One of my goals for this year (yes, I’m one of those “make a list” people) was to get a short story published. Not just appear on the web somewhere, but really published by a real magazine. Ta Da!
Tio Fernando’s Field Trip will appear in the October 2016 edition of Efiction magazine, available online and in print.
My short story, “Tio Fernando’s Field Trip” will appear in the October 1 edition of “eFiction Magazine.” It will be online and in print…. check another thing off the list.
It’s the story of what might have happened if I did, in fact, take my wife’s Tio Fernando to that cockfight he kept bugging me to attend. Didn’t see that coming, did you? I think you’ll enjoy it.
One of the most intriguing novels I’ve read in a while is Gary Lindberg’s “Ollie’s Cloud.” It’s a big (and a bit messy) sprawling book that takes on Islamic Messiahs, American Revivalism, and even the birth of the Mormons, as seen through the eyes of a young Anglo-Persian man. If that sounds like an ambitious undertaking, well I agree. I had to reach out and ask him exactly what he was thinking.
So what’s the Gary Lindberg story?
Gary Lindberg, author and publisher
I traveled around the world to research The Shekinah Legacy. As a writer and film producer/director, I won over one hundred major national and international awards, and was the co-writer and producer of the Paramount Pictures feature film That Was Then, This Is Now starring Emilio Estevez and Morgan Freeman.
As an author, I’m fascinated by the power of belief, and how strong beliefs are often indistinguishable from facts in the mind of the believer, possessing the power to shape behavior and sometimes wreak havoc. I’ve published four consecutive #1 bestselling novels and lives in Minnesota with his wife, Gloria, and his Jack Russell terrier Joey.
Not for nothing, but Gary is also the founder and CEO of Calumet Editions. a publisher of quality fiction and non-fiction.
So, this book is about a lot of things, but what’s the basic story?
This is the story of the spiritual journey of two nineteenth-century Persian boys who both want to grow up to be great mullahs (Islamic clergy). Best friends since birth, Jalal and Alí become separated when Alí, who is only half Persian, is kidnapped by his English mother and brought to London for rearing by his as a
Ollie’s Cloud
proper English Christian gentleman. Left behind, Jalal becomes a follower of a young prophet who has established a new religion in his native Persia.
In England, Alí is christened “Ollie” by his mother and grows up as the scion of a wealthy newspaper family. But after suffering a string of great tragedies he comes to despise God and dedicate himself to the persecution all men of the cloth—Christian and Muslim—who perpetrate the “lies” of religion. In Persia, Jalal becomes a leader in the new religious movement and helps recruit hundreds of thousands of new adherents, which causes the Persian leadership and Islamic clergy to launch fierce persecutions; the authorities eventually kill over 200,000 followers of the cause.
After many years, Ollie makes his way back to Persia, finding himself on the side of the Persian army in an epic battle between the Persian army, 10,000 strong, and a comparative handful of the new religion’s adherents led by his previous best friend Jalal.
Those are a lot of big themes. What is it about that time period (The mid- 19th Century) that’s so interesting?
In doing some personal research on religion I came cross the fascinating and adventurous account of the birth of a new religion in Persia in 1844. The details were stunning though not well-known to the general public. I was taken with how the story of the prophet-founder of this new religion, which is now recognized as a new world religion, echoed the same storyline of previous founders of religions such as Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad. I decided right then to write a novel inspired by this account, and chose one of the religion’s primary leaders on which to base the character of Jalal. The character Alí is wholly made up, as I felt there needed to be a more westernized character to attract the interest of western audiences.
I was caught up in how Ali/Ollie whipsaws between angry atheism and a need for faith… any faith. What’s your favorite scene in the book?
Perhaps my favorite scene is the story’s pivot point that takes place early in the book just prior to Alí leaving Persia for London. Prior to this scene we have learned that Alí is the son of the mayor of Bushruyih, who had purchased a slave girl—actually the captured daughter of an English missionary—and married her. This girl is Alí’s mother. In this scene, Ali’s mother, encouraged by a travelling Englishman, kidnaps Alí from the harem and escapes across the desert to a port where they board a ship bound for London. I like this scene because it is not only very dramatic, but such a turning point in the story. Everyone’s life changes because of the action of Alís mother, and on the following pages we get to see the surprising consequences.
Where can people find your books and Calumet Editions?
Calumet offers authors the benefits of traditional publishing with a unique business model that provides authors more flexibility, support and financial rewards. With a proprietary Twitter Network of 3,200,000 Followers who are book lovers, Calumet also has an unparalleled ability to help authors achieve exposure and name recognition, which are keys to selling books.
So I mentioned that there are a lot of Chicago area writers who love historical fiction, but that takes all forms. One of the genres that makes me a bit crazy is “YA” (there’s probably a whole rant here that you don’t care about) but anything that gets kids to read is okay in the great scheme of things. To that end, I’d like to introduce Danielle Grandinetti, author of “The Vanishing Kidnapper.”
The Vanishing Kidnapper by Danielle Grandinetti
Since 2008, Danielle has worked as a freelance editor and writing instructor, helping teens and adults become better writers. While mystery is her favorite genre to both read and write, she also enjoys historical topics, classic literature, and a good adventure. Her short stories and articles have appeared in several publications; her novel, The Vanishing Kidnapper was released in December; and her republished novelette, Choices Amid the Treeswas released as an e-book in August. Though a Chicagoland native, Danielle now lives in Wisconsin with her husband. She also enjoys a good cup of tea.
So what is The Vanishing Kidnapper all about?
Teenagers John and Kaitlyn Rivers have a simple life in their 1870s outpost, running their family’s general store for the surrounding communities and operating the stagecoach stop. But one stormy night, the stage’s visit is anything but ordinary. Kidnappings, attacks, and shady characters change a usually boring existence into a fight for life.
Confronted with their past, John and Kaitlyn begin to unravel a mystery that left them survivors of not one, but two kidnapping attempts. Their questions uncover facts different than the truth they had always believed. Now they have to decide whom to trust – and the lives of those they care about depend on it.
There’s been a real resurgence in local history writing lately, especially in the Midwest. What is it about this time period that you find so interesting?
The period after the Civil War is labeled the Reconstruction Era, in which it was hoped that deep scars would be healed and relationships rebuilt. Historians debate how well this happened and what impact those events have on the present. The tumult of this time is especially true of the Old West, or Wild West. That’s why I thought it served as the perfect backdrop to explore John and Kaitlyn’s discovery that people are not always what they appear to be.
Without giving away the goodies, what’s your favorite scene in the book?
My favorite scene in the book contains the biggest spoiler. It is wrapped around a character who fleshes out the main theme of the story. We as humans often put others into categories. The question is whether the definition of those categories really fit the people we’ve placed in them or whether people are bigger than the labels we give them.
How can people learn more about you and your books?
As a member of the Chicago Writer’s Association (http://www.chicagowrites.org/), I’m thrilled to meet local writers who share a passion for Historical Fiction, even if they’re not always in genres or styles I normally delve into. In the next couple of posts you’ll meet a couple of these folks. First up is Pat Camalliere, author of the new historical mystery, The Mystery at Black Partridge Woods. It’s part of the Cora Tozzi Mystery Series.
You live just down the road from me… what should my readers know about you?
Pat Camalliere is the author of the Cora Tozzi mystery series.
I became a mystery addict one summer when I was twelve and found a box of about sixty Perry Mason mysteries in my parent’s attic. I read them all by the end of the summer, exhausted the library’s supply, and then moved on to Rex Stout and Agatha Christie. (My first preteen crush was on Archie Goodwin.) Wayne’s note: me too! My grandmother left us boxes of books by Erle Stanley Gardner and Zane Grey and I worked through them all. In high school I wrote mystery stories for the school’s literary publications, then after college I set writing aside for a “practical” career in medical group administration. Administration is all about writing: memos, reports, letters, website content, procedures, etc. I was told I had a real knack for the written word.
My passion for local history came later, and increased after I moved to Lemont in 1998 and discovered the fascinating and quirky anecdotes and geography of the area. When I retired in 2007 I was ready to see if I truly had talent as an author. I had wasted too many years, and had no time to waste more. I bypassed the traditional route of soliciting literary publications to print smaller works; my first serious manuscript became my first novel, The Mystery at Sag Bridge. It was received enthusiastically and my fans demanded more, so I began work on my next novel right away.
So this is your second novel. What’s the tale about?
It was important to me to tell stories that would delight local residents with little-known facts about the place they lived and introduce nonresidents to a unique part of the Midwest. Of course, my stories had to be historical mysteries, and they had to be entertaining, with perhaps a bit of humor, whimsy, and a touch of the supernatural. Both books begin in present day and reveal a mystery that relates to another mystery from the past. The books then step into history and uncover the circumstances that led to the murder from the viewpoint character in that time period, and then return to the present and the amateur sleuth deals with both mysteries. I call them sandwich mysteries, the meat in the middle.
In my first book, The Mystery at Sag Bridge, the main character is being haunted by the ghost of a young Irish woman who was killed in an unsolved triple homicide in 1898. The protagonist must solve the murder to allow the spirit to rest, but in the process becomes emotionally involved and shows reluctance to have the ghost depart. My readers loved the characters, so I decided to write the next book as #2 in a historical mystery series. In my new release, The Mystery at Black Partridge Woods, the present-day characters are writing a book based on the memoirs of an American Indian woman whose only son was accused of killing a white man in 1817. To save her son the woman must find the real killer and bring him in, in an Illinois frontier with little more than vigilante justice. The writers soon receive a threatening letter and then are attacked: someone wants to prevent publication of their book. This is a book-within-a-book, in which the Indian woman tells her story in her own words.
So what brought you to the story and this particular time period?
I had always had little oddball events happen to me that I couldn’t explain: drawers that opened on their own, things that disappeared and then were found back in place. Little things like that. I asked myself: what if there was a real presence out there, instead of just coincidence? What might that look like? The Mystery of Sag Bridge came into being as I followed answers to such questions. Oddly, the ghost began in my mind as a Guardian Angel. It was only as I was conducting paranormal and religious research that I realized the behavior patterns I wanted the character to have fit a ghost better than an “Angel gone awry.” I put some of my own experiences into the story, as I had vivid memories of my own Irish grandmother that could be used to bring some color to the part of the story that was told in first person by the woman who later became the ghost.
The Mystery at Black Partridge Woods was actually the first story I wanted to
Mystery at Black Partridge Woods is the second book in the series.
write, but I had absolutely no experience that related to the historic culture or time period, so I knew the research would be extensive. When I started writing I wanted to test my writing prowess more quickly, so this became my second book instead of the first. The idea developed from my interest in telling a story from the fur trade period, which again is part of the history of my town. I wanted to feature an American Indian woman. There were few stories that dealt with American Indian women as protagonists, especially the amateur sleuth sort, especially in the early 1800s. It took two years to research the time period to pick a date and assemble enough information to imbue the work with the history needed to make it come alive. But I knew from the beginning it would be set close to home, in the forests, bluffs, and swamps in the Des Plaines River Valley southwest of Chicago. I loved this time and place so much I wrote a six-page historical afterword for the novel.
While I can’t think of any time period that’s been better documented than the Second World War, there are still stories to be told. Today’s interview is with A P (Paul) Martin, who shares the story of a British student who becomes a spy at the outbreak of the war. The new novel is Codename Lazarus, the Spy Who Came Back From the Dead.
So who is A P Martin, and why do we care?
I’m an Anglo-Swiss academic who retired in 2013 to live with his wife in the
First time novelist AP Martin
Bernese Alps in Switzerland. I’ve always read a great deal of fiction and for the last couple of years I’ve really enjoyed writing my first novel. I’ve found the whole experience a lot of fun and very rewarding, though not, so far, financially! (Editor’s note… we feel ya.) It’s amazed me how ideas and solutions to plot and writing problems can pop into my head when I’m hiking up a mountain. Good job a writing pad and pencil are always in my pocket!
What’s the book about?
Codename Lazarus is basically a spy story and its principal action takes place between 1938 and 1940. It concerns a young academic, who is approached by his university mentor to play the lead role in a daring plan to deceive Britain’s enemies in the run up to and first years of the Second World War. Without giving too much away, I can say that, as the plot unfolds he not only finds himself in frequent danger, but also his past comes back to threaten him in a completely unexpected way. So the book weaves together conflict and betrayal at the national and personal levels.
I’m a sucker for a good spy story. What inspired you to write this one?
Actually, having grown up in post war Britain and having had a father and uncles, all of whom fought in the Second World War, I’ve always been interested in that period. I also speak German fluently and really like both Germany and its people. But I must say that what inspired me to write the novel was the true story, from which it has been adapted. As soon as I read about this case, in the files released in 2014 by the British National Archive, I knew it would make a great basis for a gripping story.
Of course, my work is fictional, rather than an accurate account of the case, but I hope that I have paid some sort of tribute to the real heroes of the true story. In fact, I was very happy to learn recently that one of the journalists who wrote about the original file release in 2014 is now planning to publish a historically accurate account of the case in 2018. He’s even bought my book to see what I made of the case!
The new WW2 thriller from AP Martin
Do you have a favorite scene?
I’m not sure that I can pick a favourite scene or event, but I would like to say that what pleases me greatly is how the plot gathers momentum as it progresses and how its various threads come together at the end in what I think is a very satisfying conclusion. Reviewers have said that they’d have liked more and I’m taking that as a compliment!
Those who are interested in finding out more about myself, Codename Lazarus and the actual wartime case that inspired it are invited to look at my website : www.apmartin.co.uk
It is possible to leave comments and greetings on each page of my website and I’d love to hear directly from readers! I can also be followed on Twitter as @APMartin51
Codename Lazarus is currently available as an ebook only via Amazon Kindle, though it will be released on all other platforms in mid October. It’s also available now as a paperback from Amazon.
If you’re a fan of the TV show, “Vikings” or just enjoy lots of ale drinking, pillaging and cleaving, you’ll enjoy the work of CR May (Cliff, to those of us with his email address.) I first encountered him with “Fire and Steel,” the first book of the King’s Bane series. Book two, “Gods of War” is now available.
Okay, so what’s the CR May story?
I am an English writer of historical fiction, working primarily in the early Middle Ages. One day I was taken aside at work by my boss who told me, ‘foreign
The very busy Cliff May
exchange brokers don’t read Archeology Monthly. I don’t want to see you doing it again.’ In a moment of clarity/madness I realised that I agreed, resigned on the spot and never looked back.
I have always had a passion for history, and we moved as a family through a
succession of dilapidated houses which I renovated before selling on to pay off
the bills. These ranged from a Victorian townhouse to a Fourteenth Century hall,
and I learned about medieval oak frame repair, lime plastering and childcare on
the way. I crewed the replica of Captain Cook’s ship, Endeavour, sleeping in a
hammock and sweating in the sails and travelled the world, visiting such historic
sites as the Little Big Horn, Leif Ericson’s Icelandic birthplace and the bullet
scarred walls of Berlin’s Reichstag. Now I write, and Gods of War is my eighth
novel, following on from the success of the first book in the bestselling king’s
bane series, Fire & Steel. (You can see his whole Amazon page here.)
Okay, so you’re way cooler than I will ever be, thanks for that. One very specific question about your book: one of the impressive things about the book (and also something that made it a bit of a tough read) is all the authentic old language in it. How did you come to strike the balance you were happy with (it made it cooler, but also really slowed me down and
often frustrated me by distracting from a ripping adventure story)?
Of course I am aware that a few of the names and terms used in my books are
unfamiliar to some readers, and unfortunately Amazon are not much of a help
here. If the book is downloaded onto an e-reader, it automatically opens at the
start of the first chapter. I always supply a glossary and good quality map in the
front matter of my books, they would be pointless at the end, but unless the
buyer scrolls back before they begin to read, this very useful information will be
lost to them. It’s very frustrating, and quite honestly I don’t know what the
answer is. Really, once a reader knows that an eorle is a hero and a scop a
bard, they will have the knowledge to read any book set in this era. Nobody
would dream of writing captain for centurion, private for legionary or having
Achilles sail a yacht rather than a trireme. Not only would it be anachronistic, it
would look and sound ridiculous.
I realise that I am asking readers to make a little effort at the start, and that it may well cost me sales and the odd bad review, but I hope that most will realise just how much the language adds to the atmosphere of the tale. At the end of the day my ‘writing voice’ is more important to me than wringing every last sale out of a book, but I do hope that most people will make the very small effort required.
Fair enough. What is it about this time period you find so fascinating?
Although historically a ‘Dark Age’, the centuries either side of the year 500AD have always held a fascination for me. At the beginning of this period the Roman
Empire still stretched unbroken from the border of present-day Scotland to
what is now the desert of Iraq. By 600AD that Empire had been swept away
and replaced to a large degree by the countries we see today.
One of those countries was my own, and what a tale it is. It was a time when a strong sword arm could win you a kingdom and a charismatic man could rise from obscurity to found his own dynasty through determination and the luck of the gods. It was, in a way, Europe’s ‘Wild-West’, when land and wealth were up for grabs and even the lowest born could rise to the very top of society.
What is your favorite scene in the new book?
The Ghost Army chapter is a particular favourite. I got the idea from a description in Herodotus’s collection of books from the fifth century BC known as The Histories. In one passage he describes how a nomadic steppe people called
the Scythians would ring the burial mounds of their kings with spectral
horsemen. The image was just too striking not to use, and I ferreted it away
until the opportunity to weave it into a novel presented itself.
Gods of War, the second in the “King’s Bane” series
It also gave me the chance to put some distance between Eofer, his war band and
ourselves. I always try to treat my characters as human beings like you or I,
essentially identical to the way we are today with all of our strengths and faults,
only lacking the technology we now take for granted. This scene suddenly hits
you, bang, and it is immediately obvious that we dealing with the deep past,
and a religious belief system which is totally alien to us.
If folks want to find you (and they jolly well should), where can they do that?
The “Troubles” in Ireland make for great drama. As someone whose maternal relatives are “Scots-Irish” (a lovely way of saying Orange as hell) I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but it’s not my fight, and a good story is a good story. That’s where L D Beyer comes in. He doesn’t always write Historical Fiction, but in this case it’s a good one: The Devil’s Due.
Okay, so what’s your story?
I like to think of myself as a reformed corporate drone who, after twenty-five years of missed family events, one day rose up and reclaimed my soul. Before I escaped, my career primarily involved relocating my family every few years—so much so that my kids began to secretly suspect that we were in the Witness Protection Program. I have yet to set the record straight.
I’m the author of three novels, two of which are part of the Matthew Richter
LD Beyer, man of mystery and author of an exciting tale of the IRA
Thriller Series. My first book, In Sheep’s Clothing, was published in 2015 and reached the #1 spot on three separate Amazon bestseller lists.
I’m an avid reader and, although I primarily reads thrillers, my reading list is somewhat eclectic. You’re more likely to find me with my nose in a good book than watching TV.
I live in Michigan with my wife and three children. In addition to writing and reading, I enjoys cooking, hiking, biking, working out, and the occasional glass of wine.
A country at war. A man on the run. A woman left behind. Can an innocent man ever go home?
Guilty of a crime he didn’t commit, IRA soldier Frank Kelleher flees through the streets of war-torn Ireland with both the British and the Irish Republican Army trying to put a bullet in his head. He makes his way to America under an assumed name and with a forged passport, as the war in Ireland rages on. Settling in a new land, he finds he can’t let go of his past. Haunted by the fiancée he was forced to leave behind, by the deaths of three friends at his own hand, and by the country he was forced to abandon, Frank struggles to make his way in 1920s New York.
As much as he can’t let go of Ireland, he finds that Ireland can’t let go of him—and his past has a way of finding him, thousands of miles and an ocean away. He dreams of going home, but knows that it could get him killed. Then an anonymous letter brings news about his fiancée Kathleen and he realizes that he no longer has a choice. A cease-fire is declared and Frank sails home with dreams of finding Kathleen, putting his past behind him, and starting a new life.
When he arrives, he learns that the Ireland he was hoping to find—a united people finally free—was only a dream. With British soldiers withdrawing, long-standing feuds resurface, and Ireland is pushed to the brink of civil war. As tensions mount, he also learns that his sins will not be easily forgiven, and that he and Kathleen will never be safe until he clears his name.
If the looming war doesn’t kill him, trying to right the wrongs of his past just might.
So what is it about this time period that grabs you?
The story is based loosely on family legend for my grandfather who served in the Irish Republican Army during the War for independence. Growing up, I heard the stories of how he had been forced to flee Ireland below a false passport because both the British and his own comrades in the IRA had put bounties on his head. Like most legends, I’m sure this one grew over time and with each retelling, especially when my Irish uncles were drinking! I spent some time in Limerick and Dublin, meeting with researchers and historians and I was happy to learn that while my grandfather had indeed served in the IRA, the circumstances surrounding his decision to emigrate after the war were not quite as dramatic as the legend would have you believe.
Exaggerated or not, though, I always thought the legend made for a great story line!
Without giving away spoilers, what’s your favorite scene or event in the book?
The Devil’s Due available in Kindle and Paperback
I really like the first three scenes because they set the stage for the drama that unfolds.
Unjustly accused of being a traitor by his own friends and facing an almost certain death, Frank Kelleher manages to escape before the executioner’s bullet finds him. When he learns that the enemy is hunting him too, he sees his options quickly slipping away. Suddenly a fugitive, he faces a brutal choice: stay and die or leave everything that he knows and treasures behind. But can he give up his name, his country, his dreams and the woman he loves? And what awaits him if he does?
Where can people find you and your book ?
Readers can find The Devil’s Dueand my other books on Amazon and Goodreads and I do share my views of the world on the occasional Facebook, Twitter or blog post. You can find out more by clicking the links below, they’ll take you directly to his pages:
Every once in a blue moon I post one of my short pieces on the old blog. In this case it’s a little experiment in which I tried to write in the voice and tone of one of my favorite books: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. If you haven’t read it or seen the terrific mini-series based on it, quit mucking around with me and indulge yourself. It’s wonderful and a very impressive piece of work.
Meanwhile, this little effort is in this year’s anthology from the Naperville Writers Group. Rivulets 28 will be out October 1. If you enjoy this story, buy a copy and help some local writers gain recognition.
It is a sad fact of modern British life that there is no more magick. I am not referring to the kind of “magic” where your seldom-spoken-of uncle pulls sixpence pieces from behind your ear, or hooded priests commit dark acts on barren moors or in dark pine forests to summon slimy-tentacled gods. Both of those are, sadly, in abundant supply to this minute.
When I refer to magick, I of course refer to that ancient art unique to Britain, usually involving the help of faeries, sprites and other “small folk.” After a brief resurgence in the early half of the 19th century—where rumours abound that it helped defeat Napoleon and saved our Blessed Island from defeat and shame, demonstrations of the Art became all the rage in the parlors of Whitehall and Mayfair, then disappeared again forever. Those fantastic beings were never again spoken of seriously, except as the stuff of myth.
It is, indeed, gone, never to return. In point of fact, it ended at precisely 10:43 on the evening of October 20, 1854, in the drawing room of Lord and Lady Winthrop. I was there, and these many years later I have never forgotten. Nor have I spoken of it until now……
One of the beauties of historical fiction is finding yourself in a different time and place and totally making yourself to home. Just like in life, that rarely involves huge battles and famous people, sometimes you’d just like to live in a time when people don’t tread across your yard staring at their phones while looking for invisible creatures. A good writer can make you feel at home anywhere, even in a Scotland older than Sean Connery.
Lexie Conyngham, What’s the deal on you and the Letho of Murray series?
A very old photograph of Lexie Conyngham, apparently
I’m a historian living North East Scotland, in the shadow of the Highlands. My Murray of Letho novels are born of a life amidst Scotland’s old cities and universities and hidden-away aristocratic estates, but I’ve been writing since the day I found out that people were allowed to do such a thing.
Beyond teaching and research, my days are spent with wool, wild allotments and a wee bit of whisky – and I’m fitting this interview in after a morning baking multiple batches of muffins for a church sale! (Editor’s note… that may be the single most Scottish sentence written since Robbie Burns declined killing that mouse.)
In a nutshell, what’s Death in a Scarlet Gown about?
It’s set in 1802. St. Andrews in Fife, an ancient Scottish university, is
wracked by murder. A vindictive professor, an uncouth student, and a man seeking ministry lie dead, but who wanted to kill them? Charles Murray, a student with enough problems of his own, is drawn into the mystery, where neither innocuous accidents nor good friends are all they seem. Death in a Scarlet Gown is the first in the Murray of Letho series, set in Georgian Scotland.
As a graduate of St. Andrews myself, I loved going back through the history of
that little grey town by the cold North Sea which its alumni miss so much.
Though the university is much bigger now, the centre of the town has not really
changed much in two hundred years! The later books are mostly set in Edinburgh and other parts of Fife, and in one case my hero heads off for India, but in the next Murray book I hope once again to return to St. Andrews (which of course is an excuse for a ‘research’ visit).
Whatever you have to tell yourself, Lexie. What is it about this time period that fascinates you?
I was living in Edinburgh when I first started to write the series, and working
in Edinburgh’s New Town which is a Georgian architectural wonderland. I’d had a Georgian dolls’ house when I was a teenager for which I tried to make furniture, and the styles and fashions had always fascinated me. When I started to look into the people of the period I was hooked: think somewhere between Jane Austen, Walter Scott and (the much-later of course) Dorothy L. Sayers for culture and manners. There was so much going on, too: the Napoleonic Wars, the aftermath of the Jacobites, massive advances in science and medicine, the British involvement in India, the madness of King George III: there’s almost too much! Without spoilers, what’s one of your favorite scenes in the book?
About halfway through there’s a nice little fist fight, which like all
Death in a Scarlet Gown is part of the the Murray of Letho series.
unprofessional fist fights does not go smoothly. Writing action scenes doesn’t
come naturally to me, and I greatly admire those who can convey the detail of a
fight without losing the force of the action, but I think this one went quite
well in the end. Though the conflict is based on a massive misunderstanding, it
says a good deal about the characters involved without much in the way of
dialogue, and is, I hope, also quite funny, though I don’t generally do much
slapstick! I prefer one-liners. There’s one terribly sad scene, too, and while I
was quite pleased with it, it is too sad to be a favourite. It still makes me
cry.
Where can people find you and the Murray of Letho series?
Where can people find you and your book (links to Amazon page, Goodreads,
Twitter, Blog whatever) You can find the books on Amazon
Most of you know by now that I have a fascination with the Crusades. No surprise, then, that I look for fiction about that time period. There are even holy land tours from companies like Immanuel-Tours that take you to Israel to really feel the history of the country. Anyway, that led me to Helena P Schrader’s book, Defender of Jersualem, and its sequel, Envoy of Jerusalem. While our books are very different (as, I suspect, are our feelings about the period in general) it’s an epic tale about an interesting character.
Helena P. Schrader earned a PhD in History with a ground-breaking biography of
Helena Schrader is the author of the “Jerusalem” series
the mastermind behind the coup attempt against Hitler on July 20, 1944. She has published numerous works of non-fiction and fiction. As a novelist, she has focused on historical and biographical fiction. She is a career diplomat currently serving in Africa.
So your first book starts a few years before mine, and the new one ends after. What’s your series about?
“Defender of Jerusalem” and “Envoy of Jerusalem” are two parts of a biographical novel about Balian d’Ibelin. Some readers may remember that Balian was the hero of Ridley Scott’s film “The Kingdom of Heaven.” Indeed, it was the Hollywood film that sparked my interest in this particular period in history. After seeing the film (while working on a completely different project), I started wondering how much of it was true. A quick check revealed that Balian d’Ibelin was not only a historical person (who did some of the remarkable things portrayed in the film), but also that he (the historical Balian) was a more important historical figure than the film character made him out to be. My curiosity ignited, I did more research and was soon intrigued and captivated by the man, his age, society, and his contemporaries–such as his royal Byzantine wife, the Leper King, the near-pirate Reynald de Chatillon, Richard the Lionheart, and Saladin. While I follow the historical record and alter no known facts, the books go beyond those facts to give the reader insights into a whole cast of fascinating historical characters and a complex society at a critical moment in history.
The Second Crusade in particular was a bit of a mess. What is it about that period that fascinated you?
Balian lived in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the decade immediately before and after the devastating battle of Hattin. That was the battle in which the Muslims under the Kurdish leader Saladin virtually obliterated the Christian fighting forces in the Holy Land. This victory paved the way for the capture of Jerusalem and occupation of the rest of the kingdom, triggering the Third Crusade. The Saracen leader Saladin – in contrast to what Hollywood would have you believe – was a devout Muslim, who had declared jihad against the crusader states and vowed to drive them into the sea. He was opposed, not by fanatics ala “The Kingdom of Heaven,” but by ethnically diverse states with Christian – not a Muslim – majorities. Furthermore, these states were highly urbanized, economically dynamic and characterized by a sophisticated legal system and flourishing culture. Although almost obliterated after Hattin, these states recovered and re-established themselves to survive another hundred years. Saladin failed to destroy them in part because of the strategic genius of Richard the Lionheart – but even more because of the tenacity, resilience and courage of the natives and lords of Jerusalem–led by Balian d’Ibelin. Indeed, while the King of Jerusalem was taken captive and later marginalized and deposed, Balian fought his way off the field at Hattin, commanded the defense of Jerusalem, and ultimately negotiated the truce between Saladin and Richard the Lionheart. He was referred to as “like a king” by Arab sources, and his descendants would marry royalty and be regents more than once. This was an exceptional man who proved his worth both as a warrior and a diplomat. His story is relevant today because we again find ourselves confronting jihadists and so forced to define who we are, what our values are, and which of our values we can sacrifice for security and which we must be prepared to defend with our lives. These books are as much about who we are today as about Balian d’Ibelin, the Leper King or Saladin.
What are your favorite parts of the story?
The first book in the series
There are no spoilers in books based on history. Everyone knows the plot and the ending – or can find out – without reading the books. And there are so many great scenes in both books because history is so full of surprises and moments of great drama! Balian arriving in Jerusalem unarmed on a safe-conduct from Saladin to remove his family–only to be tumultuously received by a population expecting him to take command the defense, is one such historical moment, or the (true!) moment when Saladin’s banners are tossed down from the walls of Jerusalem just as Saladin says he won’t negotiate for a city he already holds. But if I have to choose one scene from “Defender of Jerusalem,” a scene that is based more on my exploration of historical events and personalities than the naked facts, it would be the moment after Balian leads a break-out at Hattin and crashes over the steep slope to the Sea of Galilee–only to realize that barely 3,000 men are with him and on the plateau behind him the king, the bulk of the army and the True Cross are being slaughtered or captured. He realizes that the kingdom is lost, but 3,000 mostly wounded and desperate men are looking to him for leadership. He doesn’t have time to grieve; he has to keep leading. As for “Envoy of Jerusalem,” my favorite scenes are those in which two worlds clash-not Christian vs Muslim, but native of the Holy Land vs. crusader, i.e. the scenes in which Balian and Richard the Lionheart confront one another with incomprehension at first, but gradually with greater and greater respect and trust.
The story of Balian concludes with Envoy of Jerusalem
Interesting. One of the things that I find interesting is the tension between those Franks who came from Europe on Crusade and those living and making their lives in “Outremont.”
