy and rides off to Bologna with her nanny, who is also dressed in men's clothes.

I'd found the same little bit of information about this young woman in various different places on the Internet. And then, in Bologna, I was able to find quite a few articles that referred to her. One of these articles suggests that the whole story was made up in the 18th century.

Because the 14th century is such a very long time ago, and so much history and architecture have happened since then, it's not really possible (as far as I can tell!) to say one way or the other whether Alessandra Giliani lived and did what she did. The librarians and archivists I consulted with in and around Bologna wanted--just like I do--to believe that the story is based on fact, and that records of this girl and her family may have been destroyed by the Church, whose rules she so completely breached by doing what she did.

I "heard" her voice, just like I heard Anna Maria's voice--but I don't think I can really offer that as proof to anyone that Alessandra Giliani was the western world's first female anatomist. Even if someone is eventually able to prove that the story isn't factually true, there's still a huge amount of emotional and simply human truth contained in Alessandra's story. And all the historical details of the time and place--of medical practice and the craft of publishing before the printing press and student life at Europe's first university: these are all based on a great deal of meticulous research.


When so little is known about a person isn't it harder to imagine how she was and lived? Or does that give you more freedom to do what you want with her story?

That's a good point, Ana! In Vivaldi's Virgins, I felt a moral obligation to make the biographical outlines of Anna Maria's story conform with the pen-and-ink records of her life. Because these records are so sparse, though, I had plenty of freedom to imagine all the details of the story, as well as the cast of characters who interact with Anna Maria in the novel. Whenever there were facts available to weave in, I did that--as in the case of the novel's antagonist, an embittered and vindictive teacher named Meneghina. (There was a historical teacher of that name at the Pieta, contemporaneous with Anna Maria, who was stripped of her privileges for cruel treatment of students in her care.) There was a Marietta of the Pieta, too, who became an opera star, and this little factoid became the basis for the character in my novel who most often get Anna Maria into trouble.

The historical Anna Maria's rival for first violin was blind at the time of her death--and I only found that out after I created the character of Bernardina, Anna Maria's rival and, later, her student, who is blind in one eye. The facts and my own imagination seemed to do a dance together, with the lead passing between them. It all worked out very beautifully.

With the story of Alessandra Giliani, there was only the record--if it is a record--of a beautiful tribute to Alessandra written by her friend and fiance. So, of course, he became an important part of the story. I was gratified to hear from my editor, after she'd read my first complete draft, that she was shocked to learn from me that nothing is known about Alessandra's family. Her father, step-mother and siblings all play very prominent roles in the story. My editor, Rosemary Brosnan, told me that she'd been utterly convinced that they were also based on real people. Well, who knows? Maybe they are. Maybe, on some deep, mysterious level, I tapped into a part of the story that didn't survive in the archival records but still lives on somewhere in the ether.


Both your historical books have Italian heroines. Was that a coincidence or do you have an affinity for italian history? Can we expect more books set in Italy in the future?

I am, I admit it freely, completely obsessed with Italy. I have such an affinity for the language, the culture, the people, the food. When I went to Venice for the first time, I felt sure that I'd lived there before. When I started learning Italian, it was in my mouth already. People have always said that I look Italian--and I've begun to believe that I must be. Maybe I had an ancestor who sailed across the Adriatic Sea from Venice to Bucharest, where my maternal grandfather was born. Someday I'd like to have my DNA tested and find out.


Thank you so much for doing the interview. It was very interesting to learn the story behind your books and about your writing process. Anything more you might like to share with us? When can we expect your next book to be found on the bookstores?

Really, it's been my pleasure, Ana! I'd like to encourage your readers to visit my web site BarbaraQuick.com where they can read more about Vivaldi's Virgins, see (and hear!) a book trailer, and download a podcast of music from the novel. They can also see two slideshows of my pictures from Venice at http://www.MySpace.com/vivaldisvirgins

I'm really excited about all the foreign editions of the novel that are being published! The Spanish, Hebrew, Dutch, and Russian editions are already out. There are eight others in the works, including a Greek edition coming out in January. A lovely native-born Italian woman I met at a reading I did in Phoenix took it upon herself to make an absolutely brilliant translation of Vivaldi's Virgins into Italian, all on her own. I'm hoping--both for her sake and mine--that we'll see her translation picked up by a publishing house in Italy this year. It drives me crazy that, with 12 translations, there isn't one coming out in Italian yet. Vivaldi is practically an industry in Venice!

A Golden Web, the novel about the young anatomist, will be available in fall 2009. I'm so looking forward to sharing that novel with readers--it's such a beautiful and inspiring story for anyone who has dared to do something that everyone else says is impossible.

Michelle Moran Week: The Surprise Interview!

Okay, so, I vanished! Many apologies folks! Not sleeping is bad for the system. I apologize for the interruption in the week. But, I am hopefully making it up to you by posting another interview that I somehow managed to throw together and Michelle somehow managed to answer! (She really is awesome, she deserves a week for herself because she has gone above and beyond to do pretty much whatever I ask!) Anyway, so, these are the questions that I thought about after reading the book. Some great answers! Tomorrow, as in Saturday, I will post a wrap-up post and then, um, whenever I said the contest ends I will pick winners of the two books! (I have to go read my own post...) I hope you enjoy this!
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First I have to ask about the roses. Authors always have interesting bios included with their books. They talk about the kids or the better half or even the cats, but yours says: "She lives in California with her husband and a garden of more than two hundred roses." So, I am wondering why roses? I meant to ask this in interview part one!

Actually, I thought of including my graduate degree and education in the bio, then decided against it since I write fiction, not nonfiction. I suppose I could have written about the archaeological digs I’ve participated in, or the extensive traveling I’ve done, but my publishing house said to keep it short and sweet, so I included what seemed easy and didn’t need much explanation! I am a huge fan of flowers. Our roses rise in several tiers above our garden, so that looking at them while they’re in full bloom is quite something. I like to think of my backyard as sort of a mini Versailles (okay, very mini). We have seven fruits trees, including avocado, apple, and cherry, plus two large eucalyptus trees which threaten to demolish us with every seasonal wind storm. We also have a wide variety of furry creatures which inhabit our hedges. You might think this all sounds perfectly idyllic, but when you have to fight the weeds and thorns in order to prune two hundreds roses twice a year, reality sets in pretty quickly!

Nefertiti was narrated by Mutny and The Heretic Queen was narrated by Nefertari. Do you have a preference? Was one story more interesting than the other, or did you enjoy telling both of their stories equally the same? And, why did you choose them as the narrators. It could've been a member of the court, or Nefertari’s nurse, etc. Why someone of great importance as the narrator?

For both Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen, I chose to tell the stories from the perspective of a woman at court who would have been in a position to see, hear, and participate in much of the action. In the case of my debut Nefertiti, I decided to tell the novel from perspective of Nefertiti’s younger sister, Mutny, because Nefertiti would not have been a trustworthy narrator. Nefertiti was incredibly ambitious, and probably would not have had trouble lying or flattering her way to power. The historical Mutny, by contrast, didn’t seem to possess Nefertiti’s ambition, and so I felt that she made a much more credible narrator. For The Heretic Queen, however, I chose to have Nefertari herself narrate the tale since she experienced such an amazing life. From fighting Sherden pirates to joining Ramesses at war in Kadesh, Nefertari witnessed it all. And who better to tell the story than the person who lived through it?

Easy question to ask, maybe not so easy to answer! Do you think that Nefertiti deserves the name The Heretic Queen, or do you think she was just a woman trying to gain power for her family the best she knew how? Or, something entirely different?

Great question! I definitely don’t think that Nefertari was a heretic. In the novel, however, her life is overshadowed by the heretical policies of her aunt and uncle, Queen Nefertiti and Pharaoh Akhenaten. The people stand against her marriage to Ramesses because of her ancestry, and Nefertari’s enemies use the word “heretic” to blacken her name and incite rebellion. Choosing a title for this novel was difficult. As I pointed out on another blog, the more obvious choice would have been NEFERTARI, but that sounded too close to my debut novel, so we went with something more enigmatic.

Was there anything that you had to leave out of either of the books that you would've liked to include, you just didn't have enough pages? Everyone enjoys 'deleted scenes'.

Oh, there’s always so much great stuff (well, great in my opinion!) that has to be left on the cutting room floor by the time the final edit is complete. Both of my novels endured trimmings of more than a hundred pages, so there were many scenes which had to be disappear that were fun to write, but not necessarily relevant. Originally, I had included much more about Ramesses and how he was responsible for many of the ancient buildings still in Egypt today. However, in my first novel, Akhenaten was a prolific builder, and my editor didn’t want readers to feel that this was more of the same (and rightly so).

There were also small, wonderful facts that really had no place in either of my novels and didn’t get included, but were wonderful anyway. For example, historically it is known that one of Nefertiti’s daughters owned a pet gazelle. While that’s incredibly cute, it really didn’t fit in with what I was writing, so I didn’t use it. There is also evidence that Mutny, the narrator of my fist book, kept company with a pair of dwarves. But with so many characters already in the novel, there was no place for them.

In The Heretic Queen, I would have loved to include more about the harem of Mi-Wer, where the wives of previous Pharaohs were sent if the current one didn’t want them anywhere. I find it incredibly tragic to imagine being a beautiful young woman who’s suddenly middle-aged and banished to the middle of nowhere. Many great scenes could have come out of that, but it’s unlikely Nefertari ever visited the harem, so it didn’t get included.

Besides seeing your name in print and your books on the shelves, what has been the best part of having your books published?

Probably the ability to contact other authors without having them think I want something from them. As an unpublished author I was always fearful of contacting authors who were already published in case they thought I was searching for a blurb or a handout in some other way. Now that I’m published I see that this was a foolish way of thinking. I love it when authors contact me, published or unpublished, and I have to assume that I’m not the only one. But publishing gave me the freedom to think this way, and the courage to email all and sundry with total abandon!

Did you do anything special to celebrate the release of this book?

Actually, no. A book’s debut is about putting in a lot of hard work marketing, publicizing, interviewing, doing Q&As, and running around to bookstores signing stock. When an author comes out with her second book she can’t afford to rest on her laurels. A whole new round of publicizing has to begin. Perhaps in a few weeks, I’ll book my husband and myself into a nice hotel on the beach for a few nights and we’ll listen to the sound of the waves versus the sound of my keyboard for a change!

Lastly, what have you thought about 'your week'? Was it enjoyable? (I bet you were relieved that I liked your book! haha! I mean, I planned all this and I didn't even own The Heretic Queen yet, so I could've ended up promoting a book I didn't even like!)

I must say, you took a huge gamble, and I’m certainly glad it paid off! This has been the highlight of my time as a blog reader. After all, how many people can say they have their own week? It is a triumph not likely to be equaled, and I am very appreciative of the opportunity, Kelly. Thank you!

(I am so glad you have enjoyed your week! I quite enjoyed it myself! See, last year you had part of a week, this year you had a whole week... What am I supposed to do next year? The pressure I have put on myself! Thank you for everything, Michelle!)

Michelle Moran Week: The Interview

Q: Last year when you guest blogged on my blog you mentioned where you got the inspiration for Nefertiti. Was there any different inspiration behind this novel, or was it just a natural progression from where the first book left off?

A: In many ways, The Heretic Queen is a natural progression from my debut novel Nefertiti. It tells the story of Nefertari, who suffers terribly because of her relationship to the reviled “Heretic Queen”. Despite the Heretic Queen’s death many years past, Nefertari is still tainted by her relationship to her aunt, Queen Nefertiti, and when young Ramesses falls in love and wishes to marry her, it is a struggle not just against an angry court, but against the wishes of a rebellious people.

But perhaps I would never have chosen to write on Nefertari at all if I hadn’t taken a trip to Egypt and seen her magnificent tomb. At one time, visiting her tomb was practically free, but today, a trip underground to see one of the most magnificent places on earth can cost upwards of five thousand dollars (yes, you read that right). If you want to share the cost and go with a group, the cost lowers to the bargain-basement price of about three thousand. I looked at my husband, and he looked at me. We had flown more than seven thousand miles, suffered the indignities of having to wear the same clothes for three days because of lost luggage… and really, what were the possibilities of our ever returning to Egypt again? There was only one choice. We paid the outrageous price, and I have never forgotten the experience.

While breathing in some of the most expensive air in the world (I figured it was about $20 a gulp), I saw a tomb that wasn’t just fit for a queen, but a goddess. In fact, Nefertari was only one of two (possibly three) queens ever deified in her lifetime, and as I gazed at the vibrant images on her tomb – jackals and bulls, cobras and gods - I knew that this wasn’t just any woman, but a woman who had been loved fiercely when she was alive. Because I am a sucker for romances, particularly if those romances actually happened, I immediately wanted to know more about Nefertari and Ramesses the Great. So my next stop was the Hall of Mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. There, resting beneath a heavy arc of glass, was the great Pharaoh himself. For a ninety-something year old man, he didn’t look too bad. His short red hair was combed back neatly and his face seemed strangely peaceful in its three thousand year repose. I tried to imagine him as he’d been when he was young – strong, athletic, frighteningly rash and incredibly romantic. Buildings and poetry remain today as testaments to Ramesses’s softer side, and in one of Ramesses’s more famous poems he calls Nefertari “the one for whom the sun shines.” His poetry to her can be found from Luxor to Abu Simbel, and it was my visit to Abu Simbel (where Ramesses built a temple for Nefertari) where I finally decided that I had to tell their story.

Q: And, now that you are about to become a two-time published author, how do you feel? Is it just as exciting as it was the first time around or is it a totally different experience? Would you change any of it?

A: There really is nothing like publishing for the first time. The expectation, the excitement of the unknown, and the wild drive that pushes an author to do anything and everything they can for their very first book doesn’t compare with the experience of publishing successive novels. Since Nefertiti was my first novel, I had no idea what to expect. What would happen on the first day of publication? Or if I made a bestsellers list? Or if I didn’t make one? Should I do signings? What about drive-by signings? Do bookmarks really work? Of course, all of these questions were answered in due time. And now, for The Heretic Queen, I know that bookmarks are useful, that if I make the bestsellers list my editor will call at an ungodly hour on her – gasp – personal phone to congratulate me, and that drive-by signings can be just as effective as signing events. There is an inner peace – at least for me – in publishing the second novel that wasn’t there for the first book when everything was uncertain and new. The nervousness is still there – will people like it? will I let down my publishing house? – but this time I know what to expect.

Q: On the subject of potential changes, I read somewhere where you said that you never read Egyptian historical fiction. Why is that? Did you find it hard to write a certain type of book without knowing what the ‘typical’ way of handling things were, or was it more freeing?

A: I never read Egyptian fiction before publishing Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen partly because it didn’t appeal to me (ironic, I know). A great deal of fiction set in ancient Egypt feels “heavy”. The dialogue seems stilted because the author is attempting to make it sound old (which seems silly, since the dialogue isn’t going to be accurate anyway. Firstly, we don’t know what rhythm or cadence the ancient Egyptians used, and secondly, they didn’t speak English!). Also, a lot of fiction set in places like Rome and Egypt focuses on the lives of men. The books are filled with war or male-dominated politics, and that’s simply not what I’m interested in.

I want to know about women’s lives. That’s not to say there aren’t any politics in my novel. Harem politics could be just as heated and dangerous as politics in the Audience Chamber. And that’s also not to say that there aren’t any battles. After all, Ramesses took his principal wives with him to war. But I want to hear about the experience of everyday life and war from the women. What was it like for them? What did they see, and hear, and do? So that’s one reason I didn’t read Egyptian fiction before writing my own. However, my primary reason had to do with my own writing and research. I didn’t want to be influenced by another author’s take on events or their approach to the ancient world.

But now that I’m finished writing on ancient Egypt and my next book will explore Imperial Rome, I’m eager to start looking for Egyptian fiction with strong female leads. Any suggestions are welcome!

Q: What is one thing that you wish people would take away from reading your books?

A: I’d like readers to feel that if a time machine were to suddenly appear and whisk them away to ancient Egypt, they wouldn’t be totally lost. They would recognize the traditions, the gods and goddesses, and know what to expect in Pharaoh Ramesses’s court. I have tried my best to make the writing accessible to a modern audience. That means not dating the dialogue, or using too many long and unwieldy Egyptian names, or overdoing it with ancient Egyptian terms. Hopefully, by doing this, readers will come away with the sense of not only having been there for a little while, but of relating to the Egyptians. Because for all of the technological, medical and philosophical changes the world has undergone in the past three thousand years, people have remained the same. They had the same desires and fears in ancient Egypt that we have today, and I hope that readers can come away with an understanding of that.

Q: I feel I cannot be a blogger without asking one question. Without causing a rather large argument, how do you feel blogging has changed being an author and selling books? I received your first book as an ARC to blog about, so you obviously were aware of the blogging idea. Do you think part of your success is due to being blogged about, or do you think you would’ve been just as successful if blogging and bloggers was not an option?

A: I know with absolute certainty that Nefertiti would not have enjoyed the success it did without the blogosphere. And this is in no way pandering to your question. It’s simply the truth. I think that debut authors who aren’t on the web are really missing out and potentially hurting their own careers. Of course, once in a while a debut book comes along which has such a huge marketing and publicity budget behind it that it does phenomenally well even without the blogosphere. But those books are becoming increasingly rare. Authors are expected to do a great deal of their own marketing and publicity. The most effective way of doing both, in my opinion, is to approach bloggers. I know that most of my book purchases come from books which I’ve seen bloggers review highly. If that’s the case for me, how many other people is it the case for?

Q: Do you find that the traveling that you do influences your writing?

A: Traveling has a huge impact on my writing. I’m currently writing an article for Solander Magazine which addresses the issue of whether or not travel is essential for the historical fiction author. While I don’t think it’s essential, I do think it’s incredibly helpful. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which will come out in November.

“Before I began writing my second novel The Heretic Queen, I took a trip to Egypt to see for myself the magnificent temple of Abu Simbel. One of the many building projects undertaken during the reign of Ramesses the Great, the temple façade is carved with statues of both Ramesses II and his beloved Nefertari. Twice a year a thin beam of sunlight crosses the temple to illuminate three of four statues sitting in a darkened sanctuary. The only statue the sun doesn’t strike is that of Ptah, the god of darkness. I had timed my trip in order to see this bi-annual spectacle, and with hundreds of other visitors I watched as the sun struck the statues of Amun-Re, Ramesses II and Ra-Harakhty in turn. It was an almost mystical moment, made even more poignant by the fact that the narrator of the novel I was preparing to write would have witnessed the same event more than two thousand years ago. When I returned to America, I immediately began work on my second book, outlining the scene where Ramesses II takes Nefertari to his newly built temple in order to watch this special event. Did any of the wonderment I felt standing in Abu Simbel translate to the pages of my book? I hope so.”

Q: Lastly, what’s next? Do we have another book to look forward to next year? Do you have plans for future adventures? And, are you going to stay in Egypt or venture out to other places?

A: My third novel will be Cleopatra’s Daughter, and I’m really looking forward to the publication of this book! Cleopatra's Daughter will follow the incredible life of Cleopatra's surviving children with Marc Antony -- twins, named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, and a younger son named Ptolemy. All three were taken to Rome and paraded through the streets, then sent off to be raised by Octavia (the wife whom Marc Antony left for Cleopatra). Raised in one of the most fascinating courts of all time, Cleopatra's children would have met Ovid, Seneca, Vitruvius (who inspired the Vitruvian man), Agrippa (who built the Pantheon), Herod, his sister Salome, the poets Virgil, Horace, Maecenas and so many others!

Thanks very much Michelle for taking the time to answer my questions! If anyone has any that have not been asked, feel free to put them in the comments and I am sure Michelle will answer them! She also might answer a couple questions later in the week if I can finish The Heretic Queen fast enough!