Inés asked C.W. Gortner:

I'm reading your book about Isabella of Castile (and loving it so far!) and I was thinking "there is no way the author isn't spanish, this world is too well known". I am spanish and I'm glad to read in your bio that you hold such love for Spain and its history. I was wondering how do you do the research process. And do you watch the tv show "Isabel"? I think you'd love it! Lots of love from Murcia :).

C.W. Gortner Thank you so much. Me encanta oir de mis lectores en Espana! Yes, I was raised in southern Spain and my mom is from Madrid, so I'm half-Spanish. I know this world very well. I think Isabel is uniquely Spanish in her character and that can be challenging for some readers; she had that emotional complexity and, at times, rigidity in her way of thinking. She's not easily pigeonholed: she had both the darkness we carry in our blood, as well as the stamina and courage. Como decimos, era tremenda!

I research intensely for each of my books, using a combination of primary sources (documents from the era, letters, etc.) and secondary sources (biographies, historical accounts) as well as on-site research, which involves traveling to each of the places I write about. For this book, I took three separate trips to Spain, visiting Castilla and Andalucia.

I've seen the first season of "Isabel" and loved it. It's gorgeous. I haven't caught up with the second season yet; I have to watch it online on the computer and it can strain my eyes, but I'm very excited to see more.

Muchas gracias por escribirme, de corazon!

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