Sharon Kay Penman's Blog, page 148
May 23, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH JOAN SZECHTMAN
This has been Ricardian month on my blog, as I recently interviewed Anne Easter Smith to discuss her new novel about Cecily Neville and today I am visited by Joan Szechtman, author of two novels about Richard III, This Time and Loyalty Binds Me. I haven't had a chance yet to read Loyalty Binds Me, mainly because of the upcoming Eleanor tour, but I did read This Time and enjoyed it. The premise is very imaginative–snatching Richard from Bosworth Field at the moment before his death and transporting him to our time–and Joan executed it quite well. She dealt with issues that would be bound to come up for a medieval man suddenly finding himself in our time, both the serious (religious intolerance) and the more mundane (cars, computers, etc.) I found her Richard to be believable and likable and I am looking forward to continuing his journey in the 21st century. I am sure he will find voice mail and never-ending political campaigns every bit as annoying as the rest of us do, but he also faces a unique challenge–having to prove he did not murder his nephews!
Interview with SKP
SKP: Before we start, I hope you don't mind if I ask you how you pronounce your name.
JS: Joan? Just the way it's spelled—just kidding. 
Szechtman is easy if you pretend the "z" is an "h" and then pronounce it the way it's spelled. All joking aside, I'm quite honored to be doing this interview. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity.
SKP: I understand that Loyalty Binds Me is the second book in this series after This Time. Since this is your first interview with me, please tell us a little about both books.
JS: THIS TIME starts moments before Richard III loses to Henry Tudor on the field of Redemore near Leicester, England on August 22, 1485. In THIS TIME, a team of Ricardians substitutes an armor-clad corpse for the king and brings him into Portland, Oregon. Richard awakens August 21, 2004 to an alien world where even the English he speaks is different.
The story follows two parallel paths: the present where Richard must learn how to adjust to not only the technological advancements but also the more difficult cultural differences; and looking back at the past to solve some of the mysteries that have haunted and maligned his image for over 500 years.
The second book, LOYALTY BINDS ME, continues Richard III's story. Richard has married a divorcee, adopted her two daughters, and with the help of his new wife, has been able to rescue his son Edward, who had predeceased him in the 15th-century. Richard has lived in the twenty-first century for two years, and his son has been with him for the past year. At the start of the novel, they have just arrived in London, when Richard is brought in by the Metropolitan Police for questioning about the alleged murder of Richard III's nephews in 1483. Richard must now find a way to clear his name and protect his family while concealing his true identity.
The books are written to stand by themselves; there are no cliffhangers at the end of each novel and there's enough information in the second book for a new reader to understand the story without boring those who have read the first book.
SKP: I usually don't read fictional books about one of my characters, but I was so intrigued by your premise of bringing Richard III into the 21st century that I put aside my usual reservations. Why did you bring Richard III into the 21st-century?
JS: One of the things that really got to me about Richard III was that he was so young—only 32—when he died. I felt his story wasn't finished and I wanted to examine his character in a modern light, without forcing our modern sensibilities onto his 15th-century actions. To do this, I had to let him speak for himself. Admittedly, I could have done something akin to Connie Willis's Doomsday Book and send a protagonist back in time, but I thought that by bringing Richard into the present day, I could challenge him in ways that I couldn't by writing a period piece. Additionally, I didn't feel the need to tell Richard's life story. You beat me to it. In fact, it was your book, Sunne in Splendour, which put me on the Ricardian path to the point where I felt compelled to write about Richard, but from a different perspective.
SKP: Many time-travel novels ignore language differences, but you didn't. Yet, Richard was able to adjust rapidly to modern English.
JS: Richard was probably fluent in three or four languages, and although today's English would have at first sounded foreign to him, I felt that there was enough similarities—based on my reading of The Paston Letters, for example—between Early Modern English and today's English that he would have been able to understand a lot of what he heard fairly quickly. I also provided a linguist that was able to help him over the inevitable speed bumps.
SKP: Another rapid adjustment that Richard achieved was his ability to absorb and take advantage of today's technology. It left me a bit breathless.
JS: There have been modern instances of individuals from isolated primitive cultures being brought to technologically advanced cultures. Most of these individuals were able to use the technology quickly. The more difficult adjustment has to do with cultural differences. Such was the case for Richard. Because he was intentionally brought into the future, and not by accident, he had access to people who could help him learn how to use such things as phones, computers, cars, etc.
I also decided to advance his adjustment so that I wouldn't put the reader to sleep having him learn every single detail that we take for granted. So I tried to show him learn some things and let the reader imagine him learning the rest.
SKP: I understand that not only do you think that Richard did not kill his nephews, but that they may well have survived him.
JS: Yes. Despite the rumors the princes had met an evil end and Tudor's willingness to parley these rumors to his advantage, extant documentation and contemporary reports show only that the boys disappeared. Setting aside the lack of documentation, I also took into consideration the behaviors of both Richard III and Henry VII. Then, it was standard operating procedure to display bodies to "prove" that their reigns were without credible challenge. Despite the way Henry had Richard's body mistreated immediately after the battle, he nevertheless had it put on display to show that he was now the undisputed king. I have to think that if Henry had killed the princes or knew where their bodies were, he would have displayed them and blamed Richard for their deaths. If Richard had had them killed, he could have easily first blamed Welles for their deaths during the botched attempt to "free" them from the tower, and then later, Buckingham, when Richard had him executed for treason.
Richard had far less reason to want the princes dead than did Henry. Through "Titulus Regius" parliament declared Richard the rightful king and bastardized all of Edward IV's children. As bastards, the princes could not inherit any title. Henry VII had his parliament revoke "Titulus Regius" which enabled his marriage to Edward IV's oldest daughter, Elizabeth Woodville. If the princes were alive, they now had more claim to the crown now that their impediment had been removed. In fact, based on how he handled the man he called Perkin Warbeck, I think he was more than a little afraid that Warbeck was really Richard of York, the younger of Edward IV's two sons. Interestingly, Warbeck claimed to have been in Edward Brampton's household in Portugal. Now Brampton was a Portuguese Jew who converted soon after Edward IV first became king and served both Edward and Richard. Among the many awards that Richard gave Brampton, he knighted him in 1484—the first monarch to knight a converted Jew. As much as Richard may have liked the guy, I think there had to have been an extraordinary reason for him to grant Brampton knighthood. I think the reason was that Richard had entrusted Richard of York's care to Brampton.
SKP: Now that you've "saved" Richard and brought him into our time, do you have any more books planned for him?
JS: There is a third book in the works with its own set of surprises. The working title is STRANGE TIMES. This one is partially about Francis Lovel—someone most Ricardians think was close to Richard's heart.
SKP: Francis was very close to my heart,too, while writing Sunne, for he was the only Francis in a book packed with Edwards, Richards, and Elizabeths. It sounds very intriguing. Thank you so much, Joan, for a most interesting interview about one of my favorite medieval kings.
May 23, 2010
May 9, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH ANNE EASTER SMITH
I am pleased to welcome a friend and fellow Ricardian, Anne Easter Smith, whose new novel about Cecily Neville, Queen by Right, hits the stores this week. There can never be enough books about Richard III and his family and I am looking forward to reading Anne's view of Cecily's life.
Q. "Queen By Right" is your fourth book in a series about the York family. Where does it fit in with the others?
A. First of all, let me thank you very much for agreeing to let me guest post on your prestigious blog. As you are one of my favorite authors, it is quite an honor to be here! To answer your question, you could call this the prequel to the other three, Sharon. I started, like you, with the story of the real Richard III in "A Rose for the Crown", and because I had a two-book contract with Simon & Schuster, I chose to write about Richard's sister Margaret of Burgundy in "Daughter of York." I followed up on a thread in that book about a "secret boy" Margaret had taken under her wing and wrote "The King's Grace." It includes my theory on whether or not Perkin Warbeck, the pretender to the throne in the 1490s, was indeed the younger of the two princes in the Tower, who were supposedly murdered by their uncle, Richard III. (You and I know that was not the case, however!) In all three of those books, the matriarch of the house of York, Cecily Neville, duchess of York, kept popping in and out or was never far from her children's thoughts when it came to them making decisions, and when she did, you could not help be drawn to her strong personality, notice the influence she had on her children, and be intrigued by the drama of her life. Richard was only nine, George of Clarence twelve and Margaret fourteen when Cecily was widowed. Her oldest son, Edward became king at nineteen, six months after his father's death, and Cecily guided his steps in those first years of his reign. I end the book with Edward's coronation, and when I watched the royal wedding last week, I could not help but imagine the young Edward taking exactly the same walk up that astonishing nave to the altar as William did.
Q. What did you find out about Cecily Neville that you didn't know from your previous research?
A. "Queen By Right" takes us to Cecily's early life when she and Richard became betrothed in 1424 and up to Edward's coronation. I had written lots about events during the Wars of the Roses, but I had never really delved into why Richard of York chose to assert his claim to the throne when he did. So all of that research meant understanding Richard's whole life and career. He was orphaned at age four and lived in the shadow of the treason and attainting of his father, and I think it affected his behavior for a long time and caused many of Henry VI's councilors to shun him–like father like son, they may have thought, and he believed. Like Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War, the man was pushed out of the circle of power one too many times and he eventually snapped. In 1424, when the book starts, England was in the second half of the Hundred Years War (of course, they didn't know this at the time or that it would be called that!) and how important Normandy was in the scheme of things. England had "owned" it since Willie the Conk (William the Conqueror) was crowned in 1066. Over the next three hundred years, bits and pieces were lost to the French and finally Edward III decided to start fighting for it. It wasn't until Henry V ("Once more unto the breach dear friends") won decisive victory at Agincourt in 1415 (three months before Cecily was born) that things began to go England's way. To get back to your question, though. Cecily and Richard found themselves in Rouen, the seat of the English government in Normandy, a couple of times: once with the king's household in 1431. If that date doesn't quite ring a bell with anyone, they are forgiven! It isn't all of us who know that in May of that year, Joan of Arc was tried and burned at the stake. And yes, Cecily was there. Then I followed the couple to back to Normandy when Richard was governor in the early 1440s, and onto Ireland, where Richard was "ordered" to be lord lieutenant (actually to get him out of the way again). Cecily's role was very much one of military wife, and that's something I can relate to, having been one myself! I had not realized how much Cecily had traveled.
Q. What were the challenges you faced with this book compared with the others?
A. My biggest challenge was having to start my research from scratch this time. All my other books took place from 1460 and to the end of the century. Now I was in the first half of the century and I suddenly realized I was back in the Hundred Years War, an event I had conveniently buried in my schoolbook memory and had to resurrect. I didn't know the politics and more importantly, I didn't know the characters. Most of the people were dead by the time my other books started. Up until then for me, the only duke of Gloucester was our Richard, and now I had to get to know another one–and a very important man from 1420s to 1440s. So instead of borrowing from my knowledge and library of the second half of the 15th century, I was having to build a whole new framework for my story. I don't know how some authors are able to jump around history so effortlessly! I have been steeped only in the 15th century for fifteen years. Another challenge was creating a character whose personality so many readers have already formed from other sources. Cecily will invariably show up in any book about Richard III, Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret of Anjou etc., but other than Eleanor Fairburn's 1970s trilogy about Cecily, "Queen by Right" is the only novel about her since then. I truly loved telling her story.
Q. On a personal note, Anne, which of your characters do you relate to most?
R. I have to say that Margaret of York is the one that made me want to befriend her. When I was researching her, I was thrilled to know she was tall for her age. Being six feet myself, I know we would have some horror stories to share about our height problems. I was also delighted to know that she was such a bibliophile, as am I. And of all the romantic interests in any of my four books, Anthony would have also been the one I fell for! Although I was also drawn to John of Gloucester in "The King's Grace." Both were much too young for me, however
Q. Are you writing another book?
R. I never thought I'd ever write more than one, Sharon, so to be writing a fifth blows my mind. I have threatened that this is the last in the York family series, but who knows what might transpire while I am writing it. Someone might jump out at me during my research and say "Tell my story," so I am hedging my bets. This new one is about Edward IV's mistress, Jane Shore, who made an appearance in "Sunne in Splendor" I believe. She had quite a dramatic 10 year period in her life that I couldn't resist, and so, as with my other books, I am showing one of the important men of the period through the eyes of a woman. Even though Edward IV figures in all of my books as a major character, I have not really focused on him yet.
Thanks again, Sharon, for sharing your space with me. I can't wait to read "Lionheart"!
Thank you, Anne, for sharing your thoughts with us. I am delighted that you will be writing about Jane Shore next, as she is one of my favorite royal mistress, second only to Charles II's Nell Gwynn. It is about time Jane got a book of her own!
May 9, 2011
April 23, 2011
LIONHEART COVER
I am very happy to reveal here the book jacket for Lionheart, which I think is truly spectacular. I haven't always been able to say that about past books, but I think this one is as close to perfect as mortal man can get. The publication date for Lionheart will be October in the United States, and November at the latest in Australia; I still don't know when my new British publisher plans to publish it in the United Kingdom, but I will let you know as soon as I do. And yes, it will definitely be available on Kindle and Nook and in other e-book formats, both in the US and the UK. 
I hope you all like it as much as I do!
April 23, 2011
April 16, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH LAUREL CORONA
Last year, I had a very interesting interview with Laurel Corona, author of Penelope's Daughter, and received very positive feedback from my readers. So I am pleased to have persuaded Laurel to stop by again, this time to mark the publication of her new novel, Finding Emilie, which is set on the eve of the French Revolution. Laurel, as you know, for I quote her often enough, has eloquently articulated the responsibility of the historical novelist in five very powerful words–Do not defame the dead. 
Sharon: Tell us a little about the book. Who is Emilie du Châtelet, and why were you interested in her story?
I teach the Enlightenment era in my San Diego City College humanities classes, and her association with her longtime lover, Voltaire, sometimes comes up as a side note in textbooks. Quite frankly, the wigged-and-corseted women one sees in paintings from that era never interested me that much. How could starchy-looking Madame de This-or-That be any fun?
I first learned about Emilie from Einstein's Big Idea, a DVD I show snippets of in class. Based on David Bodanis' book E=MC₂, the program gives the history of each part of the equation, focusing on Emilie's advocacy for the importance of squaring. What grabbed me was not the science, however, but her astonishing life. She was not only a brilliant physicist and mathematician, but a free-spirited woman who dared to be herself despite the cruel and often frivolous constraints of her society. Wild woman and scientist make quite an interesting combination, especially in light of the tragedy that put an early end to her life.
Sharon: Wasn't it unusual for a woman in her era to be a scientist?
Women of means were able to pursue intellectual pursuits as a private matter, but their work was rarely published, and indeed credit was often taken by the men around them, including Voltaire for some of Emilie's pioneering work on Newton.
She was unusual, but far from alone. Laura Bassi was championing Newton in Italy at the same time. Compatriots and fellow physicists Sophie Germain and Marie Lavoisier worked a few decades later. Only in recent years, by the way, has Marie been seen as a scientist in her own right, rather than a mere secretary and lab assistant to her famous husband, Antoine de Lavoisier. In FINDING EMILIE, I modeled my protagonist Lili and Jean-Étienne's relationship loosely after that of Marie and Antoine, who was beheaded in the Reign of Terror after the judge announced that the Revolution had no need of scientists.
Sharon: You said Emilie had a wild side. What kinds of things did she do?
She was an inveterate gambler, amusing herself as a teenager at salons by using her prodigious math skills to win enough at cards to finance her purchases of the latest science and physics books. Later, she and Voltaire had to make a quick nighttime escape from Fontainebleau because she had lost a small fortune and could not pay up (a high-ranking guest was cheating, but it was improper and dangerous to make the accusation). She figured out how to make good on the debt by inventing a scheme today known as trading in derivatives.
She cross-dressed on occasion to go to meetings of scientific societies, where women were not permitted. She discouraged a dull suitor by trouncing him in a fencing match. She set up a bathtub in her parlor so she could receive houseguests while she bathed. She used her dowry to pay the greatest mathematicians in France to tutor her. But it is her scandalous love life where she really made her mark.
Her match with the Marquis du Châtelet was a marriage of convenience, and I don't think either expected fidelity. Emilie and Voltaire lived openly as lovers for fifteen years at her husband's ancestral home. He would come to visit from time to time, apparently unconcerned about his wife's cozy arrangement with another man under his own roof.
Emilie and Voltaire remained lifelong friends after their affair ended, but tragically life would not be that long for her. She fell madly in love with a dashing young soldier-poet and became pregnant by him at 43, unheard of at the time. Six days after the birth of a daughter, Stanislas-Adélaïde, she complained of a headache and within hours she was dead, probably of a stroke from an embolism.
Sharon: With such a fascinating real-life character, it's surprising she isn't the protagonist in the novel. Why did you choose to focus on the life of her daughter instead?
First, I think it is harder to write historical fiction when the protagonist is a real character. You are basically stuck with the actual life story, and too much inventing or embellishing is a violation of what I think is an unwritten pact with readers not to misinform them. It's worked for me better to invent the protagonists and have the real characters come in and out of their lives. Second, I fell in love with Emilie, I didn't want my novel to end in the sad way her story does. I just couldn't do that to readers, who I am sure will love her too.
Sharon: Tell us a little about Lili, the daughter. What is her life like?
Lili grows up in an aristocratic home, raised by a friend of her mother's after the Marquis (knowing he is not her father) shows no interest in her. Julie de Bercy, whom Lili calls Maman, has a daughter Lili's age, and she and this girl, Delphine, grow up like sisters. Julie is a free-thinking salonnière who introduces Lili to Rousseau, Diderot, and the Comte de Buffon, luminaries of their time. From them, Lili develops an independent mind, despite the efforts of a dour Châtelet relative to shape her into a docile, pious, unrebellious future wife and mother. Uninterested in the inanities of court life, Lili finds solace in books and in her own satirical stories of an adventurous little alter-ego named Meadowlark. As she and Delphine reach marriageable age and her life constricts around her, Lili realizes that the life of the scandalous mother whom no one will speak of may offer insight into how to avoid death by destiny. Lili goes off in search of information about her mother, hoping to find answers about how to take control of own life.
Sharon: Without spoiling the plot, what answer does Emilie have for her daughter, and for us?
Everyone is entitled to pursue happiness. The key to happiness lies in understanding who we are as individuals, and then letting our deepest self lead us. It's up to us to use our minds and talents to escape the ordinary. Conformity is often deformity–that's one of the themes of the book–and we mustn't feel guilty at our efforts to resist it.
Thank you, Laurel, for another fascinating interview. I am looking forward to reading Finding Emilie once I sort out Coeur de Lion once and for all. And readers will love the fact that you've added a Who's Who of characters, a pronunciation guide, an author's note, and a discussion guide for reading groups.
_____
www.laurelcorona.com
THE FOUR SEASONS, PENELOPE'S DAUGHTER, and FINDING EMILIE are now available in bookstores and online. Support your local independent bookstore and library!
April 4, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET GEORGE
I am delighted to be able to offer my readers an interview with one of my favorite historical novelists, Margaret George. Margaret has tackled some challenging and elusive subjects in the past–the mega
lomaniac Henry VIII, the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, the fabled Helen of Troy, and the even more legendary Cleopatra, among others. She has now turned her attention and her considerable talents to one of history's most intriguing figures–Elizabeth Tudor. Elizabeth I covers the Tudor queen's life from the Armada until her death, stubbornly refusing to go to bed and reminding Cecil that "Must is not a word to be used to princes." I was fortunate enough to be able to read an ARC of Elizabeth I and I think it is Margaret's best book yet. Tomorrow you can read Elizabeth I. Tonight, though, you can read Margaret's interview with me.
INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET GEORGE
Why did you write Elizabeth?
I wanted to show the older Elizabeth, the consummate statesman, in the arena. She had reigned for thirty years before the great crisis of the Armada tested her—and England. Her leadership was a legend in action. Following that was the uprising of the charismatic and troubled Earl of Essex—the last time a nobleman in England challenged the throne, but at the time she couldn't know that. And then there was the greatest adversary of all, the only one she couldn't best: time itself. But she put up one heck of a fight.
Do you think issues Elizabeth faced still resonate today?
I think they are as timely as ever. How to protect the citizens of your country? How to assure peace so that prosperity can follow? How to make do on less money than is needed for national expenses? (Budget crisis!) How to keep enemy regimes from harming your country? How to protect against assassination without violating the principles of law and freedom? How to instill courage in your people by example? Last, how to erase the lingering suspicion that a woman can't lead as well as a man?
What will the reader learn after reading your book?
That literary Elizabethan England as we think of it was a 'late bloomer'—Shakespeare didn't even arrive in London until about the time of the Armada. When Elizabeth first became queen, he hadn't been born.
Do you get along with your muse? How do you treat her?
Not as well as I should. I don't feed her enough. She needs free time and random input, daydreaming and deep reading. Instead she gets dull errands, grocery lists, and small talk at obligatory social events. If she were a dog, she'd run away.
But when I do get time alone with her, what bliss! It's my favorite thing in the world. At least I don't take her for granted. I hope she understands.
As an author, what is your greatest reward?
I would say it is split between two things—the joy of spending time in another dimension, another world, learning things I never knew existed, and the deep pleasure of knowing I'm introducing others to it and they are happy for it.
How long did it take you to research and write "Elizabeth"?
Technically, five years, but I had already done a lot of background research on that era, had a lot of the books already, and had visited many of the sites. So I had a head start.
How do you select your characters?
I am always looking for people who led operatic lives. Whose private passions have changed—or at least influenced—history. It helps if they die young and tragically. In that way Elizabeth is a departure from my other subjects, living to a ripe old age without being sick and dying peacefully in her bed with no regrets.
Do you have other passions besides writing?
I compete in national masters track and field meets, 100 meters and 200 meters, and in the long jump.
Tell us one of your secrets, something the general public wouldn't guess.
I am a Mars fanatic! I have a link on my toolbar to NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission so I can follow what's going on up on Mars. When Mars's orbit brought it close to the earth a few years ago, I saw Mars through an historic telescope at an observatory open house. I eagerly absorb every morsel of new information about the Red Planet. I collect Mars photos and reread "The Martian Chronicles" regularly.
If you could be a character in any book, who would you choose?
Scarlett O'Hara.
If you could ask any historical character a question, what would it be?
Elizabeth Tudor, were you truly a virgin?
Favorite line from a book?
"There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice." F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Sensible Thing."
Margaret, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. You have done justice to this remarkable woman and have given your readers 662 pages of pure reading pleasure, plus a wonderful Author's Note and bibliography. For lovers of historical fiction, it doesn't get any better than that.
March 18, 2011
Shadow's Legacy
Tristan with his toys
After my shepherd Cody died last year, I found it helped to write a blog about him, to write about what a special dog he was. I am not yet ready to write about Shadow; that wound is still too raw. But I can write about Shadow's legacy–the dog sleeping peacefully on the rug beside me. I had become worried that I might never be ready to adopt another dog after losing Shadow, for he was proving to be as loyal in death as he'd been in life, such a loving ghost that I could not bear to bring another dog into my house or heart. Yet I did want to adopt again. Eventually I realized what I needed to do—to give a home to a dog that might otherwise not find one. So I went looking for senior shepherds and the search led me to a 9 year old white shepherd in Florida named Hank.
We don't know his history, but he was not housebroken, which makes it very likely that he was always an outside dog. He'd been on his own for a long time, for he was half-starved, so skeletal that it was painful to look at him. But then his luck finally changed, for Joan Alexander, a volunteer with Echo Dogs White German Shepherd Rescue, pulled him from a kill shelter on his last day. Then Becky Dunne was kind enough to offer to foster him. Foster families are the unsung heroes of the rescue movement and deserve so much credit, for without them, countless dogs could not be saved. It was obvious that Hank had never been in a house before; initially, he was fearful of any footing except grass and when he first saw a glass door, he tried to walk through it. But Becky was patient in introducing him to this brave new world; she housebroke him in record time and began to teach him the family rules–no stealing food, no chasing the cats. He thought that was great fun, but the cats were not too thrilled about it. After a few weeks, he was ready to go up for adoption and I found him on Echo's website.
I'd been approved for adoption by Echo last year after I'd lost Cody, and so in less than a week, Hank—now renamed Tristan by me—was ready to go to his new home. The only problem was that it was one thousand miles away. But Echo has a network of truly amazing people who volunteer for missions like this. In no time at all, Tristan had fourteen guardian angels lined up for his pilgrimage from Orlando to Aberdeen, MD, where I'd meet him.
I'd worried that it would be very stressful for him—traveling through eight states in two days, being turned over from one stranger to another. But Tristan proved to be a trooper, handling it with remarkable composure and élan. As he began his journey, I posted status reports on my Facebook page—he's now in GA, he's just entering SC, etc. I felt like NASA tracking Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve, and Tristan was soon being cheered on by people from the US to the UK to South Africa to Australia! The best description of his odyssey came from one of my Australian friends, Glenne Gilbert, who compared it to the passing of the Olympic Torch.
A friend and I met Tristan on Sunday afternoon in Aberdeen, MD, and I like to think it was love at first sight for us both. I will be eternally grateful to Lizbeth and Paul, who drove that last lap, to Jonathan and Ronnie, who took him into their home in VA on Saturday night, and to Becky, Joan, Alicia, Sheila, Trisha, Rebecca, Jez, and Trish, who were willing to chauffeur a skinny, elderly shepherd on his way to a new life. I'd like to thank Jeanmarie, who organized our convoy, and Patrice, who offered to drive hundreds of miles to help out if need be, and Ellie, who met us in MD. The only catch in an otherwise perfect trip was that we had to drive back to NJ in a monsoon; you know it was bad when I had to keep asking, "Are we still on the road?"
But Tristan was worth it. He is such a sweet dog, as mellow as my Cody, who I called my surfer-dude-dog, smart and curious and very affectionate, brave enough to trust. He has settled in as if he'd always lived here. He gets along very well with my other dog and I have no cats to tempt him. He loves stuffed toys, probably because he'd never had any in his years of outdoor exile; he soon mastered stair climbing, and is so well behaved that I stopped using his crate after just three days. Above all, he is happy, as happy as Cody and Shadow were once they'd realized that they were in a home where they'd be safe and loved. And it is not always true that no good deed goes unpunished, for my vet thinks Tristan is younger than nine!
I have such admiration for those who work in rescue. They see the worst that people are capable of. They see dogs that have been cruelly abused like Shadow or shamefully neglected like Tristan. They give unselfishly of themselves for animals that are not theirs, teach them to trust again, and then let them go to new homes. And they learn the hardest lesson of all—that they cannot save them all.
This weekend, Joan Alexander, Tristan's guardian angel, is trying to rescue two white shepherds in Florida—Sheeba, a young female who has been running the streets of Key West, and Pistol, a young male whose owners no longer want him. They are stunningly beautiful dogs, look like sleek white wolves, friendly and playful, dogs that deserve a second chance. If anyone in Florida is interested in fostering either of these shepherds, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with Joan. And if any of you are thinking about adding a loving, young shepherd to your families, remember that Echo delivers!
But even as Joan rejoiced that she'll be able to take Pistol and Sheeba under Echo's protection, she learned about a female white shepherd and her three pups, being held at one of Florida's worst kill shelters. And until she can find foster or forever homes for Sheeba and Pistol, she can do nothing for that mother and pups even though their time may be running out. For people in rescue, triumphs and tragedies are spokes on the same wheel.
Their success stories keep them going, though. My friend, Annalori Spaulding, is trying to find a foster or forever home for a sweet little girl named Buffy, a West Highland White Terrier. She was suffering from serious allergies, but has made great progress. Her problem now is that she wants to be an "only child," so she needs to go to a home without other dogs. If anyone would like to know more about Buffy, you can find her photo on my Facebook page, or you can contact me and I'll put you in touch with Annalori.
Annalori has three Westies of her own, all rescues. She recently wrote about how she came to adopt Lily, who'd been used as a breeder at one of those infernal puppy mills, and her account is so eloquent that I want to share part of it with you all. After you read about Lily Belle, what she endured, and what her life is like now, I hope you'll think about adoption the next time you want to bring a new dog into your families. Now, here is Annalori.
"I work with kids for a living, and not just any kids, but abused and neglected ones. I work with the kids everyone has given up on, because I want to be the one who shows them that adults are just as capable of giving love as causing pain. It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that when I went to Maryland Westie Rescue for adoption in July, 2009, I specifically asked for a puppy mill rescue. Soon I was contacted about a girl who was nearly seven years old, had been used as a breeder, and had been abused. I had to drive to Annapolis to get her and wasn't sure what to expect.
"As soon as she was led out and our eyes met, that was it, for she immediately ran over to me and tried to climb into my lap. Those liquid brown eyes had hooked me and there was no way I was ever giving her back. She was my Lily Belle."
Annalori and her family soon learned that Lily had been abused by men, for she was fearful at first of Annalori's father. She'd never been on grass before, having spent her life in a cage. And she was so quiet because she'd been debarked, part of her vocal cords cut for the convenience of her puppy mill owners. Annalori says that all she can manage is "a very hoarse, whispery kind of gurgle, which is both adorable and very sad." She'd never had toys before and was puzzled by them at first; eventually she began to play with their cat's toy, so now she has her own pink mouse, which she sleeps with each night.
Annalori concludes, "Every time I see her, I remember what she was like when I brought her home, and I marvel anew at the difference that love and patience can make. Athough she spent her entire life in a cage, she goes into her 'house' with wagging tail when we leave because she knows we are coming back. I may have been the one to rescue her, but I think I got the better end of the deal. For almost seven years, she experienced the worst of what humans can give, but hasn't let that stop her from being a happy, loving little girl who shows me by example every day that love itself is a miracle. She rescued me, too, and for that, I will be eternally grateful."
I don't want to ignore cats—they take that rather badly. So I'd like to close with a story by Persia Woolley. I'm sure that many of you are fans of her writing and for those few who've not read one of her books, you are in for such a treat. Persia recently moved and was planning to get a cat. She was thinking of an elegant Abyssinian or possibly a Maine Coon cat. But when she heard that one of her neighbors had died, leaving her cat in desperate need of a home, she felt compelled to go to see her. In Persia's words, she found "a poor old wreck, too fat to walk normally, with broken-down ankles, a listless attitude, and terrible breath from eating nothing but tuna." She also had serious kidney and liver problems. Not exactly the ideal candidate for adoption. But Persia knew the old girl would likely be put down if she didn't take her, and she found herself remembering Grizabella from "Cats," the old stray who got a second chance at life. So Persia ended up with a cat utterly unlike the one she'd expected to take into her new home. It took a while, about two months, for her to adjust, for she was likely mourning her former owner, but Persia wrote to me that "One morning I woke up to my face being patted by the gentlest little cloud-soft paw." As her confidence increased, her health improved, too, although Persia knows she is probably on borrowed time. She says that "She'll never be the bright, sprightly animal I thought I wanted, but we get on well together and tend to grin at the world while announcing, 'There is a dance in the old dames yet, toujour gaie, toujour gaie.'"
I couldn't end on a better grace note than that. I hope some of you (well, all of you, actually) will check out Echo's website and their wonderful white shepherds in need of homes. http://www.petfinder.com/fpm/petlist/petlist.cgi?shelter=IN147,PA752,MO339,NH77,FL1031,TX1106&status=A&age=&limit=25&offset=0&animal=&title=Adoptable%2520Pets%2520from%2520Echo%2520Dogs%2520White%2520Shepherd%2520Rescue&style=10&ref=s9KU_pXEFbsw1ja Tristan is sleeping at my feet as I write this. My friend Jim sent him a stuffed duck which has become his favorite toy, and he is using it now as a pillow. The photo below is one of my boy surrounded by his bones, practically radiating happiness. All three of my rescue shepherds came frighteningly close to falling through the cracks. I feel blessed that they did not.
March 18, 2011
February 4, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH PRIYA PARMAR
When one of my new Facebook friends happened to mention that she was a writer, too, I was naturally curious. Much to my delight, she said she was working on a novel about Nell Gwynn, the most famous and most appealing of Charles II's mistresses. Charles has always been my favorite non-medieval king and what little I knew of Nell was all to the good, so I asked Priya if I could have an ARC (advance reading copy) of Exit the Actress. All I can say is that Priya's writing career is off to a roaring start! I loved this book. Nell is a wonderful character and Priya manages to capture Charles in all his charming complexity. Her Restoration England is so vividly drawn that I truly felt as if I were an invisible eye-witness to one of the most interesting eras in English history. Exit The Actress was published this week and is already attracting attention–just as Nell herself did. So….may I present Priya Parmar and Nell Gwynn.
INTERVIEW WITH SHARON KAY PENMAN
SKP: How did you happen to choose to write about Nell Gwyn and the Restoration period?
PP: I really fell in love with Nell Gwyn and moved to Restoration London because it was her period but once I got there I was fascinated by the setting. It is an extraordinary period of shift and innovation. Charles II returned to England and rather than seeking to punish the country that revolted against and ultimately killed his father, he did everything he could to foster peace and unification and tolerance. Of course he also dug up the long dead Oliver Cromwell, the man personally responsible for murdering his father and held an execution for his dead body in Hyde Park.
It was an exciting time to be in London. Charles II brought ideas and clothes and customs and architecture from continental Europe and set about building a new and wonderful country. Unfortunately he had plague and fire and raging prejudice to deal with but he handled it all brilliantly. He invited women to perform on the stage for the first time, founded the Royal Society and he and his gardener, John Rose, grew the first pineapple in England. He was a thrilling king and his rowdy circle of libertine friends were wild and extreme but all gifted, brilliant people. And Nell was at the center of it all.
SKP: This book is not written in a straight narrative style but rather a collection of documents, diaries and letters of the period. How did you come to write the novel in this format?
PP: The style just sort of presented itself and refused to budge. I tried to coax it into narrative prose but it was so stubborn. I think because I had been studying primary documents for so long, first as an undergraduate and then during my doctorate, that I just became fascinated by stories in their elemental forms; before all the strands of ribbon get woven into a single braid.
I first met Ellen Gwyn when I was researching my Ph.D. I read: her bills for shoes and lace and clothes and a bill for a fantastic silver boat shaped bed and her will as well as all the diaries of the period. A complicated, contradictory, whimsical, genuine, talented, compassionate, layered woman emerged from those bits of paper. All the contradictions can coexist happily at that level and a real person steps forward. She can be a woman who leaves huge amounts of money to charity in her will, scolds her son for spending too much money on hats and then goes hopelessly into debt over a Venetian mirror.
SKP: It is interesting that as a reader, we get accustomed to the writing style immediately and forget it is even there.
PP: Oh good. I wanted it to feel really natural and not intrusive. I wanted it to be a fall down a rabbit hole sort of reading experience but I had no idea if it would work or not. It was a huge gamble!
SKP: And you never second guessed it?
PP: Actually, the first agent I sent it to said she loved the writing and the story and wanted to take it on if maybe I would change the format. It was the scariest thing I ever did to say no!
SKP: I am always interested in what parts of characterization or plot an author chooses to fictionalize and what to keep purely factually based. How closely did you stick to the history?
PP: I kept to the history as much as possible. Even the bits that seem far fetched are often rooted in fact. John Wilmot actually did have a servant called Alcock and Charles had a spaniel called Dot. Even Ellen's shoes are actually based on her surviving shoe orders! I really enjoyed tracking down the obscure stuff like the names of the footmen who carried her sedan chair and exactly what the remedy for a cold was circa 1665. I like when all the small details are right but at some points friends got tired of my beginning conversations with "Did you know that in 1660, ground fox lung was thought to cure a fever?"
I did have a section from the plague year that listed the people who died near Ellen's home. It did not make it into the final book but it was so interesting and heartbreaking to research. All these people, young women especially, of just her age died; mostly because they were often ones who stayed to nurse their families. Ellen must have known some of them.
The most glaring bit of history I chose to dispute was the idea that Ellen was illiterate. I just didn't see how it would be possible for her to keep the company she kept and be unable to read. Also she often had three plays to memorize in a week!
SKP: Your Nell Gwyn cuts a very different figure from the bawdy, cockney, flirtatious Nell Gwyn we normally meet in popular culture. You have Oxford rather than London as her birthplace and she is called "Ellen" in your book. Was that her name?
PP: No one is sure where she was born. There are strong cases for Hereford, London and Oxford. I chose Oxford as it seemed the most likely given her Grandfather's association with Christ Church and her father's military history. There is no evidence that she had a cockney accent at all. Her looks, dancing, acting and singing were all widely commented upon during her life. It was said she had terrific feet and a lovely voice but no one ever mentioned a London accent. Home county accents were very popular at the time, so it was possible she had what was a trendy Oxfordshire lilt.
She only signed her name to a few documents and when she did, she used the initials "E.G." and then her dear friend Aphra Behn dedicated her play to "Ellen Guin" so I decided that Ellen must have been the name she used in her personal life. As for being flirtatious, she most likely was, but more than anything, she was a woman ruled by loyalty. After Charles II died, she never took another lover. I really love that about her.
SKP: First lines always intrigue me because so much hangs on them. How did you find your first line?
PP: The first line of the Prologue arrived very early and never changed. It is a moment about collecting yourself and leaping forward, which is exactly what I was doing in writing the book, and so I just wrote the moment I was living. The first line of the diary was much trickier and kept changing. I was giving it too much weight and it would not settle. Finally it told me to go away and just let it be and so I did.
SKP: It sounds like you began at the beginning and wrote straight through. Did you?
PP: Surprisingly, I did. I would go back and constantly revise, but I never wrote a scene I had not reached yet. I am sure it would have saved time if I had but I sort of had to live the book with Ellen and think through what was happening to her as it was happening in the story. She sort of moved in and would tell me all about what was going on with her eccentric family and her day at the theatre and her love life. It felt like having your best friend over for coffee every morning. I couldn't write ahead because I could not see that far. It hadn't happened yet.
SKP: Do you have a writing routine or any rules for yourself that you follow?
PP: I turn on the computer at the same time every day and only let myself write four pages—however long that takes me. And then, even if it is going really well, I stop and go off and research. It is terrible when it falls in the midst of an exciting scene but I know if I leave it alone, I will have something fun to come back to tomorrow…
SKP: And are you working on a new book now?
PP: Yes. My second book is looking for a title at the moment but is set just before and during WWI. It is extraordinary to be writing about the last moments during the twentieth century when a world war was unimaginable. They thought it would be over by Christmas.
Thank you, Priya. I think this was one of my best blog interviews. Nell has been waiting a long time for someone to tell her story.
February 4, 2011
January 14, 2011
HISTORY VS FICTION
HISTORY VS FICTION
A number of years ago, I attended a writer's conference in the Midwest, where I was asked to give a speech about writing as a craft. I said that my aim as a novelist was "to entertain and to inform." Later in the program, another writer surprised me by quoting what I'd said, and then declared that her aim was "to heal." That seemed overly ambitious to me and so I've stayed with my objectives—to make the MA come alive to readers in a way that makes them want to keep turning the pages.
As those of you who've read past blogs or my Facebook posts know, I am somewhat (okay, very) obsessive-compulsive about historical accuracy. Obviously a historical novel must draw upon the writer's imagination, but I always attempt to build a sturdy factual foundation for each book, and if I have to take dramatic license or historical liberties with known fact, I try to play fair and alert my readers to this in the AN. The real challenge comes in depicting a way of thinking that is often alien to ours today. I can think of at least five topics in which medieval and modern views have little in common: the concept of religious tolerance, anti-Semitism, the conduct of war, the status of women, and the treatment of animals. I thought (hope) it might be interesting to discuss how a historical novelist approaches these controversial issues.
Anti-Semitism is the ugly underside of medieval life. In Falls The Shadow, I addressed this, making no excuses, but seeking to root it in the context of the 13th century. Anti-Semitism exists to this day; the difference is that in the MA, the Church gave official sanction to it. My Christian characters were taught from birth to view Jews with suspicion and hostility. In Falls The Shadow, Simon de Montfort tells Rabbi Jacob that "I was taught that over every Jew, God holds His breath, waiting to see if he will decide for Christ. How can you give Our Lord such grief? How can you reject salvation? It took courage for you to come here. Yours is a soul worth saving. Why will you not admit that Christ is the Messiah? Do you not fear damnation?" In this passage, I distilled the essence of the medieval view of Judaism. Rabbi Jacob then reminds Simon of his time on crusade and asks if Simon would have abjured his Christian faith had he been captured by the Saracens. Simon says he'd have chosen death, and Jacob says softly and sadly, "Just so, my lord." The chasm between the two men is too vast to bridge.
I try to stay true to the tenor of the times, so virtually all of my characters are infected to some degree. When I needed a character to voice doubts, I had to choose an outsider to make it believable, a character who was a natural rebel and therefore more likely to question even the teachings of the Church—Llywelyn Fawr's strong-willed daughter, Elen. In When Christ and His Saints Slept, Ranulf is ambushed and almost killed by bandits, rescued by two young peddlers. He is naturally very grateful to them, but when he learns that they are Jews, his first reaction is an involuntary recoil, for they are aliens and infidels. "For an unnerving moment, Ranulf felt an instinctive unease. But then common sense reasserted itself. These men had saved his life. They had chased after his horse, bandaged his wound, even buried his dog. What more proof did he demand of their goodwill?" Because Ranulf is an intelligent, decent man, he is able to recognize that his suspicions make no sense under the circumstances, and he and the brothers, Aaron and Josce, are able to forge a tentative, temporary bond.
Religious tolerance was as rare in the MA as the unicorn. All men—be they Christian, Jew, or Muslim—were convinced that theirs was the True Faith. In Lionheart, the crusaders and Saracens each refer to the others as "infidels." They can respect one another's courage, but neither side doubts that damnation awaits their foes. So I have to take care in my novels to acknowledge this bedrock belief, so alien to most of us today. And to show that they could be less forgiving of sinners than we are. I recently interviewed a writer friend, Margaret Frazer, on this blog, and I said that she is even more obsessive-compulsive than I am about historical accuracy. In her medieval mystery, The Apostate's Tale, Sister Frevisse is confronted with a ghost from their abbey's past, a nun who'd run away and taken a lover. I was sympathetic to this woman, who'd been compelled to take holy vows, who'd never wanted to be a nun. Sister Frevisse was not. Margaret did not take the easy way, did not have Sister Frevisse embrace the erring sister as many another novelist would have done. To a nun of the 15th century, there would be no greater sin than apostacy, for it was a rejection of God, and Margaret was true to that in Frevisse's uncompromising, medieval judgment. Had this been my story, I hope I would have been as honest and as brave.
We also have difficulty comprehending the medieval attitude toward war. They glorified it in a way that we no longer do. It is impossible to understand Richard I without taking this into consideration. Some modern historians have found fault with him for the very actions that his subjects most admired. War was a medieval king's vocation and at that, Richard excelled. Ours is a time in which we sincerely decry attacks upon noncombatants, although the body count continues to mount in much of the world. During the MA, the Church attempted to shield noncombatants, too—women, children, priests, pilgrims, etc. But the nature of medieval warfare—laying waste the lands of one's enemies—all but guaranteed there would be civilian casualties. And kings, knights, and soldiers accepted this as inevitable. Some of my characters might regret the burning of a village and its crops, but they would still do it, for that was how their wars were waged. There was a strain of pacifism in the MA; there were even a few to criticize the crusades. But we're talking of a small minority and their views never wielded any influence. This was an age, after all, in which even bishops rode out into battle, wielding swords instead of crosiers, and no one saw anything odd about this. (The oft-repeated legend that warring clerics always used maces instead of swords so as to avoid the Church stricture against spilling blood is just that, a legend.) So to be true to the times, I cannot have my characters reacting to the destruction of a town or the raping of its women as if it were a war crime, the way we would characterize it today. I do try to take our modern sensibilities into account by not dwelling needlessly upon the atrocities of war, but further than that, I cannot go.
Fortunately my readers seem willing to judge my characters by medieval standards rather than ours. I say "fortunately" because almost every medieval monarch could be painted as a homicidal maniac if we held them accountable to 21st century standards, and that includes those who enjoy a reputation for mercy and chivalry such as Salah al-Din, better known to us as Saladin. Even Henry II, who shared none of his son Richard's zest for battle, ordered the blinding of a number of Welsh hostages without hesitation; moreover, he saw it as a merciful act, since he was sparing their lives.
There is obviously a huge gap between the status of medieval women and women today, at least in the industrialized countries. This can present problems for some readers, those who want their female characters to be strong, to speak up for themselves, to have a measure of control over their own fate. I am not saying there were not strong women in the MA; there certainly were. But the restrictions placed upon them by society and the Church severely limited their choices; biology truly was destiny if you were born a woman in medieval times. There is a scene in Lionheart in which Berengaria's brother Sancho is contemplating her future as England's queen. "He could see that his father took comfort from his certainty, and he was glad of it. It was not as if he'd lied, after all. Why would Berenguela and Richard not find contentment together? The ideal wife was one who was chaste, obedient, and loyal. Berenguela would come to her marriage bed a virgin and would never commit the sin of adultery. She believed it was a wife's duty to be guided by her husband. And she would be loyal to Richard until her last mortal breath—whether he deserved it or not."
Yes, there were those rare rebels like Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Empress Maude, but they paid a great price for their independent spirits. It is obvious that both Eleanor and Maude chaffed under their matrimonial bonds, wanting more freedom than their world was willing to allow. But there is no evidence that they viewed themselves as part of an oppressed sisterhood; they wanted power and autonomy for themselves, not for all members of their sex. So it would be unrealistic if I were to write of a female character resentful of male dominance, one eager to prove herself as capable as any man.
It would be even more unrealistic if I had a female character determined to marry "for love." Berengaria's brother Sancho hopes that she finds "contentment" in her marriage. There were some marriages, of course, that held passion and/or love. By all accounts, Berengaria's own parents had a loving relationship, and there was certainly passion aplenty in Henry and Eleanor's union. But in the MA, marriage was a legal union, recognized by the Church and Crown as a means of getting children and transferring property in an orderly fashion from one generation to the next. Love was not a component of marriage then, especially marriages among royalty and the highborn, and there were no expectations of finding soul mates, not in the 12th century.
Medieval and modern views are even more divergent when it comes to the treatment of animals. The concept of "animal rights" could not be more alien to them. People did have pets, at least those who could afford such a luxury. There is evidence of loved dogs and cherished horses and valued falcons. While cats were not normally kept as pets, some apparently infiltrated nunneries and the hearts of their inhabitants, for nuns were occasionally scolded for doting on cats and small dogs. And there was even that occasional free spirit who truly empathized with all of God's creatures. It will likely come as a surprise to learn that the notorious French queen, Catherine de Medici, was one of them; see C. W. Gortner's The Confessions of Catherine de Medici.
But—and it is hard for me as an animal-lover to admit this—she was definitely an anomaly. When daily life is so hard, few can spare sympathy for hungry dogs. This is especially true in a world in which people believe that God has given them dominion over the earth and all in it. So when one of my characters is moved by the plight of a suffering animal, he often is vaguely embarrassed by his Good Samaritan inclinations. When Justin de Quincy rescues a drowning dog in The Queen's Man, he does it after he "casts common sense to the winds," and he is motivated in some measure by the tearful entreaties of a small child. The life of a horse was worth a great deal and the life of a pet dog might have mattered to its owner. But the lives of animals in general had no intrinsic value and my characters cannot display the same outrage in the face of cruelty that we would. I do cheat a bit; I've never dramatized a bear-baiting scene because I know my readers would find it as unpleasant to read as I would to write it!
Now it is your turn. Is it difficult for you to do what I am asking of you—to judge my characters by the standards of their time and not ours? I know that my "hard-core" readers feel as strongly as I do about historical accuracy, so I am guessing that most of you always make that effort, right? I wonder, though, if the casual reader does? Would someone unfamiliar with the MA be repulsed by the description of a medieval execution, with its throngs of avid spectators and its raucous fair-like atmosphere? Shocked that Henry and Eleanor married their daughters off before they reached puberty? How far do you think historical novelists should go to make their books palatable to modern readers? Is it necessary to make the characters in a novel about the anti-Bellum South all secret abolitionists at heart in order to win reader sympathy? What of a family living in Nazi Germany? Compared to challenges like that, I have it easy, don't I?
January 14, 2011
January 4, 2011
ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE TOUR IN JUNE, P.S.
Melusine was up to her old tricks this morning and when I hit the publish button for the new post with the tour itinerary, dates, costs, etc, she took it upon herself to add lots of white space between my opening message and the tour information. Clearly she has moved over to the dark side full-time. Anyway, I wanted to assure you all that I did not forget to include the itinerary. It is indeed there; you simply have to scroll down to find it.
January 4, 2011
THE ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE TOUR IN JUNE
Yesterday morning I was thrust into purgatory, losing all of my Comcast services–phone, cable, and internet access. Cable and phone service was not restored until that night and I only regained internet access this morning. I felt much like Robinson Crusoe, marooned on that remote island with Friday!
I do have good news, though. I now have all the information for the Eleanor of Aquitaine tour to France, including dates, the itinerary, and costs, etc, which I am now posting here. It sounds as if it will be a magical trip, and I'd love the opportunity to meet some of my readers! So I dearly hope this fits in with your calendars and budgets.
In the Footsteps of Eleanor of Aquitaine
An educational tour led by acclaimed author
Sharon Kay Penman
June 4-13, 2011
Join acclaimed author Sharon Kay Penman on a journey to France this June to
retrace the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine!
Eleanor—Duchess of Aquitaine and Gascony, Countess of Poitou, Queen of the
French and Queen of England, mother to future kings and queens—was one of
the most extraordinary women of her time, and continues to hold a fascination for
us today!
Ms. Penman, author of seven historical novels including the Henry II Trilogy:
When Christ and His Saints Slept
, Time and Chance and Devil's Brood
and
four medieval mysteries surrounding Queen Eleanor, leads this exceptional tour.
Travel back into the French Middle Ages and imagine the life of one of its most
captivating royal figures.
Visit Paris where Eleanor married the French King Louis VII. Then travel into
Normandy and Anjou, domains of her second husband, King Henry II of
England. Explore the Aquitaine, richest medieval duchy in the south of France,
where troubadours originated the daring idea of Courtly Love, and where Eleanor
was born and raised in the court of her ducal ancestors. Finally, find Eleanor and
Henry in the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, their last resting place, where Ms.
Penman will read from her forthcoming book,
Lionheart
.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1, Saturday June 4
Depart the U.S. on independent overnight flights to Paris.
Day 2, Sunday June 5
Arrive in Paris this morning and check into the Hotel Trianon Rive Gauche, well
situated for exploring medieval Paris and the world of Eleanor and Henry. Enjoy
some free time to settle into your hotel. Meet fellow travelers at a welcome
reception and dinner. (R, D)
Day 3, Monday June 6
Begin exploring the Middle Ages in France with a full day in Paris. Included are
visits to the Louvre, The Cluny Museum and Notre Dame. At the Louvre see the
gift Eleanor gave to Louis VII on their marriage - the only artifact of Eleanor's
known to exist. Enjoy free time to explore the world famous collections. At the
Cluny Museum, a Gothic mansion housing The National Museum of the Middle
Ages, discover a magnificent collection of tapestries, paintings, illuminated
manuscripts, stain glass and everyday objects from the medieval period;
conclude the day at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, one of the finest examples of
French Gothic Architecture. (B)
Day 4, Tuesday June 7
Leave Paris for Normandy this morning by private coach. Visit the Castle of
Falaise, ancient seat of the Dukes of Normandy and fortress residence of Henry
and Eleanor. Continue to Mont-St-Michel, a tiny tidal island just off the coast.
Home to the ancient Norman Benedictine Monastery, this UNESCO World
Heritage site was a major pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages. Check into
La Mère Poulard Hotel located on the island, just footsteps from the abbey. Visit
the abbey and church in the late afternoon, free of crowds, a rare opportunity. (B,
D)
Day 5, Wednesday June 8
Drive south to Le Mans, where the Empress Matilda and Count Geoffrey of Anjou
were married and their son, Henry II was baptized. Explore the well-preserved
Cité Plantagenet
which is completely separate from the hustle of the modern day
town; walk through the cobbled streets lined with half-timbered houses and
ornate stone façades, including the Maison du Pilier rouge, recognizable by its
red-painted wooden structure. Admire the Cathedral of Saint-Julien, built
between the 11
th and 15th
centuries, one of the largest cathedrals in France. See
also the Bishop's House, the Town Hall, Notre-Dame-du-Pré and Maison-Dieu de
Coeffort. Leave Le Mans for Fontevraud, the royal abbey where Eleanor spent
her final years and is buried with Henry and much of her family. Check into the
delightful Hotel Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, situated on the abbey grounds.
(B)
Day 6, Thursday June 9
Journey to Poitiers today, the heart of Eleanor's domains. Follow in the footsteps
of the Duchess with a local professor. Begin at the Palace of Justice, the seat of
the Dukes of Aquitaine. Admire several churches that relate to major events in
Eleanor's life, including the 12
th
century Cathedral Saint-Pierre, where Eleanor
and Henry were married; St Hilaire where Richard was invested as Duke of
Aquitaine and the Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande which was part
of the palace enclosure during Eleanor's reign. On the way back to Fontevraud
pause at a local winery: no trip to the Loire Valley would be complete without
stopping to enjoy the finest vintages this region has to offer. (B)
Day 7, Friday June 10
Begin the day with a reading by Sharon Kay Penman from her yet to be
published book,
Lionheart
, a very special treat for her fans. You'll have free
time to explore Saumur on market day. Of particular note is the Château of
Saumur, a fortified stronghold above the town. Later journey to Chinon, to visit
the Château de Chinon, one of Henry's favorite residences and the setting for
The Lion In Winter
. Henry, who later died here, was responsible for construction
of almost all of the massive structure. End the day with a special dinner in
Fontevraud and a private evening tour of the Abbey, and say a goodnight to
Eleanor and Henry. (B, D)
Day 8, Saturday June 11
Travel to Angers, once the capital of the historic province of Anjou, and the heart
of Henry's Angevin empire. Explore the massive and ancient castle, the Château
d'Angers; and the Cathedral of St. Maurice a fine balance of Romanesque and
gothic architecture. The interior walls are decorated with a beautiful collection of
medieval tapestries woven between 1376 and 1381, the largest, The Angers
Apocalypse is on display in the castle. Check into the Hotel Mercure and enjoy
an evening on your own in Angers. (B)
Day 9, Sunday June 12
Bid Adieu to Eleanor and Henry before traveling back to Paris, stopping on the
way at Chartres Cathedral, considered one of the finest examples of the French
High Gothic style. Arrive in time for lunch before touring the cathedral on a
guided visit. Continue to Paris, returning to the Hotel Trianon Rive Gauche.
Gather for a festive farewell dinner in Paris. (B, D)
Day 10 Monday June 13
Transfer to Charles de Gaulle airport for individual return flights
to the United States. (B)
Tour Costs
Price per person in a double:
$3,595
For a single room, add:
$795
To reserve your place please call: (800) 556-7896
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
These costs include:
Full program of activities and events in France via motor coach, as
described in the itinerary
Group transfers to and from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport
Eight nights accommodation in France as described in the itinerary, based
on double occupancy.
Continental breakfast daily, five dinners and a wine tasting
All gratuities, taxes and porterage
Pre departure materials, including a reading list
Medevac insurance
Headphones for touring
Engaging readings and talks by Sharon Kay Penman
The services of an ATA tour manager throughout to handle logistics
The assistance of ATA's professional Travel Services Department which
includes at Travel Communications Specialist and a Travel Counselor for
pre-departure customer service and individual requests.
What is not included:
Transatlantic airfare
Expenses incurred by Academic Travel Abroad in making individual travel
arrangements before or after the program
Passport photos and fees
Refreshments other than those offered as part of the group meals
Items of a personal nature such as laundry/valet, personal telephone calls,
alcoholic beverages, a-la-carte, room service, etc
Other items not specifically mentioned as included.
Single Rooms
A limited number of single rooms are available at extra cost on a first-come, firstserved
basis, but availability cannot be guaranteed. Academic Travel Abroad will
assist persons requesting a roommate. However, neither a single room nor a
share can be guaranteed. Participants will be notified if we are unsuccessful in
finding a suitable roommate. In this case, the single supplement will be charged.
Payment Schedule
$500 deposit upon application. Balance due upon receipt of invoice, 90 days
before departure. Acceptable forms of payment are personal check, Visa,
MasterCard, or American Express. If final payment is not received by 60 days
prior to departure, your space is subject to cancellation.
Cancellation and Refunds
All cancellations must be submitted in writing to Academic Travel Abroad, Inc.
(ATA). After confirmation on the tour, a nonrefundable processing fee of $300 per
person will be charged upon written cancellation. Written cancellation between
90-61 days of departure: full refund, minus your deposit (including nonrefundable
processing fee). Written cancellation between 60 and 31 days prior to departure:
50% refund of the tour price. Written cancellation within 30 days prior to
departure: no refund.
Cancellation on day of departure or after tour departs:
no refund. No refund for unused portions of tour, including, but not limited
to, missed meals, hotel nights and sightseeing. Cancellation of program by
ATA: full refund. Cancellation of the program after departure by ATA: full
refund of all land fees, less the cost of service up to the time of the group's
return. NOTE: ATA does not accept liability for any airline cancellation
penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable airline ticket to the
tour departure city and return. We strongly urge applicants to consider
purchasing trip cancellation insurance.
A Note About the Itinerary
While every effort will be made to carry out the program as planned, the itinerary
as described is subject to modification and change by ATA. The program cost is
based upon current airfares, tariffs, and currency values in effect January 2011
and assumes that a minimum of 20 participants will join the program. While we
will do everything possible to maintain the listed price, it is subject to change. If it
is necessary to levy a surcharge, notification will be given before time of invoicing
(approximately 90 days prior to departure). In the event of cancellation due to a
surcharge, all monies are fully refundable except for processing fee.
Insurance
We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance, which is
available for coverage of expenses in conjunction with cancellation due to illness
or accident. Baggage insurance is also recommended. In the event that you must
cancel your participation in a travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be
the only source of reimbursement. We will send you a brochure from our travel
insurance provider, or you may obtain coverage through a company of your
choice.
Health Recommendations
To enjoy your travels to the fullest you should be in good physical and mental
health. Any physical condition requiring special attention, diets, or treatment
must be reported in writing when the reservation is made. We reserve the right
to decline to accept or retain any person as a tour member should such a
person's health, mental condition, physical infirmity, or attitude jeopardize the
operation of the tour or the enjoyment of other participants.
RESPONSIBILITY
Read Carefully: Responsibility Statement and Liability Disclaimer
Academic Travel Abroad (ATA), a professional tour operator, acts only as an
agent for the respective suppliers by making arrangements for transportation,
accommodations, and other services. ATA shall not be held liable for personal
injury, death, property damage or accident, delay or irregularity arising out of any
act or omission of these suppliers. ATA reserves the right, without penalty, to
make changes in the published itinerary whenever, in their judgment, conditions
warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of
tour participants. ATA also reserves the right, without penalty, to withdraw the
tour announced, to decline to accept any person as a participant in a tour, or to
require any participant to withdraw from the tour at any time, when such action is
determined by tour staff to be in the best interests of the health, safety or general
welfare of the tour group or the individual participant, subject only to the
requirement that the recoverable portion of the total amount paid that
corresponds to the cost of unused services and accommodations be refunded, if
any. Participants are encouraged to purchase airline tickets no sooner than 60
days before the tour begins to avoid airline cancellation penalties if a tour is
canceled or otherwise modified subsequent to the participant's purchase of those
tickets. ATA accepts no liability for the purchase of non-refundable airline tickets
to the tour departure city and return. Baggage and personal effects are at all
times the sole responsibility of the participant. Dates, schedules, program details,
and costs, although provided in good faith based on information available at the
time of publication of this brochure are subject to change and revision.
AS A CONDITION OF ACCEPTANCE OF ANY APPLICATION, EACH
APPLICANT MUST AGREE TO THE STATEMENT SET FORTH BELOW:
The undersigned has read carefully the Responsibility Statement and Liability
Disclaimer set forth above, the schedule of activities for this tour, as well as the
terms and conditions of application and participation as set forth in the tour
literature, and recognizes and accepts any risk associated with the tour and the
conditions, including the refund policy, set forth in the tour brochure(s). The
undersigned further acknowledges that there are many risks and uncertainties
inherent in any travel tour, including but not limited to the hazards of various
modes of transportation, forces of nature, acts or omissions of foreign
governments, terrorism, war or insurrection, theft, illness, and damage to person
or property due to the negligent acts or omissions of tour staff or others. In
consideration of, and as part payment for, the right to participate in the tour, the
undersigned, on behalf of himself, his dependents, heirs, executors,
administrators and assigns, agrees to release (Client organization), its Regents,
officers, employees, representatives or agents, the United States, and ATA and
its officers, employees and agents, from liability for personal injury, death,
property damage or loss suffered by any person in connection with this tour,
even if caused by the negligence (but not the reckless, willful, or fraudulent
conduct) of tour staff or other related persons or entities. In addition, by
registering for this tour, the applicant certifies that he or she is mentally and
physically capable of full participation in this tour.
BY REGISTERING FOR THIS TOUR THE PARTICIPANT AGREES TO THE
RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER AND THE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS HEREIN.
In the Footsteps of Eleanor of Aquitaine
An educational tour led by acclaimed author
Sharon Kay Penman
RESERVATION FORM
First Traveler Name Email Address
Second Traveler Name Email Address
Street Address City/State/Zip Code Country
Home Telephone Work Telephone
Method of Deposit
[ ] Check. Please make deposit check payable to Academic Travel Abroad.
[ ] Credit Card. Please charge my [ ] Visa [ ] MasterCard [ ] American Express
Card Number: __________________________________________Expiration Date: _ _/_ _
Name as it appears on credit card (please print) Signature
Accommodations
[ ] Single Occupancy
[ ] Double Occupancy
[ ] I plan to share a double room; my roommate's name is ___________________.
[ ] I hope to share a double room and ask you to select my roommate.
Signature Signature Date
Please mail this completed form with deposit to:
Academic Travel Abroad, Inc.
1920 N Street, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
You many also call (800) 556-7896 or send via fax to (202) 342-0317 to reserve your space.
Sharon again. I have been so impressed in my dealings with Academic Travel, and I think they have put together a truly memorable trip for Eleanor's many admirers.
January 4, 2011
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