I am delighted to welcome Jeri Westerson, the author of the popular Crispin Guest mysteries.  Jeri’s newest, The Demon’s Parchment, will soon be published, and so I invited her to stop by and talk about it. 
Sharon: While other authors writing medieval mysteries have opted for a gentle tone, frequently with a monk or nun protagonist, you have chosen to write “Medieval Noir,” with a former knight as the detective, a sub-genre you seem to have invented. How did you come up with this approach?
Jeri: I certainly enjoyed those medieval mysteries, particularly the mother of them all, Brother Cadfael (Brother of them all?) but when I sat down to write my medieval mystery, I didn’t want to write a monk or nun protagonist. I knew I wanted something more action-packed, more angsty. And I wanted a true detective, not someone who just stumbles on corpses or is asked as a favor to find out whodunit. I took my cue from the hardboiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett that I so loved and admired. After a lot of ruminating on it, I believed I could place a hardboiled detective with all the tropes—a femme fatale, disgruntled cops, tough-talking crooks—and place him in the Middle Ages while still keeping it true to the medieval time period. It’s fun, actually, making it work, and so I came up with my disgraced knight turned detective, Crispin Guest. The stories are darker and edgier than the average medieval mystery, with a twisting tale of dark secrets, dealing with a small circle of people that blossoms into a bigger, more complex plot. It’s actually more hardboiled than in the strictest sense of noir, but “Medieval Noir” sounded better than “Medieval Hardboiled.”    
Sharon: When did you first meet your main character, Crispin Guest? Did he come to you all at once, or gradually?
Jeri: I wanted someone with fighting skills, experience on the battlefield, a facility with languages, and able to read and write. And then, following the trope of the hardboiled detective where he is somewhat down on his luck with chip on his shoulder, I knew he had to be someone who had it all and lost it. What better protagonist could there be but a disgraced knight? And once I decided on that, it all fell into place. So, a little like Athena, he sprang forth out of my forehead fully formed. I knew exactly who he was.
Sharon: Tell us about Crispin.
Jeri: Crispin is a dark and brooding man. He was the protégé of John of Gaunt, the duke of Lancaster, and lived in his household for a good part of his youth. The man was like a father to him. And so when Edward of Woodstock (the Black Prince) died, followed shortly by Edward III, the line of succession led to the Black Prince’s ten-year-old son Richard. But Crispin thought that his mentor the duke should take the throne and he joined with conspirators to make it happen. Unfortunately, all were discovered and executed. Except for Crispin. The duke begged for his life and Crispin ended up on the streets of London, devoid of his fortune, title, and status. He reinvents himself as the Tracker, finding lost objects, solving the occasional murder, all for sixpence a day plus expenses. Losing who he was naturally makes him a bit grouchy and offers some interesting angsty moments. Writing a male character is fascinating and fun. I get to be a handsome, swashbuckling, honorable-to-a-fault man for three hundred pages. That’s a far cry from the middle-aged, overweight Jewish mother I am.
Sharon: Whom do you picture as your ideal reader when you’re in the process of writing?
Jeri: Good question. I think the ideal reader would be someone who appreciates history with their mystery or vice versa. They’d also enjoy a good adventure because that’s how I think of these novels. I was terribly influenced by swashbuckling movies growing up and so I like a bit of that kind of action in my plots. Crispin is a bit Sam Spade, a bit Philip Marlowe and a bit Errol Flynn, rather a fun combination.
Sharon: You have quite a publishing story. Will you share?
Jeri: I started out in 1993 to pursue a writing career after having had a successful career as a graphic artist in Los Angeles. I wrote historical fiction that my agent just couldn’t place with publishers. It was later suggested to me that I switch to writing historical mysteries and once I got too tired of all the rejections I finally made the change. It turned around for me rather quickly. Now I have a hard time imagining writing anything else. In the interest of full disclosure, there was actually a Crispin book prior to my first published book, VEIL OF LIES, that got rejected all over town, including my publisher St. Martin’s. So my agent and I decided to put that one to bed and start working on selling Crispin number two, VEIL OF LIES which was already written. Just as I sent in that manuscript to my agent, an editor from St. Martin’s, who had rejected that first manuscript, called my agent and asked if I had anything else in that series as he “couldn’t get the characters out of his head.” Without even getting a chance to read it, my agent sent it off to St. Martin’s and two weeks later I had my first contract. And it only took fourteen years and two weeks. I am the poster child for persistence.
Sharon: How long ago did your interest in things medieval blossom?
Jeri: I was raised by parents who were rabid Anglophiles. So I grew up surrounded by English history and the love for it. We also had great historical fiction by all the big names: Thomas B. Costain, Anya Seton, Nora Lofts. I think what I liked about those books was that an historical setting offered just that bit of fantasy, taking the reader to a different place and time. The medieval period seems particularly romantic, in a sense. Arthurian legends, Robin Hood, the pageantry of a bygone era. It’s fun to fit your characters into that particular place, making them someone readers can relate to while grounding them in this foreign setting. And though it does offer a different sensibility of another time, it also affords the author the opportunity to comment on contemporary issues by couching it in the safe harbor of another era. The trick is to make sure it’s also historically accurate. 
Sharon: You’ve described your books as “romantic with a twisty mystery thrown in for good measure.” Are you talking about the concept of romance as it was originally perceived?
Jeri: That’s exactly right. As you know, Sharon, the original “romance” was an adventure tale of some hero of chivalry, and that goes back to what I said before about thinking of these novels as “adventure tales.” It’s a quest for the character to fully realize their potential as a man and as that elusive creature, the hero. I’m also fascinated by this notion of the “band of brothers” that Shakespeare coined in Henry V in, ironically enough, his St. Crispin’s Day speech. I get to explore that aspect of masculinity that is unique to men, the mystique of cleaving together in these intense relationships.
Sharon: Putting heroes aside, do you have a favorite minor character?
Jeri: That would have to be Jack Tucker, who really is also a hero. He was only supposed to be a very minor character at first but then he would not go away! He’s Crispin’s apprentice. Crispin reluctantly takes him in. He’s a street urchin, a cut purse. Orphaned at eight, he’s lived on the streets of London all that time and still managed to keep his gentle heart. Crispin comes upon him when he’s eleven. He’s a combination of Huck Finn, the Artful Dodger, and Peter Pan rolled into one. For Crispin, he’s the son and squire he’ll never now have. There’s an interesting dynamic between them and they manage to teach each other important life lessons while racing through a ripping good yarn.
Sharon: There are relics involved in your stories.
Jeri: Yes. Each novel deals with some sort of relic or legend. I like to think of the relics as the McGuffin. Alfred Hitchcock coined that term and it means the unimportant thing that sets the plot in motion, whether it’s something everyone tries to get their hands on or something everyone is trying to get rid of. It’s the sort of Maltese Falcon in these stories. It’s an added twist that I wanted to include to complicate things. But it’s not by rote. Sometimes the relic is the most important thing in the story but sometimes it’s just a McGuffin.
Sharon: Was there one book that shaped you as a child?
Jeri: Several, probably. One I remember was the Big Golden Book of Fairy Tales with myths and legends from all over the world and all different eras. Some were really quite creepy and they had wonderful illustrations to go with them. I also still have the child’s version of The Canterbury Tales, also full of bazaar illustrations. I really like the fantasy aspect of these books, so it was little wonder that the Lord of the Rings saga enveloped me when I was in high school. The idea of that marvelous world building intrigued me as well as the whole heroes journey, the chivalry, the quest, and the suffering hero. That sensibility is definitely reflected in Crispin’s tales.
Sharon: Tell us about your newest, THE DEMON’S PARCHMENT.
Jeri: Crispin is hired by a Jewish physician from France to find some stolen parchments, parchments that may have to do with the gruesome serial murders of young boys. Is a heartless killer stalking the streets and alleys of London, or something far more sinister? This is the third book in the series and it’s scheduled for release October 12. 
Sharon: What’s next for you?
Jeri: Next fall will see the release of Crispin number four, TROUBLED BONES, where Crispin and Jack are called to Canterbury to protect the bones of St. Thomas Beckett from the clutches of the Lollards, but they find murder instead and an old friend of Crispin’s who might be a killer. 
I’m also working on a second medieval mystery series with all new characters that will be lighter in tone set to be a lusty, funny, fast-paced romp. But in the meantime, you can see the Crispin series book trailer, book discussion guides, my appearance schedule to see if I’ll be in your home town, and other fun stuff on my website www.JeriWesterson.com; you can see my blog of history and mystery at www.Getting-Medieval.com; and you can read Crispin’s blog at www.CrispinGuest.com. You can also friend Crispin on his Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.
Sharon: Thank you for joining us, Jeri.  
Jeri: Thanks so much for having me, Sharon
     This was a wonderful interview and I am so sorry that I was unable to add the very striking image of The Demon’s Parchment book cover, but the evil Melusine, my computer, has gone over totally to the dark side and will no longer allow me to add photos to the blog.   So please click onto Jeri’s links above to see what the book looks like.  If you haven’t stopped by her website until now, you’re in for a treat. 
September 26, 2010

So many people have asked me how Shadow is doing that I’ve decided to respond in a blog.   I’ve had him for four months now and I am happy to report that his health problems seem to have been resolved; the vet initially suspected food allergies and then Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and he has responded well to treatment for the latter condition.  Cody had a delicate digestive system, too, despite looking as delicate as a tank.  I’ve been told that shepherds are prone to these problems, another sad case of over-breeding.  Humans have a lot to answer for in our treatment of our fellow planet dwellers, and the way we’ve undermined the health of purebred dogs is surely one of our sins.  Any one who has ever seen the slanting spine of a shepherd in a dog show can easily see why this breed is so susceptible to hip dysplasia.   Bull dogs, pugs, and all the “squashed snout” breeds are vulnerable to heat prostration; dachshunds have spinal disc problems; spaniels are more likely to develop cataracts; Dalmatians are at risk for congenital deafness.  It is a sad list, one that goes on and on.  And dogs are not the only victims.  Look what we’ve done to thoroughbred horses, breeding them for speed at the expense of stamina.    I think cats have been luckier than dogs in this respect—at least so far. 

        Sorry for the digression.  But one of the fun things about blogs is that we get to wander off the paved road into the fields from time to time.   Back to Shadow.   This is a dog who had no reason to trust human beings; he now comes eagerly up to strangers for petting and praise.   He was clearly an outside dog, for he was not housebroken, but it took him no time at all to realize furniture was much more comfortable than the floor.  He has two dog beds, but likes to sleep on the bed in my spare bedroom when I’m working at the computer; that enables him to keep an eye on me in case I get up to go toward the kitchen.  He was initially afraid of leashes, but now zooms to the door as soon as I mention the word “walk.”   Best of all, this dog who used to cringe if any one raised a hand near his head now loves to plant his head in my lap so I can rub his ears, and if I accidentally step on one of his big paws (easy to do since he is the ultimate Velcro Dog), he gives a little yelp, but shows no fear whatsoever, sure that the hurt was unintentional.  And now that he has put on some weight, he looks like a sleek white wolf—assuming that wolves like to take stuffed squeaky toys to bed with them at night.

       The Shadow-Bambi allusion comes from his first encounter with deer in our county park, 1700 acres of wooded trails.  He stopped in his tracks to stare at them, eyes wide.      But because shepherds are not bred to be hunters, he reacted with curiosity, not blood lust.  Whereas my Norwegian elkhound (the model for Loth in Saints) would go totally bonkers whenever we’d run into deer, for she knew in her bones that these creatures were meant to be her quarry.  

       I feel blessed to have found Shadow and what is so nice is that it is reciprocal.  It is true about rescue dogs—they really do seem to understand that they’ve gotten a second chance and are very grateful for it.  Dogs are remarkably forgiving.  I am reading a very compelling true account now about a Royal Marine who found himself trying to rescue fighting dogs and strays during his tour of duty in Afghanistan.  The Title is ONE DOG AT A TIME by Pen Farthing.  Be warned, though, that it is not for the faint of heart; his graphic descriptions of the sad plight of these dogs do not make easy reading.  For that matter, I found it disturbing to read about the stressful living conditions of his troop of young marines; nor is there much hope for the Afghan people, still being terrorized by the Taliban.  But it is a powerful story, one which shows human nature at its best and its worst and once again reveals the unique bond between people and dogs.  No one had ever shown these Afghan dogs even a scrap of kindness, yet they were willing to trust Pen despite a lifetime of experiences telling them that man was not their friend.   

           I had an experience of my own last week in which I saw the best and the worst of human nature, all in the course of a single day.  I’d taken my dogs for a morning walk in that county park I’d mentioned.  It has a two mile paved road in addition to all those wooded trails, and we were walking along the road when I caught movement from the corner of my eye.  A small cat popped out of the bushes and at sight of me, began to mew piteously.  To my amazement, she then started to approach us—a total stranger with two dogs!   She was obviously some one’s pet, not a feral cat, but there is not a house around for miles, so it was hard not to conclude the poor little thing had been dumped there.   She would come only so close because of my dogs, but she kept crying, as if begging for help.  I did not know what to do.  Since she wouldn’t come any closer and I had a doctor’s appointment that morning, I continued on, telling myself that she was in a heavily traveled part of the park and surely someone would come to her aid.   But she preyed on my mind for the rest of the day and that evening, I found myself piling the dogs in the car and driving to the park.

      I am not sure what I intended to do; I just felt that I had to come back.   There was no sign of her, though, so we continued on our walk.  But on our way back, there she was again, only this time she was with a middle-aged woman and a young couple.   I stopped, of course; they agreed with me that she had to have been abandoned and they were as troubled as I was about her fate.   My dogs were getting too interested in her so we went on.  I couldn’t just drive off, though, so once we got to the car, I drove back—and found them walking along the road, the little cat cradled in the older woman’s arms.   They told me that they could not leave her out in the woods and the young couple was going to adopt her.   See what I mean—the best and the worst.    What was amazing to me was that the cat was so utterly relaxed in the arms of a stranger, as if she knew she was safe now.   The saddest aspect of this is that she was probably hanging around the spot where she’d been dumped, waiting for her owners to come back for her.   Cats, too, can be forgiving, far more forgiving than I am.

         This is a first for me, no mention of medieval matters.  But the people of the MA did not view animals as so many of us do in the 21^st century.  Yes, they loved their horses, their hunting dogs, their lap dogs, their falcons and tame birds; cats seem to have infiltrated the nunneries, although in general, they were not viewed as pets.  But medievals saw animals through a religious prism—the belief that man was given dominion over the earth and all upon it.  They’d have laughed at the very idea of animal rights, as I elaborated upon in an earlier blog, SHADOW, KEIKO, AND FAUVEL.   Another reason for the difference in attitude is rooted in living conditions then and now.  We have the luxury of considering pets to be family members because life is so much easier for us than it was for people in the MA–or is for those living in Third World countries.    

       Not everyone cherishes pets as so many of us do, of course; some people seem both mystified and vexed by our concern for non-human life forms.  But I think my readers share my belief that all animals deserve to be treated without cruelty.  So this blog is for those of you who have pets as loved as Cody and Shadow, and I hope you’ll share some of their stories with the rest of us.

PS  I’d hoped to upload a photo of Shadow, but my computer, Melusine, seems bound and determined today to live up to her evil namesake, the Demon Countess of Anjou, and refused to do it, giving me lots of computer doubletalk. 

September 7, 2010