Goodreads asked Kate Innes:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Kate Innes There were two things that prompted the story. The first was a small female stone effigy (a type of tombstone) of a woman holding a book, dated to the late 13th century, which is in our local village church. This was probably a heart burial. It was quite common in medieval times for nobles to have organs buried separately, in a place of importance to the deceased. It struck me that the depiction of the plainly dressed woman, smiling and clutching her book expressed very clearly the understanding of books as unique and powerful objects that people had at that time.
The other starting point was a manuscript that I found on a British Library website, a description of the torture and death of the 4th century Saint Margaret. These manuscripts were used as birthing aids, as St Margaret was said to be the patron saint of childbirth. The paintings of the saint are smudged from women repeatedly kissing the image of the saint to beg for a safe delivery of their baby. I found this very intriguing and moving, and knew at once that it was going to be a crucial part of the book.

flag