Sharon Kay Penman's Blog, page 13

Interview with Stephanie Churchill about The King's Furies

I have a new blog up! It is an interview with Stephanie Churchill about her latest book, The King's Furies, which is also the final book in her Crowns of Destiny trilogy. And she is doing a book giveaway for the first two books in the series, which is a good way to get caught up for new readers. Just post a comment on my blog and you're in. http://sharonkaypenman.com/blog/?p=696

INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANIE CHURCHILL ABOUT THE KING’S FURIES

Yes, this is actually a new blog by me; will wonders never cease?  But the good thing about being in Writer Limbo—between books—is that I actually have time to do some things I enjoy, and one of them is focusing attention upon books I think my readers will like.  The King’s Furies is such a book, with the added bonus that its author, Stephanie Churchill, is a friend as well as a fellow writer, so it is always fun to hang around with her.  Besides, Holly, my spaniel, may not worship Stephanie, but she is overly fond of the ground upon which she walks.

I can enthusiastically recommend The King’s Furies, the final book in Stephanie’s trilogy, The Crowns of Destiny.  Like me, I am sure that readers of the trilogy have come to care about the characters, and I think they will be pleased by the resolution of the series.   Casmir is a very appealing character in his own right, and it is interesting to get his perspective after seeing their world through the eyes of the sisters, Kassia and Irisa.

Before we begin the interview, I want to let readers know that Stephanie is offering a book giveaway and to be eligible, readers need only post a comment on this blog.  The winner will receive free copies of the first two books, The Scribe’s Daughter and The King’s Daughter; they will be in the e-book format and the contest is global, not limited just to American readers.   Now, let me welcome Stephanie Churchill.

SC: Thanks for letting me stop by, Sharon. I really just came to play with Holly, but we may as well chat as long as I’m here.

SKP: Holly would like nothing more than for you to feed her snacks.

SC: Which I have brought aplenty.

SKP: You’re about to publish your third book, The King’s Furies.   How does it feel?

SC: I thought you were going to ask me, “What are you going to do next?” And of course, the only answer to that is “Go to Disney World.” It feels somehow surreal that I’ve slaved away enough to write three books already. It seems like only yesterday you planted the suggestion in my head. Can that have been nearly eight years ago already? It doesn’t seem like we’ve been friends for that long, but we have.

SKP: I’ve told you before that you give me too much credit for that.

SC: Maybe, but sometimes ideas don’t take root except when suggested by people who have a certain amount of clout. Anyone else could have suggested that I try my hand at writing, but I wouldn’t have necessarily considered the suggestion credible. I figured you knew what you were talking about when it came to writing.

SKP:  I can think of at least one book reviewer who’d disagree with you about that, the one who ended her review of Sunne with the immortal words, “God has probably forgiven Richard III and He may in time even forgive the author.”    But let’s talk now about your Crowns of Destiny series. Your first two books were about two sisters. Your third book will be about a different person, Casmir Vitus, King of Agrius. What made you decide to give him his own book?

SC: I wasn’t planning to originally. I had already promised readers that I would write a prequel about Kassia and Irisa’s mother, Naria. I had a decent outline written up for that book, but then a couple of things happened. First, I wasn’t “feeling” the story. I’m not sure how to describe it except to say my heart just wasn’t in it. I had a tough time figuring out how to develop the themes for the book, and I had too many ideas about directions to take the various character involvements. So in part, there was too much I wanted the book to do, and I couldn’t narrow it down. Then, almost simultaneously, reviews were beginning to come in on The King’s Daughter. The most common piece of feedback I received from readers was that they loved Casmir. Looooooved him. It seemed natural to write a book for him. I hope to get back to Naria’s story someday, but I also need to move on to other things.

SKP: Why did people love him so much?  I know why I found him to be such good company, but I am curious about your perspective as his creator.   Tell us about him.

SC: I can’t speak for individual readers, but my guess is that he’s got a nice dose of charm. I admit to being more than a little influenced by some of your male characters when writing him: Llewelyn ap Iorweth, for instance. His combination of cluelessness with Joanna gave me some fodder for Casmir’s relationship with Irisa, and his leadership style of integrity, control, and a bit of restraint helped me figure out Casmir’s kingly style. I also injected some of Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s swagger. Another thing that I would guess readers found appealing was the mystery of his personality. Irisa often commented on Casmir’s seeming two-sided nature. He wears an unreadable court mask in public, but when Irisa was alone with him, she saw a warm, caring man. So for the reader’s benefit, I wanted to explore this a bit in his own book. I hope readers of The King’s Furies will get enough of Casmir’s backstory to understand his two faces a bit better. I also tried to inject some aspects of your favorite king, Henry II. Casmir is a bit of a workaholic, and he doesn’t always care too much for his personal appearance – or at least the extravagance that kings are afforded in their dress. He’s happier just being comfortable.

SKP: Without giving anything away, what is this book about?

SC: From a plot perspective, Casmir and Irisa are now secure on their thrones ruling Agrius. They have a child, and things seem to be perfect. Of course, as an author yourself, you know that authors are never happy when our characters are happy. I had to make their lives difficult, and one step at a time I turned the screws a little bit on their happiness. They made some choices in The King’s Daughter, and the outcomes of those choices aren’t working out so well. Those outcomes get progressively more complicated, and then some of the villains from the last books show up to further complicate things.

The theme of this book is two-fold. I wanted to explore Casmir’s character. What happens when he is tested beyond the point of breaking? What kind of choices will he make, and what does it say about who he is as a man? And secondly, I wanted to explore the marriage relationship after the first few years of marriage. It’s fun to write about new love, but what happens when daily life intrudes and outside forces work to muddy the waters a bit? At a really deep level, I want readers to see how I intentionally chose the title (for each of my books) and how it works to tell the story of what will happen to the main characters.

SKP: Do you have another project you’re working on now? What’s next?

SC: I have something completely different in mind, yes. I’ve already begun to plot the basics of it, but I have a lot of groundwork to cover before I begin the actual writing. This next series will be much more traditionally fantasy in that there will be some dragon-like creatures. Still no magic, because I’m not comfortable writing in that milieu since I don’t really read magic-based fantasy.

SKP: How will the books be different (besides the dragon-like creatures)?

SC: Well, from a story and setting perspective, I’m going to focus much less on creating a setting that feels historical. This time it will be purely fictional. Yes, it will have a vaguely medieval feel, but that’s about as close to feeling historical as I’ll intentionally get. Much of what will be different won’t be apparent to readers because the differences will all be in my process. Hopefully readers will “feel” the difference in the quality of the story, but it won’t be obvious to the casual reader. Oh, and my dragons will have some supernatural powers.

SKP: How could dragons not have some supernatural powers?   But how is your process going to be different?

SC: I’ve been reading and following the blog of Shawn Coyne who developed the Story Grid method. I won’t bore you with all the nitty-gritty details, but this method encourages developing what Coyne calls a “foolscap global story outline” before getting started. Basically, it’s setting up certain major building blocks (inciting incident, progressive complications, crisis, climax, resolution) for each of the major components of the book before beginning to write. I naturally do this in my head anyway and had done it for my first three books on a very informal level, but I’m forcing myself to write down each of the items so they will be thoroughly thought through. The other process difference is that I’m going to write all three books of the trilogy (in first draft form) before I publish the first one.

SKP: That sounds intriguing and a bit mysterious.  So how long will readers have to wait until they can read something new from you?

SC: No idea. It will take as long as it takes. But I think once my in-depth planning is finished, the actual writing will take far less time than my last three books since I’ll have signposts for what I’m going to write. In the meantime, I’m keeping a weekly writing journal for those interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at my process. It’s on my blog https://www.stephaniechurchillauthor.... and people can subscribe if they want to be updated about new posts. So far readers of this journal have said they love the glimpse of what authors do every day. I guess I take my own process for granted, but not everyone knows what we as authors do!

SKP: Anything else you’d like to add before you go take Holly for a walk?

SC: Yes, I thought I’d leave your readers with a little glimpse of both Casmir’s personality and a taste for what The King’s Furies is about.

From The King’s Furies, chapter 6:

“You are the assassin who finally brought down the slave rebellion’s leader.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing, my king,” Jachamin broke in, a slow smile hinting at the corners of his lips. “But I prefer mercenary if it’s all the same to you.”

“Your tactics were… heavy-handed,” I observed.

His eyes flashed at that, and the freedom I’d reveled in only moments before dissipated, melting away as easily as a sugared wafer on Sybila’s tongue. I moved my gloved hands over my face, partially to brush away the loose strands of hair which had fallen over my left eye, but also to give myself time to think.

“Casmir,” Wimarc broke in, annoyingly comfortable enough to use my familiar name, “Lyseby is a problem. In fact, you have many problems that defy conventional solutions.”

I shot him a hard look. “And you think that hiring an assassin… mercenary,” I corrected myself with a dismissive wave of my hand, “will fix these problems? We have only begun to try conventional solutions. I am not about to condone as common practice the murder of those who would oppose my rule!” I gave each of the men a cold, hard stare.

“Casmir, I only brought you here to hear him out.”

“Yes, because you know the palace walls have ears. You said as much. This was to make the ride and early hour worth my while?”

“Casmir, I…”

“You have mistaken me for another king — my father, or his hound Veris. I am not him, nor will I ever be,” I growled. “You have wasted my time.”

And with that, I made a savage jerk on the reins, wheeling Sevaritza around to leave the two men staring after me.

SKP:   We shall let Casmir have the last word, then, as kings usually do.   Thank you, Stephanie, for stopping by to spoil Holly and share your thoughts on The King’s Furies.  To purchase Stephanie’s books, see the links below.  And again, post a comment here and you’ll be eligible for Stephanie’s book giveway.

July 24, 2019

Links:

Purchase The Scribe’s Daughter: mybook.to/thescribesdaughter

Purchase The King’s Daughter: mybook.to/TheKingsDaughter

Pre-order The King’s Furies: mybook.to/TheKingsFuries

Stephanie’s website: https://www.stephaniechurchillauthor....

Writer's limbo

How unusual is it to have the temperature soar to 100 degrees in NJ? Or to get tornado warnings and then tornadoes? Or honest-to-God blizzards in South Jersey, where no child ever got to experience a White Christmas? Based on our past experience, these are signs of the coming Apocalypse…..or a changing climate as time runs out.
I have finally escaped the medical maze and can no longer hear the baying of the bloodhounds hot on my trail, sent out by the posse of physicians set upon tracking me down. Can you tell that I am in need of a medieval novel to write? I really do need an outlet for my inclination toward high drama, for Facebook posts don’t do the trick. It has been much too long since I got to shed blood or betray an ally or lay siege to a desert stronghold, all of which I was able to do frequently in The Land Beyond the Sea.
But for now I am trapped in a writer’s limbo, that dreaded time when we are “between books.” One reason why I so enjoyed writing sequels or trilogies, etc, is that I could then slide seamlessly from one book into the next. It helped, too, to have the same historical characters hanging around the house for years, but when they finally moved on, a ghostly silence settled in. Imagine how empty the house—and my head—felt after spending 12 years with the Yorkists? The Angevins were just as quick to stake their claim, and even though Henry has been dead since Devil’s Brood, I still miss him.
Okay, onward and upward. As a peace offering for my frequent disappearances, I am posting a link that has been shared before, but it is amusing enough and clever enough to warrant a rerun. Besides, I am sure some of you missed it the first time around. Here is a list of abridged classic novels. I think my favorite is the concise summary of Moby Dick: “Man vs whale. The whale wins.” Or War and Peace: “Everyone is sad. It snows.” http://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com...

Bastille Day and Casablanca

Being in Paris to celebrate Bastille Day has long been on my Bucket List, as has being there on the third Thursday in November when the Beaujolais Nouveau is released; okay, there are some oddities on my list. But Bastille Day is an important holiday to the French and to those of us who love France. So what better way to mark it than by watching the most memorable scene from Casablanca? No matter how often I watch it, it still gives me chills. And as an added bonus today, this link also offers an interesting analysis as to why this scene resonates so powerfully with people. https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/cin...

The Land Beyond the Sea cover and pub date

I am sorry I cannot show the cover here. I did put it up on all my Facebook pages and it is also up on Amazon, available for pre-order. Now here is today's Facebook post.

I hope to be able to resume posting regularly on Facebook soon. Some of my readers have expressed concern, so I want to reassure you all that I am okay; I just had to deal with some health “issues” I’d been postponing while I worked on the book. (That tells you all you need to know about writers and our priorities, doesn’t it?) For now, I am concerned very much about my friends and readers in the path of this new hurricane; please pray that the New Orleans levees hold back the Mississippi, which is already at twenty feet. As many of you know, I was lucky enough to live in New Orleans for a year and it remains a city very dear to my heart.

I am finally able to provide some real information about The Land Beyond the Sea. This is the cover we will be using in the US; my British publisher is still working on theirs. This is a replica of a painting by a nineteenth century French artist, depicting the Battle of Montgisard between Baldwin IV and Saladin. It is not all that accurate from a historical perspective, but we decided to go with it anyway because of the dramatic, visual impact. I did request, though, that I could add a sentence to the Author’s Note explaining this, and yes, that is probably a text-book definition of obsessive-compulsive!

We also have a publication date—March 3rd of next year. I confess I was rather surprised myself that there would be a longer than usual delay in publication, but so many factors go into a decision like this, including publicity and marketing considerations. I am also happy to report that my British publisher is bringing the book out next March, too, so my British readers won’t have to choose between another delay or incurring expensive transatlantic mailing costs.

To make it up to you all for my random, erratic appearances on Facebook, I am going to start doing some book giveaways in coming weeks. Sadly, I have no extra hardcover copies of Sunne, Dragons, or Saints. But from time to time, I will offer a signed copy of one of my other books: The Reckoning, Time and Chance, Devil’s Brood, Lionheart, and A King’s Ransom. As in past giveaways, you need only post a comment on my blog to enter and the winner can choose which of the books that he or she prefers. I hope to get started in August with this. Meanwhile, what better way to close today than to give a loud cheer for the US soccer team’s remarkable fourth World Cup win. And yes, I admit I may be swayed by the fact that one of their players, Julie Ertz, is married to our Eagles star tight end, Zak Ertz. 😊

Some personal news and thoughts of the Leper King of Jerusalem and our Founding Fathers

It seems all I do lately is apologize for my disappearances. But I’ve been so busy fending off doctors (joke) that I’ve truly had no time for anything else. Not that I am complaining about all the tests, even if I do sometimes feel like a medical guinea pig. We always do better when we can identify the enemy, after all; how else can we devise a suitable battle plan? Probably because my spiritual home is the MA, I have always felt a sense of genuine wonderment that we have access to medical treatments that would have been unimaginable to people in earlier centuries. Despite the passage of so much time, it still seems so tragic to me that so many died of ailments or injuries that could so easily be treated today, and yes, I was thinking of young Baldwin, the Leper King of Jerusalem.
Aside from the loss of time, I am doing well, and will eventually be able to surface again on a regular basis. Meanwhile, I hope that all of my American readers and Facebook friends have a very peaceful July 4th. A screen writer friend and I share an unusual holiday tradition; we recently were delighted to learn that we both have been doing the same thing for years—watching the film 1776 on July 4th! That is a tradition I’d be happy to share with you all, reminding us of the remarkable men who would become known to history as our Founding Fathers.

Melting ice and an ill-fated kingship

As Europe is suffering under an intense and dangerous heat wave (as high as 40C or 106F) it seems a good time to post this photo for those who have not yet seen it. If we are looking for an iconic photo to illustrate the impact of climate change on our planet, here it is.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environ...
Back to medieval history. On June 26, 1483, Richard III claimed the English throne; he would be crowned on July 6th. As we know, the crown brought him neither security nor happiness, but his brief reign did earn him eternal notoriety thanks to a playwright named Shakespeare. And more than five centuries after his death at Bosworth, his story would enable an unhappy lawyer to become a historical novelist. Thank you, Richard.

My favorite king and those ubiquitous, pushy Tudors

Not only do I have the world’s best readers, you are the most patient ones, too, politely putting up with my abrupt disappearances and random re-appearances. I’ve been trying to catch up on all that fell through the cracks while I was working on The Land Beyond the Sea—health issues, home repairs, and the like. The last two weeks have been unusually hectic; I saw so many doctors I began to feel like an extra on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. ☹ But I can finally catch my breath and start posting again.
June 11, 1183 must surely have been one of the most tragic days of Henry II’s life, for it was on that date that his eldest son, known to history as the young king and as Hal in my books, died of dysentery at age 28, after yet another rebellion, one in which he’d become little better than a bandit. On his deathbed, he’d pleaded for Henry to come to him, but after having been shot at twice by Hal’s men under a flag of safe conduct, Henry wisely refused. It is quite possible that he did not truly believe that Hal was dying, either. Once it was too late, though, he must have tormented himself with vain regrets, for the chroniclers related his anguish in heartrending detail
.* * *
Devil’s Brood, page 327
Hal had been sincere when he said he did not deserve forgiveness; there could be few epiphanies as dramatic as one brought about by the awareness of impending death. But no matter how often he told himself that his punishment was just and fitting, he was anguished by his father’s rejection. If the man he’d finally become in the last week of his life could try to accept Henry’s judgment, the boy he’d always been cried out for mercy, needing his father to bring light into the encroaching darkness of his world, to say he understood and the slate of his misdeeds was wiped clean—just as he’d done time and time again.
* * *
Still on Page 327, when the Bishop of Agen arrives with a message from Henry for his son.
* * *
“Have…have you really come from my father?”
“Indeed, my liege.” Bishop Bertrand was so shaken by Hal’s shocking decline that he unfastened his own pater noster from his belt and placed it on the pillow next to Hal, then reached out and took the young king’s hot, dry hand in his. “King Henry bade me tell you that he freely and gladly grants you full forgiveness for your sins, and that he has never ceased to love you”
Hal’s lashes swept down, shadowing his cheeks like fans as tears seeped from the corners of his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered, although the bishop was not sure if it was meant for him, for Henry, or for the Almighty.
“I bring more than words,” he said and, taking a small leather pouch from around his neck, he shook out a sapphire ring set in beaten gold. He started to tell Hal that this was Henry’s ring, but saw there was no need, for Hal could not have shown more reverence if he’d produced a holy relic.
“He does forgive me, then!” he cried and gave the bishop such a dazzling smile that for a moment the ravages of his illness were forgotten and they could almost believe this was the young king of cherished memory, the golden boy more beautiful than a fallen angel, able to ensnare hearts with such dangerous ease. Then the illusion passed and they were looking at a man gaunt, hollow-eyed, suffering, and all too mortal
* * *
June 11th was also the birthday of another major character of mine, Anne Neville, who was born on this date in 1456. She died young, during a solar eclipse of the sun (which no novelist would have dared to invent) in March of 1485, only in her 29th year.
Somehow those ubiquitous Tudors always manage to crash the party, for on June 11, 1509, Henry VIII wed his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. We know it was a happy day for them both, although knowing what we do, many of us probably wish we could go back in time, take Catherine aside, and cry, “Girl, run for the hills!”

Lionheart and the dancing bear

I meant to post this over the weekend, but I was sidetracked after being told that Time and Chance was being offered at a bargain price on Amazon; naturally, I had to share that news. 😊 (It is still available today for $1.99, too) Now back to history.

On June 8, 1191, Richard I finally arrived at the siege of Acre, having taken time off to conquer the island of Cyprus. This was a fun scene to write because the Lionheart could have taught Barnum and Bailey a lesson in self-promotion; he had a real flair for making grand entrances, much to the frustration and fury of his enemies. The French king Philippe knows what to expect, having witnessed Richard’s entry into the harbor at Messina, but Conrad of Montferrat hasn’t a clue and he is vexed to see the entire camp running toward the shoreline as word spreads that Richard’s fleet has been sighted. Lionheart, pages 291-292
* * *
Watching in bemusement as this throng surged toward the sea, Conrad said scornfully, “Will you look at those fools? You’d think they hope to witness the Second Coming of the Lord Christ! What is there to see, for God’s sake? Just some ships dropping anchor offshore.”
Philippe gave the older man a tight, mirthless smile, thinking that Conrad was about to get his first lesson in Ricardian drama. (omission)
* * *
Philippe then baffles Conrad by asking if he had troupes of traveling players back in Montferrat and he makes Conrad wonder if his wits are wandering by going on about the entrance of such a troupe into a town, seeking to attract as large an audience as possible, describing how they blow their trumpets, beat on drums, sing and banter and trot out dancing dogs. occasionally even a dancing bear. Conrad demands to know what he is talking about, but he merely smiles.
* * *
By the time they reached the beach, it looked as if every man, woman, and child in the camp had gathered at the shoreline. To the west, the sun was setting in a blaze of fiery color, the sky and sea taking on vivid shades of gold and red, drifting purple clouds haloed in shimmering lilac light. The ships entering the bay were backlit by this spectacular sunset, and Philippe wondered if Richard had timed his landing for maximum impact. The sleek war galleys were slicing through the waves like the deadly weapons they were, the royal banners of England and Outremer catching each gust of wind, the oarsmen rowing in time to the thudding drumbeats, the air vibrating with the cacophony of trumpets, pipes, and horns. And just as he’d done at Messina, Richard was standing on a raised platform in the prow of his galley, a magnet for all eyes. When the crowds erupted in wild cheering, he acknowledged their tribute by raising a lance over his head and the noise level reached painful proportions, loud enough to reach the Saracen soldiers lining the walls of the city as they, too, watched, spellbound, the arrival of the legendary Lionheart.
Conrad was staring at the spectacle in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth open. When he finally tore his gaze away from the scene playing out in the harbor, he saw that the French king was watching him with a mordant, cynical smile, one that he now understood. “All that is lacking,” Philippe said, “is the dancing bear.”
* * *
Moving on, June 8, 1376 was the death of another celebrated soldier, Edward, the Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III and father of Richard II, also a character in several of Bernard Cornwell’s novels. And on June 8, 1476, George Neville, Archbishop of York, died; not one of my favorite characters in Sunne.

Time and Chance still at a bargain price

Yesterday, Melody, one of my readers, kindly alerted us on my fan club page that Time and Chance was being offered by Amazon’s mother ship at only $1.99. I was happy to spread the word after thanking her, and when I checked today, I found that it is still priced at $1.99. This is sending sales soaring, of course! So if any of you don’t have it as an ebook, you can still buy it at this bargain rate. And Canadian readers can also buy it at this price. Sadly, Amazon UK and Amazon Australia passed on the party. I still have stuff to post about, so more later.
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Chance-Pl...