RJay asked Sharon Kay Penman:

In writing about people in medieval history, often there are huge "holes" in their lives where documentation of what was happening to them is missing. How do you approach "filling in the holes"? How do you go about connecting the dots?

Sharon Kay Penman As you understand, Rosemary, it can be very challenging. This is especially true for women, who too often fell through the cracks. I usually have to fall back on common sense and try to get an idea of a person's character based on what we do know about that person. Actions speak volumes at times. For example, it seemed obvious to me that Joanna was the daughter most like Eleanor, based upon the courage and determination she showed during her too-short lifetime. All that chroniclers said of her sister Matilda (Tilda in my books) cast her in a more traditional role, so I saw her as more conventional than Joanna, who actually led troops against rebels when her husband was away. Mainly, I try to keep all of my characters firmly rooted in the MA; human nature may not have changed much over the centuries, but society did and many of the beliefs and attitudes that are accepted today would have been utterly alien to medievals.

flag