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Arthurian Legend, Celtic religion

Pick a God, Any God

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God’s teeth? No, that oath came about a thousand years later. By the angel!? Nope, wrong book series. (10 points if you comment and can tell me which one it’s from.) Merlin’s beard! Okay, maybe that one.

It’s tough to say by whom Guinevere and Arthur would have sworn or exactly what sort of faith they may have professed, other than it was likely influenced by both Druidism and Christianity. Of course, I make assumptions in my books to suit my fiction, but in their historical time (approximately 475-530 AD), Celtic religion encompassed a variety of influences, especially those from the Roman Empire, and beliefs varied from tribe to tribe. But here are a few generalizations we can make:

They loved nature – Did you know there were no Celtic churches? That’s because the Celts believed in worshiping in nature, rather than in man-made temples. Oak groves, stone circles and sacred springs were about as close as they got to holy structures, and those shrines usually were tended to or presided over by a Druid. (No, Merlin did not build Stonehenge; neither did the Druids. It was actually built several thousand years before the Arthurian period.) Because of their close association with nature, the Druids were believed to be able to control the weather. There was also some belief the Druids could shape shift into animal form, which was probably derived from the shamanistic practice of wearing the animal skin/horns/feathers in ritual to invoke its power, similar to Native American practice. And no, they didn’t sacrifice people on a mass scale. Possibly a few here and there, but why, when and how is up for debate.

They had a god/goddess for everything – The Celtic connection to nature and their agrarian lifestyle also influenced the way they saw their deities. They loved triple symbolism, so often their deities show up in three-fold form. For example, the Goddess is said go through a whole life cycle each year: maiden (spring), mother (summer and fall) and wise woman (winter). Likewise, the God was said to live through three phases each year: young child (late winter/spring), strong man/lover (summer/early fall), and dying old man (late fall/early winter), who would be reborn on the midwinter solstice along with the sun. (More to come on the Celtic calendar and how their holy days fit in a future post.)

The three aspects of the Celtic goddess: maiden, mother and wise woman

So, with all these options, who you gonna call? (No, not Ghostbusters.) The answer depends on what you need. If you were a Celtic blacksmith, a woman in labor or just in need of some poetic inspiration, you’d invoke the goddess Brigid. Going into battle? Mirthas might be your man. (He’s a Roman god adopted by the Celts during the Roman occupation. There’s even some speculation that he was Arthur’s preferred god.) If a goddess is more your style, call on the Morrigan to aid your fight.

Some deities were specific to a location such as a sacred spring or holy grove (the goddess Coventina was worshiped at a spring near Hadrian’s Wall), while others were tribal deities who date back into the murky past of the pre-Roman Celts. And some were more popular and wide-spread than others, such as the goddesses Airanrhod, Branwen, Blodeuwedd, Rhiannon and Cerridwen, especially beloved in what is now Wales, or the gods Cernunnos (the Horned One), Herne (the Hunter) or Lugh (Lord of Light).

They co-existed with Christians – There’s great debate in the historical community about when Christianity came to Britain (probably sometime around 300-400 AD, but it wouldn’t rise to total prominence for a few hundred more years) and even greater debate among Arthurian scholars as to whether or not Arthur was Christian. (Most stories have him being Christian, but they were written well after Christianity became the dominant religion.) In reality, Guinevere and Arthur’s beliefs could have gone either way because that time period was one of transition where the old ways (Druidism) were dying out, but not completely dead, and the new power (Christianity) was rising, but didn’t quite have a hold. I’d love to tell you how that plays out in my books, but you’ll have to wait to read them to find out.

Celtic religion, Celtic society

Meet the Druids

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Close your eyes and picture a Druid. What do you see? Chances are a white bearded man in a white robe springs to mind, perhaps with a golden sickle and a bough of mistletoe, someone similar to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, right? That’s what we’ve been conditioned to think of by both “historical” accounts from Roman and Greek contemporaries and Hollywood.

A Druidess by Alexandre Cabanel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In reality, the Druids were a far more diverse group, young and old, including men (who were called Druids) and women (who were called priestesses). They made up the most powerful class of Celtic society. And unlike in some modern religions, they were free to marry, with Druids often marrying priestesses or either one marrying warrior nobles. There were some who voluntarily chose chastity, such as the virgin priestesses who guarded the sacred fire of the Goddess Brigid in Ireland before the coming of Christianity, but they were an exception, rather than the rule.

There were three groups of Druids:

  1. Priests – Led ritual, taught the young, and persevered the religious tradition of the tribe.
  2. Bards – Composed music and poetry that was believed to have a magical effect. A bard’s song was thought to be able to induce sleep, control mood and cause illness or death. The satire of a bard (also known as the Poet’s Curse) permanently ruined a leader’s reputation and so was often used by warring tribes against one another.
  3. Prophets – Divined the future through the reading of patterns in animal entrails,  tracks or flight patterns or  by casting of lots of sacred wood (similar to reading runes). Some also received messages from the gods and goddesses.

The head Druid was called the Archdruid and he was elected by his peers.

Power and Function
The Druids held great power. In Ireland, the Druids chose the King through a shamanistic ritual call The Bull Dream. In the Irish court, no one, including the King, could speak before the court Druid had spoken. The word of a Druid was final, even if a more powerful noble disagreed. If you went against a Druid ruling, he or she could strip you of your rights, barring you from religious ceremony and all tribal matters, rendering you an outlaw without tribe or purpose.

Although exempt from taxes and military service, it was not uncommon for a Druid to accompany an army into battle. A Druid could stop a fight with a single word, even if the local noble or warrior leading the fight disagreed. There was also a custom that solider would always yield his or her weapon to a Druid if they asked for it, even in the middle of a battle.

Becoming a Druid
Almost all Druids were recruited from the nobility. It is believed that training took nearly 20 years for a priest or prophet and 7 – 12 years for a bard (and this in an age when the life span was pretty short – probably no longer than 35-40). It is said that at one time there were 13 Druid colleges (yes, that’s what they called them) or centers of learning in Britain alone. All religious learning was done orally and so the Druids became known for their astounding feats of memorization (which are even more amazing  viewed through our modern, writing-dependant, ADD mindset). But that also meant much of their tradition was lost over time (I’ll go in-depth on their religious beliefs in a future post). It is known that the Druids had a secret written language known only to them called Ogham. Its letter were named for the sacred Celtic trees, but its purpose remains a mystery (theories name it everything from a method of accounting to a secret code for communicating with non-Latin speakers).

But not all who studied with them stayed for the long haul. Many children of nobility were there only to learn from the gifted mathematicians, astrologers and healers among them. It is also probable that they were great linguists, considering there were dozens of tribes at any given time in Britain alone, each with their own language (or at least dialect) and the Druids were known to communicate internationally with one another in Latin and Greek.

Persecution
The Druids underwent severe persecution by the Romans in Britain, because the Romans both feared and were jealous of their judicial power, ability to incite rebellion and religious sway. They routinely attacked Druid centers, cutting down their sacred oak groves and slaughtering the Druids. The most famous attack was on the Isle of Anglesey (then called the Isle of Mona) in 6o AD, which was so brutal that the event became known as the Rape of Mona. Still, the religion perservered until the late sixth century, when Christianity finally took over.

Up next…learn what the Celts believed about religion and the afterlife.

Arthurian Legend, Celtic society

Class in Celtic Society

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Celtic Warriors by Antoine Glédel (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

“It’s good to be the King,” or so says Mel Brooks. But in Celtic society, it was also good to be a Druid, warrior or even highly skilled craftsman. These were the high-ranking classes, the movers and shakers of their tribes and kingdoms. (When I say Celtic, keep in mind there were Celts in continental Europe, too. I’ll try to limit myself to the British Isles and note when I’m referring to a specific people, but a lot of research lumps them all together, so I have to as well.)

In modern America, we’re raised to be individualists, concerned mostly about our own wants, needs and achievements. The Celts were the exact opposite. In their world, loyalty to tribe and clan (and to a lesser degree, kingdom) was everything. While they honored and rewarded individual acts of political and military prowess or extraordinary bravery, in the grand scheme, their family and societal units were the most influential in shaping their mindsets and defining who they were.

There were five major groups in Celtic society. Both men and women could be members of any of these groups.

Boudicea haranguing her troops by Edward Farr (and others) (The national history of England) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1. Druids – The Druids were the most powerful class in Celtic society. Much more than the ancient equivalent of priests, they also functioned as judges and lawgivers, poets/musicians, healers, teachers and prophets.  They had the power to incite rebellion or stop war with a single word. Their word was law, and if you crossed a Druid, you risked being stripped of your societal status and deemed an outlaw (see#5 below). Free from taxes and able to demand certain types of exorbitant payment for their services, some historians speculate they were even wealthier than the warrior class.
2. Warriors– The most powerful warriors often were also the clan chieftains. The Celts were fearsome fighters, but they didn’t fight in organized units like the Roman army. Because tribal loyalty was more important than battle tactics, if a Celtic general chose to break his war band up into units, he’d have to make sure the unit could survive on its own, in case the members decided to ignore his plans and fight individually. The most popular weapon for a warrior was a spear or javelin, but swords were also common. The Celts fought on horseback, as well as on foot. As in every other culture, to the victors go the spoils, so successful warriors were often very rich.

3. Professionals – The professional class included anyone with specialized skill: blacksmiths, metal workers, genealogists, historians, lawyers and physicians are all frequently mentioned in contemporary Roman, Greek and other accounts of Celtic society. Any one of these professions could include the Druids and warriors, too. If a person proved multi-talented, they were given a special elevated status and often accumulated great power and wealth.

4. Slaves – The Celts owned slaves. There I said it. As uncomfortable as it is to modern sensibilities, it’s true. Slaves were often members of conquered tribes or peoples and frequently were used as currency to pay debts or honor agreements. Female slaves actually had a going rate that fluctuated over time and were the most popular, followed by children. Hey, I never said Celtic society was all rainbows and butterflies.

5. Outlaws – Outlaws are exactly what the word sounds like, people who were “outside of the law.” They lived in wilderness areas between tribes and often functioned as a makeshift sort of police force. But before you go thinking all Robin Hood, keep in mind these were people without a tribe or family in a world where those relationships defined you. In a way, Celtic society was similar to the Quakers or Amish. If you were shunned by society, you no longer existed. But unlike those later societies, the Celts had to do more than say they were sorry to get back in. More on that later.

You may notice there is no separate category for nobility. That is strange to those of us used to a more Medieval mindset, but in the Celtic world, both the Druids and the warriors could be nobles depending on their lineage, function and wealth. The Celts had a rule that any member of honorable society (the first three classes) could be stripped of their legal rights if they failed to execute the legal obligations of their station.

There is much more that can be said about the Druids, warriors and outlaws, so I’ll address each in more detail in future blog posts. Warning: I have fascination with the Druids, so you’re going to get to know them pretty darn well.

Arthurian Legend, Celtic society

Arthurian Legend 101

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What’s that you say? Your understanding of Arthurian legend is limited to a popular musical, a bad 80’s cartoon and Monty Python? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Since most people have lives and probably didn’t grow up consuming these stories like ‘tweens on a Twilight bender, here’s what you need to know about the main characters. (Disclaimer: I may or may not follow these storylines in my book, so some parts may be spoilers and others may not appear at all.)

Arthur Pendragon – Son of Lady Iggraine (Grainne/Ygerna) and High King Uther Pendragon. As the story goes, Uther fell in love with Iggraine while she was married to a lord named Goloris. While Goloris was out at a battle, Uther snuck in to see Iggraine (in some cases Merlin cast a spell on him to make him look like Goloris) and bow-chica-wow-wow, Arthur was conceived. When Merlin found out about the child, he arranged from him to be raised by Lord Ector for his own safety, and so Arthur grew up ignorant of his paternity. Depending on who tells the tale, sometimes it is Merlin who tells him, sometimes Uther, other times he finds out through magical means (i.e. sword in the stone). In some versions of the story, Arthur is Morgan’s brother. He is always Mordred’s father. Arthur traditionally is mortally wounded at Mordred’s hand during the battle of Camlann. Some say he died on the battlefield, others in Avalon, while some say he did not die (just like Elvis) but sleeps, waiting for the call to save the world once again.

Guinevere – Daughter of Lord Leodgrance or Leogden. Nothing is ever said about her mother, siblings or early life. She marries Arthur and becomes High Queen. In most traditions she is Christian, but is sometimes associated with the isle of Avalon. Most of the time she’s barren, but a few authors give her a child, usually a son, who dies in childhood. She is often kidnapped, most famously by a rebellious Lord named Malegant or Melwas, and sometimes even by Mordred. She is famous for her affair with Lancelot, which may or may not have been sexual. When Mordred discovers their affair, Guinevere is sentenced to death for treason, but is rescued by Lancelot. She is said to either have died of grief after Arthur’s death or lived out her days in penance in a convent.

It’s interesting to note that in many traditions, there are two Guineveres (the true and the false), who are sometimes twins, sisters, or lady/serving maid. In Welsh tradition, there are three. As fantasy author Mercedes Lackey points out, Guinevere’s life certainly is adventurous enough for several people!

Lancelot (du Lac) – Arguably the most famous Knight of the Round Table. He is usually from Brittany and sometimes the son of their Lady of the Lake (it’s a title, so there can be more than one), but most often he doesn’t know who is parents are. Lancelot is always known for his skill with a sword, and sometimes also with the ladies. Though the popular musical paints him as arrogant, that is not a common trait. He fights for Guinevere out of love that may be chaste or something more, depending on tradition. He is instrumental in the quest for the Holy Grail and is sometimes one of three knights who are allowed to be in its holy presence (the other two are traditionally Galahad and Perceval). Once his affair is discovered, Arthur banishes him to Brittany, but he comes back in time to save Guinevere from death. He traditionally enters a monastery in repentance for his sins and there eventually passes away.

Merlin – Merlin may be a title given to the Archdruid or it may be a name, no one knows for sure. Merlin is usually the son of a nun and a demon (because that makes sense). He always has prophetic powers and is Arthur’s chief advisor. In some traditions, Merlin doesn’t age, so he provides advice to Vortigern (a king several generations prior to Arthur), aids Uther in Arthur’s conception and guides Arthur throughout his reign – all in a single lifetime (see why I favor the title theory?). In a few stories, he even ages backwards. Merlin is said to have foreseen the affair of Guinevere and Lancelot and the resulting fall of Camelot and so was against Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere, as well as his acceptance of Lancelot at court. Merlin’s fate is questionable. Some say he fell in love with Nimue, a witch or priestess who cast a spell on him to steal his power and then entombed him in a glass or air tower or ancient oak. Others say he went mad during a battle (possibly Camlann) and ran raving into the forest, never to be seen again.

Morgan (le fey) –  Morgan started out in Arthurian legend as a healer or priestess. She is often cited as one of the nine holy women of Avalon. Somewhere along the way she became Arthur’s sister and all hell broke loose. In some traditions she competes with Arthur for the throne, while in others, she simply wants to kill him. She and Guinevere have a natural dislike of one another and Morgan sometimes tries to kill or sabotage the Queen. No matter her relation to them, Morgan is almost always Mordred’s mother (her sister Morgause/Ana is his mother in early legend) and fights for her son’s claim to the throne. In some versions, she accompanies a mortally wounded  Arthur back to Avalon after the battle of Camlann. Beyond that, her final fate is unknown.

Someday I’ll probably do a part two with other famous characters like Elaine, Viviane, Nimue, Tristan, Isolde, Galahad, Mordred, etc. If there is anyone in particular you want to know about, tell me in the comments and I’ll respond. But suffice it to say if I went into all the supporting cast (not to mention the ones I made up), you’d probably nod off. With all the branches of legend, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Arthurian characters and every version treats them slighly differently. If you want to know more, I recommend The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian Legend. Or just ask me. 🙂

Arthurian Legend, Celtic religion, Celtic society

A Celtic Primer (Top 10 Fun Facts)

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Okay trivia and history buffs, listen up. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about the Celts and probably should before reading my books:

  1. Say it with me: Celtic. It’s pronounced “kell-tic” with a hard “c” like the word “call.” Only the Boston basketball team says it “sell-tic.” You would insult a Celt by saying it wrong. And you don’t want to cross the Celts. They’re a temperamental bunch.
  2. The Celts founded Austria. Although we normally think of the Celts as living in Britain and Ireland, before they were forced west by barbarian tribes, they founded or at least influenced some of the most advanced cultures of central Europe, including Austria and parts of modern-day France, Germany and Spain. (My mom and maternal line are from Vienna, so I’m proud to call myself an ancient Celt.)
  3. Celtic women were very independent. They enjoyed equal (and in some times and places, higher) status to men. They were educated, fought in battle, served as Druid priestesses and even as Queens. Oh, and they wore makeup, just not as much as the Egyptians. More on Celtic women in a future blog post.
  4. Marriage was complicated. There were as many as 10 kinds of legal marriage including polygamy, rape, and marriage by kidnapping. Divorce was not only legal, but common. But there were no illegitimate children or orphans because the tribe cared for all children. More in a future post.
  5. They invented many things. Chain mail armor, horseshoes, organized farming and crop rotation, mechanical harvesters and rotating flour mills (technology that would be lost for hundreds of years after the Anglo-Saxons conquered them), fertilizer (the natural kind), the iron plough share, iron rimmed wheels, and according to the Greeks, soap!
  6. Blonde hair and blue eyes were common. I always thought only Nordic and Germanic people were fair colored, but my research says otherwise. Blonde and red-gold hair were common among the Celts, as were blue eyes and pale, “milk-like” skin. The Celts also were very tall for their time, a fact that many Roman historians remarked upon.
  7. They wore pants. Seriously. We think of tunics and kilts (that was a Pictish thing, not Celtic). Both men and women wore trousers when in battle. Men wore them at other times as well, but every day dress for a woman was usually a bell-shaped tunic secured by a belt. (Sorry guys, bodices didn’t come for another several hundred years.)
  8. Being fat was a punishable crime. The Celts would not like modern America. As a warrior race, they were obsessed with physical prowess. Being fat (sometimes measured by belt size) was a disgrace and could be punished by a heavy fine.
  9. They were an artistic people. The Celts were talented metalworkers. They made intricate jewelry of bronze and gold, wore brightly colored and patterned clothes, embroidered and decorated everything they could, and invented the spiraling, knot-like pattern we associate with them today.
  10. The Celts owned slaves. We tend not to think about that, but slaves were a part of their class system (more in a future blog post), as in many other conquering societies. Slaves were the only class (at least of women) who wore their hair short, as a sign of their bondage.

Not nearly as backwards of a group as you thought, huh? And this is just a taste. More info to come in future posts.

Sources:
Who Were the Celts? by Kevin Duffy
Daily Life of the Pagan Celts by Joan Alcock

So which fact surprised you the most or was your favorite? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see what else I can tell you about it.

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Success, Writing process

Three Things I’ve Learned from Writing

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I’m going to get all Zen philosophical on you for a moment. Feel free to assume lotus pose (if you can I’ll be really jealous) and curl up with a warm cup of Chai. Maybe put on some soothing music. Here are three insights about life and writing I’ve gained in the process of writing my first book:

  1. Every tiny step forward counts. The blank screen and blinking cursor are the bane of every writer’s existence, whether you’re writing a novel or a note inside a greeting card (okay, that involves a pen, but you get the point). It can be overwhelming to think about the sheer volume of what you’re trying to accomplish. That is, until you take a step back and realize every novel is written one word, one sentence, one paragraph, one scene, one chapter at a time. (I tell myself that all the time.) Similarly, any goal you’re trying to achieve is really measured in tiny steps so any and every little bit of progress should be celebrated.
  2. It’s the journey that really matters. Sometimes I get so caught up in finishing my current book (or even the whole series) by whatever artificial deadline is my head that I forget to enjoy myself along the way. I have remind myself that this writing time is something I will never get back so I should savor it, rather than try to rush through it. You can’t ever write a book (or even a single scene) for the first time more than once. Life is the same way. We rush through so many seemingly little things (sunsets, time with loved ones, a really good meal) trying to get to the next milestone that we risk not realizing what we had until we’ve missed it. I, for one, don’t want to look back on my life with regret because I was too busy to take the time to appreciate all the highs and lows that got me to the end of it.
  3. Be yourself, not anyone else.  A writer friend of mine was worrying the other day that her writing style is too plain to be interesting to people, especially in comparison to other authors. I told her this: Your voice is what makes you, you. There is an audience out there for the whole spectrum of writing. I’m no Cassandra Clare, but I enjoy her descriptive style. People will enjoy hers too. I think simplicity fits certain genres and time periods better than others [she’s writing about the Midwest during the Depression.] Now, if she was writing about Victorian England, maybe not so much. The same can be said about life. No matter how much we may admire others for their personality, talents, looks, etc., we can’t be them. If we try to imitate them, all we do is shortchange ourselves. We are who we are for a reason, so we should find our true selves and let them shine, warts, misplaced modifiers and all.

Hmmm…I’m starting to wonder if I should have written self-help books instead of historical fiction. Nah, a knight and an Avalonian priestess would look very weird giving advice to people in the Information Age.

Arthurian Legend, Celtic society

Picture it: Britain 475 A.D.

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Lindisfarne Castle [CC-BY-2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Come on, admit it, you got the Golden Girlsreference in the title, didn’t you? If not, read it again and think about Sophia. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

The setting of my books, Britain in the early Dark Ages, is very different from the world we live in. Almost no one could read, technology (such as it was) was limited at best and life was short and often hard. Step into this world with me for a moment:

The prosperous Roman Empire had abandoned Britain 70 years earlier to defend its crumbling heart (Rome) from invading barbarians. Many of its roads, villas and customs remained, but the Britons themselves were returning to pre-empirical tribal conflicts. Petty kings were causing civil war and destroying each other’s kingdoms, while to the north, the Picts of modern-day Scotland vied for land and resources, killing and pillaging almost as bad as the Saxons who occupied what used to be Britain’s eastern coast. To the west, the Irish were in constant battle mode, attacking coastal towns in order to bring valuables and slaves back to their island. On top of that, zealous Christian missionaries were slowly making inroads in converting the pagan natives to Christianity and gaining power and influence as a result.

Historically, we can’t prove that anyone ever tried to unite the Britons except for in the battle of Mount Badon, where the British roundly defeated the Saxons, ushering in an era of relative peace. But 1,500 years of legend tells us otherwise. Someone stopped their pretty squabbling and defended Britain against her enemies. That man was King Arthur and this is the world into which he, and his future wife, Guinevere, were born.

Now, put aside all of your preconceptions based on power, race, resources and size for a second and imagine another scenario with me: The American government has fallen, and with it the majority of our infrastructure and technology. Powerful men from each state vie for dominance without a thought for us, the citizens. The Mexicans have taken over the south and much of the east coast. The Canadians sense our vulnerability invade from the north. To the west, the Japanese conduct constant raids.  Those of us who aren’t fighting in the internal or external wars are left to try to eke out a living in an economy that is virtually non-existent. Or if we happen to be rich, we’re spending all of our time trying to keep our wealth from being taken from us. And imagine that some fundamentalist religion was gaining power in the midst of all this chaos, trying desperately to get you to abandon the beliefs you grew up with or freely chose and convert to their way of thinking.

It may sound silly on the surface, but really think about it. That’s our version of the reality Arthur and Guinevere lived in. Would you have the strength to lead us through it? Arthur, or someone he is based on, certainly did.

You’ll never think of the Dark Ages quite the same again, will you?

This this first in a series of posts meant to introduce you to the world of King Arthur, Guinevere and their fellow Celts. Be on the lookout for future installments so you’re all caught up when the first book comes out.

About the Author, Arthurian Legend

Why Arthurian Legend?

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Knights of the Round Table [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

Someone actually asked me the other day why I write about Arthurian Legend when vampires, zombies and werewolves are where the money’s at. The short answer: Because Guinevere is in my head, not any of those other creatures.

The long answer? ::Takes a deep breath:: Well, for one, fads come and go, but Arthurian legend has endured for 1500 years. I’m proud to be putting my own stamp on it. But the truth is, I’ve been fascinated by this story since I was a little girl. I grew up on the musical Camelot and have always been attracted to the story. Heck, I’m the girl who wanted to have Guinevere as my confirmation name, but the nuns wouldn’t let me since there is no St. Guinevere. (I went with my next favorite myth and picked Marian instead, not understanding until years later just how appropriate that was for me.)

Other little girls latched on to Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, but Queen Guinevere was my fairy tale princess. I have hazy recollections a turning the pages of a book with colorful photos of castles and knights and ladies in long dresses. That’s where my imagination lives, deep within that world. And I’m happy there.

During my freshman year of college a friend of mine gave me a copy of The Mists of Avalon for Christmas. To this day, it’s one of my favorite books, but I hated Marian Zimmer Bradley’s portrayal of Guinevere as a meek, agoraphobic, Christian queen. Shortly after, I read a book that, while not all that believable, centered on what happened to Guinevere after Arthur’s death and I realized you don’t hear much about that. All you ever read (if anything) is she ended her days doing penance in a convent.

I started to wonder what did happen to her the fall of Camelot. And what was her life like before Arthur? I ran through all the stories in my head and realized Guinevere is rarely portrayed favorably and hasn’t really had a chance to tell her story. Viola, she came into my head and a story was born – one that has persisted for over 10 years and will hopefully be hitting your bookshelves in the next few years.

Writing process

An Author’s Work is Never Done

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booksI’m starting to realize that research isn’t just something you do before you write a novel, while you are conceptualizing the plot. Yes, that is a VERY important step, but you can’t rest on your laurels after that, especially if what you write edges anywhere near historical fiction or has any subject in it about which are not already an expert. Readers know things you’d never expect them to and they know when you’re making stuff up. To quote the movie Pump Up the Volume, they can “smell a lie like a fart in a car.” (Crass, I know, but I bet it made you laugh!) And the last thing you want to do is be disingenuous to your readers.

Like it or not, research is ongoing. It seems like every single day I read or see something that reminds me of some detail I need to double-check in my books. So today I spent several hours in the local library headquarters reading a book in the closed special collection. It made me feel very important that I had to turn in my purse before they’d let me read the book. (Bags of any sort are not allowed because someone might be dumb enough to try to steal a rare book.) It took me a few hours to get through the book and hand write my notes, but it was the most valuable research I’ve done so far. (Lucky for me, it confirmed what I’ve already written, so no major edits needed!) But I also found out details I didn’t think we’re available, so I can now add them in to make my story even richer.

A lot of times when we write we get so caught up in the process we just make stuff up or go with what seems right, but at some point before any agents or publishers see it, we have to make sure those things are correct. So, what are you doing on your Saturday night? I’m going through the pile of about 15 books the library let me check out. Some people would call that sad, but I call it fun (now do you believe I’m a dork?). It’s an investment in my future. By the way, if you’re curious about my sources, I’ve added a research page to this blog so you can see them for yourself. Those 15 new ones aren’t included because I don’t know which I’ll end up using, but I’ll update the page as new sources come along.

And all this is really just for the first two books. The third book involves another culture I’ve only had to have a cursory understanding of so far. That means more trips to the library and more books once I finish writing the second book. And the fourth book takes place (mostly) in another country, so I don’t even want to think about how long it’s going to take me to learn its geography, culture, laws, etc. But I love learning, so I don’t consider this a hardship.

One word of advice to anyone doing research: don’t trust the Internet. (Okay, that was four words.) Anyone can put anything out there. The Internet isn’t all bad; there are some trustworthy sites and they aren’t a bad place to start, but I always try to verify information in a book or at least find two or three credible websites that corroborate whatever fact I’m looking at if I’m going to rely on the Internet. And no, Wikipedia is not a credible source.

Wow, I feel like I’ve just taught a Research 101 class. Well, my mom has always said I’m going to end up as a professor someday, so I guess now’s a good time to start practicing! And if you need me, just look under that pile of books on the couch. I’m in there somewhere.

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