Q&A with Sharon Kay discussion
Questions for Sharon Kay
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Sharon
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Aug 21, 2009 07:39PM
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Sharon, that language is known as Technobabble. Those born after 1975 and those with a pre-existing facility with technology display an uncanny ability to master a language that some philologists have compared to Basque, Finnish and Hungarian in its complexity and the level of difficulty involved for non-native speakers struggling to acquire even a basic ability to communicate.
LOL Sharon. I loved your reference of the Vulcan and Klingon language. I had to take a double take of that sentence too.And Suzanne, your definition of Technobabble is hilarious.
Sharon, your book "The Sunne in Splendour" is nearly everyone's favorite on Richard3, and some consider it the best book they've ever read. (including me) I know you said you don't like to read other books if they contain characters you are writing about, but since "Sunne" is there a book on Richard3 that stands out for you?...fiction or non.
Also, have you read any of C.J Sansom's Matthew Shardlake mysteries that take place in the time of Henry VIII?
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Hi, Susan. Before I answer your quesstion, I'd like to remind everyone that Richard, the last Plantagenent king, was slain in battle at Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485. The real Richard deserves to be remembered, not the "bottled spider" created by the Tudors and their unwitting accomplice, Will Shakespeare.
Okay, back to your question. In the past few years, I've been doing a lot of reading about the American Revolution. If I only had nine lives like a cat, I'd love to have written a novel about that era, for it was really our first civil war. I can recommend several books off the top of my head. Angel in the Whirlwind is one. Another is A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. The Winter Soldiers. Washington's Crossing. And while this one is a novel, not non-fiction, I'd also recommend Howard Fast's April Morning. On an entirely different subject, I really enjoy Jon Katz's books; he writes about his life experiences on a farm in upstate New York, and while the heart of the books involves his relationships with his dogs, he touches upon so much more--relationships, death, grieving, life and love.
Sharon
OT -- Wow, if we could have nine lives... I'd have to use up two of mine in Italy, one in Florence of the 14th century to see Poggio Bracciolini running around trying to rescue ancient MS; the other in 15th/16th century Venice, hanging out with Aldus Manutius as he invented the paperback book. Oh, and one for the first world war years, but preferably not lived in the trenches.
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And Suzanne, your definition of Technobabble is hilarious.
Sharon, you..."
Hi, Pat,
Well,I actually haven't read any books about Richard since Sunne. I felt way too territorial about him after 12 years to share him with any other writers! And I wasn't able to keep up with the non-fiction books simply because I'd had to move on to the 12th century and Wales. I'd love to be able to stay current on Ricardian research, but if I did, that would mean I'd never get another book written,and who'd pay my mortgage? In the same way, I used to be able to read much more often for pure pleasure. But research takes up so much of my time that I have to deny myself way too often. I used to think I'd make up for all this lost time when I retired. But then I realized that writers never retire. We keep scribbling away as long as there are readers out there willing to buy our books.
Sharon
PS Speaking of books I haven't been able to read, the Matthew Shardlake mysteris are among them, although I've heard very good things about them from other people. Do you recommend them, Pat?
Yes, I like them very much. I hope he continues writing this series.
Hi Sharon, having just finished and thoroughly enjoyed "When Christ and His Saints Slept" I was wondering, why you occasionally felt the need to quote historical sources like the chronicle Gesta Stephani, which is a bit unusual in a work of fiction, isn't it?
I was also wondering about the fictional character of Ranulf, whom I really adored - which were your special reasons for creating him? From your point of view, which part of the story would have been lacking what without him?
My last question (being a reader from Germany) - why is it that none of your historical novels has been translated into German? I do remember a German edition of one of your mysteries, which is out of print meanwhile, but I've never seen any of the historical novels.
Gisela
Mod
I am glad you liked Saints, and thanks for letting me know. Reader feedback can get a writer over many a rough patch. I occasionally quote from contemporary chronicles because they are my favorite source, opening a window--however small--upon the MA. And my readers seem to share my interest, to judge from the e-mails I get. We get information from a chronicler that we can't get from charters or pipe rolls, etc. For example, the verdict upon King Stephen that I quote in the AN: "He was a mild man, gentle and good, and did no justice." What better way to learn what Stephen's contemporaries thought of him?
I created Ranulf because I had doubts whether my readers could take either Stephen or Maude fully to their hearts. They both had some very admirable qualities, but they were also their own worst enemies, and there were times when I wanted so shake some sense into the pair of them! Reader mail echoed that same frustration. So I decided to use Ranulf to bridge that gap until young Henry was old enough to take center stage himself. It also gave me greater freedom to explore aspects of medieval life that didn't normally figure in my books. The orphan children in the Fens, for example; since I write mainly of people in power, I didn't often get to dramatize life for those on the bottom of the social pyramid. And I'd not been able to deal with physical disabilities in the MA and how such people were treated until I created Rhiannon. I think it worked out well, for I have gotten hundreds of letters over the years telling me how much they liked Ranulf.
I would love to have my books published in Germany, but no German publisher has made an offer, aside from my first mystery. Part of the problem is the cost of translating an 800 page book such as Saints. It is very disappointing for me, but there isn't anything I can do about it.
Sharon
Sharon, thank you so much for your encompassing answers. I definitely agree that those quotes are a wonderful way to learn what contemporaries thought about Stephen - I only asked about them, because it surprised me to find them within the story rather than in the Author's Note. Ranulf did work more than well - as I said, I adored him! You were right with your doubts about Stephen and Maude; I liked both of them and I felt sorry for both of them, actually even more for Stephen, since he didn't mean to do the harm he eventually did. Maude I admired for her courage and strong will, but it was Ranulf (and later Henry) who helped me to emotionally connect with her and her cause. And I have to admit that I particularly enjoyed the story of Ranulf and Rhiannon, and I'm thrilled to find it continued in Time and Chance :)
As for the German publishers, you might consider contacting one of the import agents I mentioned in http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Gisela
Mod
Thank you; I'll pass that information on to my agent. I would love to have my books translated into other languages; apart from the mysteries, only Time and Chance has been honored that way, into Czechoslovakian.
I'm glad you found Ranulf and Rhiannon's story appealing. I'm happy to report that they surface again in Devil's Brood, too, and their sons, particularly Morgan, are secondary characters in DB. Morgan also gets to go on crusade with Richard in Lionheart.
Hi Sharon, As you know, I am a huge fan of your work. I just had the pleasure of re-reading TIME AND CHANCE over the holiday weekend, and as always, your characters, research and story-telling drew me in. Thank you for keeping us in good books. I can't wait for Richard's adventures in the Levant and beyond!
Mod
Thanks much for sharing this, Sharon. It was a wonderful interview and I will look for her books.
I've really enjoyed your books. I'm a big fan of history but I never gave medevil history much thought. Since reading your books, I've been studying the time a bit more. Thank you!Now my question: With so many books turning into movies, do you see any of your novels making it too the big screen? If so,which one and who would you cast (living or dead)?
Mod
Well, Sunne is currently optioned by a British production company that is trying to get funding for the film. Over the years there has been interest experienced in Dragons, and once, believe it or not, my mystery series. But they never got past the talking stage. In light of the current malaise affecting the world-wide economy, I don't see anything happening; historical films are too expensive to bring to the screen unless a big name is involved. I have chosen to stay away from the casting topic, although I've seen it discussed on various on-line groups; Historical fiction-on line and my Facebook reader's club come to mind. I'll settle for saying that no actors ever born could equal or surpass the performances of Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn as Henry II and Eleanor.
Brian wrote: "Having read the Rofheart books on Henry V and Owain Glyndwr, I should say, to put it politely, that the former is heavily influenced by _Monmouth Harry_ by A.M.Maughan and the latter by _Owen Glendower_ by John Cowper Powys...""Heavily influenced" is putting it *very* politely. In fact, Rofheart heavily plagiarized, verbatim, not only John Cowper Powys' _Owen Glendower_, but A.M. Maughan's _Harry of Monmouth_ and H.F. Hutchinson's _Henry V_. Rofheart's novel of Glyndwr was simply laughable, with more in it about England, Italy, and even Spain, than Wales and the Welsh, about which Rofheart seems to have known little, if anything. (One example: Rofheart mistranslates the patronymic prefex "ap" as "daughter of"). The extent of Rofheart's plagiarism is truly shocking. Much more can be expected, of course, from Sharon's Glyndwr novel.
Llthom wrote: "Brian wrote: "Having read the Rofheart books on Henry V and Owain Glyndwr, I should say, to put it politely, that the former is heavily influenced by _Monmouth Harry_ by A.M.Maughan and the latter ..."Yes, I do like to be polite, and you're quite right.
Sharon's work will undoubtedly be too good to be mentioned in the same breath. I say that not as flattery but as simple fact.
