Danielle Croft
asked
Sophie Perinot:
I wondering how you did your research for Medici's daughter. Was there much information on marguerite? We're their truly memoirs she had written? Thanks.
Sophie Perinot
Sorry for the delayed response. I am OBVIOUSLY no techo-whiz because I somehow just discovered your question (and several others) today.
16th Century France is sort of my first love so I actually did years of research on the era before I even thought about writing a novel set in it. There is a great deal of information--the tricky part is making certain to be aware of the bias/or goals of some of it. For example not only were contemporary accounts of the family often more vicious gossip than fact (see my author's note) but 19th century historians quite often took sides in the Wars of Religion when writing their non-fiction histories (the good news is these gentlemen--and given the time the were exclusively male--tend to make a clean breast of their loyalties in their prefaces). Of course Marguerite's memoirs were also important part of the puzzle. But again it is important to remember that she wrote them later in life and that she had personal/political goals that they were intended to serve.
One of the nice things about writing historical fiction as opposed to academic history however is the telling of my tale is filtered through the eyes of my POV character (Margot) so I can allow her to indulge in her prejudices and preconceived notions as she recounts events.
Hope that answers your question. Best, Sophie
16th Century France is sort of my first love so I actually did years of research on the era before I even thought about writing a novel set in it. There is a great deal of information--the tricky part is making certain to be aware of the bias/or goals of some of it. For example not only were contemporary accounts of the family often more vicious gossip than fact (see my author's note) but 19th century historians quite often took sides in the Wars of Religion when writing their non-fiction histories (the good news is these gentlemen--and given the time the were exclusively male--tend to make a clean breast of their loyalties in their prefaces). Of course Marguerite's memoirs were also important part of the puzzle. But again it is important to remember that she wrote them later in life and that she had personal/political goals that they were intended to serve.
One of the nice things about writing historical fiction as opposed to academic history however is the telling of my tale is filtered through the eyes of my POV character (Margot) so I can allow her to indulge in her prejudices and preconceived notions as she recounts events.
Hope that answers your question. Best, Sophie
More Answered Questions
Kathy Moberg
asked
Sophie Perinot:
I have been disappointed that Medici's Daughter hasn't moved on to a trade paperback printing -- and now I see that the Kindle version has disappeared from Amazon. Will either of these "problems" (at least they are problems for those of us who don't care to read physically heavy books) be remedied? Thanks!
Matt Sinclair
asked
Sophie Perinot:
Research obviously is an important part of writing strong, believeable historical fiction. But I'd imagine a lot is left in the notebook rather than transferred to the manuscript. How difficult is it to ensure that the characters come across as real and approachable to a 21st century reader while maintaining their veracity in the historical context?
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