Rosanne E. Lortz - Official Author Website

The Man Who Did Not Keep His Word

2012-01-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

Have you ever promised something that was not yours to promise? What did you do then? Did you keep your word or did you break it? At that point, which is the worse option?

At the Council of Clarendon in 1164, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was bullied into making some concessions to Henry II that allowed the king undue power over the Church. Later, Becket regretted and rescinded his words. When he was reproached with oath breaking, Becket answered this: “If we lapsed at Clarendon (for the flesh is weak), we ought to regain our spirit, and in the strength of the Holy Spirit rise up against the ancient enemy, who tries to make the one who stands also fall, and prevent the one who falls from getting up again. If under a guarantee in the word of truth there we conceded there or swore unjustly, you know that by no law are we obliged to that which was unlawfully sworn.”

I have always admired Thomas Becket for these words, for admitting that he had been wrong and then trying to correct his error as best he could--even though such backpaddling could only tarnish his reputation further. An oath, according to Becket, is not a thing that is holy in and of itself. An oath may be sinful, a work of the devil. And when an oath is sinful in its conception, it is an even greater sin in its completion. Better, says Becket, to be forsworn than to commit a second sin for the purposes of honoring the first.

It's been nearly ten years since I first befriended Thomas Becket. I attended a small liberal arts college in Northern Idaho named New Saint Andrews College where students were required, to obtain their bachelor's degree, to write a senior thesis on a subject of their choosing. Thomas Becket and I had met early in my junior year during a class on saints and hagiography. I knew, with hardly any hesitation, that this man was my choice for a senior thesis. I spent a year exploring his life through the primary sources of medieval chroniclers and his own letters. I watched him turn from chancellor to archbishop, from a man of the king's coin to a man of the true cloth. And I had the pleasure to write about his transformation, his trials, and his martyrdom in one-hundred-and-ten pages that I then defended before a panel of faculty members.

If you have not become acquainted with this remarkable man, I urge you to take the opportunity to do so. The Life and Death of Saint Thomas Becket: Type of Paul, Type of Peter, Type of Christ is now available for FREE on Amazon Kindle from February 25 to February 29. This copy of my college thesis also contains a free three-chapter sample of my debut novel I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince.

The Miracle in the Cave

2012-01-19T14:27:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, during the throes of research, you run across an anecdote in a primary source that you can't wait to use in your novel. In Ralph of Caen's book the Gesta Tancredi, there is one such anecdote burning a hole in my pocket...or should I say a hole in my keyboard? The setup is this: the First Crusaders are camped outside of Jerusalem, doing their best to take to take the city despite a dearth of men, food, and siege engines. Tancred, a young Norman marquis (and the hero of the trilogy I'm writing), is on patrol duty searching for wood to build siege towers. Take it away, Ralph!

Tancred, at this time, was suffering badly from dysentery. Although he could barely sit on a horse, he did not spare himself from riding. This sickness frequently forced him to dismount, to go far off, and to search for a hidden spot. Suffering for a long while in this manner and with feet tired out from the journey, he decided to give up this labor and to return ingloriously. But then the accustomed torment struck him. So he withdrew, and climbed down thinking to escape the eyes of his comrades. But when he looked back, he realized that he had not gotten away. Therefore, he searched even further for a hidden spot but again saw people wandering about everywhere. He changed his spot a third and then a fourth time. Finally, after a long walk under a rocky outcropping in a circle surrounded by tall trees, he found quiet.... After relieving himself and gaining back his strength, he noticed four pieces of wood on the opposite wall of the cave. One could not hope for anything more useful for the task at hand. For, it is said, that they were from the materials used by the king of Egypt in his conquest of Jerusalem. [The Egyptian Fatimids had just conquered Jerusalem from the Seljuk Turks prior to the arrival of the First Crusaders.] When he saw them, so great was his joy, that he could not believe it or trust his eyes. He got up and went over to touch them and see them more closely. Thereupon, 'Hey, hey, comrades, hurry here,' he shouted. 'Here,' he repeated. 'God has given us more than we sought. We were seeking rough wood and we have found it prepared.'

Poor guy! Dysentery is no joke, and when you've got to go, you've got to go! It is so amusing to me how he finally goes into the cave to "relieve" himself (a la King Saul) and finds the very thing they have been searching for.

My current WIP, Flower of the Desert, culminates with the capture of Jerusalem by the First Crusaders and the siege leading up to that event. I'm still working on the first part of the novel, however, and unless I jump ahead to the end, it'll be a while before Tancred gets to visit the cave outside Jerusalem. I suppose that part of the story will still be waiting for me when I get there though. That's the nice thing about history...it tends to stay the same.

Interview with an Artist: Anna Tooze

2012-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

"To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then, by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds, or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling that others may experience the same feeling - this is the activity of art."

So wrote the great Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy. What a novelist does with "forms expressed in words," an artist does with lines and colors. They both transmit a feeling that they have experienced so that others may feel it too. Today I have the privilege to cross out of my own artistic medium of writing and interview Anna Tooze, an up-and-coming artist from my area. I love Anna's paintings and am excited to feature her on my blog.

Anna Tooze

Anna Tooze's Bio: I am a 19 year old Christian artist from Portland, Oregon who loves the Lord with all my heart and am thankful everyday for all his many blessings--including my passion for art. Ever since I was able to hold a crayon I have been fascinated with color, creating images in my head and putting them somewhere…it didn’t have to be paper. Currently I am a student and intern teacher at a local art school and love creating images inspired by beautiful things I have seen. The best part about being an artist is knowing that my pieces will be hanging on somebody’s wall someday, being admired by the owner(s), and being a part of the theme, style and comfort of that home. This is why I love giving artwork as wedding gifts. Painting is my comfort zone. It is what I can put my emotions into and it is something that is truly me. I also love the connection with my grandmother I feel when I paint. She also had a passion for painting, and even though I didn’t get to know her very well, I feel like I know her when I paint.

Holding Hands

Without further ado, here is my interview with Anna Tooze. I hope you enjoy reading her answers to my questions and viewing these samples of her work.

1. When did you first realize that you were interested in “doing art”?

AT: I have been "Doing Art" ever since kindergarten coloring projects. It has always been something I have loved and had an interest in since I was about six years old. The first time I realized that I actually wanted to try learning art techniques from a teacher was when I was nine, and the first time I realized I wanted to teach and sell art was just last year (2011).

2. Did you take formal art lessons or are you self-taught? What would you consider the pros and cons to each of these methods of learning art?

AT: Both. I started taking private art lessons from a lady when I was nine, who held classes at my church with a group of about ten or so kids. She retired from teaching when I was sixteen, and soon after, I heard about a local art school and started taking more formal, classroom oriented lessons from there. During that whole period of time, I had also been doing pieces on my own at home and learning how to do different things by myself. More recently I have been searching other artists work and youtube videos to learn from as well (including Bob Ross!).

I would definitely say the pros of formal art lessons are you get to learn techniques from another artist in person and gain basic skills while interacting with other students who are learning as well. You get help and advice from other artists who are experienced in teaching and answering questions. The cons of formal art lessons would be, at times, you don't have as much freedom with pieces as you might on your own. The art school I go to is more of a classical art school. They have levels of classes and certain techniques they want you to learn; therefore, they want you to do art pieces that involved those techniques. You might, with formal art lessons, have homework and receive grades on your performance. Personally, I don't mind that! However, some might not like the fact of being "graded" on art pieces.

Now, the pros of being self-taught are the fact that you get as much freedom as you want (which is very nice at times!). You get to choose exactly what you want to learn and you get to paint exactly what you want to paint. Nobody is over your shoulder watching you, making suggestions or corrections, and all you do is in your own time. No deadlines. The cons are the fact that you wouldn't get formal teaching from an already experience artist and teacher. Sometimes, it can be really helpful to have other artists telling you what they think of your pieces and helping you master troubling spots. With being self-taught, you can still master hard things, but it may take longer and you don't necessarily have support and good critique from others that are learning as well.

Florence, Italy

3. What has been one of the hardest things for you to master artistically?

AT: People! People, people, people, and I am still trying to master it! The hardest thing for most artists (I believe) is trying to capture the human face and figure as accurately as possible. It is truly an amazing thing when an artist can create a portrait of someone and make it look like you are really looking at them in person.

Fire Flower

4. What is your favorite medium to work with? What is your favorite subject matter?

AT: I would have to say that watercolor is my favorite medium so far. I have still not yet worked with every medium there is, but so far that's the one I like best. I love the watery, smooth look and feel it gives and how it hardly has any odor! It is also the medium I have been working with the longest.

Favorite subject matter would currently be flowers, but I also love painting city and street scenes, as well as other nature subjects. It changes often, though! I like doing so many things.

Dahlia Radiance

5.One often-quoted phrase is that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Do you believe that is true? Do you think of your art as conveying a “message”?

AT: Yes, I do believe that quote is very true. Whether you are a photographer, sculptor or painter, each piece conveys some sort of message to the artist or onlooker. They may be different messages (good, bad, exciting or boring), but you feel at least something. I would like my art to first and foremost display the glory of God through His beautiful creation. What do photographers and painters mostly create images of? The world. Things in this beautiful world. Whether they are abstract or not, the idea came from somewhere. Even if the piece just looks like splotches of color, we can at least appreciate the fact that we can see color and that God provides that for us!

6. Besides stand-alone paintings, you have also done illustrations for a children’s book called Nightingale. How is illustrating a story different than just doing a painting?

AT: Yes, I have! Illustrating a story is different because instead of telling a story or conveying a message through only ONE painting, you are trying to tell a story through multiple paintings. You are also trying to make sure the illustrations are clear. It would be strange to see a storybook with abstract paintings as the illustrations. You want to make sure the picture makes sense to the readers in relation to the story ESPECIALLY with children's books. It's definitely a challenge that takes a lot of planning, but well worth it in the end!

7. Do you have any future book illustration projects planned?

AT: Not currently, but I would not be opposed to the idea sometime in the future! If I can come up with a good enough story that I like, I would love to do another children's book.

Happy Autumn

8. Where can people learn more about your art? Is it available for purchase?

AT: Yes! You can learn more about my art on my own artist's website and through my Etsy shop where I have art for sale. You can also check out my book Nightingale on Amazon!

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview, Anna! Best wishes on all your artistic endeavors!

Items Learned While Lurking

2012-01-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've visited my own blog, and I fear the holidays are not the things to blame. No, poor health is the culprit this time. Interesting that my last post was on the Black Plague since I've been down with some disease nearly as awful ever since Christmas Eve. "It's just a cold," they told me when I went into the doctor two days ago. Then why does it feel like a knife in the ribs every time I cough? And why am I too dizzy to do anything besides sit or lie down? Fortunately, David's still on break from school this week and lots of kind relatives have been helping out with the twins. So, I've had ample time to lay about and convalesce and lurk to my heart's content on the Internet. There have been some interesting discussions of late on the Historical Fiction groups that I frequent, and I have three items to draw to your attention.

* * * * *

Item #1: "Downton Abbey." It's a show that I haven't yet had the opportunity to watch, but there has been some controversy lately in regards to its historical accuracy. According to a recent news article:

Historian Jennifer Newby said the servants in the country house drama, created by Oscar winner Julian Fellowes, look too clean and were too friendly with their employers. She said: ''I find it infuriating to watch, it sets my teeth on edge. The relationship they have with their employers is totally wrong.''

Which brings up the question: is historian Jennifer Newby right? Her complaint resonates with how history is popularly portrayed. Most people are far readier to believe that the lower classes of the olden days were dirty and downtrodden than that they were happy and hygienic. Marx's narrative of how the world works seems to have infected everyone's perceptions.

But are the Marxist eyeglasses the only ones worth looking through? Historical novelists Katherine Ashe and M. M. Bennetts made some insightful comments about this over on the English Period Authors Facebook group. And since Katherine Ashe re-posted the conversation on her own FB page in case others were interested, I'm going to take the liberty of quoting a couple of her comments on my blog:

Regarding the Downton Abbey review: I'm sure some servants were filthy and sullen, others tidy and cheerful, with a great many in between. The reviewer reveals more of her own sullen politics than any overriding historical truth. A household, like a corporation, has a certain spirit and those who are part of the household will reflect it according to their individual characters (I'm saying the obvious -- for any historical novelist.) It is well to remember that historians are as much twisted by current political spin as novelists may be....

The problem with certain 20th - 21st century historians is the desire to make the past seem virtually unlivable: dominated by inept rulers and their noble, worthless toadies. This reflects the political spin that has been with us, more or less, through much of the 20th century and has a distinctly pro-proletariat, anti-bourgeoise/aristocratic/monarchic leaning with a strong message of how people were abused by the holders of power and privilege. To a certain extent it's true, but it's overdone.

* * * * *

Item #2: "Heaving Bosoms or Chaste Kisses." This is an article that was posted yesterday on the Affaire de Coeur blog. As the title implies, the article deals with the divide between "steamy" historical romances and "clean" historical romances. Apparently, the clean romances are making a comeback.

This topic seems to be a favorite with readers and writers of the historical genres. Do you or don't you like your historicals with a tinge of eroticism? To me, the interesting thing is watching the way people phrase their comments, especially those who don't like the steamy side of things. "I'm no prude, but I just prefer to keep the story clean." Or, "To me, the sex scenes just get boring and take away from the storyline." Everything is couched carefully in terms of preference. No one objects to overt eroticism from a moral standpoint because that would stir things up a bit too much. That would require stepping on somebody else's toes. That would mean someone was in the right and someone was in the wrong.

* * * * *

Item #3: "Writing Historical Fiction Simplified for the First-Time Author." This last item is a bit of humor for your delectation. Author Debra Brown gives some tongue-in-cheek advice on how to get into the historical fiction biz. Here are the first three items on her list of sixteen suggestions:

1) Set aside some years for research and sign up for NetFlix. You will need both streaming and physical DVDs for this tedious process.

2) It costs money to make money. If you are not working, take your Mastercard and buy a good supply of popcorn. Microwave popcorn is preferred as you have your work cut out for you. (Use your lowest interest card- it might be a while before your first check.) Few are able to research well without chocolate, but you will have to ration it to maintain your current weight, as you will not be getting any exercise. Do not cheat on the rations. (Under no circumstances should you set the portions so low as to injure your self-esteem. You must be able to say, truthfully, “I am, indeed, a person who never cheats.”)

3) Have your spouse take the children and raise them somewhere else....

If you want to see the rest of her suggestions, be sure to click over to the article. I must admit that item number three did occasion the most laughter for me. "Have your spouse take the children and raise them somewhere else...." Well, David HAS been taking care of the kids a lot this week, but I don't think we've come to quite such a pass.

Thanks for listening in on the items I learned while lurking this week. If boy number three doesn't make an early appearance (due date is January 31), I hope to cease lurking and resume living sometime in the near future. Happy New Year!

Religious Hysteria and the Black Plague

2011-12-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

Lovely bones make a lovely face, and underneath the fictional flesh of each historical novel lie the lovely bones of history. The English Historical Fiction Authors (EHFA) blog gives historical novelists a chance to share their historical work and reach out to their readers. Each day the site features a nonfiction post by a historical novelist, usually related to some historical topic they have researched for their novel.

Today, I have a post over at the EHFA blog that ties in with the research for my book I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince. It's titled, "Scourge of Europe: The Religious Hysteria Created by the Black Plague."

Death has always been one of the most frightening prospects faced by mankind. The fear of death even has its own word to describe it—thanotophobia. In a society where a third to a half of the people around you have succumbed to death within the past year, the terror of knowing that you might be next can become overwhelming. It can drive a person to bizarre and unthinkable acts as he tries to ward off death’s icy grip from descending on his own shoulder. This is what happened in the mid-fourteenth century, during the years of the Black Plague. The world went wild with thanotophobia, and the country of England was no exception.... (read more)

Questions for a Self-Published Author: Interview at Ashley Barron's Blog

2011-12-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

In September and October I had the chance to do several interviews with historical fiction bloggers on my virtual book tour for Road from the West. Most of the questions involved the inspiration for and the plot of the book and there were a few personal questions about my life outside of authorship.

Today I have an interview of a totally different nature over at Ashley Barron's blog, a fellow self-published author. This interview focuses mostly on my publishing journey and the hurdles I have overcome to get my books out to readers. The decision to self-publish, how I market my books, how I use social media--those are all topics I get to address in today's interview. If you're interested in a candid story of an indie author's path to publishing, head on over to Ashley's blog to get the scoop.

Butt-Kicking Beauties: Fighting Females in History

2011-11-30T13:14:00.001-08:00

When my husband and I go to the movies, his favorite part is watching the previews before the feature film starts. Me? Not so much. I hate how many thirty-second horror previews I have to close my eyes (and plug my ears) through, and I always groan when I see spots for another action movie with a 110-lb super-chick beating up tough guys three times her size. "This is so unrealistic!" There are many areas in which women are equal to, or even superior to men. Physical strength does not happen to be one of them. "Why, oh why," I wonder, "do today's movie goers want to watch something this ridiculous?"

Well, it turns out that today's movie goers aren't the only ones who appreciate butt-kicking beauties.
Xena, warrior princess, may have made her debut in the twentieth century A. D., but she belongs to an ancient sisterhood of fighting females that go all the way back to the twentieth century B. C.

The Amazons executing their
(male) Greek prisoners

The Amazons, of course, are the most famous members of this sisterhood, a tribe of women warriors who lived near the Black Sea. Homer mentions them briefly in the Iliad as "those who fight like men." Other Greek writers talk of Penthesilea, the Amazon queen who comes to Troy with the intention of killing Achilles. Fearlessly, Penthesilea slays many of the staunch Achaean warriors and fights a deadlock battle with Telamonian Ajax. But when it comes to Achilles? Well, the great, Greek hero is able to knock her over with one blow and kill her. To his credit, he feels bad about it afterwards.

Penthesilea's sister Hippolyta shows up in a plethora of Greek myths, many of them contradictory, but my favorite version of her story is the one retold by Mary Renault in The Bull from the Sea. Theseus, king of Athens, takes an excursion out to the Black Sea and runs into the fearsome Amazon tribe, led by Hippolyta, a beautiful queen who can ride, hunt, rule, and fight as well as any man. After defeating Hippolyta in single combat, Theseus marries her and brings her home to Athens...although there is not necessarily a happily ever after in store for them.

The Roman poet Virgil, familiar with the fighting female motif, includes the colorful character of Camilla in his epic, the Aeneid. As the princess of the Volsci, one of the neighboring tribes to the Latins, Camilla helps King Turnus fight against Aeneas and his band of invading Trojans. Virgil describes her as a phenomenal runner, though not so keen on the domestic arts:

Last came Camilla, of the Volscians bred,
leading her mail-clad, radiant chivalry;
a warrior-virgin, of Minerva's craft
of web and distaff, fit for woman's toil,
no follower she; but bared her virgin breast
to meet the brunt of battle, and her speed
left even the winds behind; for she would skim
an untouched harvest ere the sickle fell,
nor graze the quivering wheat-tops as she ran;
or o'er the mid-sea billows' swollen surge
so swiftly race, she wet not in the wave
her flying feet.

Camilla acquits herself as well as any Amazon would on the battlefield. But unfortunately, while she is distracted with all her kills, one of the Trojans manages to slay her with a sneak attack.

In the medieval and renaissance eras, this familiar character of the woman warrior was not forgotten. While doing research for my First Crusade trilogy, The Chronicles of Tancred, I ran across an Italian epic from the sixteenth century titled Jerusalem Delivered. The poet, Torquato Tasso, tells a highly fictionalized story of the heroes of the First Crusade, showing no scruples about inventing characters and events to embroider the tale.

Clorinda, the Muslim warrior-maiden, is one such fictional character. The description given her is strikingly like that of Camilla.

She scorned the arts these silly women use,
Another thought her nobler humor fed,
Her lofty hand would of itself refuse
To touch the dainty needle or nice thread,
She hated chambers, closets, secret news,
And in broad fields preserved her maidenhead....
While she was young, she used with tender hand
The foaming steed with froary bit to steer,
To tilt and tourney, wrestle in the sand,
To leave with speed Atlanta swift arear,
Through forests wild, and unfrequented land
To chase the lion, boar, or rugged bear....

Clorinda dies in Tancred's arms

Like the warrior princesses of Greek mythology, Clorinda enjoys a good deal of success against her masculine opponents, attracting the love and respect of Tancred, one of the Crusader lords and the hero of my trilogy. Tragedy, however, is not far off. During a night battle where the brave and beautiful Clorinda sets a Crusader siege tower on fire, she encounters Tancred unrecognized and loses her life to his sword. Tancred's grief over mistakenly killing Clorinda is even more profund than Achilles' sorrow over slaying Penthesilea, since the poet has taken the trouble to provide a pre-existing relationship between the two.

Unrealistic or not, it seems that societies throughout time have enjoyed the motif of the "women who fight like men." There is one marked difference, however, between the warrior women of the old world and the butt-kicking beauties of today's movies. In the ancient and medieval epics, the female fighter--despite her success against many lesser men on the battlefield--can never quite measure up to the prowess of the hero, often dying in her attempt to defeat him. In the modern version of the motif, the Lucy Lawless's, the Angelina Jolie's, and the Yvonne Strahovski's can actually hold their own against all comers, and even prevail.

A Meditation on Infant Mortality

2011-11-26T13:56:00.001-08:00

The standard figure given for infant mortality in the Middle Ages is thirty percent, although some historians' numbers go as high as fifty. Thirty children out of every hundred, dying before their first birthday--a staggering amount of tiny graves.

* * * * *

At the beginning of this week, I was intending to do a Thanksgiving Day post about my son Adam, giving thanks that he has had no complications since his surgeries for biliary atresia in January. But on Monday night, as my husband and I sat bleary-eyed in the emergency room at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, we realized that he was having his first complication.

He had registered a low grade fever off and on for the past five days and been exceptionally fussy. Maybe he's teething, I thought. (Isn't that every mother's rationale for unexplainable baby behavior?) Then, on Monday afternoon, I changed his diaper and discovered that his stool was white--an indication that his bile ducts might no longer be working. His doctors suggested taking him to the lab to get some blood work done. And so, instead of running to the grocery store to get eggnog, and allspice, and Thanksgiving Day hors d'oeuvres, we zipped down to the doctor's office and had Adam's blood drawn. It would take a day or more to get the results. I was worried, but David reminded me that there was nothing to be worried about...yet.

* * * * *

by Giotto

One popular misconception about the Middle Ages is that since so many of their children were certain to die, medieval parents refused to become attached to their offspring. In her article "The Medieval Child: An Unknown Phenomenon?", Sophie Oosterwijk refutes this notion. She points to the popularity of the Madonna and Child paintings, a clear representation of an affectionate mother. She also provides a wealth of other evidence that medieval parents were "fond of their children," despite the likelihood that they would lose "at least some of them to diseases or accidents."

Miracle reports and other types of documents attest to the lengths to which parents were prepared to go to obtain healing, rescue or salvation for their children, as well as to their grief when their efforts proved futile. The popularity of the theme of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents and its vivid depiction in medieval art and drama also suggest that medieval people viewed child death with anything but indifference.

It was not uncommon for a woman to bear ten children. It was not uncommon for nearly half of them to die in infancy. It was uncommon for the woman to feel no sorrow for their passing. She was still a mother, after all, and though she lived in a hard place and a hard time, that did not make her heart a heart of stone.

* * * * *

When Adam's fever spiked to above 100 degrees that night, I called the advice nurse. After reviewing his file with the doctor on call at Doernbecher, they instructed me to bring him in to the emergency room. "It could be nothing, or it could be really bad. With his history, we don't want to take any chances."

The blood work we had done earlier was upgraded to "stat." We arrived at Doernbecher and waited in the emergency room for several hours for the blood work to be completed. When the lab delivered the results, the liver numbers were way higher than normal, giving evidence of a possible liver infection. The next step was an ultrasound to see if there was some sort of blockage in Adam's bile ducts. The ultrasound was inconclusive. Meanwhile, Adam's fever began to go down. While the doctors conferred into the wee hours of the night about whether they should admit Adam or send him home, David tried to get our scared and screaming boy to go to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, another doctor or nurse would come in to poke and prod him into resuming his screams.

I sat in the recliner, too exhausted, too uncomfortable, and too anxious to sleep. Were his bile ducts really blocked? Was the surgery that had seemed so successful no longer working?

* * * * *

Edward I and wife Eleanor

Oosterwijk gives this anecdote about King Edward I of England:

One example of the supposedly indifferent attitude of medieval parents towards their children is the chronicle description of Edward I's reaction while on crusade at hearing the news of the deaths of first his son John and then of his father, king Henry III of England. According to the chronicler, Edward grieved far more for his 64-year-old father than for his five-year-old son and, when asked to explain the reason, he replied that the loss of a child is easier to bear as one may have many more children, but that the loss of a father is irremediable. This has often been taken as the typical medieval response to the death of a child; indeed, Edward himself was due to experience such losses all too often, for only six of the (probably) fourteen children he had by his first wife Eleanor of Castile reached adulthood.

However, what has often been overlooked is the fact that Edward's reaction, instead of being typical, was in fact seen as unusual even if proper and devout; the episode illustrates surprise at his behaviour both on the part of Charles of Anjou, who asked him to explain it, and on the part of the chronicler, who considered it significant enough to record. Although it may have been exemplary of Edward to mourn so much more for the death of his aged father (which actually made him the new king) than for his own little son, it seems at the same time to have been considered far from normal.

* * * * *

The doctors decided to put Adam on antibiotics in case his liver was infected. He would spend the night at the hospital and undergo more imaging in the morning to locate the assumed blockage. I drove home at 3am, hoping that my seven-months-pregnant body could get a few hours of sleep. David stayed at the hospital to deal with more doctors and more disruptions to Adam's sleep.

The Psalmist says that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." And so it happened for us. By the time I got back to the hospital at 9am, Adam's fever had disappeared. The white bowel movement proved to be an anomaly. The head GI doctor told us that if there was some sort of sludge blocking his bile duct, it seemed to have gone away. Whatever had sent his liver numbers up in the lab tests was probably just a minor infection. They released us from the hospital at noon that day and we went home to sleep, sleep, sleep.

* * * * *

by Masaccio

Oosterwijk says:

Medieval reality might have been a far cry from our own twentieth-century idea of childhood as a joyous and carefree phase of life -- in itself rather a modern Western idealization-- but the medieval popularity of the Virgin and Child could only have worked if people recognized its fundamental truth: the bond of affection between mother and child.

* * * * *

At the beginning of this week, I was intending to do a Thanksgiving Day post about my son Adam, giving thanks that he has had no complications since his surgeries for biliary atresia in January. At the end of this week, I can finally make my Thanksgiving Day post, and praise God that Adam's adventure at the hospital was short-lived and far less serious than it could have been.

The standard figure given for infant mortality in the Middle Ages is thirty percent. The infant mortality rate in today's United States is currently less than one percent. It is a blessed thing to be a mother in this country and in this century. It is truly a thing for which we can give thanks.

Same Name, Different Person

2011-11-21T07:28:00.001-08:00

Suppose that you're in a conversation with a friend talking about a mutual acquaintance named "John." An outsider comes up, listens in for a few minutes, then says. "Oh, I know a John too. They're probably the same person." You both stop talking and stare at the newcomer flabbergasted. Does he really think there is only one person named John in the entire world?

This naivety is not something you often encounter in conversation. But somehow, in the world of historical fiction, it is a conclusion that readers often jump to, especially if a character has a name that is unusual or unfamiliar to them.

Tancred of Lecce

During my recent blog tour, countless people who heard that "Tancred" is the main character of my book Road from the West said, "Oh, Tancred! I read about him in Sharon Kay Penman's latest book Lionheart." Sorry as I am to sever this (possibly advantageous) to SKP's novel, my sense of historical accuracy has been begging me to exclaim, "No. You did not!" My Tancred was an obscure Italian marquis who eventually became Prince of Galilee and Duke of Antioch after the First Crusade. SKP's Tancred was a distant relative, called Tancred of Lecce, who ruled Sicily and lived nearly a century later during the time of the Third Crusade.

The name Tancred, although incredibly unusual to the modern ear, was a popular one in this Norman family. Their original Norman ancestor, a shadowy figure named Tancred de Hauteville, was born in Normandy shortly after the French king bestowed it on Rollo and the other Vikings. Tancred of Hauteville was renowned mostly for the deeds of his progeny, begetting twelve superlative sons from two successive wives. One of the chroniclers records that whenever William the Conqueror was feeling unmotivated to conquer, he would remember the doughty deeds of the family from Hauteville and stir up his spirit to attempt greater things. These sons of Tancred de Hauteville would eventually spread across Europe and establish princedoms for themselves in Italy, Sicily, and the East.

Two of the sons to travel to the sunny south were Robert Guiscard (the "Fox) and Roger de Hauteville. While Robert focused his activities on driving the Byzantines out of Italy and then making an expedition toward Constantinople itself, Roger focused on driving the Muslims and Byzantines out of Sicily and setting up a kingdom there. It is from these two brothers that the two easily-confused Tancreds descend.

Tancred and Erminia, by Nicolas Poussin

Robert Guiscard's daughter Emma married an obscure Italian marquis named Odo the Good, and from their union arose Tancred, the hero of my novel, a dedicated leader of the First Crusade. Roger set up a dynasty in Sicily leaving the throne to a tangled web of sons and grandsons until it was eventually seized by his (illegitimate) great-grandson Tancred of Lecce.

Although it may be tempting to assume that every historical figure with the same name is the same person, a simple request for Wikipedia to "disambiguate" the name can keep you from being the "newcomer" to the conversation. A simple reference to a historical timeline can keep you from confusing the King of Sicily with the Prince of Galilee.

Why Christians must Write and What They must Write about

2011-11-16T09:09:00.001-08:00

This summer my alma mater, New Saint Andrews College, held a writing conference/workshop called Three Days in the Wordsmithy. I seriously considered attending, but what with David's work and the problem of finding babysitting, those plans failed to come to fruition.

Yesterday, I saw that CanonWired has released a video of Douglas Wilson's introductory talk at the conference, titled "Why Christians must Write and What They must Write about." Normally, I avoid watching Internet videos the way my husband avoids eating vegetables (why would you want to waste time watching a video when you could read/skim an article much more quickly?), but I made an exception and watched this one through to the bitter end. The end turned out to be the best part, so I'm glad I made it that far.

Wordsmithy | Why Christians must write, and what they must write about | Doug Wilson from Daniel Foucachon on Vimeo.

Just in case you also have an aversion to watching videos on the Internet--or don't have 26 minutes of time to spare--let me give you Doug Wilson's summary of the main points (in bold), with my notes following them.

1. You can't teach writing, but you can learn it. God has gifted some people with the ability to become good writers. The best writing teacher in the world can't make a gifted writer out of an ungifted person. Buy writing books and study them, but don't think you can force God into granting you a talent which he hasn't bestowed. If, however, you are truly called by God to be a writer, develop that calling and don't hide your talent in the ground.

2. Why should you write? Because Jesus is the Word and you're a Christian. Christians are inherently "people of the book," and people who must love words. All Christians are called to literacy, but some are especially gifted in the world of literature and should use those gifts to bless the rest of the Body of Christ.

3. How should you write?

Pursue godliness - write with a Christian worldview
Be interested in the world God has made - interested people are interesting
Be observant - look around you; don't bury your head in the sand
Love words - I love that he said this!
Love words in time - or as he puts it another way, love "narratival unfolding"
Be critical of your own work - and let others critique it; the only thing that should offend you is when there's not enough red marks
Adopt as your subject matter the cosmos (i.e. everything) because God put it here for you to write about - a great reminder that anything is fair game to write about, as long as you keep the first point (pursuing godliness) in mind

So that, in a nutshell is the great start to the conference I never got to attend. If the first talk is any indicator, it sounds like the whole event was full of good pointers for Christian authors, whether novices or experienced in their craft.

* * * * *

And while we're on the subject of Christian authors, I'd like to give a shout-out to Daniel Wilson, a former high school student of mine and an aspiring author. This talk from the Wordsmithy conference reminded me of the tagline of Daniel's blog, "A writer's mission to create worlds with words, just like his Heavenly Father once did." I love that line!

Daniel's on another mission right now to gain 100 followers. Head on over to his blog and check it out--and if you like what you see, be sure to add yourself with Google Friend Connect.

Birthday Boys

2011-11-14T08:57:00.001-08:00

True Confessions: This month I decided to challenge myself to meet the same writing word goal per day as all the NaNoWriMo's (to make a total of 50,000 words per month). I am currently at around 14,000 words--which puts me at about 8,000 words behind where I'm supposed to be. Sometimes real life just gets in the way of writing fiction...and I have to remind myself that that's OK. And sometimes, it's even better than OK--it's the way things should be.

The NaNoWriMo website suggests using your "free" weekends to rack up huge word counts of 5000 words a day. For me, the weekends are actually the hardest time to get any writing done. There's always some family activity or outing that's more important. We've spent the last two weekends partying for the twins' first birthday. Their actual birthday was on Saturday, November 5. A few friends and relatives dropped by with gifts and balloons--the balloons were quite a hit.

Adam

Oliver

That night we took the boys out for dinner at Bugatti's, the only semi-nice Oregon City restaurant that seems to be able to stay in business.

On Sunday, after church and after afternoon naps, we headed over to Aunt Amy's so she could take the twins' one year portraits. By the time we got there, there was only about half an hour of sunlight left (thanks to the time change). But the sunset and the twins all cooperated beautifully, and Amy got some lovely shots. I frequently thank my lucky stars that we have such a talented photographer in the family.

Adam on the left, Oliver on the right

Oliver

Adam

This weekend we had the "official" birthday party over at my parents' house. The boys were very eager to open their presents and quite pleased with the cake Aunt Abigail made them.

It's a new day now, and I should be writing. But what am I doing instead? Trying to find a place to store all the new toys, using OxiClean to get chocolate cake out of white shirts, and uploading pictures of all the festivities.

Did I mention that sometimes real life gets in the way of writing fiction? And I have to remind myself that that's OK....

Boring the Readers to Tears

2011-11-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

Some readers, who would rather jump off a bridge than read a nonfiction history book, will enthusiastically pick up a historical novel because, "It's not history--it's a story." Other readers have slightly more interest in history itself, but have selected the novel because they want to get a "feel" for a time period without being deluged with too many names and dates. Without being elitist, I think I can say that very few readers are as interested in the forests of historical minutiae as the author herself is. But that's why the author chose to become a writer of historical fiction--because she loves to uncover every last detail from her chosen period of study.

As a historical novelist, I must wrestle with how to convey this love of history to the readers. How do I include historical background, introduce historical characters, and portray historical details without boring the readers to tears? How do I relay the history in a realistic manner that fits seamlessly into the story, instead of simply giving an information "dump"?

Frequently, authors will use expositional characters to give the needed historical information to set up their plot. A character who is new to a particular setting is ideal for this kind of exposition since that character's ignorance is nearly as great as the reader's. I was noticing while reading Sharon Kay Penman's book Lionheart how she helps the reader "meet" several of the English peers through the character of Isabella Marshal (William Marshal's new wife). Isabella has never visited the court before, and so her husband must explain to her who all the important players are that surround King Richard's household.

A similar narrative device is to have one character explain events to another character who was absent when they took place. In Elizabeth Chadwick's book The Scarlet Lion (which, coincidentally, has many of the same historical personages as Lionheart), Isabella Marshal spends a great deal of time isolated on the family estates in England and Ireland. Whenever her husband William returns for a visit from the court, he brings her (and the readers) up to speed on all the political events of importance.

Lindsey Davis uses first person narration in her detective novels, and we get to hear the story through the mouth of the cheeky Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco. Falco's supposed audience is a provincial member of the Roman Empire who may not know the ins and outs of Roman government, geography, politics, etc. By condescending to explain these things to the bumbling provincials, Falco can also (realistically) describe the needed information for the ignorant reader.

By using a mixture of these narrative devices (and not overusing one of them), an author can create the necessary historical skeleton on which to hang the body of her story. An author can craft a well-researched historical novel that reads nothing like a nonfiction book. An author can share her love of history without boring the reader to tears.

* * * * *

What other narrative devices have you seen used effectively? Which ones have fallen flat?

Defending the Indefensible? Rodney Stark's Case for the Crusades

2011-11-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting things about studying history is learning the popular version of the story, and then learning that things are not so simple as they seem. As part of my research for the Chronicles of Tancred trilogy, I've been reading God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades. In this book, author Rodney Stark debunks many of the popular myths surrounding the Crusades and gives a justification for one of the most poorly reputed military actions in history. This book provides a good balance to the typical view of the Crusades--"Bigoted and land-hungry European Christians brutally attack Muslims minding their own business." Rodney Stark's provocative statements fly in the face of much of the popular rhetoric concerning the Crusades, and while I don't necessarily agree with every stance Stark takes, each chapter of the book provides interesting fodder for thought.

One of Stark's most important claims is that the Crusades were not unprovoked. He describes the Muslim aggression during the 7th-11th centuries, showing how the forces of Islam conquered Christian territory from Jerusalem, to Spain, to Italy, all the way up to the walls of Constantinople. For Stark, the Crusades were a response to this Muslim expansionism.

He also makes a point of showing that the Christians in the conquered areas (the majority of whom failed to convert to Islam) were treated very poorly by their Islamic overlords.

A great deal of nonsense has been written about Muslim tolerance--that, in contrast to Christian brutality against Jews and heretics, Islam showed remarkable tolerance for conquered people, treated them with respect, and allowed them to pursue their faiths without interference. This claim probably began with Voltaire, Gibbon, and other eighteenth-century writers who used it to cast the Catholic Church in the worst possible light. The truth about life under Muslim rule is quite different.... --Chapter One: Muslim Invaders

Related to this idea of tolerance, Stark also addresses the issue of Muslim enlightenment and intellectual sophistication. He looks at the technology and scientific advances of the period and concludes that:

The belief that once upon a time Muslim culture was superior to that of Europe is at best an illusion. To the extent that Arab elites acquired a sophisticated culture, they learned it from their subject peoples.... --Chapter Three: Western "Ignorance" versus Eastern "Culture"

These subject peoples included Nestorian Christians, Zoroastrians, and Indian Hindus. Stark argues that "Muslim" advances in medicine, literature, mathematics, etc. are entirely due to the ingenuity of the conquered races/religions.

After holding a microscope up against common myths regarding the Muslims, Stark moves to dispel some common vilifications of the Crusaders. Historians have a tendency to ignore Muslim intolerance and to harp upon the Crusaders' behavior toward people of other faiths (particularly the Jews). Stark points out, however, that the Church did not intend for the Crusaders to harm the innocent:

It is worth noting that the pope [Alexander II] was very concerned that the knights setting out to fight the Muslims not attack Jews along the way. Having directed that the Jews be protected, he subsequently wrote that he was glad to learn "that you protect the Jews who live among you, so that they may not be killed by those setting out for Spain against the Saracens...for the situation of the Jews is greatly different from that of the Saracens. One may justly fight against those [Saracens because they] persecute Christians." --Chapter Two: Christendom Strikes Back

My own reading of primary sources definitely corroborates this section of Stark's book. In the early stages of the First Crusade, when mobs of "Crusaders" in the Rhineland tried to exterminate the Jews, it was the bishops of the Church who hid the Jews and protected them. The Church which called the Crusade did not condone all actions that were done in the name of the Crusade.

Another issue Stark addresses is the incompatibility of modern expectations of piety with medieval expectations. In my book Road from the West, some have seen it as odd (or hypocritical) that Tancred--after feeling guilty for killing Christians--sets out to make amends by slaughtering Saracens. To modern sensibilities, true piety means a commitment to non-violence. Is it possible that Crusaders who continue to cleave skulls in two can be truly religious? Stark writes:

Many skeptics have noted that the pilgrimages often failed to improve the subsequent behavior of pilgrims.... The issue seems to be the expectation that an authentic pilgrimage ought to have fundamentally transformed a pilgrim's character and personality--or at least to have changed an individual into a far more peaceful and forgiving sort of person. But that was not a typical outcome. Instead, most of the fighting men who went on a pilgrimage returned as fierce and ready to do battle as before.... That even very pious knights found pacifism incomprehensible may puzzle some having modern sensibilities, but that assumption was fundamental to Pope Urban's call for a Crusade. --Chapter Five: Enlisting Crusaders

Although some may quibble with aspects of Stark's research, I found this book incredibly refreshing. Instead of merely accepting the dogma of 18th century historians, Stark places the Crusades in their historical context and finds a different way of looking at them. As one of the quotes on the back cover says, Stark's "greatest achievement is to make us see the crusaders on their own terms," an achievement which I hope to emulate in my trilogy The Chronicles of Tancred.

My Two Favorite Crusader Knights

2011-11-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was not only All Hallows Eve, but also Reformation Day which commemorates Martin Luther's dramatic publication of the 95 Theses on October 31, 1517. Our church held its annual Reformation Day celebration last night, and attendees decked themselves out in medieval and renaissance garb. It's been several years since I found the time to come up with a costume for myself, but it was the first year I had kids to dress up. Adam and Oliver went as Crusader Knights--I guess I must have the Crusades on the brain, or something....

Snacking on their swords....

Oliver

Adam

Holding onto his "treat bag"

Thanks to Amy for the pictures!

The Most Feared Punctuation on Earth

2011-10-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it: I'm extremely partial to semicolons. That's not to say I like them when they're used poorly, and I have been known to substitute an em-dash in a pinch. But, as one of my dear proofreaders can attest, I do tend to throw out semicolons like rice at a wedding (or like rice used to be thrown at weddings, before it was deemed hazardous to birds).

Today I ran across a funny article by The Oatmeal titled, "How to Use a Semicolon: The Most Feared Punctuation on Earth." If you're struggling with the rules of semicolon-age, or just want a good laugh, head on over there to read the rules, see the examples, and enjoy the funny illustrations. You can learn why, "The ice cream truck man drove by my house today; he had big, hairy knuckles" is a prime candidate for semicolon insertion, whereas, "I fought the bear and won. Also, I never kiss plague rats on the mouth," should stick with the more humdrum punctuation of a full stop.

I also enjoyed the explanation of how the semicolon can be used as a "super comma," enabling you to create descriptive lists such as this one:

My favorite people include Samuel Slaughterjaws, a famous unicorn hunter; my uncle Wilfred, a world champion at mayonnaise eating contests; and Nikola Tesla, the most awesome dude to ever fire a lightning bolt at an angry peasant.

The End of the Road

2011-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

The flavor of today is bittersweet. On the one hand, Road from the West received an excellent review from The True Book Addict who called it a "well-researched and captivating account." Yesterday, the same blog offered a giveaway of my book and featured a guest post I'd written titled, "Modern Perceptions of the Crusades." What could be more exciting for an author?

On the other hand, today marks the close of the Road from the West blog tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, and I'm a little sad to see it end. It's been a fabulous month and a half traveling the blogosphere with reviews, giveaways, guest posts, and author interviews, stopping at around 25 of the best book blogs out there. Amy Bruno, from HFVBT, has been the consummate professional in organizing this blog tour, keeping me apprised of every detail and making sure books are mailed, interview questions are answered, and reviews are posted on time. If you are a historical novelist looking for a publicity outlet, I strongly recommend HFVBT.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the bloggers who participated in my book tour! The help that you give to authors is invaluable as we reach out to find an audience for our work. I've greatly benefitted from both your criticisms and your accolades, and I've discovered some new favorite blogs that I'll definitely be visiting now and again.

Challenging a Millennium of Scholarship

2011-10-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

I ran into an interesting article yesterday (via the Medieval News blog) touting a new nonfiction book by historian Peter Frankopan that will be "countering nearly a millennium of scholarship" about the First Crusade. In his new book, The First Crusade: the Call from the East, which is slated to come out in 2012, Dr. Frankopan argues that the focal point of the Crusade's origins was in the Byzantine Empire's desire to regain territory, not in Pope Urban's preaching. The Europeans who came to fight came as mercenaries for the Byzantine emperor Alexios. It was only later that Western propaganda turned the military action into a fight for Jerusalem.

The article (originally published in the newspaper The Australian) doesn't go into too much detail about Dr. Frankopan's new findings, but these paragraphs give a small picture of what his new book will propose:

For Dr Frankopan, the First Crusade was therefore not a religious war, but instead a "very specific, targeted military expedition against the cities of Nicaea and Antioch", two former Byzantine possessions that the crusader army swore an oath to hand over to Alexios. Jerusalem was just a carrot.

The Crusade mythology that emerged from all this was a result of what happened next, Dr Frankopan claimed. Some of the Norman commanders refused to hand the newly conquered cities over to the Emperor.

To justify this course of action, and a subsequent attempt to launch an expedition against Constantinople, they embarked on a propaganda war of "horrific vilification" against Alexios and his Empire. Urban successfully used the recapture of Jerusalem to cement the power of his papacy and Alexios was written out of the historical record.

I am very curious to read this book once it is released (my Amazon Wish List has been updated accordingly). Dr. Frankopan's claim is an interesting one, but it seems that he would have to discredit dozens of Western sources which attribute the Crusaders' original motivations to their desire to retake the Holy City. Perhaps Emperor Alexios thought he was getting an army of compliant mercenaries, but Urban, Bohemond, Godfrey, and Tancred thought otherwise....

Reviews by Molly - Author Interview

2011-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today I have an author interview over at the blog Reviews by Molly. Molly asked me an assortment of interesting questions: how I chose to write historical fiction, what avenues I use for marketing, and whether I prefer my cake with or without ice cream. Head on over to her blog if you'd like to see my answers to her questions!

Erin Reads - Review

2011-10-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today Road from the West received a really good review over at the blog Erin Reads. It's always fun to see that someone really enjoyed your work.

Rosanne Lortz writes in a style I’ve found rare in my admittedly limited experience with historical fiction. Over flowery language and paragraphs that drip with details, Lortz favors simple prose and sparse yet effective bits of atmosphere. Rather than describe exactly how something is done or precisely what a scene looks like, Lortz writes just enough that the reader knows and can picture what is happening yet has plenty of room to utilize her imagination. In this respect Road from the West reads a bit like contemporary fiction does, the author assuming the reader and characters share common points of reference that make extended explanation unnecessary. I found nothing lacking in Lortz’s approach and enjoyed how she let Tancred’s story be the novel’s focus.

This is the last week of the virtual book tour for Road from the West. It's been a fun month and a half and I've loved getting feedback from bloggers and comments from the historical fiction community.

Reviews by Molly - Review

2011-10-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing review excerpts from the virtual book tour for Road from the West! There is only one week left of the tour, and it has been so much fun to work with all the book bloggers and with Amy Bruno from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

Today Road from the West is being reviewed over at Reviews by Molly. Here is an excerpt:

There is so much to say about it...faith, devotion, redemption, love, honor.....so much more, including the spoilers, so I'll stop. I will say this, READ IT. If you are a history lover, a Christian, or just wanting to know more about a time in history that many people don't look back on, then get a copy NOW. Ms. Lortz' passion for her history knowledge shines through. She brings a life-like story to her readers, creating a 4 Book worthy start to a fantastic new series. I can't wait for the second book in Tancred's story! FANTABULOUS work, Ms. Lortz!

Words and Peace - Review

2011-10-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Words and Peace is featuring a review of Road from the West as part of my virtual book tour.

I think the author did a fantastic job at retelling the historical setting and what happened with lots of accuracy – I read since a few things on this crusade to compare (you could read this article for a first introduction). I especially enjoy the way she focuses on the character of Tancred. She manages to make him a very human and lively character, inserting in the novel some elements of romance which fit nicely.

Emma, the reviewer at Words and Peace, is also an artist who specializes in painting on rocks. I've been enjoying looking through her galleries this morning, and I especially love this nativity painting of the infant Jesus. It's making me all excited to start decorating for Christmas....

The Owl Bookmark Blog - Interview and Giveaway

2011-10-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today, as part of my virtual book tour, I am being interviewed over at The Owl Bookmark Blog where I get to answer questions like, "What was the easiest part of writing Road from the West?" and, "What do you have planned to write next?" Rumor has it there's also a giveaway in full swing, so if you still want to win a copy of Road from the West, head on over there to enter.

Three Reviews + Kindle Nation Daily

2011-10-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

I neglected to post yesterday, so today I have three new blog reviews of Road from the West to tell you about. The first is over at A Few More Pages:

....I definitely would like to continue reading about Tancred's adventures, and since this book only takes us part-way on the Crusaders' journey to Jerusalem, I am looking forward to picking up the next book in the series. There are too many questions still left to be answered: Will Tancred make it to Jerusalem? Will Alexandra win his heart? Will Bohemond gain the riches and power he is after? I must find out what happens!

The second review is at By the By Books:

Lortz's narrative is wonderfully written. The writing is very simple, but in a good way. I felt that this section of history, which is almost 1000 years old, was fresh and easily understandable for today's reader....

And the third review is over at The Owl Bookmark Blog, a website which has the most whimsically delightful header:

It is very obvious right off the bat that Lortz did her research and probably is as familiar with the Crusades (all of them)as she is with the back of her hand. This novel is full of historical facts and anecdotes as well as a very realistic setting that allows Lortz's historical prowess to show....

In other news, Road from the West is the featured sponsor over at Kindle Nation Daily today. KND is a website with a large e-mail subscriber list that alerts Kindle owners about great finds in the e-book world. The site owner, Stephen Windwalker, is a pleasure to work with, and we've really enjoyed the ads that he's put together for both I Serve and Road from the West.

Bippity Boppity Book - Review and Giveaway

2011-10-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today Road from the West is being reviewed over at Bippity Boppity Book. This is a blog I love to stop by quite often, and it is also the host of the Chivalrous Deeds: Historical Fiction Challenge which I am participating in this year. Head on over there to participate in the giveaway or to read the rest of this review:

As someone who has never read a thing about the First Crusade, I enjoyed this book quite a bit.... I liked the main character Tancred because it is clear that even though he was raised by his Uncle, their ideologies are completely different and Tancred proves himself time and again throughout the Crusade that his Uncle’s way is not the only way. Also as a former Soldier I liked that Tancred was all about what was best for his Soldiers and able to swallow his pride for their benefit....

The Musings of a Book Junkie - Author Interview

2011-10-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

Today, The Musings of a Book Junkie is graciously hosting an author interview with moi. And I must say, it's one of my favorite sets of questions that I've had to answer so far. Head on over there if you want to see my responses to queries like, "The Crusades have a bad reputation. Why should we learn about the Crusades?"

Peeking between the Pages - Review and Giveaway

2011-10-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today's stop on the virtual book tour is over at Peeking between the Pages. Head on over there for a giveaway and to read the rest of this review of Road from the West:

The author’s writing is very descriptive and really brought to life this time period for me. What I enjoyed most about this novel is that it wasn’t only about battles and blood and guts. It was actually about the people – the soldiers and what they were thinking and planning. Yes there were battles but I came away from this novel caring about some of the characters like Tancred and Alexandra. From the beginning of the story I felt drawn to Tancred and his family and it made me want to read more.

Having My Cake, and Eating It Too

2011-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Today my nearly-eleven-month-old twins actually went down for their morning nap without any resistance. Today, after washing up the dishes and throwing in a load of laundry, I actually got to do some writing on my current WIP. And today I have been particularly thankful that I get to do more than one thing with my life.

I get to raise two--soon to be three--little boys, and I get to write novels. I get to discover scrumptious new dinner recipes (Jamie Oliver's bolognese sauce!), and I get to explore the world of publishing. I get to decorate my kitchen, sweep my floors, check my Facebook, and do my grocery shopping--and I get to do historical research. In many ways, it feels like I get to have my cake and eat it too.

And speaking of having cake...

Oliver

Adam

So happy to have these two munchkins crawling underfoot and making it hard to get any writing done!

Just One More Paragraph - Guest Post and Giveaway

2011-09-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Just One More Paragraph gave a very favorable review of Road from the West, and today I have a guest post and giveaway at the same blog. Movies and history are the topic, and the title is "The Crusades and the Silver Screen." Head on over there to see my opinion of period pieces like Orlando Bloom's Kingdom of Heaven and Nicolas Cage's Season of the Witch.

The Musings of a Book Junkie - Review

2011-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today Road from the West is being reviewed over at The Musings of a Book Junkie. Here is an excerpt:

Rosanne Lortz captures the First Crusade with all its glory. From preparations to battles, no detail is left out. Battles are fierce, but not gory. The hardships endured by the Crusaders are harsh, but accurately detailed.... I didn't know a lot about the First Crusade before I read this book. The Crusades have a bad reputation of sorts, and I just lumped all the Crusades into one. However, this book shows the mechanization of the Crusades and it makes for an interesting story. I would recommend it to anyone seeking to learn about the First Crusade.

Just One More Paragraph - Review

2011-09-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Today's stop on the virtual book tour is at Just One More Paragraph (which, by the way, is one of the cutest--or, should I say, most aesthetically appealing--blogs I have ever seen). Here is an excerpt of the review of Road from the West:

Rich with history, this tale is told with a prose that will keep the reader captivated throughout the story, transporting them back to the late 1090's.... Truly a brilliant novel, this book would appeal to both the historical fiction lover as well as the reader that just wants a good story about a flawed hero. With no sex and minimal gore, this book would be a great resource for home school high school students.

The Forbidden Fruit Syndrome

2011-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting phenomenon how the genre of historical romance (or, dare I say the genre of historical erotica?) has been steadily encroaching on the field of historical fiction over the past several decades. It is rare to read through a new historical novel without running into explicit sex scenes, most of them involving premarital or extramarital sex. Many of the discussions in historical fiction book groups revolve around the questions of how much sex is appropriate. My informal assessment is that a few readers and authors prefer the scene to fade to black while most enjoy sex scenes as long as they are "helpful to developing the characters." It seems that for many book lovers of today's generation "historical" and "racy" are two adjectives that go particularly well together. Lately, I have been pondering why exactly this is the case.

Perhaps for those interested in a racier brand of literature, historical novels have something to offer that contemporary novels do not. That something is stricter social mores. In Regency romances, part of the "thrill" of a sexual encounter comes from the knowledge that the heroine will actually become compromised--whereas a heroine "hooking up" in today's world would be as normal as working nine to five. In Medieval novels, part of the appeal of fornication and adultery is the condemnation it will receive from the narrow-minded and monolithic Church--whereas such deeds in a contemporary novel would only provoke jealous high school friends or unsympathetic parents.

One of the key components of the courtly love paradigm developed in the twelfth century (a paradigm, incidentally, that endorsed adulterous behavior) is that in a true love story there must be some obstacle separating the man and the woman. The greater the obstacle, the greater the desirability and the attraction. A love that was forbidden (by parents, by religious authorities, by social standing, etc.) was the most exhilarating kind of love. In many ways, this paradigm lives on today. And although obstacles between lovers can be found in a contemporary setting (e.g. He owns a big bookstore that wants to put her little bookstore out of business, a la You've Got Mail), these contemporary hurdles seem fairly easy to jump when compared to obstacles like "utter ruin and disgrace in the eyes of society," or "excommunication and certain damnation."

For fans of racy reading, the openness, ease, and acceptability of modern affairs cause modern novels to lose a little luster, but the strict moral code of past eras makes infractions of it that much more enticing. The barriers society and religion placed before immorality translate into exciting obstacles to be overcome. The secrecy needed to conduct such behavior titillates readers and adds intricacy to a plot. As one wise man put it, "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." In an era where "everything is ok," it seems that novelists must return to a bygone age in order to find rules to break.

The Bibliophilic Book Blog - Guest Post

2011-09-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today I have a guest post over on The Bibliophilic Book Blog titled "The Easy Part of Writing Historical Fiction." Here's a piece of the opening paragraph:

As a writer, I am frequently on the receiving end of comments from non-writers who have varying perceptions of my craft. Some people dismiss it as an effortless occupation, much easier than holding down a "real" nine to five job. Others immediately attach herculean difficulty to it: "Writing? That sounds so hard! How do you possibly think of a story to write about, and one that's long enough to make into a novel?" Usually, I just smile and murmur something conventional, but today I'm going to let you in on the truth. Today I'm going to tell you that it is actually very easy to think of a story--if you write in the genre that I do....

A Bookish Affair - Review and Giveaway

2011-09-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Today Road from the West finds itself at A Bookish Affair for a review and another giveaway! Head on over there and enter to win a copy and see the rest of this review:

One of the things that I liked about this book is that although it takes place during a war, there isn't a lot of time spent on the battles themselves. The book covers more of the behind the scenes of what's going on. It talks more about what people were thinking as they marched towards the unknown.... Bottom line: This was a great adventure story with an interesting perspective.

The Bibliophilic Book Blog - Review

2011-09-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Road from the West was featured on The Bibliophilic Book Blog today as part of my virtual book tour. Here is an excerpt from the review:

Road from the West captures the beginning of Tancred's journey from sinner to Crusader. Wonderfully descriptive language brings to life the characters and settings of the Crusades. From power struggles, bloody battles, treachery, and even romance, Ms. Lortz easily transports readers back over 1000 years in the past. Fantastic fiction woven through the backdrop of history will capture your attention and leave you stunned and amazed.

Of Sequels and Such

2011-09-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

One of the interesting (or do I mean frustrating?) things about writing a sequel, is that you have to catch the reader up on all of the relevant backstory from the previous book. How much time should you spend on reintroducing characters? How many of the subplots does the reader need to know? As I write the first chunk of chapters for Flower of the Desert, I have been dealing with these questions in a very concrete way. And sometimes, finding the right answers to them feels like pounding my forehead against a slab of concrete.

I remember reading various sequels whose opening chapters annoyed me to no end. If the author spends too much time on rehash, you think, "I already know all this from the last book--let's get on with the story!" If the author rushes through the recap too quickly and with too many narrative gaps, you feel a little bit of vertigo--"Was the plot of the last book really that confusing?" My least favorite sensation is when the sequel, in a botched attempt to summarize, tells a slightly different version of the story than the previous book. "That's not the way it happened...."

So, here's to hoping I don't make any of those mistakes with Flower of the Desert: Book II of the Chronicles of Tancred. Thanks for reading and enjoy the sneak peek at the cover for my WIP!

Broken Teepee - Guest Post and Giveaway

2011-09-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Broken Teepee, one blog that did a very nice review of Road from the West last week, is today featuring a Guest Post by yours truly and a giveaway. Head on over there to learn about "The Rise of the Knights Templar" or to enter for a free copy of Road from the West.

Author Interview and Giveaway - Unabridged Chick

2011-09-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today as part of the blog tour for Road from the West, Unabridged Chick is featuring an author interview and a giveaway. Head on over for another chance to win a copy of my new release, or to hear the answers to exciting questions like, "What was the plot of your very first piece of fiction?".

Broken Teepee - Review

2011-09-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today's stop at Road from the West's virtual book tour was at Broken Teepee. Here is an excerpt from the review:

I found myself drawn into the world of Tancred and his family from the very first page. While a novel of war it's not a book that is overwrought with scenes of blood and gore. The story progresses at a fast clip with unexpected twists and turns along the way. I am hoping that Tancred matures in the next books in the trilogy. He is a young, brash, impulsive character and he is going to need to develop as time and fate come for him.

Ms. Lortz has a way with words and most definitely has a way with writing about this era in history. I am certainly looking forward to Tancred's future as it's written by this author.

The Calico Critic - Review

2011-09-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today as part of the Road from the West virtual book tour, Laura Hartness from The Calico Critic posted a review. Here are Ms. Hartness' closing comments:

When I reached the end of Road from the West, I not only felt like I learned a thing or two about the first Crusade, Tancred the marquis and the religious/political goings on of the era, but I also enjoyed a good story. Rosanne Lortz has two more titles to come in the Chronicles of Tancred trilogy, and if they're anything like this first segment, they'll definitely be worth my time. Book One is a great start to an informative, entertaining series.

From the TBR Pile - Guest Post and Giveaway

2011-09-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today on the Road from the West blog tour, I have a guest post and (another!) giveaway at From the TBR Pile. The guest post is titled "Falling in Love with Historical Fiction," and it talks about how I came to adore this genre. You can head on over there to read it and enter for another chance to win your own copy of Road from the West.

The Maiden's Court - Guest Post and Giveaway

2011-09-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Today The Maiden's Court, one of the historical fiction blogs on my Road from the West book tour, is featuring a guest post by me titled "Why the First Crusade?" Click on over there if you're interested in knowing why I picked this subject to write on.

The Maiden's Court is also hosting a giveaway for one copy of Road from the West--visit her site and enter to win!

Party Like It's 1099!

2011-09-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the big day! My second historical novel, Road from the West: Book I of the Chronicles of Tancred, became available for sale and my Virtual Book Tour across the blogosphere began.

Last night Madison Street Publishing held a Book Release Party for Road from the West at Exodus Books, an independent bookstore in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Seventy-five to a hundred people attended, packing the bookstore to the gills.

The food was catered by Confection Perfection (Abigail Lortz).

David started off the formalities by introducing me and sharing a little bit about our new company, Madison Street Publishing.

I gave a short reading from the book and then signed copies throughout the evening.

And we handed out some fun door prizes including: my two novels, a gift certificate to Exodus Books, and a brand new Amazon Kindle.

It was a glorious evening. We had so much fun and feel truly blessed by everyone who came out to support us. Thanks to Exodus Books for hosting and thanks to Amy Hayes for taking these pictures.

Reading Local

2011-08-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

I found out about an interesting website last week called Reading Local. As the name suggests, Reading Local is:

a network of websites devoted to promoting local literary communities across the country. There is an amazing amount of literary activity taking place right outside your door. Unfortunately this activity often times goes unnoticed either due to local media's inadequate resources, or inefficient means to get their message out. Reading Local strives to change this. Through our unique platform, Reading Local brings together those seeking to connect with the literary activity taking place in their communities and those who are orchestrating that activity.

Currently, the Reading Local website has branches in four cities (Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and Baltimore) with four more city branches launching soon (San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Brooklyn). I was quite pleased to find the Portland branch up and running--but then, what else would you expect from the home of Powell's Books?

On the website for each city you can find info on local events, new releases, authors, publishers, bookstores, and all things bookish. Local authors, publishers, etc. can easily use the website to promote their work by uploading information. I'm excited to see if Reading Local will help Madison Street Publishing connect with the Portland community.

Road from the West - Virtual Book Tour Itinerary

2011-08-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Road from the West releases September 2, a week from Friday, and September 2 is also the day that the Road from the West virtual book tour starts. The tour will last for a month and a half as Road from the West is featured on 25+ blogs with book reviews, author guest posts, and author interviews. The tour has been put together by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours (HFVBT).

HFVBT has just released the official itinerary for the tour. Here are all the "stops" Road from the West will be making across the blogosphere in the coming weeks:

Road from the West Tour Schedule

Friday, September 2nd

Review at The Maiden's Court

Monday, September 5th

Author Guest Post at The Maiden's Court

Tuesday, September 6th

Review at Debbie's Book Bag

Author Guest Post at From the TBR Pile

Thursday, September 8th

Review at Unabridged Chick
Review at A Journey Into Reading

Friday, September 9th

Author Guest Post at A Journey Into Reading

Monday, September 12th

Review at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, September 13th

Review at Reviews by Molly

Author Interview at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, September 14th

Author Guest Post at Broken Teepee

Thursday, September 15th

Author Interview at Reviews by Molly

Friday, September 16th

Review at Diary of a Book Addict

Tuesday, September 20th

Review at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Wednesday, September 21st

Review at A Bookish Affair

Thursday, September 22nd

Author Guest Post at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Monday, September 26th

Review at Just One More Paragraph

Tuesday, September 27th

Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie

Wednesday, September 28th

Author Guest Post at Just One More Paragraph

Thursday, September 29th

Review at Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews

Friday, September 30th

Review at By the By Books

Monday, October 3rd

Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, October 4th

Author Interview at The Musings of a Book Junkie

Wednesday, October 5th

Review at Bippity Boppity Book

Thursday, October 6th

Review at A Few More Pages

Friday, October 7th

Review at The Owl Bookmark Blog

Monday, October 10th

Review at Historically Obsessed

Tuesday, October 11th

Author Interview at The Owl Bookmark Blog

Wednesday, October 12th

Review at Between the Pages

Thursday, October 13th

Review at Words and Peace

Friday, October 14th

Review at The Calico Critic

Monday, October 17th

Review at Erin Reads

Wednesday, October 19th

Review at The True Book Addict

Thursday, October 20th

Author Guest Post at The True Book Addict

Black and White and Red All Over

2011-08-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Those of you who visited our home sometime in the last six months will doubtless remember the very "artistic" kitchen we were blessed with. Whoever lived here before us used about eight different colors on the walls, ceiling, and cupboards, and was apparently too ADD to finish distinct sections in one color but moved on to new hues haphazardly. But sometimes, when buying a house, you have to have a vision for what it COULD be.

The last month and a half have been spent transforming our kitchen into one more our style. David has spent many of his days off from work painting three (or four) coats over the walls, ceiling, and cabinets. Here are the "After" pictures of our brand new kitchen.

Next project: the bathroom. Although I think that one is going to have to wait till next summer.

Taming the Wilderness

2011-08-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

One of the glorious things about this summer is that for four whole months I don't have to share David with his schoolwork. One of the drawbacks is that for four whole months I do have to share him with his garden. Before we bought our house in January of this year, I never suspected what an avid gardener and landscaper David would turn out to be. Every day he spends an hour--or two, or three, or four--outside taming the wilderness. And although I sometimes begrudge the time he spends out there, I definitely enjoy the beautiful yard he's created. Here are some before and after pictures.

BEFORE: The front yard prior to purchase

AFTER: The front yard now

BEFORE: The left side of the house

AFTER: The left side of the house -- minus the trashy plastic shed

AFTER: Notice our baby boxwood hedge -- it will be 3' tall someday

BEFORE: Right side of the house

AFTER: Right side of the house

AFTER: More right side of the house

Road from the West ARC Giveaway - WINNER!

2011-08-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Road from the West Advanced Reading Copy giveaway ended yesterday. Thank you everyone who entered and shared about the giveaway! Random.org selected number "49" for us, and the winner is....

* * * Elijah Tuuri * * *

Congratulations, Elijah! You'll be getting the Road from the West ARC three weeks before its release date on September 2.

Thanks for participating, everyone!

Madison Street Publishing

2011-08-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

When I published I Serve independently in June of 2009, I will confess that I had no idea what I was doing. I wrote the book, had it formatted by a friend/graphic designer, submitted it to a Print On Demand company, and tossed it out into the great unknown. Six months later, I had sold about one hundred copies to friends and family and decided it had been a fun adventure, although not a particularly profitable one.

Enter David Spears--new husband and self-appointed marketing director. At the end of 2009, two weeks after we were married, he convinced me to format I Serve as an e-book for Amazon's Kindle and other e-readers. Then he began a learn-as-you-go marketing campaign sending review copies to book bloggers and buying ads on Kindle promotion sites. I was dubious (which is actually a euphemism for: I fought him every step of the way). But despite my self-deprecating pessimism and because of his energetic optimism, I Serve took off and entered the Top One Hundred List of Amazon's Historical Fiction for Kindle. As I write, we have sold 6346...wait, make that 6347 copies of I Serve, most of them in the e-book format--small potatoes for some authors, but big news for us.

Next month my second book Road from the West is being released, and with the experience and marketing savvy we've accumulated over the past year and a half, we're hopeful that the launch will be a success. This time we're releasing the book under the auspices of Madison Street Publishing, a new publishing company that we started this summer. With Madison Street Publishing we hope to provide a good home for my books as well as help other new authors find their niche in the changing market of today's publishing world.

Madison Street Publishing was founded on the simple idea that the story and the author who created it are the most important components of the publishing industry. Publishing companies should work for the authors, not authors for the publishing companies. MSP intends to live by this philosophy by putting our money where our mouth is and giving our authors the lion's share of their books' profits. At Madison Street Publishing, we mean it when we say that the story is our bottom line. Stop by our website to learn more about this exciting new endeavor.

Book Release Party

2011-08-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's one month and one day until the official release of Road from the West. Now is the time to let you know that you are all invited to the Book Release Party! It will be on Friday, September 2, from 7-9pm at Exodus Books in Milwaukie, Oregon, our favorite independent bookstore. Come enjoy hors d'oeuvres, a reading from the book, book signing by the author, and some fabulous doorprizes (including a brand new Kindle Reading Device).

Here is a sneak peek at the invitations that we are having printed:

And don't forget that if you would like to win your own Advanced Reading Copy of Road from the West, there's one more week left to enter the giveaway from this blog. Looking forward to seeing you at the Book Release Party!

Desultory Remarks III

2011-07-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

There are quite a few exciting tidbits in the publicity front. Yesterday I had a featured interview on the Kindle Author blog discussing I Serve and my journey as a writer. You can read the interview here and learn fascinating things like "how I develop my characters" and "which authors have inspired me."

* * * * *

Goodreads is currently running a giveaway of FOUR Advanced Reading Copies of Road from the West.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Road from the West

by Rosanne E. Lortz

Giveaway ends August 15, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

And if the odds for the Goodreads giveaway are too daunting, the giveaway for one ARC from this blog is still running until August 8. Click here to fill out the form and enter.

* * * * *

I mailed out dozens of Advanced Review Copies a week and a half ago, and it's fun to see ARC's arriving in the Mailbox Monday posts by several HF book bloggers. I'm looking forward to the Road from the West Blog Tour, put together by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and running from September 2 to October 20. There are twenty-six blogs participating with reviews, interviews, and guest posts--which reminds me, I have seven guest posts to write up for the tour and less than seven weeks to do it in. I better get working on those....

* * * * *

Cynthia Robertson has an excellent post against "The Cult of the Short Sentence" on her blog. Some writers feel that any sentence with more than ten or twelve words is too complex for the modern reader and must be broken into smaller sentences, but Cynthia feels otherwise and provides example after example of powerful prose using extended clauses, creative punctuation, and multiple conjunctions, including one excerpt from Hemingway that lasts 424 words before reaching a full stop.

Road from the West - ARC Giveaway!

2011-07-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

ROAD FROM THE WEST: BOOK I OF THE CHRONICLES OF TANCRED

A tale of Courage, Conquest, Intrigue, and Honor.

You've heard of the Knights Templar, you've heard of Richard the Lionheart—now learn the story that started it all with the adventures of the First Crusade.

Haunted by guilt from the past and nightmares of the future, a young Norman named Tancred takes the cross and vows to be the first to free Jerusalem from the infidels. As he journeys to the Holy Land, he braves vast deserts, mortal famine, and the ever-present ambushes of the enemy Turks—but the greatest danger of all is deciding which of the Crusader lords to trust. A mysterious seer prophesies that Tancred will find great love and great sorrow on his journey, but the second seems intent on claiming him before he can find the first. Intrigues and passions grow as every battle brings the Crusaders one step closer to Jerusalem. Not all are destined to survive the perilous road from the West.

It's less than a month and a half till Road from the West: Book I of the Chronicles of Tancred releases on September 2. I have been busy getting all the Advanced Reading Copies out to reviewers for the Road from the West blog tour. Yes, they get to read it early--and so can you if you win this giveaway! I have one ARC left over which I am delighted to offer to the winner of this challenge.

1 entry - Fill out the form below with your name and e-mail address
3 additional entries - Be a follower of this blog and mention this on the form
5 additional entries - Share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and provide a link on the form

Enjoying Our Summer

2011-07-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

There's something glorious about having the summer "off." I thought that when I gave up teaching I would no longer have that to look forward to. But with David being in school at George Fox University, I now have his holidays to anticipate, and I think that I've never been so excited about summer break as I have been this year.

During the spring semester David was taking a full class load and working four days a week, which meant that on some days he left the house at 7:30am and didn't get home until 11:30pm. Not the happiest of schedules for him, and definitely not the happiest of schedules for me and the twins. But now that school is out, he has Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off, and gets to stay home the rest of the days until the early afternoon (since he works swing shift). We've been enjoying our summer and the twins, and like everything else in my normal schedule, this blog has been put on the back burner.

Here are some pictures of our summer "off."

Adam experiences Pop Rocks for the first time

Oliver crawls under Adam in the Exersaucer

Uh-oh...Mommy's caught us playing with her shoes AGAIN!

Waiting in line for "Elephant Ears" at the Oregon Zoo

"There's the elephant, Oliver!"

"And here's a wild pig, in case you're interested."

Eating solid food is so much fun!

It's nice to always have a friend to play with!

This summer has been so amazing (well, ok, not the weather, just everything else) that I don't want it to end. I assumed that George Fox, like most semester schools, would be starting up mid-August. But David informed me just this week, that his first day of school is not until August 29. That's two more weeks of summer than I thought we were going to have!

The Eagle Fails to Soar

2011-07-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

"The book was way better!" That is usually my reaction after watching a film based on a book I have already read. It's not because the film is different than the book--I understand that changes must be made to accomodate a different medium--it's because the film is worse than the book. The screenplay writer looked at the original story and thought that he could make a better story using the same characters. And ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the screenplay writer was wrong.

The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell, is a movie that came out earlier this year. It is based on the book The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff. Since Sutcliff has been one of the biggest influences on my own historical fiction writing, my interest was definitely piqued by the preview, and I was exited to watch it while we were on vacation last week.

*SPOILER ALERT!* The first third of the movie follows the book almost exactly. Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing) introduces himself well as a faithful and stalwart Roman centurion, trying to make up for the dishonor that his father had brought upon the family. The Roman fort Marcus commands is very believable, as is the surprise attack by the marauding Britons. Wounded in the leg, Marcus is forced to retire from his military career and spends some time in the south of Britain with his Uncle Aquila (Donald Sutherland). While Marcus is still convalescing (and wondering what he is going to do with the rest of his life), he attends a gladiator fight where he saves the life of a young Briton named Esca (Bell). Aquila purchases Esca as Marcus' body slave, and Esca makes an oath to serve Marcus even though he hates everything Roman.

It is at this point that the plot of the movie radically diverges from the story in the book. Marcus decides to go north across Hadrian's Wall and find the eagle standard from his father's lost legion, bringing with him his deeply-embittered slave Esca as a guide. Instead of adopting some sort of plausible disguise so that he can search unnoticed in enemy territory, Marcus naively follows Esca around the north of Britain, hoping that the tribesmen will ignore his Roman haircut and his reliance on the Latin language. Eventually, he discovers that Esca has been pulling the wool over his eyes--the slave knows exactly where the lost legion lost itself because his tribe was there at the battle! Esca spouts some touching memories about the deaths of his family members, prey to the voracious appetite of Roman conquest. Marcus responds in typical Roman fashion by defending his nation's imperialism and brutally killing any tribesmen who stand in his way.

When Esca and Marcus encounter the Seal People (the keepers of the eagle standard), their tribal logic immediately deduces that Marcus is a Roman. Esca pretends that Marcus is his slave, and that he tricked him into coming north so that he could escape the clutches of Rome and return to his own people. The Seal People (whose looks and way of life would seem to place them in The Last of the Mohicans rather than the highlands of Scotland) greet Esca as a brother and heap abuse on Marcus, the despised representative of a hated race who--despite his civilized veneer--is just as savage as they are.

Marcus, afraid that Esca has betrayed him, behaves stupidly and earns many beatings. But one night, after a tribal ceremony where the eagle is displayed, Esca wakes the Roman and tells him that it is time to complete their mission. The two men steal the eagle and ride for the border pursued by hordes of angry Indians...ahem...Celtic tribesmen. When Marcus is unable to go any further, he finally trusts Esca enough to grant him his freedom. The Briton leaves his erstwhile master and dashes off to find a very unlikely source of help. The movie culminates with a fierce battle between the two men (plus auxiliaries) and the aggrieved tribesmen, which my husband described as "Roman biker gang vs. Native American Blue Man Group."

My main contention with this movie is that the screenwriter took a historically plausible adventure with a resourceful hero and turned it into an anachronistic rant against slavery and Roman conquest. In the book, Marcus and Esca become friends (in a believable way) while they are still at Uncle Aquila's home, and Marcus manumits his slave before the trip to the north. Esca, although a Briton, is from a completely different tribe than the ones that slew the lost legion. He has no conflicted loyalties on the trip. Marcus is a sympathetic character--not an unintelligent brute--who shows kindness to Esca and devises stratagems to find and steal the eagle. The book also includes a small romance between Marcus and Cottia, a young woman who lives nearby Uncle Aquila's home, which softens and adds dimension to Marcus' character.

Instead of following the plot of the book, the screenwriter clearly showed that he (or she?) had an ax to grind. The temptation to add a "relevant message"to historical fiction is one that can beset both novelists and screenwriters. Marcus must learn to hate his country and feel self-loathing by the end of the movie because that is what we would feel if our country went around killing and enslaving people. Some may see this as a profitable addition to the story. After all, since literature teaches by example, is it not right to imbue it with our own society's sense of morals?

Two posts I did earlier in the year have some bearing on this issue, one with Ian Mortimer's take on historical fiction and the other with Sharon Kay Penman's. In his History Today podcast, writer Ian Mortimer states that he is "not interested in enhancing people's understanding of the past. In fiction I'm using the past to demonstrate how we can say something that is true today and more meaningful for us today." Mortimer's kind of thinking would embrace the addition of "messages" into historical fiction, ones like the anti-slavery and anti-imperialism messages in The Eagle, because these are values that are generally held by us today.

Sharon Kay Penman, on the other hand, insists that historical fiction should scrupulously follow the mindsets of the past and avoid anachronistic messages that may appeal to our modern understanding. In a blog post titled "History vs. Fiction" she talks about the medieval view toward animals:

When daily life is so hard, few can spare sympathy for hungry dogs. This is especially true in a world in which people believe that God has given them dominion over the earth and all in it. So when one of my characters is moved by the plight of a suffering animal, he often is vaguely embarrassed by his Good Samaritan inclinations. When Justin de Quincy rescues a drowning dog in The Queen's Man, he does it after he "casts common sense to the winds," and he is motivated in some measure by the tearful entreaties of a small child. The life of a horse was worth a great deal and the life of a pet dog might have mattered to its owner. But the lives of animals in general had no intrinsic value and my characters cannot display the same outrage in the face of cruelty that we would.

Ms. Penman avoids injecting her novels with the modern notion of animal rights because it would not be appropriate to the time. Her commitment to historical accuracy in her writings outweighs her modern sensibilities.

The Eagle could have been an excellent movie, if the story had stayed close to Sutcliff's original story, or if the plot had been historically appropriate. I do have the capacity to enjoy a movie even if the storyline differs from the book. All I ask is that any changes to the storyline make a story that is equal to or better than the original. In the case of historical fiction (whether book or film), I follow Ms. Penman's (or Ms. Sutcliff's) school of thought. Paint the people as they truly were, not as twenty-first century Americans in helmets. And since films so rarely fail to live up to this criterion, perhaps it is better to keep our favorite historical fiction novels away from the cinema all together. As Lindsey Davis said, when asked about a poorly made film adaptation of her Falco series: "I am not interested in having inferior versions!"

Cities of Note

2011-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

When I published I Serve in 2009, one of the things I wanted (but didn't ever get) was a map to show all the important story places in England and France. A map was also on my wish list for Road from the West, and this time it actually came to fruition. Pam Forster drew the map and did the calligraphy, and Daniel Forster put it all together digitally. Here is a glimpse of the finished product--although it will be much easier to read when you see it as a two-page spread in the front of the book!

The Good Old Days of Patriarchy

2011-06-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

A Typical Roman Family

If you've been following my reviews on Read Room, you'll know that I've been on a Lindsey Davis kick for the better part of this year, reading sequentially through her Falco detective series set in Ancient Rome. The books give a tongue in cheek portrayal of Roman life combined with exciting murder mysteries and family drama. Falco, the satirical narrator of the novels, often laments the fact that his sisters and wife don't respect his authority like women did back in the good old days. Instead of working at their looms in silence, his womenfolk interfere with his work, wander wherever they please, argue with his ideas, and generally dismiss his position as head of the family.

The children in the novels are no more respectful than the women toward Falco and the rest of their elders. Falco's nephew Larius runs away from home to become a painter despite his mother's protests. His brother Gaius refuses to babysit for Falco and Helena unless rewarded with a substantial bribe. Every one of Falco's nephews and nieces echo their mothers' scornful opinions about their uncle's character and incompetence.

Although the Falco novels are rich with historical details from antiquity, they also have a contemporary feel to them since Lindsey Davis peppers them with British slang and humorous anachronisms. (For instance, in one mystery centered around a theater troupe, Falco pens the play The Spook Who Spoke, an early version of Shakespeare's Hamlet.) This causes one to wonder: how much of Falco's dysfunctional family is a product of historical research and how much is a product of our own contemporary society? Do the women and children of Lindsey Davis' Rome more accurately reflect the first century A. D. or the sitcom The Simpsons?

In an article titled "Family Values in Ancient Rome," Richard Saller of the University of Chicago provides an interesting look at Roman families during the early part of the Roman empire. He argues that many people have an evolutionary view of history. In the early part of recorded history they see a patriarchal family, "a large family unit dominated by a male elder who sternly wielded authority over women and children." The common view of history is that this patriarchal form of family government continued throughout the ancient world and even into the Middle Ages. As the centuries and millennia rolled by, however, patriarchy declined.

[P]aternal authority and control were weakened by the increasing independence of wives and children. Fathers were no longer able to use limitless force arbitrarily against family members. Wives and children were no longer the property of the paterfamilias, and came to enjoy the right to own and dispose of their own property. Children began to be allowed to choose a spouse, and those choices were more influenced by romantic love. As a result of this historical evolution, we now live in an age of the affectionate family, an age when women have more independence, financial and otherwise, and when children are loved and less apt to receive corporal punishment.

Some may think that the good old days of paternal authority were better. Some may be happy to live nowadays where women and children have more independence. But whichever preference they hold, most people would agree that this story of the evolution of the family is more or less historically accurate.

But Saller, as a professor specializing in Roman history, calls this story arc "grossly oversimplified" and says it "makes for dubious history." Rather than lumping the whole ancient world together as sternly patriarchal, he shows how the Roman civilization has its own fluctuating history of family values.

The Romans had their own evolutionary story about family mores, and it had nothing do do with the invention of affection, which they took to be natural and eternal in the family. However, their story did contain elements of the decline of paternal authority and the stable family. Roman authors--all men--often lamented that in the late Republic wives no longer played the ideal role that they had fulfilled for centuries. According to the Roman writers of the first century BCE and first century CE, divorce became increasingly frequent after 200 BCE, initiated easily by the husband of the wife. In addition, wives had their own property, which they could sell, give away or bequeath as they liked. As a result, women became more liberated and less dependent on their husbands. In fact, by the late Republic a rich wife who could divorce and take her wealth with her had a real threat against her husband and could wield influence over him. The sense of independence also showed up in increasing sexual promiscuity and adultery....

Roman authors don't say much about daughters in general, but they wrote about the moral decline of sons. In the age of degeneracy, sons in their youth no longer obeyed their fathers the way they used to, they spent profligately on women and wine and they became increasingly sexually promiscuous. This moral degeneracy took an ugly turn in the social chaos of the civil wars that brought the Republic to an end after Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BCE: Roman authors reported that sons turned on their fathers during the violence.

Just like some of us today, the Romans of the late Republic and early Empire looked back to the good old days when paternal authority was strong and respected. The writers--all men, as Saller points out--regretfully saw themselves in a period when family values had become lax, women had become headstrong, and sons had become rebellious.

Saller makes another interesting point when he notes that the very "earliest" Latin authors are "already deploring the moral decline of their own time." Plautus and Cato, writing in the second century B. C., satirize and complain of loose-living sons, indulgent fathers, and independent women. If the earliest works that we have are "already writing of the breakdown of the good, orderly family in which the paterfamilias maintained authority over his wife and children," how should that inform our historical understanding?

If there was ever a better age before the decline, it must have been in the prehistoric era. An alternative interpretation--one that I lean toward--is that the golden age before the moral decline never existed in reality but was a later invention by Roman authors who certainly had no reliable historical evidence for moral trends. That is to say, the narrative of moral decline of the family was based on a historical mirage of a better past, and it was no more than a mirage. It is fascinating that one of Plautus' comic characters, an unusually introspective father, is made to wonder out loud whether the sons of his day really are worse behaved or whether fathers just like to imagine that in their own youth they were more obedient and morally virtuous.

So, when Marcus Didius Falco complains that his womenfolk don't hold him in the proper esteem as paterfamilias, Lindsey Davis is not only channeling contemporary issues into her work, but also staying true to the historical milieu of the first century A. D. Falco's observations that families aren't like they were back in the good old days fit nicely with Cato's rants and show that Lindsey Davis has the Roman man's mindset down to a "T".

But do Cato's rants fit well with history as it actually was? Saller's article raises an important question: did the good old days of unbridled patriarchy ever really exist?

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

2011-06-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

The last seven days have been as busy as a barbershop on Saturday morning. They have also been bereft of any communication between myself and the Internet. I came home today to 157 e-mails, dozens of Facebook notifications, and a ream of blog posts to read through. Having caught up on those things with as much thoroughness as can be reasonably expected, I'm now ready to write my own blog post about all the happenings of the past week.

Sunday morning, we woke the twins early and left the house by 7:30am to head up north for my sister-in-law Jessica's college graduation. Jessica now has a degree in early elementary education. She is moving to our neck of the woods for the summer and looking for a teaching job down here so she can stay on through the school year. I'm hoping that she finds the perfect job to keep her in the Portland area!

Jessica and my three other sister-in-laws: Amy, Rebecca, and Nancy

After the graduation we enjoyed a wonderful celebration at the Ives' home. Since all of the Spears family was there, it was a good time to snap a family picture.

Right before we left Jessica's party, David and I shared our big news: baby number 3 is on the way! Or is it babies 3 and 4? Twins again? I should probably schedule an ultrasound.... Approximate due date is January 31, 2012.

It was almost 10pm when we got home Sunday night, with two very cranky little boys. But there was no sleeping in the next day--we got up early again and loaded up the cars to go to the beach for our annual church camp at Twin Rocks Friends Camp in Rockaway, OR.

Yes, I did say "cars," plural. Now that we are a gigantic family of four (soon to be five), we can no longer fit all of our vacation gear into one vehicle. Two cars gave us enough room to bring down the twins' Exersaucers, which made life at camp much happier for both them and us.

Oliver and Adam scrutinize a daisy - "Is it edible?"

Going to camp with children was an entirely different experience than going as just a couple. But thanks to all the help we got from family and friends, it wasn't horribly difficult. Probably the best part about our time was watching the twins enjoy new experiences in the great outdoors.

Oliver blows bubbles in the sun

Adam adores Auntie Jessica

The Pacific Ocean was one such new experience. Oliver was quite fond of wading in the frigid water. Adam, not so much.

David, Oliver, and the Twin Rocks in the background

We had a marvelous vacation, but now we're back to real life and all that entails--catching up on a week's worth of laundry, childproofing electrical outlets, painting the kitchen, and starting the manuscript for Book Two of The Chronicles of Tancred.

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Many thanks to Auntie Amy for all these great pictures. I like to think that the reason we didn't take any photos ourselves is because we were too busy taking care of our kids the whole week--but it might be more accurate to just call us lazy. Oh well....

The Whole of the Human Experience

2011-06-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week HistoryToday featured a podcast with Ian Mortimer, a historian known for his biographies of Sir Roger Mortimer, Edward III, Henry IV, and Henry V as well as his Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. Mortimer's most recent venture has taken him outside the world of nonfiction and into the realm of historical fiction. His new novel, Sacred Treason, is a mystery set during the reign of Elizabeth I and it is a far cry from his previous work. To keep his readers from becoming confused by the switch in genres, Mortimer has elected to publish his fictional works under the pseudonym James Forrester (his two middle names).

In the podcast, Mortimer discusses how he perceives history and historical fiction quite differently. For him, the goal of the historian is to study and reveal the past. The writer of historical fiction, on the other hand, tries to reveal general truths about humanity. "I'm not interested in fiction in enhancing people's understanding of the past. In fiction I'm using the past to demonstrate how we can say something that is true today and more meaningful for us today." Although he does strive for historical accuracy in his novel Sacred Treason, he says that is not the primary purpose of the book. "What I'm really doing is talking about life in all time, not just in the sixteenth century."

Mortimer notes that historians, for the most part, have lost the ability to impact society. "If you want to have historians really affecting the way people think about their position in the world they need to go beyond the academic frontiers, they need to take risks, they need to pioneer new forms of history and to discover--redefine--what history is." Perhaps a part of that redefinition is the burgeoning genre of historical fiction with its ability to transcend time, reveal truths about humanity as a whole, and create layers of meaning that academic histories lack.

Mortimer's view of historical fiction is an interesting one. He doesn't write to educate readers about a historical time period, per se, but instead uses his book as a "magnifying glass" for issues such as the importance of religion, fidelity to one's spouse, and loyalty to the state. I wonder whether readers share his goals. Do you pick up a historical novel in order to learn about a specific era? Or do you read it to learn about the whole of the human experience in a way that transcends time? Can a historical novel fulfill both of these goals equally?

It Is Finished!

2011-06-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Road from the West now has a cover! The picture is one of Gustave Dore's engravings of the Crusades. The cover design was made by Masha Shubin. What do you think of it?

A tale of Courage, Conquest, Intrigue, and Honor.

You know the Knights Templar, you know Richard the Lionheart—now learn the story that started it all with the adventures of the First Crusade.

Haunted by guilt from the past and nightmares of the future, a young Norman named Tancred takes the cross and vows to be the first to free Jerusalem from the infidels. As he journeys to the Holy Land, he braves vast deserts, mortal famine, and the ever-present ambushes of the enemy Turks—but the greatest danger of all is deciding which of the Crusader lords to trust. A mysterious seer prophesies that Tancred will find great love and great sorrow on his journey, but the second seems intent on claiming him before he can find the first. Intrigues and passions grow as every battle brings the Crusaders one step closer to Jerusalem. Not all are destined to survive the perilous road from the West.

Release Date: September 2, 2011

Reconciling Differences

2011-06-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

Working on the "Author's Note" for Road from the West. Here's an excerpt:

As in any historical endeavor, one of the joys of this project has been reconciling different--and differing--source material. The chroniclers of the First Crusade tend to disagree as much as the leaders themselves. Although these discrepancies can be time-consuming and frustrating, they are also eminently understandable since each eyewitness sees things with a unique perspective and each historian was attached to a different contingent of the Crusade. The case of the Armenian traitor Firuz is a prime example; here the historians give as many variations of the story as they do variants on his name.

The writer of the Gesta states that an emir named Pirus was convinced of Christianity by Bohemond and agreed to turn over his three towers to the Normans. Anna Comnena, the daughter of Emperor Alexios, avers that Bohemond persuaded the Armenian to betray his trust by means of "flagrant cajolery and a series of attractive guarantees." Fulcher of Chartres records that the traitor was a Turk, not an Armenian; he was incited to action by a dream wherein Christ commanded him to place the city in the hands of the Christians. Ralph of Caen returns to the Armenian identification and depicts the traitor as the father of a large family. When Cassian confiscated the grain that the man had stored up to feed his children, he determined to hand over the Tower of the Two Sisters to Bohemond out of desperation and revenge.

The Islamic chroniclers have their own details to add. The Muslim historian Ibn al-Athir calls the traitor an armor-maker named Ruzbih whom the Franks bribed with a fortune in money and lands. His countryman Ibn al-Qalanisi states that the betrayal was a cabal among several of the armor-makers who were unhappy about some ill-usage and confiscations at the hands of the governor. Steven Runciman, the premier historian of the Crusades, conflates several of these versions plus another rumor circulated later, that Firouz "had been hesitating right up till the evening before, when he discovered that his wife was compromised with one of his Turkish colleagues."

My version of Firuz's betrayal strives to do justice to as many of the accounts as I can while still creating a plausible story for the reader....

Les Miz Essay Contest

2011-05-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

This past week has been Les Miserables week over at The Erratic Muse. As part of the fun, Miss Pickwickian hosted an essay contest, 400-2000 words on any Les Miz topic imaginable. Last night I received an e-mail telling me that I received first place in the contest. Thanks so much for the honor, Miss Pickwickian, and thanks for the chance to participate!

THE ROOT OF THE MATTER:

VICTOR HUGO’S LES MISERABLES

By Rosanne E. Lortz

“Born a citizen of France, died a citizen of humanity…. Champion of the workers, apostle of world civilization and liberty.”[1] So reads one of the many obituaries that followed the death of Victor Hugo, a Frenchman as famous to his countrymen as Queen Victoria was to the English. Victor Hugo established his career as a poet, added to it as a playwright, and used his literary success to invade the world of politics; but for many people his fame rests most securely on the shoulders of his novels. Like many other authors of his time—Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Leo Tolstoy—Hugo used his novels to alert and accuse society about the plight of the poor. “The Wretched Ones” were on the minds and hearts of all the literati of the period, but it was Victor Hugo who turned their suffering into a masterpiece for the ages.

Les Miserables is a novel of well over a thousand pages with almost as many strands woven into its complex web of story. Even a brief summary would be too long for this essay and too short to do the book the justice that Javert would demand. Suffice it to say that the main plot centers around an ex-convict named Jean Valjean who, after being given a second chance by a compassionate old bishop, uses his life to extend that same mercy to an unfortunate prostitute named Fantine, to her innocent daughter Cosette, to an idealistic student named Marius, and even to the inexorable Inspector Javert (a policeman who has spent the entire novel trying to track down Jean Valjean).

Addison Hart, in an excellent article titled “Sentiments Abstractly Christian: Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, and the Catholic Imagination,” identifies three Christian themes in the book: redemption, laying down one’s life, and death and resurrection.[2] These themes can be seen repeatedly as Jean Valjean interacts with the other characters in the novel. He surrenders his comfortable new life to bring comfort to Fantine. He gives himself up to the law in place of Champmathieu, the man whom the court falsely accuses of being him. He redeems Cosette from the abusive Thernardiers and devotes his life to caring for her. He risks his own life to save Marius at the barricade, even though he knows that Marius will take his darling Cosette away from him.

Although the book was not initially well received by ecclesiastical critics (particularly those in the Roman Catholic Church), it has come to be embraced by many Christians as a beautiful narrative portraying the grace of the Gospel. Jean Valjean is seen as the stirring picture of Jesus’ words: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Yet—given the character and personal beliefs of the author—is this ringing Christian endorsement of Les Miserables appropriate? Is it even something that Victor Hugo would have wanted?

Victor Hugo’s religious views underwent several metamorphoses throughout the course of his life. In his youth he identified himself as a Roman Catholic, but he later became embittered toward the institution of the Church because of its perceived indifference to the sufferings of the poor. When interviewed by a census taker in the later years of his life, he claimed to be a “free-thinker.”[3] Addison Hart gives this succinct summary of Hugo’s religious views:

Hugo was not a Christian, and there is reason even to doubt that he was baptized. Religiously, as the foremost French Romantic figure of his age, he was a deist of sorts…. During his fifteen-year exile on Guernsey he developed an interest in the occult…. [H]e frequently made use of theosophical metaphors in his writings. He was a dabbler in heterodoxy, to say the very least.[4]

With Hugo’s antipathy toward orthodox Christianity, it seems peculiar to find the central tenets of that faith exemplified in the pages of Les Miserables.

Mark Brendle, in an essay titled “Morality and Law in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables,” questions whether we really do see Christianity in the novel. The story begins, he says, with Bishop Myriel, “the moral foundation of the entire book.” Myriel’s morality consists of charity, compassion, and courage; he acts out these tenets rather than preaching them and passes them on to Jean Valjean. Brendle goes on to say that:

Myriel is not a typical bishop, or even a typical Christian. He is not meant to represent the average Christian, because Hugo does not believe it is Christianity per se that provides morality. Myriel is drawn in such a way as to show that true morality is above and separate from any specific religion. This mirrors Hugo’s own views on the matter. He is known for having said, “Religions pass away, but God remains.” Thus, in the prologue, Hugo establishes a separation between morality and religion.[5]

If Brendle is correct, then the mercy that Bishop Myriel shows to Jean Valjean—the same mercy that Jean Valjean then extends to others throughout the novel—is a mercy that springs from an “innate” sense of morality within mankind. It is not rooted in Christianity, or in the commandment, “that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) Hugo intended Jean Valjean to help les miserables of France for the same humanistic reasons that caused Gandhi to devote his life to the oppressed people of India, the same humanistic reasons that prompt Bill and Melinda Gates to donate millions for cancer research.

If we concede the point that Hugo based Les Miserables on the bare principles of morality apart from their Biblical foundations, how then is it appropriate for Christians to laud the work and see their own faith mirrored in it? Apart from the grace of Christ, aren’t the good works of Jean Valjean nothing more than filthy rags? (Isaiah 64:6) The answer to these questions lies in how we perceive meaning in literature. Are the themes and scope of a work of literature confined and restricted by authorial intent? Or can a work of literature take on a life of its own outside of its author’s creative purpose?

Leo Tolstoy, a contemporary of Hugo’s, provides a parallel example in his work The Death of Ivan Ilyich. This novella tells a story that can be interpreted in a Christian light. It is filled with Christian imagery and brings us face to face with that great paradox of our faith: we die that we might live. Ivan’s realization at the end is consonant with the Scriptural truth that Christ, by his death, has removed the sting of death for us. The end of the story can be interpreted as a deathbed conversion, where Ivan finally puts his trust in the One who frees him from the fear of death.

But Tolstoy, like Hugo, was a “dabbler in heterodoxy.” He followed Rousseau in a belief that “the solution of the moral and religious problems that present themselves in this world is found by looking within.”[6] He denied the deity of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and every other Scriptural truth that he was unable to reconcile with his notions of rationality. The gospel that Tolstoy knew was a different gospel than that which we have received. Like Les Miserables, the Russian novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich has a theme of redemption. But if Tolstoy’s perverted doctrine worked itself out into his writings, then is the redemption that Ivan Ilyich discovers a redemption wholly other than that which we discover in Christ?

In assessing the works of non-Christian writers like Hugo and Tolstoy, a Christian can only come to one of two conclusions. He can conclude that because the author intended to convey a humanistic gospel and a man-centered redemption, then the book is radically flawed and at odds with the truth of Scriptures; or he can conclude that some stories are like the monster Frankenstein—they deviate quite radically from the intent of their creator. This deviation is not always for the worse. Books as well as actions can be subject to the irony of Joseph’s comment: “You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Victor Hugo, when he embedded the themes of redemption, laying down one’s life, and death and resurrection in Les Miserables, may have had a flawed understanding of what these themes really mean. But, fortunately for the reader, Hugo’s personal definitions of “goodness” and “redemption” are superseded, even in his own writings, by the real definitions created by God and demonstrated archetypically in Christ. By structuring his story around the fruits of Christianity (i.e. brotherly love, morality, sacrifice for another), Hugo opened the gate so that the resurrection of Christ could storm the castle. The story of Christ is a greedy thing. If you give it an inch, it will take a mile. It will be lord and master whether we will it to be or not.

Looked at in this way, it is entirely appropriate for Christians to appropriate Les Miserables as a story of Christ’s redemptive power. Victor Hugo looked above ground when he wrote, describing the limbs, leaves, and fruit of the Christian faith. In doing so he refused to acknowledge the root of the matter, but it is still there nonetheless, holding up the tree that Hugo planted and providing nourishment to every leaf of the story.

[1] Graham Robb, Victor Hugo: A Biography (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999), 534.

[2] Addison H. Hart, “Sentiments Abstractly Christian: Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, and the Catholic Imagination,” Touchstone: a Journal of Mere Christianity (May/June, 1998), available at http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=11-03-018-f (accessed April 2, 2011).

[3] Wikipedia, “Victor Hugo,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Victor_hugo (accessed April 2, 2011).

[4] Hart, “Sentiments Abstractly Christian.”

[5] Mark Brendle, “Morality and Law in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables,” Unabashedly Bookish: the BN Community Blog, http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish-The-BN/Morality-and-Law-in-Victor-Hugo-s-Les-Miserables/ba-p/535969 (accessed April 2, 2011).

[6] E. B. Greenwood, “Tolstoy and Religion,” in New Essays on Tolstoy, ed. Malcolm Jones (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978), 154.

Desultory Remarks II

2011-05-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today we reached a landmark 5000 sales for I Serve. This includes Kindle sales (nearly 90%), other e-reader sales, and paperback sales. Thanks to all the readers who helped make this possible.

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This past Tuesday night was full of weeping and gnashing of teeth and the burning of the midnight oil. It was my self-imposed deadline for finishing the rough draft of Road from the West. It was also the day my laptop decided to go on the fritz. Despite technical difficulties of a most irritating nature, the manuscript came to a conclusion at around 110,000 words. It is now in the hands of three beta readers. We are looking forward to launching Road from the West on September 2.

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I recently obtained a Twitter account and have been enjoying the ability it gives me to network with other writers and book bloggers. Reading other people's tweets is fun. Writing my own tweets takes more brain power than writing a book chapter. I don't think I'm cut out for a 140-character limit kind of world.

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Starting today Miss Pickwickian at The Erratic Muse is hosting a week long Les Miserables Event. She will be posting essays submitted by readers and handing out some fabulous prizes such as the Les Miz 25th Anniversary Concert DVD and Les Miz themed jewelry, artwork, books, and posters. Let the miserableness begin! (Her joke, not mine.)

Author vs. Mother

2011-05-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

Trying to get writing done with two six-month-old boys can be challenging. Last week--with the twins being sick, exhausted, teething, traumatized, and generally ill-tempered--it was especially challenging. Saturday, my self-imposed deadline, has come and gone, and I'm still trying to finish the rough draft of Road from the West.

While pondering all the infant-provoked adversities that have afflicted my writing schedule (pardon me as I pause this blog post to go clean vomit off the rug), I ran across an interview with Nichole Bernier about the challenges of being both a writer and a mother. Ms. Bernier is "a freelance writer based in Boston, and the author of the novel The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D, to be published by Crown/Random House in early 2012." She has five children ranging in age from 21 months to 10 years old and offers an excellent perspective on mixing authorship with motherhood.

When asked about the impact of children on her writing career, Ms. Bernier says:

Being a mother has made me a lot more disciplined, because you have to take advantage of writing time when it comes, and I can't procrastinate deadlines until the last minute, because you never know what might get in the way. All-nighters aren't a viable option anymore.

All-nighters aren't the only thing a mom/author has to give up. Ms. Bernier mentions a theory of hers called "Three Things," the idea that anyone who has kids can only successfully devote their time to three other activities. "If you work outside the home, that's one big thing. If you exercise regularly, that's another. If you knit or belong to a book club or hold a board position at the kids' school or adore reality TV, there you go."

So what exactly has it meant for Ms. Bernier to juggle the roles of mother and author?

In practical terms, it meant years of giving over babysitting time to something that may or may not pay off financially.... In mental terms, it means finding the discipline to work when you have the time. The faucet has to go on and off based on the family schedule, not the ebb and flow of your ideas or mood. Emotionally, it's meant sometimes curbing the inner toddler that wants to throw a foot-stomping tantrum about not being able to write as much as some other writers do. Spending all day on revisions, or traveling for conferences or retreats--those aren't things that happen easily with family life. That's when I have to go back to square one and remind myself how lucky I am to know what it is I love to do and pursue it, because many people never do.

In an effort to help other mothers pursue that love of writing and break into the publishing world, Ms. Bernier offers a list of advice: make your writing as good as it can be, learn about agents and the querying process, and have a thick skin to rejection. But my favorite piece of advice is this one:

Network on social media. Write essays, articles, blogs, clever email, anything that's a limbering-up exercise to keep your thinking process sharp and your creativity going. But don't let that become so time consuming that it usurps the actual writing you want to see published.

*Sigh* Better get back to that manuscript I was working on.... New self-imposed deadline: Tuesday.

Book Cover Inspirations

2011-05-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Siege of Antioch - Medieval Miniature

Lionheart, by Sharon Kay Penman (2011)

Baudolino, by Umberto Eco (2000)

These are my book cover inspirations as I think about what cover I would like for Road from the West. This Tuesday we meet with our graphic designer. Will the finished product look like any of the pictures above? We shall see....

The Peasants are Revolting

2011-05-09T19:45:00.001-07:00

I like reading books and articles that debunk historical myths--especially historical myths that paint the Middle Ages as dark and dumb as a fence post at night. Sharan Newman specializes in debunking popular but spurious versions of history. She has written books such as The Real History behind the Da Vinci Code and The Real History behind the Templars.

In a recent post on Ms. Newman's blog, she debunks the oft mentioned medieval horrors of chastity belts and "the lord's right." In case you're unsure what those are, the chastity belt is basically a metal belt (with lock and key) and a solid attachment between the legs that was supposed to prohibit a woman from having sexual intercourse. "The lord's right" is the infamous prima nocta of the movie Braveheart where the ruling noble gets to sleep with any peasant woman he desires on her wedding night.

Ms. Newman notes that both of these monstrosities are nineteenth century inventions regarding the Middle Ages that are rejected as fabrications by all serious historians. Nevertheless, they are still "fixed in the public imagination as prime examples of medieval cruelty and subjugation of women."

There is no manuscript or archaeological evidence for chastity belts or "the lord's right," but Ms. Newman builds an even more interesting case against them by showing that such things would be contrary to the very societal structure of Middle Ages.

But the real problem with the chastity belt and the lord's right, is that they presume women were property. In the nineteenth century, under law in many countries, women were treated as children, without reasoning capacity. Medieval women were not. Of course there were barriers in law. They couldn't be priests or war leaders (but don't tell Matilda of Tuscany) and, while women made most of the beer in Europe, they couldn't be official beer tasters. Go figure. But women could inherit, buy and sell property, and speak for themselves. And a lot of them did at all levels of society.

Now this First Night nonsense also assumes that peasants were slaves. Depending on the time and place, their lot wasn't great, but any lord saying that he would get to sleep with a bride from his village on the wedding night would not have lasted long. "The peasants are revolting" is not an idle phrase. A wonderful example is from the miracle stories of St. Cuthbert. It seems that a Scottish lord once decreed that all his female field hands work naked. In Scotland? According to the story, the next morning the lord was found dead "pecked to death by crows". Sure. It doesn't matter if the story is true; it makes clear what the twelfth century thought of high-handed noblemen and implies that peasants didn't take such things lying down (so to speak).

Prima nocta in the Middle Ages is clearly an invention of men like Mel Gibson--although to cut him some slack, it also features over and over again in the works of historical novelists. (Ken Follett comes to mind.) It not only didn't happen in the Middle Ages, it probably couldn't have happened in the Middle Ages. The sort of world where "the lord's right" could be exercised with impunity is the ancient Babylonian world of Gilgamesh--and even then men like Enkidu would stand up to say "This is wrong!"

Reading this blog post by Ms. Newman has made me curious to read more of her work. Her latest book is titled The Real History of the End of the World where she "digs into end of the world theories and shows us that whether it's aliens, natural disaster, or the Rapture, our civilization has been there and done that." Sounds like a fun read!

Shelve It

2011-05-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring semester finals at George Fox University, which means that this week is the first week of my husband David's summer break! After he has been studying so hard for the last several months, it might surprise you to learn that the first thing he did for his summer vacation was hit the books.

Ever since our whirlwind move (and Adam's double surgery) in January, our books have been either shelved haphazardly or piled in disorganized heaps on the basement floor. But chaos reigns no longer.

We found a great place for our favorite bookshelf in the living room and filled it up with our ancient, medieval, and early modern history titles. Coincidentally, these also happen to be our favorite books. My husband and I frequently congratulate ourselves on how well the history libraries we acquired during our single years now complement each other--an added benefit to married life.

The basement bookshelves got a complete makeover with the sections sorted out into theology, language books, reference books, poetry, fiction, political science/economics, and photo albums. Notice our handmade Turkish rug brightening up the floor--a Craigslist find from a few months ago.

Books weren't the only thing on the agenda. A quick trip to Ikea gave us this floor length mirror. I don't know which was the harder feat--fitting it into the car or bolting it into the wall.

Another project needing attention is pictures! Our walls have been sadly bare, but that is on the mend. Above is a collection of framed art I put together by cutting the spine off a Dover book, Great Medieval Churches and Cathedrals of Europe.

This morning we made a paint run to Home Depot, so hopefully I will soon have pictures of a "cotton fluff" white kitchen (instead of one with seven different psychotically applied colors) and a green "geranium leaf" master bedroom with white trim (instead of curry yellow).

The twins have been troopers through all of our renovating and running around, enjoying their time on the front porch whenever the weather's nice enough to go outside.

There at Last, but Not Quite Done

2011-04-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

100,000 words was the approximate length of my last novel, I Serve, and 100,000 was the goal to shoot for with my current WIP, Road from the West.

In a December 31st post, I announced that if I could keep up with my weekly schedule of writing 2500 words a week, I would be done with my new book "sometime in April." Well, here it is April 30. I've stuck to my schedule, and I've reached 100,000 words. But the book's not quite done. The story hasn't quite told itself. I've a few chapters, and maybe 5,000 - 10,000 words left to go.

New plan: finish rough draft by May 14. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

__________________________________

EXCERPT FROM ROAD FROM THE WEST

One chill evening, as the marquis prepared to go to the council tent, he bade Alexandra fetch his cloak. If she insisted on loitering around his tent with the mournful eyes of a stray hound, she might as well make herself useful.

The girl rose to her feet, a little shakily, and rubbed her arms briefly as a talisman against the crisp spring air. Tancred, hunched over attending to his bootstraps, glimpsed her form from the corner of his eye moving toward the tent. Then, suddenly, the motion ceased. Alexandra fell to the ground midstride, her voice making no sound as she lost consciousness and her small body making little impact on the packed dirt below.

“What is wrong with her?” asked Tancred obtusely.

Ralph stared at him. Could he really not know? “She has not eaten a bite of food in over three days,” he said reproachfully....

A Certain Degree of Shamelessness

2011-04-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with literary self-promotion? Is it crass to energetically promote a novel or collection of poems or short stories that you have worked long and hard upon, and from which you hope to make a few dollars? Is there something immoral about an author renting out his image to build up his brand? Why should only rappers and athletes have their names on sneakers?

Columnist Paul Devlin asks these questions at the beginning of a 2006 article entitled "For Whom the Shill Tolls: Hemingway's Lost Work for Ringling Bros. and Ballantine Ale." In the piece, Mr. Devlin points out that Hemingway's self-promotion (while doing ad spots for these companies) was completely in keeping with American literary tradition. "Unlike their European counterparts, who could rely on the patronage of kings, nobles, or government-funded churches, American writers have long had to keep an eye on money, marketing, and 'self-legendizing.'"

An essay in today's New York Times shows this American "self-legendizing" in action, in the person of nineteenth century poet Walt Whitman:

Walt Whitman notoriously wrote his own anonymous reviews, which would not be out of place today on Amazon. “An American bard at last!” he raved in 1855. “Large, proud, affectionate, eating, drinking and breeding, his costume manly and free, his face sunburnt and bearded.”

While Devlin sees this self-promotion as particularly American in nature, the New York Times essay shows that being born a European has never been a sure guarantee of patronage. Writers have had to resort to these sorts of Walt Whitman shenanigans ever since the days of clay tablets and papyrus scrolls.

In 440 B.C. or so, a first-time Greek author named Herodotus paid for his own book tour around the Aegean. His big break came during the Olympic Games, when he stood up in the temple of Zeus and declaimed his “Histories” to the wealthy, influential crowd.

This self-promoting trend did not stop with the "father of history." Book parties abounded at Oxford during the Middle Ages thrown by clergymen aspiring to be authors. Hot air balloons soared over the skies of nineteenth century Paris with the names of newly published short stories painted on the sides.

And today? Do we still have the same need to self-promote as did Herodotus, Whitman, and Hemingway? Absolutely! A Washington Post article from 2009 says:

Book publishers actively market and promote authors, of course, particularly the big names, but for thousands of writers it's a figure-it-out-yourself world of creating book trailers, Web sites and blogs, social networking and crashing on friends' couches during a tour you arrange.... Authors are expected to behave like mini-entrepreneurs.

The one thing that has changed, however, is the public perception (and self-perception) of the people who engage in this kind of self-promotion. "In the intervening years," writes Devlin, "our culture has become increasingly preoccupied with 'authenticity,' and the reclusive genius seems more romantic to us than the swaggering boaster does."

As one of the thousands of writers in a "figure-it-out-yourself" world, I must admit that I often feel a sense of great awkwardness in thrusting--or attempting to thrust--my work into the limelight. "Is it crass," Devlin asks, "to energetically promote a novel...that you have worked long and hard upon, and from which you hope to make a few dollars?" I suppose not, but it doesn't exactly feel noble either.

In such moments of doubt, I look to history for reassurance. It’s always comforting to be reminded that literary whoring — I mean, self-marketing — has been practiced by the greats.

The most revered of French novelists recognized the need for P.R. “For artists, the great problem to solve is how to get oneself noticed,” Balzac observed in “Lost Illusions,” his classic novel about literary life in early 19th-century Paris. As another master, Stendhal, remarked in his autobiography “Memoirs of an Egotist,” “Great success is not possible without a certain degree of shamelessness, and even of out-and-out charlatanism.” Those words should be on the Authors Guild coat of arms.

People who have twins...

2011-04-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

...are always interested in other people who have twins too.

Ana T. is a thoughtful and well-expressed book blogger from Portugal who contributes to Historical Tapestry. (In fact, she did that site's review of I Serve in March of last year.) She used to be one the most frequent posters on HT, but lately her posts have been fewer and farther between.

The latest post on her personal website Aneca's World shows a must-see photo of why she's been absent and why she doesn't know when she'll be returning to blogging.

Congratulations, Ana! The twins are adorable!

All Fiction is Fan Fiction

2011-04-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

"Overheard on the Titanic," by Austin Kleon (Available for purchase here)

I read an interesting article yesterday by author/artist Austin Kleon titled "How to Steal Like an Artist (and 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me)." Mr. Kleon, who creates poetry by blacking out most of the words of newspaper articles, offers some amusingly illustrated advice for authors, artists, musicians, or any other kind of creative type. My favorite section of his essay states:

The question every young writer asks is: “What should I write?”
And the cliched answer is, “Write what you know.”
This advice always leads to terrible stories in which nothing interesting happens.
The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s write what you *like*.
Write the kind of story you like best.
We make art because we like art.
All fiction, in fact, is fan fiction.
The best way to find the work you should be doing is to think about the work you want to see done that isn’t being done, and then go do it.
Draw the art you want to see, make the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read.

And that is why I write historical fiction.

Top Ten Things You Never Knew You Wanted to Know about the Seljuk Turks

2011-04-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last week was a lovely week for writing (Did I mention I'm at 90,000 words on Road from the West?) and also a lovely week for research. The Seljuk Turks occupied most of my attention as I tried to figure out how, when, and why the Turks got to Turkey in the first place. Here are the top ten things you never knew you wanted to know about the Seljuk Turks:

1. The Turks originally hailed from central Asia, spanning an area about as large as the United States. This land encompassed the modern day countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and northern China.

2. The Turks converted to Islam in the tenth century A. D. under pressure from rulers in Persia.

3. There were dozens of tribes within the Turkish race all striving for dominance over the others. The Seljuks were one such tribe and rose to the top of the pile in the first part of the eleventh century A. D.

4. In A. D. 1055, the Abbasid Caliph invited the Seljuk ruler Tughril to come to Baghdad and provide military aid against his rivals. The Abbasids were Sunni Muslims and constantly at odds with the Shiite Muslims led by the Fatimids in Egypt.

5. Tughril helped the Caliph by promptly seizing power, demoting the Caliph to no more than a religious figurehead, and becoming the first "Sultan of Great Seljuk." His empire stretched all the way from the Holy Land to India.

6. Tughril's nephew, Alp Arslan, expanded the Seljuk empire even farther by conquering Armenia and attacking the Byzantine Empire. He defeated the Byzantines (and captured their emperor) at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Many historians have seen this battle as the fatal wound that would eventually lead to the death of the Eastern Roman Empire centuries later.

7. Alp Arlsan deputized many atabegs (governors) to rule the provinces of his expansive empire. During the reign of his son, Malik Shah, some of these atabegs grew so powerful that they owed only a nominal fealty to the sultan. There was much in-fighting between these Seljuk rulers, a situation that would help the Crusaders immensely.

8. Suleiman, Alp Arslan's cousin, was deputized to oust the Byzantines from Asia Minor. He pushed them back all the way to the Hellespont, taking the ancient city of Nicaea as his capital. The land he conquered became known as the Sultanate of Rum (because it had once belonged to Rome / "Rum"), and by the twelfth century it was being called "Turchia" by historians.

9. It was Suleiman's incursions in Asia Minor that led the current Byzantine emperor Alexios Comnenos to write to Pope Urban asking for military aid. He wanted the westerners to send mercenaries to help him regain his empire. Alexios' daughter Anna Comnena records how serious the situation was for those living in Constantinople:

As I have said in a previous chapter, the godless Turks were in sight, living in the Propontis area, and Sulayman, who commanded all the east, was actually encamped in the vicinity of Nicaea. His sultanate was in that city (we would call it his palace). The whole countryside of Bithynia and Thynia was unceasingly exposed to Sulayman's foragers; marauding parties on horseback and on foot were raiding as far as the town now called Damalis on the Bosphorus itself; they carried off much booty and all but tried to leap over the very sea. The Byzantines saw them living absolutely unafraid and unmolested in the little villages on the coast and in sacred buildings. The sight filled them with horror. They had no idea what to do.

10. In A. D. 1095, Pope Urban used Alexios' appeal for aid as a chance to call for a Crusade to free the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Faitmid Muslims had held control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land for almost four centuries; however, their policy had been one of religious toleration, allowing Christians to live there and pilgrims to come and go freely. When the Seljuk Turks took over the Holy Land from the Fatimids, this policy changed drastically. Pope Urban exhorted the Franks to journey to Jerusalem and free it from the horrors perpetrated by the Turks:

From the confines of Jerusalem and the city of Constantinople a horrible tale has gone forth and very frequently has been brought to our ears, namely, that a race from the kingdom of the Persians, an accursed race, a race utterly alienated from God, a generation forsooth which has not directed its heart and has not entrusted its spirit to God, has invaded the lands of those Christians and has depopulated them by the sword, pillage and fire; it has led away a part of the captives into its own country, and a part it has destroyed by cruel tortures; it has either entirely destroyed the churches of God or appropriated them for the rites of its own religion. They destroy the altars, after having defiled them with their uncleanness. They circumcise the Christians, and the blood of the circumcision they either spread upon the altars or pour into the vases of the baptismal font. When they wish to torture people by a base death, they perforate their navels, and dragging forth the extremity of the intestines, bind it to a stake; then with flogging they lead the victim around until the viscera having gushed forth the victim falls prostrate upon the ground. Others they bind to a post and pierce with arrows. Others they compel to extend their necks and then, attacking them with naked swords, attempt to cut through the neck with a single blow. What shall I say of the abominable rape of the women? To speak of it is worse than to be silent. The kingdom of the Greeks [Byzantines] is now dismembered by them and deprived of territory so vast in extent that it can not be traversed in a march of two months. On whom therefore is the labor of avenging these wrongs and of recovering this territory incumbent, if not upon you? You, upon whom above other nations God has conferred remarkable glory in arms, great courage, bodily activity, and strength to humble the hairy scalp of those who resist you.

Pope Urban Calls for the Crusade

All this is background for the story of the First Crusade, a story I will be telling in my Chronicles of Tancred trilogy. The first draft of the first book, Road from the West, should be completed next month and the finished work will, Lord willing, be published sometime this summer.

When Tancred accepts a commission to deliver an emerald ring to a Turkish princess, the ring turns out to be a far heavier burden than anticipated. A mysterious prophecy promises that he will find great love and great sorrow on his quest, but the last seems intent on claiming him before he has found the first.

Occupational Hazard

2011-04-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

I like to take care of my books. I don't fold back the covers too far; I use post-it notes to mark items of interest instead of dog-earing the page; I use highlighters or underlining only on special occasions.

I have about twenty books that I am using to research Road from the West, and about half a dozen of those I refer to regularly. One of my most important titles is The Gesta Tancredi of Ralph of Caen: A History of the Normans on the First Crusade (Crusade Texts in Translation). Medieval texts can be pricey and this one currently retails for one hundred dollars on Amazon.

The other day Oliver threw up all over this book. A lot. True story.

I still think he's cute.

Desultory Remarks

2011-03-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

We had our first "big order" at our new printer Create Space. Someone ordered 62 books from our e-store. The costs were very minimal for switching printers, and now the move to Create Space has paid for itself four times over.

As an independent author, I try to keep up with what's going on in the Indie book world. Here are some recent items of interest:

Amanda Hocking, queen of the Indie book world (and author of paranormal romances), signed a book deal with a publishing house for two million dollars. Even though she could potentially make more money self-publishing her new series, she chose to do this because: “I want to be a writer...I do not want to spend 40 hours a week handling e-mails, formatting covers, finding editors, etc. Right now, being me is a full-time corporation.”

Thriller writer Barry Eisler turned down a five hundred thousand dollar deal in order to go Indie on his next book. In a conversation with J. Konrath, he says "This was one of the reasons I just couldn’t go back to working with a legacy publisher. The book is nearly done, but it wouldn’t have been made available until Spring of 2012. I can publish it myself a year earlier. That’s a whole year of actual sales I would have had to give up."

The twins are growing into strapping young lads, having fun rolling about and learning to laugh at silly adults.

Wherein Jasper Fforde Provides His Autograph and Advice for Writers

2011-03-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday night of this week, I had the distinct privilege of going to a Jasper Fforde book signing at the local Barnes & Noble. I went with a couple of friends, my mom, and my little brother (who was coerced into coming for lack of a babysitter). It started at 7pm; we got there an hour early, and just managed to get seats in the second to last row.

Jasper Fforde, in case you have not been introduced, is a Welsh author famous for his literary satire/fantasy. His current United States/Canada book signing tour is in honor of the recent publication of One of Our Thursdays is Missing, the sixth installment in the Thursday Next series that began with The Eyre Affair. Other series that he is in the process of writing are The Nursery Crime books and the Shades of Grey trilogy. Fforde writes like a quirky, modern P. G. Wodehouse, and the clever--but bizarre--nature of his characters, settings, and plots afford hours of entertainment. I have reviewed two of his books on my blog Read Room, The Last Dragonslayer and Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron.

The event at Barnes & Noble was billed as a reading from the new book and a book signing, so when I arrived there, I didn't realize that Fforde would actually be giving a forty-five minute talk on how his writing career started. Not only was his talk fascinating for all the readers interested in his back story, but it was also enlightening for aspiring writers.

The loudest message that I came away with was "Don't give up on getting your work published." Fforde was writing for ten years and had completed six books before any agent or publisher would touch his work. He mailed out dozens and dozens of query letters with first chapter included and received just as many rejection letters in response. Some of those queries are for the same books which are now receiving worldwide acclaim. Readers love them. He just had to get past the threshold guardians of the publishing houses before he could reach his audience.

When Fforde finally found an agent who would market his work, it was an agent who had just started up her own firm and had no clients--the perfect agent for new authors, Fforde says, because a new agent is willing to actually read submissions without rejecting them out of hand. She liked Fforde's book The Last Dragonslayer, but feared that in the current climate people would see it as a Harry Potter rip off. "Have you got anything else?" she asked. He sent her The Eyre Affair. Within three weeks she had found a publisher willing to put it out, and one of the publisher's first questions for Fforde was, "Can you write a sequel?"

Besides talking about his experiences of breaking into the publishing industry, Fforde also gave some anecdotal tips on writing itself. Everyone, he says, has the ability to be a writer; writing is simply telling a story, and humans are natural born storytellers. It's all about practice, Fforde says, just like any other skill you want to master.

One of the ways that Fforde honed his writing skills was by coming up with a problematic plot situation--a "narrative black hole," as he called it--and then "writing his way out of it." He gave the example of a short story that he had written where a man wakes up and finds a gorilla in the tree in his front yard. That was the narrative black hole. The subsequent story he created sounded like a brilliant farce, and I wish I had a copy of it to read. Using his creative ingenuity, Fforde resolved the gorilla situation and took the reader for an interesting ride along the way.

Another plot problem he gave to himself was a man finding that he has turned into a banana--except that the author banned himself from using the word banana throughout the whole story. Fforde created a Bronte-esque short story with a Gothic flavor as he told this man's tale of woe. He hopes that the reader's response shortly after finishing the story would be to slap themselves on the forehead and think, "I get it! He was a banana!"

This delayed realization that leads to hilarity is a reaction that Fforde often tries to generate. Throughout the talk, he mentioned several places in his books where the readers will be "punned by stealth." For example, in one of the Thursday Next books, he has a character named Page Turner, except he never refers to the character by her first and last name together -- until the final chapter of the book. The readers, seeing the two names in conjunction after all this time, finally get the joke. They've been punned by stealth.

While fielding questions from the audience, Fforde talked about his writing timetable for the next four years. He plans to release a book a year: one standalone, and one from each of the three series he is working on. The one I'm most excited about is the next Shades of Grey installment. The first book in this series, The Road to High Saffron, could be described as a humorous version of Orwell's 1984 (if that's possible). Interestingly, Fforde says that the Shades of Grey books are the most difficult for him to write since he's not "mining" the collective work of previous literature as he does in the Nursery Crime series and the Thursday Next books, but instead, is developing all the characters and plot lines on his own.

Above you have a picture of what Jasper Fforde looks like (right before he signed my copy of The Road to High Saffron). But what the picture doesn't convey is how amusing Fforde is in person (not just in writing) and how delightful his Welsh accent is. Below is Jasper Fforde in an interview he did with AM Northwest on one of our local news stations. It gives a brief impression of his mellifluous voice, but doesn't really express his wit as well as his talk at the book signing.

Next time Jasper Fforde comes to town, you should come out to hear him talk! I can guarantee you won't be as bored as my little brother Zane was....

Mom throws Zane a bone by buying him the next book he needs in the Boxcar Children series.

Five Different Ways of Viewing the World

2011-03-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Would someone unfamiliar with the MA [Middle Ages] be repulsed by the description of a medieval execution, with its throngs of avid spectators and its raucous fair-like atmosphere? Shocked that Henry and Eleanor married their daughters off before they reached puberty? How far do you think historical novelists should go to make their books palatable to modern readers? Is it necessary to make the characters in a novel about the ante-Bellum South all secret abolitionists at heart in order to win reader sympathy? What of a family living in Nazi Germany?

Historical novelist Sharon Kay Penman asks these questions at the conclusion of a recent article entitled History vs. Fiction. Ms. Penman's stated goal for her fiction is "to make the MA [Middle Ages] come alive to readers in a way that makes them want to keep turning the pages." At the same time, she is a self-proclaimed fanatic about historical accuracy. So what does she do when her MA characters view the world in a way that she (and her audience) disagrees with?

Ms. Penman identifies five ways in which the modern mindset differs significantly from the medieval mindset: "the concept of religious tolerance, anti-Semitism, the conduct of war, the status of women, and the treatment of animals." She gives examples from her novels to show how she deals with these difficult issues, trying to fairly represent the medieval characters without anachronism, but striving not to alienate her readers who come from a world wholly different. One great annoyance to me is when historical fiction authors turn their protagonist into a mouthpiece for twenty-first century propaganda, and this article is a refreshing reminder to me to be careful how I craft my characters.

"Religious tolerance," according to Ms. Penman, "was as rare in the MA as the unicorn. All men--be they Christian, Jew, or Muslim--were convinced that theirs was the True Faith.... They can respect one another's courage, but neither side doubts that damnation awaits their foes." Instead of making her characters agnostic or doubters of their own religion (as Ken Follett repeatedly did in World Without End), Penman tries to make them true to life. "I have to care in my novels to acknowledge this bedrock belief, so alien to most of us today."

As I evaluate my own writing, I can say that describing religious "intolerance" in my writing isn't really a problem. I share the bedrock belief with the denizens of the Middle Ages that there is only one way to heaven, that not all faiths are equal. In Road from the West, all of my characters (Muslim, Jew, Christian, and even the various sects within Christianity) are inflexibly sure of the truth of their own religion.

Ms. Penman's second point is that, "Anti-Semitism is the ugly underside of medieval life." Even though it still exists to this day, "the difference is that in the MA, the Church gave official sanction to it." How does she portray this in her novels?

I try to stay true to the tenor of the times, so virtually all of my characters are infected to some degree. When I needed a character to voice doubts, I had to choose an outsider to make it believable, a character who was a natural rebel and therefore more likely to question even the teachings of the Church....

I have thought about the subject of Anti-Semitism a lot in my own research and writing. Ms. Penman's claim that "in the MA, the Church gave official sanction to it," is a prevalent notion, and is based on the previous concept of religious intolerance. The Church taught that the Jews were going to hell, therefore, the Church taught people to be Anti-Semitic.

But at the same time, when looking at the primary sources it is interesting to note that it is the laity, and particularly the money-hungry monarchs who take anti-Semitism to the extremes of torture and murder. It was King John who pulled out a Jew's teeth to force him to reveal where his fortune was hidden, not the Church. It was Edward I who issued the edict expelling all the Jews from England. During the First Crusade, when German adventurers decide that the "will of God" is to murder all the Jews in the Rhineland, it is the Christian bishops who hide the Jews in their churches and denounce the actions of these "Crusaders" as evil. This is an often forgotten episode in history that I plan to describe in Road from the West.

The third area where Ms. Penman sees radical difference is in the medieval attitude toward war.

During the MA, the Church attempted to shield noncombatants, too--women, children, priests, pilgrims, etc. But the nature of medieval warfare--laying waste the lands of one's enemies--all but guaranteed there would be civilian casualties. And kings, knights, and soldiers accepted this as inevitable.... There was a strain of pacifism in the MA; there were even a few to criticize the crusades. But we're talking of a small minority and their views never wielded any influence.... So to be true to the times, I cannot have my characters reacting to the destruction of a town or the raping of its women as if it were a war crime, the way we would characterize it today.

I am pleased to see that Ms. Penman acknowledges that there was a pacifistic strain in the MA. I think she marginalizes the pacifist segment a little too much, however. There were many times throughout the centuries when the Church tried to impose the "Truce of God" on bickering barons, forbidding them to fight except between Monday and Wednesday, and not at all on Church holy days. The Church was not exactly a "minority" in society.

Did all kings, knights, and soldiers accept the carnage as "inevitable"? Were they all murderous brutes like the characters in Michael Crichton's Timeline? In my research on Tancred for Road from the West, the primary sources display pieces of his character that seem bipolar in our modern age. Ralph of Caen writes about Tancred:

Over time, however, his prudent soul raised concerns that caused him anxiety. It seemed that his military life contradicted the Lord's command. The Lord had commanded that after one cheek had been struck the other was to be offered as well. But a secular military life did not even permit the sparing of a relative's blood. The Lord admonished that it is necessary to give over one's cloak, as well, to the one asking for a tunic. By contrast, the necessity of military life urges that once these two garments have been seized, the rest are to be taken as well. These two principles opposed one another and undermined the bravery of a man full of wisdom [Tancred], if, indeed, they ever permitted him to sleep. But when Pope Urban's decision granted a remission of all sins to all of the Christians setting forth to fight against the pagans, then finally it was as if the vitality of the previously sleeping man was revived, his powers were roused, his eyes were opened and his boldness set in motion.

At first, it seems that Tancred has a "pacifist streak" to him, but at the end of the paragraph we see that the way he intends to atone for his sins of warfare is by entering into more warfare against the pagans. Later on, we learn that Tancred has no such scruples about the warfare in the East; after killing 700 Turks in battle, Tancred sends Bishop Adhemar 70 heads as a "tithe" of his prowess. This seeming contradiction relates to the first concept of "religious intolerance," and adds a little more dimension to the kings, knights, and soldiers of this age. For many, killing Christians was unacceptable while killing infidels was praiseworthy.

The fourth subject Ms. Penman addresses is the status of women in the MA. A current trend in historical fiction is to have "strong women" be the protagonists, women who exemplify the twenty-first century feminist ideal. Ms. Penman denounces these sort of characters as unhistorical:

Yes, there were those rare rebels like Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Empress Maude, but they paid a great price for their independent spirits. It is obvious that both Eleanor and Maude chafed under their matrimonial bonds, wanting more freedom than their world was willing to allow. But there is no evidence that they viewed themselves as part of an oppressed sisterhood; they wanted power and autonomy for themselves, not for all members of their sex. So it would be unrealistic if I were to write of a female character resentful of male dominance, one eager to prove herself as capable as any man.

This point is one I especially appreciated. I have recently read three different novels by three different authors all of which featured the character Eleanor of Aquitaine. Two of the three tried to do the very thing that Ms. Penman deplores, making Eleanor the champion for the rights of womankind against a male-dominated society.

Ms. Penman's last point is about the treatment of animals in the MA. She acknowledges that while a few rich people did have pets, "when daily life is so hard, few can spare sympathy for hungry dogs. This is especially true in a world in which people believe that God has given them dominion over the earth and all in it." It is interesting to note that she traces harsh treatment of animals back to Church. If it is a result of Christianity, then it is a misapplication of it somehow since Proverbs teaches that "the righteous man regards the life of his animal."

I would contest that the medieval view toward animals is more derived from being an agricultural society. When you live on a farm, you don't cry if a sheep gets slaughtered. Your dog is there to hunt and protect the house, and while you may feel some affection for him, the reality of frequent mortality makes you less sentimental.

Sharon Kay Penman's post is an excellent reminder to historical fiction authors to consider well what ideas we are carrying in our pockets when we time travel. She clearly identifies the five different ways of viewing the world between our era and the Middle Ages and provides so much food for thought that I'll be munching on it for some time to come.

It Isn't Just Academic

2011-03-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

For the French, deciding which history to study isn't just an academic question anymore. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has announced his plan to make a national history museum, and that plan is upsetting some elements of the French society. The New York Times writes:

Mr. Sarkozy...has cooked up the Maison de l’Histoire de France, the country’s first national museum of French history, to open in 2015, in a wing of the rambling palace in the Marais district of Paris currently occupied by the National Archives. The idea is to distill centuries of Gallic gloire into a chronological display, supplemented by lectures, seminars and temporary shows borrowing materials from the country’s already plentiful local and regional history museums.

This simple idea of founding a museum has provoked outrage in France (not necessarily a difficult thing to provoke in such a volatile nation). Citizens have lined the streets, waving signs behind barricades to protest Sarkosy's museum.

The problem? It boils down to a few issues: What does it mean to be French in the 21st century? And whose “history” should be celebrated? In an increasingly fractious and multicultural nation, the questions have no simple answers.

For Sarkozy and his Minister of Cultural, the museum is meant to be a solution to France's identity crisis. With the increasing immigration changing the fabric of French society, people are forgetting what it means to be French. Sarkozy wants to remind them of their national identity.

But the national identity that Sarkozy sees for France isn't the same identity that others want to embrace. One critic says:

“To know about French Algeria you need to know about Algeria before France arrived there.... If we need any history museum, it would be a world history museum, not a French history museum, to give us a real perspective on who we are, and what is France today."

Many people, it seems, have the notion that to celebrate France would be to denigrate the rest of the world. Amazingly, it's not just the recent immigrants to France who have this notion but many of the ethnic French themselves.

G. K. Chesterton, in an article entitled "The Patriotic Idea," addressed and denounced this cosmopolitan sentiment. And since Chesterton's prose is richer and more delightful than any paraphrase I could write, I'm going to break a writer's taboo and bless you with several block quotes from his article.

This important and growing sect [i. e. cultural cosmopolitans], together with many modern intellectuals of various schools, directly impugn the idea of patriotism as interfering with the larger sentiment of the love of humanity. To them the particular is always the enemy of the general. To them every nation is the rival of mankind. To them, in not a few instances, every man is the rival of mankind....

Because the modern intellectuals who disapprove of patriotism do not do this [i.e. celebrate their country], a strange coldness and unreality hangs about their love for men. If you ask them whether they love humanity, they will say, doubtless sincerely, that they do. But if you ask them touching any of the classes that go to make up humanity, you will find that they hate them all. They hate kings, they hate priests, they hate soldiers, they hate sailors. They distrust men of science, they denounce the middle classes, they despair of working men, but they adore humanity. Only they always speak of humanity as if it were a curious foreign nation. They are dividing themselves more and more from men to exalt the strange race of mankind. They are ceasing to be human in the effort to be humane.

The truth is, of course, that real universality is to be reached rather by convincing ourselves that we are in the best possible relation with our immediate surroundings. The man who loves his own children is much more universal, is much more fully in the general order, than the man who dandles the infant hippopotamus or puts the young crocodile in a perambulator. For in loving his own children he is doing something which is (if I may use the phrase) far more essentially hippopotamic than dandling hippopotami ; he is doing as they do. It is the same with patriotism. A man who loves humanity and ignores patriotism is ignoring humanity. The man who loves his country may not happen to pay extravagant verbal compliments to humanity, but he is paying to it the greatest of compliments — imitation.

The fundamental spiritual advantage of patriotism and such sentiments is this : that by means of it all things are loved adequately, because all things are loved individually. Cosmopolitanism gives us one country, and it is good ; nationalism gives us a hundred countries, and every one of them is the best. Cosmopolitanism offers a positive, patriotism a chorus of superlatives. Patriotism begins the praise of the world at the nearest thing, instead of beginning it at the most distant, and thus it insures what is, perhaps, the most essential of all earthly considerations, that nothing upon earth shall go without its due appreciation. Wherever there is a strangely-shaped mountain upon some lonely island, wherever there is a nameless kind of fruit growing in some obscure forest, patriotism insures that this shall not go into darkness without being remembered in a song.

"...without being remembered in a song." I like that sentiment. Although I'm sure that there are many unmentioned political motivations behind Sarkozy's museum, I still hope that the project goes through. I hope that the French can "begin the praise of the world at the nearest thing," and stop dandling a young hippopotamus when they have their own children to hold.

What's Grammar Good For?

2011-02-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

I have always felt that a writer should know all the rules of grammar, not in order to slavishly follow them, but in order to recognize what purpose they serve and when it is effective to break them. Today I read a humorous article by Daniel Silliman entitled "The other thing grammar is good for" that reinforced my opinion ever so eloquently.

Grammar didn’t come natural to me. The first time, when I learned there was such a thing as grammar, when we were introduced — like, “Daniel, meet grammar,” “Grammar, Daniel” — things did not go smoothly. It was more like sliding bare-bottomed down a sandpaper hill.

As soon as I read the simile in that last sentence, I knew that Silliman's essay was going to be a good one. He goes on to describe a childhood effort at story writing that came back with the teacher's blood red markings all over it, and the angry word "GRAMMAR" scrawled across the top. The next part of the essay is too delicious to paraphrase:

The whole idea that there were rules, out there somewhere, was a little disturbing. How was I supposed to know what they were? Who decided the rules were the rules? Also, they seemed kind of arbitrary.... Was I the only one who was starting sentences with conjunctions and I just never noticed that no one else did it?

This is a little like wondering if you are retarded, and everyone’s just been too nice to tell you. Or maybe they tried to tell you, and you were just too slow to actually get what they were saying.

But wait — I wasn’t the only one who started sentences with “but” or “and.” The Bible has sentences that stat with “but” and “and,” which meant that my grammar was like the same as God’s.

I tried that defense with Miss Lane, but she said I was still wrong. She didn’t say so, but apparently she would’ve marked up God’s writing too.

Silliman uses this anecdote to explain why many people have negative perceptions of grammar. It's just a bunch of rules that they don't understand and that teachers mark them down for breaking. To Silliman, however, the "rules" of grammar are more like Newton's "Laws." They describe the way things generally work. "[G]rammar is not, for me, about being right, but about breaking down the language and taking it apart, so that one can know how it works and can make it work most effectively." To explain the importance of learning grammar, Silliman uses the analogy of auto mechanics: the best way to find out how the engine works is to take it apart.

The ability to analyze how sentences fit together gives a writer the ability to control those sentences. That is a claim commonly made when defending the study of grammar. Interestingly, Silliman goes a step beyond this and claims that knowledge of grammar gives readers a better ability to understand what they are reading. He looks at various writings, both prose and poetry and shows how the reader can better connect with the author's intention by analyzing the sentence structures involved.

Silliman sums up his essay with these two insightful paragraphs:

For most of us, I think, grammar is a brutal, brutal thing.... We’re afraid of grammar because “grammar” means making stupid mistakes — there, their or they’re, or something like that — and we imagine stupid mistakes being taken as evidence of our real intelligence and value. That’s too bad, though, because it doesn’t have to be that way.

Grammar can be empowering. It can be about being a better writer and a better reader. It was, eventually, for me. I now know that it can be about knowing how the language works, instead of just driving along, listening to the rattle and choke under the hood, waiting, clenched up tense inside and waiting, until the whole thing breaks down.

HF Virtual Book Tours

2011-02-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

"It's a fact that in this modern world virtual book tours are fast replacing physical book tours and that more often than not authors are expected to be responsible for their own marketing."

To help historical fiction authors shoulder this responsibility Amy, author of the blog Passages to the Past, has developed a new service at a website called Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. The website hopes to aid authors by "finding quality bloggers to review your book, setting up interviews and guest posts, as well as coordinating giveaways."

Yesterday marked the beginning of the virtual blog tour for Amy's "guinea pig" client Jules Watson. Her book The Raven Queen will be making the circuit of over a dozen blogs in the next several weeks with reviews and author interviews.

It's a great concept for a business, and I can't wait to see if Amy is able to pull it off and make a profit out of this service. I might be interested in purchasing a "tour package"of my own sometime this summer when Road from the West (my current work in progress) is ready to be published.

Black Prince of Darkness?

2011-02-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week for I Serve. Not only did we update the Kindle cover to make it more eye-catching and set up a new printing account with Create Space -- we also received another five star review and some free advertising.

In January, make that last January, my husband contacted Red Adept Reviews to see if they would be interested in reviewing I Serve. We went them a review copy, waited a long time, and then forgot about the whole thing. Early this week I received an e-mail saying that Red Adept Reviews was finally ready to feature the book. The good news about the review is that I Serve garnered five stars from a tough critic. The other good news about the review is that it made me laugh -- a lot.

Why the laughter? The reviewer spends a paragraph explaining why it took so long for her to review I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince.

I received this novel well over a year ago; it languished on my Kindle until recently when I decided to make an attempt at reading my ‘backlist.’ I’m certain that when I received it, I must have read the description. Not being a big fan of historical novels, I put it on a back burner. Later, I can remember coming across it on my Kindle, but upon reading the title, I thought it was some novel about devil worshipping or something similar. I guess that will teach me to judge a book by its title, huh?

I never thought that anyone would take the title in that way! But I guess there is a certain amount of logic behind the misunderstanding.

After overcoming her initial reluctance to begin reading I Serve, the reviewer ended up enjoying it.

[T]his novel was an absorbing read that immersed me in the world of knights and ladies. I was thoroughly engrossed as I followed the life of John Potenhale. Intriguing me with a book of this type was no mean feat as I am far from a history buff.... This was not your usual “knight in shining armor” tale. Potenhale, while a more than adequate knight, did not rescue any damsels in distress. (Although, there was a quaint romantic side plot that I truly enjoyed.) I think the novel’s charm lay in its realism.

I Serve earned top marks (five stars) from Red Adept Reviews, proving that sometimes good things are worth the wait.

In other news, Daily Cheap Reads promoted I Serve as one of its featured titles today. This website tries to provide Kindle readers with smokin' deals on excellent e-books. Anything under five dollars is fair game to be featured, and at $2.99, I Serve is definitely a cheap read that won't break your budget.