F. Glenn
asked
Sharon Kay Penman:
I am in the middle of my 7th Penman book, A King's Ransom. Needless to say, I am a big fan and I'm interested to know what your next project will be and how soon after finishing a novel do you start the next?
Sharon Kay Penman
Hi, F. Glenn.
I am currently hard at work on Outremer; the Land Beyond the Sea, which is set in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and covers the years from 1172 until 1193. One of the major characters is the tragic Baldwin IV, the young Leper King; another is Balian d'Ibelin, but the real Balian, not Orlando Bloom's fictional Balian in Kingdom of Heaven! Saladin will also get some scenes; I was unable to bring him onto center stage in Lionheart because he and Richard never met. As soon as I finish a book, I have to plunge into the next one, at least beginning the research. This is because writers today are not given the deadlines we had in the past. As I explained in another query, I used to get three years and now they want a book done in two. For historical novelists who have so much research to do, this presents quite a challenge. Thanks for letting me know you are enjoying Ransom. Reader feedback means so much to writers; it gets us through the bad days when we are convinced we could not write a shopping list, much less a new novel.
I am currently hard at work on Outremer; the Land Beyond the Sea, which is set in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and covers the years from 1172 until 1193. One of the major characters is the tragic Baldwin IV, the young Leper King; another is Balian d'Ibelin, but the real Balian, not Orlando Bloom's fictional Balian in Kingdom of Heaven! Saladin will also get some scenes; I was unable to bring him onto center stage in Lionheart because he and Richard never met. As soon as I finish a book, I have to plunge into the next one, at least beginning the research. This is because writers today are not given the deadlines we had in the past. As I explained in another query, I used to get three years and now they want a book done in two. For historical novelists who have so much research to do, this presents quite a challenge. Thanks for letting me know you are enjoying Ransom. Reader feedback means so much to writers; it gets us through the bad days when we are convinced we could not write a shopping list, much less a new novel.
More Answered Questions
Faith Perry
asked
Sharon Kay Penman:
A dear friend who used to own a book store recommended you to me but I hadn't gotten started yet. George RR Martin and other fantasy writers had given you wonderful credit for creating a medieval world so I knew you must have street cred. Since November, I've devoured everything you've written (I think). Thank you and I would like some more. I hope you are feeling much better now. So what are you working on now?
Blair Hodgkinson
asked
Sharon Kay Penman:
Are you still planning to bring back Justin de Quincy eventually?
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