The Gates of Nottingham, A Bit of History

I never claim that my novels are 100% historically accurate. I research for months before I start writing and often during the writing process as well. That said, some things are left anachronistic for the sake of the story. I am sure that some things are wrong because I did not catch them. I am not a professor of medieval history. That said, I want to talk about a few of the choices I made and the facts that accompany them.

The Gates of Nottingham is not written in any sort of old English, in the dialogue or prose. The novel is set in 1197. At this time, Saxon German and Norman French were just beginning to be combined into a language that both nobles and peasants could understand. You could compare this early form of the English language to modern Spanglish, an amalgam of languages full of inside knowledge, mixed pronunciation, and incorrect form in either language. Most English aristocrats and landholders were still very closely tied to their Norman roots and still speaking the court's French as their first language, whereas most peasants still spoke the mixed Germanic language that came into use after the Viking conquests. The mix of the two is unintelligible to modern English speakers. You could call the early form a dead language. So, I did not make any attempt to bring this form of speaking into the novel. It was suggested to me that I bring in some Shakespearean type words and phrases to better keep the placement of the novel in the past. I, however, always find it rather sloppy when early English is thrown into modern prose willy nilly. It is just my opinion that it can be rather distracting to read. For this reason, the novel was kept in a neutral form of English. Slang was, of course, excluded and the grammar, even in speach is generally more correct than our own day to day English.

The arts of weaponry and battle were a huge part of my research. There are so many myths on both of these subjects which have been perpetuated for so many years that they have almost been accepted as truth. There is a great deal of debate on how much a medieval sword weighed. Many modern craftsmen insist that they were much lighter than we think and that the majority found in ancient grave sights were constructed for tournament, and were therefore heavier than war blades. However, it is well documented that sword fighting was done with both hands, as the weapon was too heavy for one. Archaeologists have also noted in the skeletons of soldiers very englarged bones in the right arm. It was a common practice in training children to force them to carry heavy bags of rocks with their dominant arm to build it up for later sword training. Up until the body of King Richard the third was found just a few months ago, the generally accepted theory was that he was not a hunch-back, just a swordsman, and that the former idea was added for dramatic purposes. For this reason, I decided to go with the theory that the triple layer bonded broadswords of the era were as heavy as some sources claim them to be, which can range anywhere from 20 to 50 pounds. An internet search provides you with answers as little as 2 lbs, whereas textbooks estimate much higher. This is why the weight of the swords in the novel is never specified, though it is mentioned that Marion has a difficult time moving Sir Guy's sword. Sir Guy is, in my novel, an enormous man and it can be assumed, whichever theory you chose to believe on swords, that his would be heavier than most.

As to the longbow, there is much less debate on its specifications. Most English longbows of this period would have been about six foot long with a weight pull back of 120 lbs. Severe scoliosis is found in the skeletons of archers from this time. Their spinal columns were actually bent toward their pulling arm.  Longbowsmen were trained to shoot ten arrows per minute with accuracy up to 168 yards. If only a general direction were desired for the shots, most could shoot twenty arrows per minute up to 300 yards. The longbow may not have had the flash of a sword, but it was not a weapon to be discounted. In fact, it is often credited for changing the course of history at the battle of Agincourt.

There are few clothing remnants from this period in history and what have been found are mostly peasant's clothes, made at home, and often boasting rather strange cuts and stitching. Most of what is assumed from the clothing of this era is what is seen in the artwork. The general idea is pretty close to what you find in Hollywood movies, so I did not spend much time in description. The only thing that stands out in the novel is mentions of color codes in clothing. Color coding started in medieval courts and even at the time, there was no concensus of the meaning of different colors. I mentioned that green was the color for love. Some sources claim this as fact, others dispute it.

Lastly, there is the attack of the castle. The weak point in a castle of this era (which was very early --there would be no spirals, no round towers, nothing of the disney picture just yet) was the corner. I was shocked to learn this and figured that if I incorporated that into the raid, I would not be believed and would be instantly discredited by readers. This is why the attack focuses on the penetrating the castle through the gates. Men with crossbows are stationed on the walls. Crossbows were actually illegal at this time, though the law was hardly enforced. They were not an accurate weapon, but could easily be given to untrained men, and for them it was probably their best bet out of the choices given. The battering ram is described as splintering into nothing. This is commonly noted in the ballads of the era, though I have never seen it portrayed in fiction.

So many people have asked me which version of Robin Hood this novel is meant to resemble most. The answer is none of them. Guy and Marion's relationship is generally thought to come from the most recent BBC series, but I actually started writing this novel before that series was released and as you can see, the relationship appears very early in the book. Forest scenes have been compared to the Kevin Costner movie and I suppose they do bare a resemblence. Quite a few people have said that this novel is not an accurate reflection of the most popular written version, Howard Pyle's masterpiece. It was not meant to be. In fact, I have never read his version. The controversial, darker portrayal of Robin Hood was inspired by the oldest of the original ballads. Originally, he was simply a thug and even when the "steal from the rich to give to the poor" motif comes into play, he is still much more brutal than the commonly accepted narrative. In the first ballad where Sir Guy makes an appearance, he is an innocent, traveling nobleman. Robin Hood needs to get into the castle at Nottingham, so he kills Sir Guy, steals his clothes, redresses the corpse, then completely mutilates Sir Guy's face with a knife. Robin leaves the body by the road and people assume that Robin is dead. I did not want to push the envelope so far, obviously. I can't have my hero mutilating the corpses of people who have commited no crime but to be born an aristocrat. However, you can see where Robin Hood was not always portrayed as the gallant, Errol Flynn in tights, perfect character recognizable to most of us.

All of this is to say, that my novel, like most, has its accurate points and its inaccurate points, led by history which is sometimes known to be fact and is sometimes guessed by historians. I am sure that even since I wrote it, accepted theories about this period have changed. I hope however, that the entertainment shines through in spite of any flaws in its history.

So Many Secrets, A Dream Brought to Life

**** In honor of my week long book blowout, I am bringing you the first of my posts wherein I discuss the actual process of writing the novels which are now free on kindle.

One night I dreamt that in order to protect my sister, I married a man whom neither of us could stand. Now, I'll be honest, I was probably watching too many Masterpiece Theater presentations at the time, but I liked the idea. At the time, I was still writing The Gates of Nottingham, so I knew I could not develop the idea too far. I mapped out a few chararacters - the three sisters and their prospectives suitors and left it at that.

When I was finished with Nottingham, I wanted to take a break from the anxiety and violence ridden writing I had been doing. I had been accused of being a man in the guise of a woman by so many early readers of Nottingham that I figured I might try to explore my softer side a little. I came back to the early notes I had written about my dream and started plotting.

The first idea for the novel was a multi-generational story told through an omniscent narrator. When I realized it was getting too heavy, I decided to cut it into a trilogy. I have wanted to do a trilogy for a while now, but I can't seem to focus and this was no exception.

I picked a favorite sister and worked on her story. The narrative style changed a couple of times, as did the starting point. I threw out eighty pages before I had an opening that worked. The first person narration was born and from there, every event was filtered through the eyes of Jane, the heroine. Though I may never go back to first person narration, it taught me a great deal about perspective and the many different lenses that can be put on one event.

I wrote in sequence, never deviating from the order of the story, which is not something I have done before or since. It was one character's story, she does a great deal of learning and growin throughout it, and I knew that I would ruin the nuance of it if I did not keep it in sequence. It was a bit of struggle because I often want the instant gratification of writing a scene as soon as it appears in my head.

All in all, So Many Secrets did not give me nearly the amount of trouble Nottingham did. I already had one novel under my belt, and it was a huge help. I still cut 120 pages out of the final draft, honing in on the most important sccenes only, but after the circus that was the Nottingham edits, this seemed minor.

Maybe on the next novel, I can aim to lose less than 100 pages.

The Gates of Nottingham, Trials and Tribulation

In honor of my week long book blowout, I am bringing you the first of my posts wherein I discuss the actual process of writing the novels which are now free on kindle. This post is about The Gates of Nottingham and tomorrow's will be about So Many Secrets.


****When I started writing The Gates of Nottingham, I did not have a plan. I had a few scenes in my head, some major plot points, and vivid images that I wanted to incorporate into the text. As a result of that ,  the original drafts were quite a mess.

I ended up with mountain of pages that did not make it into the novel available now. The story was originally meant to follow King Richard from his prison in Austrian and on through his journey back to England. I had thought that it would be an interesting subplot, but found in the end that it detracted from the Robin Hood story by pulling the reader's concentration from an already character-laden plot. This was a seventy page cut and I was not even done with it yet when I decided to pull it. All in all, I would say that over two hundred pages were gleaned out during early edits, before I had even written the ending.

Likewise, the characters were a work in progress from their early forms. The original draft of the first hundred pages contained a shy, somewhat passive Robin Hood whose hand was forced by fate. In the end, I found that having events leading the plot rather than characters resulted in a weak story, so Robin had to be changed.

An omniscent narration was given up to give each scene from one character's perspective only. This resulted in a patch work of actions, knowledge, and ideas that allowed the novel more depth. By the mid-point, all of my character's schemes were falling into plot points like dominos and the second half of the novel turned into an easily written, action packed ride.

I froze out right before writing the climax of the novel, the last bloody battle scene. With nearly five hundred pages written, I got scared. I had done so much research into the weaponry and battle techniques of the era that I found myself unable to pick what information to use. Meanwhile, each of the warriors had their own unique fighting style that had to be incorporated. My panic (or as I like to call it- strategizing) lasted over two months. I mapped it out, watched medieval movies, and edited the work I had. Sir Guy's fate changed a dozen times if it changed once, as did each detail of the scene from the weather to the arson to the crossbows.

Finally, with one song playing over and over in a loop through my ear phones, I wrote the thirty page climax in four hours. I felt that to stop even for lunch would stop my pace in the most important scene in the novel. This was where I wanted it to shine. When all of the lies and intrigues stopped and enemies were forced to at last meet honestly and face to face.

That was not the final ending in the journey of writing this novel. While I will not spoil the ending, I will tell you that it was re-written just a month before the release. And yes, the novel was edited again and again until I could not stand to read it anymore.

So, I bring it to you now, the result of over two years of work for free this week. It was my earliest writing and my baby, the writing journey to which all the rest have to compare themselves. For me, it was a wonderful experience and I hope it will be for you as well.

Free Book Blowout

I want to give everyone the heads-up that both The Gates of Nottingham and So Many Secrets will be free tomorrow and for the next four days.

During these five days, I will also be posting excerpts, trivia, and my own playlists for the novels. I have not written much about them here, but I think that now is a good time to talk about the process and difficulties with each one.

So, please stay tuned. It should be a fun week!

2012 Rone Awards

I woke up to a very exciting email this morning. I sent a copy of my first novel, The Gates of Nottingham to Ind'Tale magazine quite a while back, but never heard from them again. As it turns out, I must have gotten lost in their email pile because they not only read my book, they gave it a four star review!

Furthermore, because it garnered such a great review, it's been entered into their 2012 Rone Awards under the Historical - Pre-Medival category. This award comes down to a vote, so now I have to rely on you, my lovely readers, to help me out.

You can vote for me here. Unfortunately, to keep the poll honest, you will have to register with them. I can attest that the registration is easy and you won't be sent millions of emails from them. Actually, this is the first email I've ever been sent by them, so you probably won't be bothered at all.

I would really appreciate the votes on this. I worked very hard on this book. It's my first baby. So, to see it getting some attention is mind-blowing.

Thanks all!

BTW, I also got another four star review on Amazon. This is an awesome morning.

Review of Vikings

I want to start out this review by noting that, like all television series, the intent of The History Channel’s Vikings is purely entertainment. It is not a documentary, and therefore perfect fact and accuracy should not expected of it. Therefore, as I note anachronisms below, I am in no way saying that they ruin the show. I do, however, think there is an interesting discussion to be had on the subject and that is all this is meant to be.

This series follows the adventures of Ragnar (Travis Fimmel), his wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), and his brother Rollo (Clive Standen). The cast is, in order, Australian, Canadian, and English, so the first hurdle to overcome is the varying accents. Fimmel tries out a pseudo-Scandinavian accent while Winnick sounds trans-Atlantic and Standen just speaks in RP English. I have to admit that this distracted me for the entire first episode even though it’s really not that big of a deal. This show is produced for an English speaking audience, so writing it in one of the Old Germanic languages or even one of the modern ones would be entirely pointless. It does take getting used to, though.

Vikings reflects very little of what is known of the real culture of its subjects. In general, Vikings lived and operated in hirds, large family groups rather like clans, not in nuclear family units as portrayed. The villain in the series is Lord Haroldson, portrayed by Gabriel Byrne. Most countries had either no hierarchy or a very loose one, as Scandinavians operated under the ideal that all men but slaves were equals. Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule. Denmark, for example, was probably the most organized country with very powerful kings dating back almost 100 years before the setting of this series. The title of Earl and the power the character wields both seem unlikely and out of place in this setting, however.

It is not clear in the program how much territory Haroldson controls, but within that territory, all of the free men make an oath of their loyalty to him as soon as they reach maturity. Haroldson controls how the men train, where they raid, what their spoils are, and what he keeps. He oversees all legal issues and his judgments are given as law. Most disputes in this age were settled between families. The punishment for murder was almost always a fine, not death, as portrayed here. Theft and rape were considered much more serious offenses and I believe that the way Haroldson keeps his men’s plunder would have been considered theft by the Vikings.

So far, there are only two women characters on the show, Lagertha and Haroldson’s wife Siggy. I have to say that the portrayal of the female characters is rather disappointing as they occupy the usual cliché sphere of either warrior babe or damsel in distress. A Viking woman’s place in society was far more interesting than that and I think that this show is missing a huge opportunity in that regard.

 I don’t want to go too in depth here, because this post is getting long already, but Viking women were treated differently from most European women of the era. Violence against women was not tolerated. For a man to strike his wife was an abominable offense, and in one of the sagas it actually leads to the husband’s death. Women could easily obtain a divorce, ran the household’s finances, and were usually involved in all major decisions. Rape was punishable by death and even unwanted touching procured an enormous fine. Widows could own land and businesses and, though a father could force his daughter into her first marriage, it was generally frowned upon. Women in the sagas are revered for their power, wisdom, and influence, with beauty being almost secondary.

Now, Siggy’s character is, I think, moving in the direction of the shrewd, political woman, so I am looking forward to that. Lagertha hasn’t really shown much personality yet. She is a former “shield maiden” (entirely made-up concept as far as I can tell) and so fights with the boys and goes on raids. She’s crazy about her husband, but little else. I just don’t think the writers are sure of where they’re going yet. Siggy and Haroldson’s daughter was just introduced, married off, and widowed within about five minutes of screen time, so she may be another leading lady. We have yet to see.

As for the male characters, Ragnar is a curious explorer and feared warrior. Sometimes his pride veers into arrogance, particularly when he deals with his brother. He is gentle at home and brutal during raids. I think his character has merit, but the acting at this point is a little stale. Rollo vacillates between villain and hero with jealousy being his guiding characteristic. I think he’s another example of the writers being unsure of where they are going. If he is to be based on Rollo the Ganger, as some people are guessing, he has a long way to go. Gabriel Byrne is not only the most famous, but definitely the best actor in the series which is all I can say about him without giving spoilers.

The costumes, hair, and makeup are truly atrocious at this point and, as this show is reinventing itself episode by episode, I hope they get a major overhaul. There is really no excuse for how horrible and weird all of these impossibly gorgeous actors look. All of the costumes up until last night’s episode seemed to be some shade of grey, but it could just be mud. Vikings were actually known to wash their faces twice a day and to bathe twice a week, but obviously mud just makes things look cool. Plus, eyeliner. Lots and lots and lots of black eyeliner. An entire Wet N’ Wild pencil applied generally in the direction of woman’s eyes looks amazing. Not.

Quick historical facts: it was illegal for a woman to show her arms or for a man to wear a cloak that dragged the ground, French braiding was not invented yet, tattoos were blue, men plucked their eyebrows, married women wore their husband’s family’s coronet, Vikings didn’t knit, and there was no true black dye. Nevertheless, I would settle for any anachronisms as long as everyone stopped looking like walking petri dishes containing a thick stew of myriad infectious diseases.

The show is filmed in Ireland  and the cinematography is stunning. The ships are too small and would not have had sails in this year, but they are otherwise impressive and fairly authentic looking.

Overall, I think this series is fun. It is only in the middle of its first series and is still getting on its feet. I’m definitely looking forward to more and I may even post more about it later.

Being Spastic, Listening to Country Music, Watching TV

I've mentioned before that I can be a rather scattered worker. Since I sent off Prince Dead to Mills and Boon, I have not had a clear direction in which to work. I can't work on the sequel until I know which version of the original I will use, so I have basically been playing. I’ve written 70 pages each for two different projects and 30 pages for a third one and am now deciding which one I’m really invested in at this point. That’s right; I could have 180 pages written on one novel right now if I had stuck to one topic! This is another reason I'm considering pursuing traditional publishing again. Deadlines actually excite and motivate me.

I’ve mentioned before that I obsessively listen to music while I write and lately I’ve latched onto country music. Though I spent my formative years in the middle of nowhere, raised pretty much any animal you can name, preserved 200 pounds of fruit a year, and spun my own wool, I’ve never been interested in the country scene. Mainstream music is just so intolerable right now that I’m branching out. Honestly, I’m kind of obsessed with George Strait, which probably means all three of my books will be sad. Also, Jake Owen’s hair is my hero. If you have a current country favorite, please let me know so I can e-stalk them.

There, now that I’ve given an update, I’m going to crowd-source my next move. Do you think it would be a good idea for me to re-brand So Many Secrets as purely a romance novel? That’s what it is at its heart anyway, and I’ve noticed that fiction which fits strongly into genre categories is the only thing that seems to sell for indie authors. I’m considering re-writing descriptions to change the focus, designing a new cover which will probably feature a standard topless male photo, and then running a massive free promo with the help of a packet of advertising sites another author sent me. Does this sound like a good idea? 

I’ve been letting marketing slip lately because no amount of work seems to increase sales, so I feel like I need to do something drastically different. I only wish I had written one Druid or magic sword into Nottingham so that I could brand it as fantasy. 

Next week, I’ll be talking about The History Channel’s new fictional series Vikings (which btw is branding itself as fantasy when it has no element of that so far). How could I not talk about that show? Please tell me you’ve been watching it!