INTERVIEW WITH NAN HAWTHORNE

Penman

       I apologize for taking so long to get a new blog up; naturally I am going to blame Coeur de Lion, who doesn’t want his scribe doing anything but catering to his royal whims.  (Typical Angevin)  But I am making it up to you with a particularly interesting and entertaining interview with Nan Hawthorne, author of An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England.   Nan is also one of my favorite bloggers; in fact, you can find the links to her blogs under Author on my regular website page.  I can’t add the link again here because I have to copy and paste her interview and Melusine, my evil-minded computer, can’t do two tasks at once; at least that is what she claims.   So here is Nan’s interview, and I will add the link to her blog in the comments section, for your convenience.    Enjoy!

Interview with Author Nan Hawthorne

 

SKP:  I met you, Nan, when you posted something wonderfully funny on one of my blog posts.  Are you always this funny?

 

NH:  Yes, except in battle scenes.  Spilling guts are rarely humorous.

 

SKP:  There, that’s what I mean.  So tell me about your novel, An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England.

 

NH:  Ah, my favorite subject.  When a friend and I were no more than eleven and twelve, we met at a week long summer camp and started acting out a story.  It began as Indian Princess Sunshine and an Indian brave whose name I don’t call.  I always played the male characters in Pretend.    When we decided to change the story to a sort of generic medieval romance adventure, I got to be a king, namely “King Lawrence” named after our mutual favorite movie, Lawrence of Arabia.  Since we did not live in the same town, my friend and I started writing letters between Lawrence and Sunshine.  We took pity on the royal couple and started writing stories so they could actually be in the same room together and not forced to write letters.  Thus the stories began that years later I would turn into a novel.

 

SKP:    You said “generic medieval” but your novel is set in a fictional kingdom in eighth century Anglo Saxon England.  How did you decide that time period?

 

NH:  Not long after we started writing actual stories, I decided I wanted a set time frame.  I was under the impression, mind you I was fourteen then, that “Dark Ages” meant absolutely nothing was known until Charlemagne became Holy Roman Emperor in 800.  I thought it would be safe to put our stories before that as no one could say “That didn’t happen!”  Of course, plenty is known about that era, but since I don’t pretend Críslicland ever really existed, I left it in the eighth century, roughly Lincolnshire.

 

SKP:  How did you happen to decide to write the stories as a novel?

 

NH:  I started a Yahoogroup about fifteen years ago called Ghostletters.  On it you can post stories or letters as fictional or historical characters.  I decided to use my old characters, started rewriting some of the stories and discovered I really enjoyed it and was a much better writer after 35 years.  For one thing, my obsession with sex in my adolescence meant uninformed love scenes.. and now since I have had sex, I could really write about it!  As I rewrote I began to see a novel developing, and the rest is, to coin a phrase, historical fiction.

 

SKP:  You obviously set about learning about Anglo Saxon England when writing An Involuntary King.

 

NH:  Not at first.  I have castles and knights and all sorts of anachronisms in the first rewrites, but as I wrote I learned, soaking up everything I could find.  I fell in love with the era in the process.  So now instead of castles and knights I have timber fortresses and shield walls.

 

SKP:  Now I understand that you are blind.  How did you do the research?

 

NH:  I have no central vision.  As Steven Wright said, I’m a “peripheral visionary”.  I can’t just pick up a book and read, which, to get deathly serious on you for a moment, is the great regret of my book crazy life.  You can imagine that the books produced “for the blind” don’t focus heavily on the areas in which I am interested.  The Internet is a marvel, turning much of the professional world into a level playing field.  I found material on line and discovered pretty quickly that most experts are only too happy to answer questions from people sincerely interested in their arcanity.  I found people, some of which became friends, with knowledge of the era, most  notably Jack Graham who is a brilliant battle scene choreographer.    I owe a lot to Jack, and I continue to rack up that particular debt.

 

SKP:  Why “involuntary” in the title?

 

NH:  You are asking what the novel is about.  In a nutshell, a younger son of an Anglo Saxon king finds himself on the throne, having to prove himself.  The novel takes the story from that point through his marriage, the challenges to his authority, his wife’s tendency to attract admirers like the “tragi-nasty” villain of the piece, a Breton  mercenary, a couple different usurpings, how the royal couple’s friends chip in to save the day, and how it all turns out in the end.

 

SKP:  Is this really historical fiction per se?

 

NH:  “Period fiction” may be a more accurate term.  It’s not fantasy.  There is no supernatural element.  Period fiction seems to be applied more often to romance novels, and strictly speaking, my novel is not a romance.  Yes, Críslicland never existed, and there were never a King Lawrence or the similarly anachronistically named Queen Josephine, but other than those tributes to the old stories from my adolescence, I did everything I could to make the novel historical.  It’s just in a class by itself, I guess.

 

SKP:  Where can people find An Involuntary King?

 

NH:  It’s on Amazon.com including on Kindle, and as an ebook on Smashwords.com.  Since the paperback is not available outside North America, I recommend  the Smashwords ebook which is considerably less dear as well.

 

SKP:  Do you have any future novels planned?

 

NH:  Tons.  Right now I am working on a novel set around the time of the disastrous Crusade of 1101 which features a woman who goes to the crusade disguised as her late twin brother.  Finally a female character I can relate to!  That is precisely why I am writing it.  It’s also fun to write vulgar dialogue for historical figures like Raymond of Toulouse and Stephen of Blois.

 

SKP:  You are involved in an awful lot of projects.  Do you ever sleep?

 

NH:  <laughs> Oh, yes, I am a recreational sleeper.  I just have a hard time saying no to myself.  I have a blog of all the stories that went into An Involuntary King, one of reviews called That’s All She Read that also covers the topic of accessible reading.  I just got a song I wrote about characters in my novel recorded by Celtic musician Druidsong.  Oh heck, it would take less time and space just to invite your readers to my web site, www.nanhawthorne.com .

 

SKP:  Anything you would like to add, Nan?

 

NH:  Yes!  I adore your novels.  The Welsh trilogy especially.  Cried my eyes out, which I love to do.

 

SKP:  Thanks for talking with me!

 

NH:  Thank you for asking.  It’s an honor and privilege that you even know who I am.  I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy!  Picture me bowing and scraping.

 

July 31, 2010

67 thoughts on “INTERVIEW WITH NAN HAWTHORNE”

  4. Very interesting, Sharon. This is the problem with following authors and reading what they say, though – your backlog continually grows.
    In other matters, Today Louis VI (le gros) of France, the father of Eleanor’s Louis died.
    Also, just in case you missed my last question on the previous blog: Any comment about Philippe’s claim that his kinsman was lured away, when he was just as much Richard’s kinsman?

  5. Hi, Koby. No, Philippe’s complaints to the pope were duly noted, with no response. Your knowledge of the MA is truly impressive–I may end up citing you as a source for Balian’s book!

  6. Thanks, Sharon! But what I meant was, on what grounds did philippe make his claim? As I noted, Richard was also Henri’s uncle just as much as Philippe! The only difference was that Philippe kinship was through his father, and Richard through his mother. Was that difference so strong Philippe could base his claim on it?

  7. No, I think it was just sour grapes on Philippe’s part, Koby. He was in a very foul mood by the time he reached Rome, not only thoroughly infuriated with Richard but very defensive, for he was severely criticized even by his own French for abandoning the crusade. His reputation took a serious hit and was only salvaged for posterity by the fact that he got to live another 30 years and add enormously to the royal French domains thanks to John’s troubles, both personal and political. I personally can sympathize with Philippe’s desire to go home; he never wanted to go on crusade in the first place. But I am speaking, of course, from a 21st century perspective and to medieval minds, his defection was shameful. This is one of the reasons why he did all he could to smear Richard’s reputation; he was vulnerable and he knew it.

  8. Sharon: Thanks for asking Nan here to share. I asked our library to order Involuntary King and they did. I read and enjoyed it. Also (and belatedly) thanks for your HNS presentation last year. Hope you can make the 2011 HNS in San Diego.

  9. I do believe that William II Rufus of England, Henry I’s brother and predecessor died today, as well as Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, who was married to Joanna Plantagenet.

  10. Thanks, Koby, for reminding me that Raymond died on August 2nd. He is a tragic figure in my opinion, unfairly maligned by the Church, his reputation in tatters by the time he died. And sadly, there is no Raymond St Gilles Society to do for him what the Richard III Society did for Richard.

  11. Very true.
    Although I must admit to having a bit of fascination with William Rufus. There is no famous ‘Princes in the Tower’ story to find out who really killed him either.

  12. I really tried to read An Involuntary King, but I couldn’t get into it. The formatting was really bad! Too large print, too much space between paragraphs and between lines! All of that made the book large and unwieldy and seemed to be just so much stuffing! And the characters did not hold my interest! Another thing, a girl masqurading as a man in the MA might(?) have a lot of trouble handling all the weaponry that men were expected to be proficient in using. Remember the swords were around six feet long and made of iron!

  13. Greetings Lady Gayle,
    But Humbug! to your opinion. First, I can’t believe anyone would be so lazy as to complain that they have to move their eyes across the page a little more and so weak as to be unable to carry a little book like Involuntary King. Second, most swords were about three feet long while the six foot ones were for two hands even by men. Third, don’t let the Iron Roses hear your silliness. My Lady Knight Sir Erika Bjornsdottir of the current middle ages (Society for Creative Anachronism) and various others of her ilk won crowns with those “heavy weapons” you accuse women of being unable to wield effectively. She comes up to my shoulder only but soundly thumped me down to her size for a decade until I went a viking off to Cathay. May I suggest you re-educate yourself on the following Women Warriors – notably, Joan of Arc, Eleanor of Aquitaine who accompanied her first husband on crusade, Elizabeth I, and others.
    * Daughter of Alfred the Great, she led the Mercian Army and helped build Mercia’s defenses against the Danish invaders.
    * Amalasuntha – Queen of the Goths
    see: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/womenwarriorsmedieval/Women_Warriors_Medieval.htm
    Maier, Christoph T. “The Roles of Women in the Crusade Movement: A Survey.” Journal of Medieval History 30 (2004) pp. 61-82.
    Includes articles discussing possible military roles for women. Plenty of bibliography. Particularly interesting is the story of Margaret of Beverly whose pilgrimage coincided with the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187. She was wounded while fighting on the ramparts wearing makeshift armor, paid a ransom after the city fell, and continued on in the East for another four years during which time she again became involved in fighting and took part in the subsequent plundering; she again experienced captivity as well as poverty, working as a washerwoman to complete her pilgrimage. A fascinating story.
    Faithfully
    Friar Jak

  14. Jak-
    I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, especially Sharon’s as this is her blog. But most people who read or comment on her blog, don’t insult or demean other people. Gayle is in her right to express her opinion, as we all are, including you. However, we should all keep it to a civil discussion, rather than an out and out name calling affair. I just don’t want anyone to feel as if they can’t express themselves on this blog, as I enjoy hearing everyone’s opinions and swapping information. Thank you for the rundown on women warriors, it was interesting.

  15. I need to come to Jak’s defense.. you aren’t hearing his wonderfully wry smile as he writes.. he’s not being rude, just colorful and charmingly curmudgeonly. He’s a hellvba guy without a mean bone in his body.
    Nan Hawthorne

  16. And today, the Battle of Evesham took place, where Royalist forces under Prince Edward and Gilbert de Clare defeated Simon de montofrt, who died on the battlefield with his son Henry. Also, Richard de Clare, the son of Isabel Marshal and Gilbert de Clare was born today.
    Jak, a question: Joan of Arc is often considered by modern historians to have been more of a standard-bearer, even if she did participate in combat. There is no record of Eleanor of Aquitaine ever being in an actual battle where she fought, and I believe the same can be said for Elizabeth I. Why do you mention them, then?

  17. Jak-
    I do apologize if you were being wry or sarcastic. Obviously it is hard to tell on here as opposed to having a in person conversation with you. I was just trying to difuse a situation before anything got out of hand. My apologies if anyone thought I was out of line or misread something.

  18. Dear Lady Penman’s Blog Lurkers,
    My apologies to those readers who did not see the connection between the claim women are too weak to lift a sword and one reader too weak to lift a book she felt was padded by white spaces. I felt her comments were as rude as my own, but I suppose I was ruder by trying to fight fire with fire… Proportional force was drilled into me over the course of a 20 year military career and decades of chivalrous endeavors in the SCA. If she is too weak to lift the book, then my chivalrous side should have sprung to her defense as the weaker party instead of Nan’s who carries her own sharpened sword or pen as it is.
    Joan, Eleanor and Elizabeth all wore armor and drilled with swords. While it is true they probably did not fight battles, they did lead them, even if in Joan’s case it was by shaming the men into action by her example.
    See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HouseIronrose/ for more information about modern middle ages (SCA) women fighters. At rapier practice last night in the Province of Arrows Flight (Orem Utah), there was an equal number of male and female fighters. Two of the ladies were able to kill me as many times as I killed them, while the third is a beginner and will one day be our equal with a sword as well as in all other ways of any importance. Well, that is not true, I will never bare a child, so they win
    Humbly
    Friar Jak

  19. Well I know Eleanor wore armor in her escape from Poitiers, as she was disguised as a knight, and I think I recall Elizabeth doing the same. Leading armies? If you mean riding with an army and as duchess/queen being in nominal command, I guess I’d agree… but leading an army in actual combat (even without participating) and learning how to wield a sword… frankly, I have no knowledge of this, nor do I see a chance of it happening. Sharon? Any comments/kowledge which can confirm/deny what Jak says, at least in regard to Eleanor?

  20. Two things from the author:
    1. Whether or not Eleanor carried, wielded a sword or actually fought, the fact is Joan of Arc did.. and quite a lot of other women as well. There were many many Anglo Saxon women warriors, and it is a long tradition in Cerltic cultures. Besides, I own a sword and can carry it and wield it.. I am all of 5 foot nothing and getting up there in years. If I had had my own Elisabeth’s training and motivation, I not only would I woould want to.
    2. This is fiction. All I have to do is stick within the realm of possibilities. I suggest anyone who thinks Elisabeth of Winterkirche could not wield a sword suspend disbelief until you meet her. She never was leading any armies.. but the way the Crusade of 1101 went, it is likely the 5000+ people the Turks massacred wish she and not the ones who did had led it.
    Nan Hawthorne

  21. I just wanted to alert everyone that I may be disappearing from the radar screen again for a while. I suffer from chronic and sometimes severe back pain, and if not for my chiropractor, I’d be making regular pilgrimages to Lourdes. But I’m in the midst of a bad flare-up and he is out of town for several weeks, so I have to limit my time at the computer. But when he gets home, I’m sure he’ll work his usual magic

  22. Sharon,
    thank you for another interesting interview. Amazing how some authors carry their stories with them for decades before finally putting them out there for all of us to read. A.I.K. is on my ever growing amazon wishlist/booklist as well as other books by Nan H.
    I hope you recouperate soon and yes, rest rest rest to minimize the back pain.
    Question to all:
    Are there any good books you know about that deal with Edward III/mid-1300s? I just read a book that peripherially dealt with him, his family and the plague and his life and times sounded interesting.

  23. Hello Again sharon,……”I bet Margurite de Anjou Had a sword?”…..and used it. or not?….Boudica?…….Fair Maidens Both??

  24. I’m not doubting that women can wield a sword or lead an army, and the fact that many did, Nan. I/m just asking whether there is known proof that Elizabeth I and Eleanor actually did so, which I doubt.
    Hope you feel better, Sharon. I’ll pray for your health.
    Today, Henry I was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

  25. Britta, a good nonfiction book about Edward III is Ian Mortimer’s The Perfect King.
    James, Margaret of Anjou didn’t use a sword or go into battle; she usually spent battles well away from the fighting. I don’t know of any evidence that Elizabeth I drilled with swords, and from what I can tell it’s highly uncertain whether she ever put on armor.

  26. Today Heinrich der Löwe, Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, who was married to Matilda, Henry and Eleanor’s daughter, died.

  27. Two more books about Edward III: for non-fiction, A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman is excellent with a lot of detail about the 1300s and whose main protagonist, Enguerrand de Coucy is the husband of Isabel, Edward III’s oldest daughter. For fiction, Molly Costain Haycraft’s The Lady Royal is a fun (and quick) read about the same Princess Isabel.

  28. Britta-
    A great nonfiction book that isn’t necessarily about Edward III is Katherine by Anya Seton. It’s one of my personal favorites and I know Sharon enjoys it as well!

  29. Wow Koby, you’re really following those along. Heinrich is a fascinating character, but I didn’t keep trace of the date of his death.
    Once I’m done with the series of Roman essays on my blog, I should get to the Cool Medieaval Germans. 🙂 Sometime next year or so. 😉

  31. Susan, May, Brenna, Gabriele,
    thanx for those recommendations, they are going up on my amazon wish list (Katherine already is ‘-) I had found Mortimer’s E-III bio before I posted here, he seems an excellent author.
    Gabriele,
    German is my first language, so I’ll pursuade my family to gift me that book you recommend for Xmas ‘-) Another book re: Henry the Lion is Paul Barz’, Heinrich der Löwe und seine Zeit, dtv premium, Euro 14,90 [D]

  32. How wonderfully calm! and Eloquent our Fellow-Blogers Are on this Site Sharon,!! Even when, mistakes are offered!!! Friar jak,Mebes you Could Enlighten us “Did friers Go on Crusade;s or was it Just (Knights Templar or other Bishopric -Sects) And Friars, Stayed at Home Making Meade, Hefferweitzen-Beer?……..and Artistically Doing Those Beautiful,..Hand Drawn/ written Bibles

  34. Jak, just so you know – I have arthritis, which sometimes affects what books I pick to read as holding a heavy book sometimes becomes uncomfortable. Also I have reached the age when reading small print is near impossible, to read, so again, I have to turn a book down. I think your comments to Gayle were rude. If they were meant to be ironic, then you need to somehow indicate that in another way. Disagree with her about her remarks about the book, but to insult her was beyond the pale.
    Sharon, my sympathies. When the back flares up like that, it colors everything you try to do. Hope your dr gets back soon, and in the mean time, be good to yourself. Just concentrate on getting better.
    Brenna, I think Katherine is fiction, tho I agree, its a splendid book about the time period, and certainly has well researched history in it.
    As to the issue of whether women can hold swords, I alway assumed they could if they were trained to do so.

  35. ” Cecilia Holland, The Secret Eleanor”
    Hoping thats better than another book about Eleanor that came out recently 🙂

  36. Britta, the book should be avaliable as Taschenbuch – I found it for 5 bucks at the grocery store, of all places. 🙂
    And you might check out Rebecca’s website, there are more Mediaeval English history doorstoopers to be found. 🙂 I haven’t read her latest, though.

  37. Gabi,
    i did check Gable’s website and sadly, she’s a traditionalist when it comes to Richard III… ‘-) But she liked SKP’s Sunne nonetheless; excellent book that it is.

  38. Lol, I have the same problem with Iris Kammerer’s Roman novels. My Arminius is totally different from hers, but the books are well researched and entertaining enough (though I could have done without that artificial romance subplot in Varus).
    Sorry for hijacking Sharon’s blog with German books. Believe me, the ones discussed here are only the tip of the iceberg; there are shelves with historical fiction in the book stores.

  39. Gabriele, feel free to hijack away any time! I do not speak German and find it frustrating that I cannot get translations of biographies, etc, especially ones about Lionheart.

  40. Sharon, I can imagine that is must be frustrating. Maybe I should not mention the German biographies? 😉 Unfortunatley, I don’t have the time to translate some 370 pages. What I could do is hunt for a specific question or event, and give a summary of the Richard chapter in the biography of Heinrich VI if I get some time to do it.
    Oh, and here’s a pretty little something for you. 🙂
    It’s a pity German novels so seldom get translated into English; I’m sure there’d be a readership for Gable’s family saga. It’s one of the reasons I write in English.

  41. I’d like to thank everyone for their good wishes and suggestions as I struggle through this latest back flare-up; thankfully my chiropractor comes home on Friday!
    Meanwhile, I have a favor to ask. We are trying to get Amazon to make When Christ and His Saints Slept available as a Kindle. They keep saying they are working on it, but this has been their answer since last year, so clearly Saints is not a priority. So I’d like to ask you all (and friends and family!) to go to this link on Amazon and click onto their “Tell the Publisher you want to read this book as a Kindle” feature. I honestly don’t know if it will help, but it can’t hurt, right? And not having the first book in a trilogy available is a real handicap and very frustrating to my readers. I hear about this more than any other issue. http://www.amazon.com/When-Christ-His-Saints-Slept/dp/0345396685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281448845&sr=1-1

  43. I have heard that this is supposed to be “the year of Eleanor”: four new books out about our favorite Eleanor. Besides the Alison Weir one (which I don’t think I will read after seeing the reviews), can anyone tell me what the titles and authors are, and if you would recommend them?

  44. Hi, Marilyn. The only other one I know about is The Secret Eleanor by Cecilia Holland, which just came out this past week. I alerted my readers on Facebook and planned to mention it in my next blog. I won’t be reading it myself–I never read books about “my” characters! But Cecilia Holland is a respected novelist and I am sure it will not be like The Captive Queen. I would strongly recommend anyone read the on-line reviews of the latter befor buying it. I’ll let you know, Marilyn, if I can find out the other two Eleanor books.

  45. Marilyn, me again. The third one is The Queen’s Pawn by Christy English. It didn’t pop immediately into my head because I thought of it as more about Alys Capet than Eleanor, but obviously Eleanor is a major character. Again, not one I’ve read, though I’ve met Christy and she is very nice!

  48. Indeed, today our favorite and greatest lady was born; Sharon Kay Penman herself, who has given us all many hours of pleasure and much to love. So I wish you a Happy Birthday, Sharon, and many more years to come, together with us all, writing and discussing books and history.

  49. Sharon – Thank you for leading the charge in attempting to get When Christ and His Saints Slept available in Kindle format. I’ve got all of your ‘big’ books with the exception of this one in Kindle format (and hardback too, of course) and know of your frustration in trying to get this one available. I have clicked the request button several times, and will continue doing so daily until it becomes available. On a separate but related note, Elizabeth Chadwick’s book, For the King’s Favor is available as a pre-order in the Kindle store.
    Hope your back is feeling much better very soon.

  51. Today, Margaret, George of Clarence’s daughter was born, as well as Catherine of York, Edward and Elizabeth’s 6th daughter.

  53. Today, Eustace of Boulogne died, even as William XI, Henry and Eleanor’s son was born. Also, Richard of Shrewsbury, Edward and Elizabeth’s son was born today.

  56. Me again. If you needed proof of how much I’ve come to trust you, Koby, this is it. I was surprised by your post for I was sure Geoffrey actually died on the 21st, but I was willing to take your post on faith. I did check, though, and my research says his death occurred on the 21st. I thought it would amuse you to see that my first instinct was to trust your post over my memory! In any case, I think Geoffrey well deserves two mentions, for he is one of the more intriguing “What ifs” of medieval history.

  57. Well, as I said, my calendar is based on the older sources and hasn’t been verified or edited. I suppose today was the day where he jousted and was trampled, probably. By the way, how’s your back?

  58. Sharon – A few years ago, my mother introduced me to your books. I started with the Welsh Prince trilogy, and was in absolute awe at the tapestry of Welsh and English history that you created. Shortly after I read them, I went to Portugal, where I lived for two years. During my time there, I lived in Evora, Lisbon, and Lagos where the cities are surrounded by walls built during medieval times by the moors and Christians. I could not help but picture the scenes from your books, especially Falls the Shadow. The stories of Geraldo of Evora who heroicly fought the moors in the Alentejo, Alfonso I who turned a fools claim to the throne into a holy quest, the “sort of queen” Ines, exumed after her death to have her murdurers kiss her decomposing hand and swear loyalty, and many many others. I hope to tell their stories myself one day.
    When I got back I read them again, caught up on Harry Potter, and some other books, and then this summer I started with When Christ and his Saints Slept, and today I just finished reading Time and Chance. Every chapter, my jaw dropped. Mostly during the times I read about Becket and Henry I. What clicked in Becket’s mind to abandon his friendship with the king instead of working with him, I will never know. Perhaps Hywel’s description of him as a chameleon is the best explanation. As soon as I get my paycheck this next week, I plan on purchasing The Devils Brood, (that is after I get diapers for my two week old son).
    My question for you is…How do you do it? I have been working on a retelling of the Robin Hood Story, and find that I do not have all the sources to get in the good research, or lack the ability to describe a scene.
    Your books have always been my favorite, and I look forward to reading them all. With that I guess that I have this hero worship of you. I hope that “Coeur de Lion” can spare you for a few moments to tell me how you tell a story better told. Speaking of him, would you tell him that I have had a hard time with him ever since “The Lion in Winter” and would greatly appreciate an explanation for his brutish behavior. Thanks!
    P.S. I hope your back feels better soon!
    -Eric

  59. Eric, what an interesting post. I am still nursing a bad back and having to limit my computer time, so I hope you won’t mind if it takes a few days for me to respond to your questions. Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy my writing.
    Koby, August 19th is often given as Geoffrey’s death date, but my research led me to August 21st as the more likely date. We don’t know the exact date of the tournament, but it seems reasonable to assume it was August 19th, for the implication in the chronicles is that he lingered for a few days after his fatal injury. “What if” is a fascinating game to play, and I think “What if Geoffrey didn’t die so prematurely?” is a very intriguing question. His survival could have changed English history in so many ways. Would Richard have dared to go on Crusade with Geoffrey lurking in the wings? Richard does not seem to have taken John all that seriously as a threat, but he saw Geoffrey in a different light. Assuming that he and Geoffrey somehow came to terms–maybe Geoffrey would have been more cooperative as the heir to the throne–Geoffrey’s survival would have meant no King John, for in a contest for the throne between Geoffrey and John, my money would have been on Geoffrey. And these are just a few of the “what if” scenarios!

  60. Aside from Geoffrey having died today, Philippe Auguste was born today according to my calendar, and Bernard of Claivaux died yesterday.

  62. Sharon-
    I don’t know if anyone reads older posts, but I had to say that I am reading Nan Hawthorne’s book and am enjoying it! The spaces make it a little difficult to determine the end of a storyline or just the end of a paragraph. However, I’m reading it on my kindle so it is a bit difficult to read anyway. Thank you for the recommendation! As always, I’ve enjoyed it.

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