Kate Quinn's Blog: Ave Historia

I admit I have a weakness for warriors, both in real life and in books. In real life I married a 6'2 sailor who boxes and sword-fights in his free time; between the pages of a book, I am drawn to Bernard Cornwell's unapologetically alpha male soldiers and C.S. Forester's moody naval captains. The men in my own books tend to be fighters: “Mistress of Rome” has a terse gladiator for a hero; “Daughters of Rome” has a valiant Praetorian Guard and an ex-rebel chieftan; “Empress of the Seven Hills” has a tough and foul-mouthed career legionary.

But as much we all like to sigh over warriors, it's good to remember that the soldiers, sailors, and fighters of the world give up a lot for that gritty-but-glamorous image. Memorial Day is the day when we are supposed to remember that, but sometimes we forget – we're too happy to have a three-day weekend complete with barbecues, beers, and baseball games. And that's ok: fire up the grill, throw on some steaks, relish your long weekend. But take a moment to remember why.

Because all throughout history, no matter what era they serve in, warriors pay a price.





The nightmares. Sweating inside the wooden horse at Troy wondering if the Trojans are going to catch on and burn you alive; waking up in a cold sweat remembering that Saxon sword coming down at the Battle of Hastings; the hazy flashes of the bullets coming at you over a sand dune in Afghanistan. Bad dreams and broken sleep and apologizing to your wife at 3am because you thought she was that Union soldier coming at you with a bayonet, and you smacked her across the nose before you fully woke up. Bad dreams are a constant for warriors.

The schedule. Because whether you're a knight with an oath to a French lord during the Hundred Years War or a Marine with a set of orders in hand, “I'm kinda busy right now” is not an excuse. You still have to pack up and head out to fight, whether your kid has a Disney-themed birthday party that morning, your daughter is getting betrothed to a wool merchant that afternoon, or your castle is under siege that night. The schedule for warriors is harsh, and always has been.

The stress. Not just on warriors but on their families – medieval wives wondering if their husbands are ever coming home from Crusade; Army wives standing frozen as the doorbell rings, wondering if this time they'll be looking at a military chaplain with a somber expression and some very bad news. Stress on the warriors themselves: the hours are long and grueling whether you're marching through Vietnamese jungles or standing watch on a Viking longship, the food sucks whether it's cooked over a legionary campfire in Parthia or comes from a WWI mess hall; and whether the letters from home arrive on horseback or via email, there are never enough of them.

These are the things warriors deal with, for the most part stoically. These are the things to remember on Memorial Day – not to mention the dead of all wars past and present, the men and women who struggled with the stress and the schedule and the nightmares as best they could, and went home in a box anyway.

My husband and I spent our last Memorial Day apart – he was deployed very far away from me, and over the last seven months we'd had probably fifteen total days together. We're luckier this year: we've got fried chicken crisping on the stove, and the Sox game on in the background, and nothing to do all day but talk, laugh, and enjoy our long weekend. But no matter where we are on Memorial Day, we always take a moment to remember what this day really means, and drink one quiet toast:

“To all the fallen – our honored dead.”

Guest blogging at one of my favorite book blogs today: Enchanted By Josephine! Today's topic?

"I'm a firm believer that no woman should be all about her love life. Women in the real world who think and talk about nothing but who they're dating are crashing bores – and so are the women in novels who have not a thought in their fictional heads but who they are to marry. But it can be a dilemma in historical fiction: if you are writing about historical women, usually well-born or moneyed ones, then quite often their only job in life really was to get married."

Come on, ladies, just because you live in an era when getting married is your job doesn't mean you can't have other interests! And if you're in one of my books, rest assured I will give you other interests.

To read the rest of the post (and enter the giveaway for a free copy of "Empress of the Seven Hills"), click here! And thanks again to Lucy for having me on Enchanted By Josephine.


If these ladies are characters in my book, I make sure they have hobbies, passions, and interests besides looking over that balcony for Prince Charming!

I'm guest blogging over at The Writer's Digest today, adding my two (or seven) cents to the running feature "7 Things I've Learned So Far." Here's number 6:

"6. Grow a thick skin. Those negative reviews will come, and they will hurt. And thanks to the internet and that online presence you’ve worked so hard to create for yourself, it’s tempting to put a snarky comment up on that blogger review, pointing out the blogger’s complete lack of literary discernment and utter misuse of the subjunctive. Resist the impulse, because nothing will trash your reputation faster than public whining about your bad reviews. It’s always better to take the high road and let the bad reviews sink unnoticed, rather than get into an online spat that goes viral. For an example of what NOT to do, just google `Jacqueline Howett The Greek Seaman.'"

Head over to The Writer's Digest to read the rest, and sign up for a free giveaway copy of Empress of the Seven Hills! And a big thank-you to Chuck for having me on The Writer's Digest.


I have no real picture options here, since the learning process doesn't tend to be photographable. So, here's a cute picture of my dog instead.

Over at Writerspace, I'm giving my best five guesses at the reasons we read historical fiction. Reason #2:

"The clothes! Forget trying to squeeze into the skinny jeans and stiletto heels of 2012; let's go back to an era where you could swish around in a gorgeous gown and be considered the ideal beauty at size 16."

Want to hear the rest?

Hop on over to Writerspace and find out!


This is how most of us experience history: trying desperately to stay awake in class as someone drones on about the Hawley Smoot Tariff. So why do we end up reading HF?

Sherry Jones is perhaps best known for her controversial novels, The Jewel of Medina and The Sword of Medina, international best sellers about the life of A’isha, who married the Muslim prophet Muhammad at age nine and went on to become the most famous and influential woman in Islam. Her new book, Four Sisters, All Queens, a tale of four sisters in 13th century Provence who became queens of France, England, Germany, and Italy, comes out in just a few short days.

I've been a fan of Sherry's since reading A'isha's story – and not just the story of the Prophet's extraordinary wife, but the story of how her tale came to be published! (Two words: death threats. So much for my belief that a writer's life is uneventful.) I was delighted when Sherry agreed to a Q&A here on my blog – my very first author interview! Enjoy her entertaining answers.




1. What drew you to write historical fiction and not, say, chick-lit or young adult or sci-fi?

A'isha, the protagonist of my first two novels, "The Jewel of Medina" and "The Sword of Medina." I've always tended toward literary fiction in my reading tastes, but she called to me to write her story. In doing so, I discovered the satisfaction of discovering inspiring women in history and getting to know them deeply, and of bringing them to life on the page. Now I'm hooked!


2. You've written two novels about Prophet Muhammad's wife A'isha – and now you're on to medieval France and four sisters who all became queens. That's quite a jump! What drew you to write about such widely disparate time periods?

I had intended "The Jewel of Medina" and "The Sword of Medina" to be part of a trilogy. After all the controversy around these books, however, I felt a bit beleaguered -- burned out on 7th century Arabia. I'd paid several thousand dollars for an English translation of an Arabic biography that I needed for the third book, but I couldn't get myself motivated to write. In the meantime, I found Nancy Goldstone's "Four Queens" in a Seattle bookstore which specializes in biographies and histories. After reading it, I yearned to know more about Marguerite, Eleonore, Sanchia, and Beatrice of Provence, these 13th century Kardashians, haha! I wanted to know their emotions, their relationships with one another, their lives with their husbands, their ambitions and frustrations. For me, the way to know them was to imagine them -- to write a novel about them.


3. Tell us a little about your research process.

I immerse myself as completely as possible in the time and place while I'm researching. I read everything I can find about the era and the people in my books. I take classes, write to historians, visit the locales where my stories take place, when I can. I go to museums, listen to the music of the time, read the literature. I consult primary sources when they've been translated into English, cursing my decision not to study Latin in college. I fill myself up with facts until I feel as if I'll burst if I don't start writing -- and, even then, I continue researching.


4. Do you have a set routine when working on a book?

I roll out of bed and start writing. Once I get into the "dream state" of writing I lose all track of time -- but I'm not one of those marathon writers who goes and goes for days on end. My brain gets tired, my writing gets sloppy. So I stop, usually after about 6 hours. I take lots of long walks to process and dream, after which I may write some more.


5. “Four Sisters, All Queens” has not just one but four very powerful women – and your recent e-release “White Heart” has yet another powerful queen. If you could be any one of your characters, which would you pick and why?

I already am my characters, and they are me! And yet -- if I had to choose one, I'd be Eleonore. She had a husband who respected her -- dare I say loved, in a 13th century marriage? -- as well as true queenly power, a close relationship with her children, and a knockout wardrobe. She was also, it's rumored, a writer.


6. You've had to face considerable controversy and uproar when you chose to write about Prophet Mohammed's life. What did you learn in dealing with that? How has your experience differed with “Four Sisters, All Queens”?

I learned that I'd rather focus on how to live -- in love, courage, wisdom, and peace -- than live in fear of death. I learned that people believe what they want to believe. I learned that I have all the strength I need within myself. I learned that, contrary to popular belief, bad publicity is not the same as good publicity. "The Jewel of Medina" and "The Sword of Medina" are about the youngest wife of the Prophet Muhammad who, according to the Islamic traditions, was 9 when she married him, and he was 52. A history professor read an advance copy and freaked out because, she said, of the book's sexual content (it is PG-13). She scared Random House into dropping publication of my books 3 months before "The Jewel of Medina's" pub date, and told a Wall Street Journal reporter that I had written softcore porn about Muhammad, Understandably, the Muslim world went nuts, especially radicals in the Middle East and, surprising to me, the UK. My British publisher's home office was set on fire, causing him to cancel publication, too. I had death threats. It was a very frightening time. "Four Sisters, All Queens" doesn't have that kind of controversy attached. Well, I DO portray Saint Louis as a religious nut, which he was, having himself flogged every day, wearing hair shirts, ordering the lips cut off a man for blasphemy. So the French may taunt me. But I'm not afraid.


7. Are you currently reading a book, and if so what?

I'm reading a master's thesis on Abelard and Heloise and a French biography about them. I'm also reading C.W. Gortner's "The Confessions of Catherine de Medici" and "The Dovekeepers" by Alice Hoffman.


8. Favorite vice that gets you through the stressful times?

Wine, chocolate, and good lovin'. ;)


9. From ancient Arabia to medieval France – where will your next book take you?

I'm staying in medieval France for a novel under contract with Simon and Schuster about the storied French lovers Abelard and Heloise. It will be the first novel about them since the discovery of letters they wrote to each other during their courtship. It will also, like all my books, be a feminist novel exploring women's power, or lack of it.


10. What other question if any do you think I should have asked you in this interview, and what would be the answer?

"Every writer, it is said, writes about one thing. What is that one thing for you?"
Women's power in patriarchal society. Girls mature faster than boys and, judging from patriarchy's sorry history of war, exploitation, and oppression, we stay that way. When women run the world -- and we will -- will things be different? You bet!


Thanks so much for stopping by, Sherry! And I cannot wait to read “Four Sisters, All Queens” - just a few days to go.

Sherry's website

Sherry's blog


"Four Sisters, All Queens"

Amid the lush valleys and fragrant wildflowers of Provence, Marguerite, Eléonore, Sanchia, and Beatrice have learned to charm, hunt, dance, and debate under the careful tutelage of their ambitious mother—and to abide by the countess’s motto: “Family comes first.”

With Provence under constant attack, their legacy and safety depend upon powerful alliances. Marguerite’s illustrious match with the young King Louis IX makes her Queen of France. Soon Eléonore—independent and daring—is betrothed to Henry III of England. In turn, shy, devout Sanchia and tempestuous Beatrice wed noblemen who will also make them queens.

Yet a crown is no guarantee of protection. Enemies are everywhere, from Marguerite’s duplicitous mother-in-law to vengeful lovers and land-hungry barons. Then there are the dangers that come from within, as loyalty succumbs to bitter sibling rivalry, and sister is pitted against sister for the prize each believes is rightfully hers—Provence itself.

From the treacherous courts of France and England, to the bloody tumult of the Crusades, Sherry Jones traces the extraordinary true story of four fascinating sisters whose passions, conquests, and progeny shaped the course of history.

Pre-order "Four Sisters, All Queens"

Something sweet and silly for the weekend: the fun blog Coffee with a Canine, where I got invited to talk about my dog. Something I can never resist!

Click here to find out how a mixed-breed rescue pup has become an Outer Mongolian Temple Dog named after a Roman dictator.


My boy on cleaning day, safely out of the way of the vacuum

What do writers read? That's Marshal's question over on "Writers Read," and it's a good 'un. As a historical fiction writer, it's probably no surprise that I read a lot of HF. But I try to dip into other genres too, in the spirit of expanding my horizons, and that's why my current reading list doesn't just have HF on it, but classics, thrillers, and YA dystopias . . .


Click here to find out!


One of my five recent reads!

I met Heather Web at last year's Historical Novel Society Conference - she was such a delightful dinner companion that I couldn't resist her invitation for a Q&A on her blog! And she's got interesting questions too - forget "Where do you get your ideas?" Heather asked me what my favorite vices are that get me through the bad times. My answer?

Click here to find out!

Coming this Saturday: panel discussion and book signing for three historical fiction authors: Stephanie Dray, Sophie Perinot, and myself. God knows what we'll end up talking about, but the three of us know how to have fun. Stop by to get a book signed, ask a question, or just say hi. I promise you it will be a great time!

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, April 21st
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Location: Barnes & Noble, Spectrum Center, 1851 Fountain Drive, Reston, VA 20190



Hope we see you there!

I'm over at C.W. Gortner's blog "Historical Boys" today for another Q&A - only by now, I'm a bit tired of talking about myself! Christopher is a friend of mine, and rather than do the standard interview, he and I ended up in a conversation about everything under the sun: our respective books (his "Queen's Vow" about Isabella of Castile comes out in June), our dream casting if HBO ever offers either of us a mini-series, and what's good, what's bad, and what's controversial about writing historical fiction.



Sigh - Christopher gets the best book covers!


Click here to read our convo!