What the reader brings to a story

I just finished reading Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie. Like all of Albom's books, it speaks about our connections with others and really made me think about what's important in life. So I rushed over to GoodReads to give it 5 stars and was surprised to see its ratings cover the spectrum. Some readers (probably the ones who cried when Bambi's mother died, like me) loved it and gushed over the message saturating every page; while others likened it to a Hallmark greeting card and slapped a single star on it. I figure the latter must be cardboard cut-outs devoid of souls.

There have been many times I've loved a book and been shocked to hear others hated it. Hated, as in used it for smashing cockroaches and then tore out the pages and fed them to the fire for kindling. Then again I'm the sort who doesn't continue reading a book if it doesn't suck me in within the first 25 pages. Why bother finishing a book if it isn't enjoyable - unless it's required reading for schoolwork? My time is too valuable to invest hours in a book that I can't relate to or don't find interesting.

A conversation on a book forum recently really stuck with me. The talk wandered onto asking writers whether they read their reviews online and how would they react to a bad review? Every writer gets those from time to time. I've had a few myself. The first ones knocked the sunshine right out of me for a good week. I fantasized about writing acidic retorts, pointing out that the reader obviously didn't 'get it'. But I resisted (read I'm too timid to be that assertive) and nowadays, while I can't say I'm not disappointed to get them, I do accept that the story just didn't work for that reader. Not everyone loves a particular genre or writing style. I understand and I'm totally okay with that. There are certain books that just don't work for me. Actually, being a picky reader, I'd say most books don't work for me. But when I find one I really, really like, I rave about it.

Some books are going to resonate with more readers than others. Some cause strong feelings - and not always the good kind. But why is that? Why can I read the same words, in the same format, and interpret it differently than someone sitting right next to me?

Because ultimately it's the reader who determines the quality and value of a story and they can only read into a story what they bring to it. What we, the readers, experience throughout our lives and ultimately come to value has everything to do with whether or not a story has meaning to us. Some folks like descriptions so detailed you could paint a picture based on them. Some like a lot of action so the book plays out in their head like a movie. Others (meaning me and likewise enlightened individuals) like stories that make us feel something, be it fright, longing, compassion or hope. My husband likes a good how-to book - which is a wonderful thing, because the man can build or fix just about anything under the sun. (Personally, I find how-to books booooring. Heck, I don't even have the patience for instruction manuals.)

There's a reason there are soooo many books out there. We aren't all going to love the same ones. But every now and then, I pick up a book that carries me away. I'm entertained, interested, learning something new or am just plain dazzled by the rhythm of the words . . . and sometimes I even find meaning in it. Aren't books a wonderful thing?

P.S. Stop by Historical Novel Review by midnight Eastern (U.S.) time Aug. 14th to enter the giveaway to win a copy of Ann Weisgarber's The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. You can read my review there, as well as an excerpt and an interview with Ann. Just leave a comment on any of the posts to enter.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Free stuff, kind words and news

In conjunction with a lovely review, Historical Novel Review is offering a free signed copy of The Crown in the Heather, The Bruce Trilogy: Book I. Just pop in, mention why you're interested in Robert the Bruce and leave your contact info. You'll be notified if selected and your autographed copy will be zipping on its way to your doorstep!

I'm still getting over the shock of signing books. There's always a moment of, "Who? Me? Are you sure? But why?" Then I remember that this is why I scribbled in solitude all those years, so folks would have something to read that they'd hopefully enjoy for a few hours or days (or weeks sometimes, if you're a slow reader like me).

I'd also like to acknowledge all those thoughtful readers and reviewers who have taken the time to write down a few kind words about my very first book, both at Amazon.com and on their blogs:

Anita Davison at The Disorganized Author (who will be published by MuseItUp Publishing in 2011)

Greta van der Rol (author of Die a Dry Death, about the 17th century wreck of the Batavia off the coast of Australia)

Lisa Yarde at The Brooklyn Scribbler (author of On Falcon's Wings, set in the time of William the Conqueror)

The Crown in the Heather is available in paperback and as a Kindle book, where you'll frequently find it in the top 100 for the category History > Europe > England. That's pretty thrilling (pinch me, please), considering 1) it's in its first month of release on Kindle, and 2) it's stacked up against some perennial powerhouse writers like Alison Weir and Carolly Erickson.

Tomorrow, Aug. 10th, I'll be featured on The Indie Spotlight - Woot woot! Can't wait to see it myself, as I've totally forgotten what I wrote for the interview portion.

For those who've asked when my next book will be out, I'm mad at work on Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer. (If you'd like to take a peek at the awesome cover, it's up on my author web site). It should be available in paperback and on Kindle sometime in early September 2010. Meanwhile, I'll be adding The Crown in the Heather to the Smashwords line-up shortly for those who own other e-readers besides Kindle.

P.S. Historical Novel Review is having a big week and from Aug. 11-15th is also giving away copies of Ann Weisgarber's The Personal History of Rachel DuPree and from the 16-19th a pendant of Catherine de Medici to celebrate the release of C.W. Gortner's The Confessions of Catherine de Medici - so do stop in!

Happy reading,
Gemi

Robert and Elizabeth Bruce: A Love Story

In August of 1306, Elizabeth Bruce was captured by the Earl of Ross at St. Duthac on the shores of Dornoch Firth. With her were the Earl of Atholl, her stepdaughter Marjorie Bruce, and her sisters-in-law Mary and Christina. They had been on their way to the Orkney Islands, where they could later board ship to either Ireland or Norway. But instead of finding refuge, they were handed over to King Edward I of England, Robert the Bruce’s enemy.

Awhile ago, I blogged more in depth about The Capture of Elizabeth Bruce, but today I’d like to take a step back and examine the bigger picture about the far-reaching effect that Robert the Bruce’s love for her had on his decisions and actions.

When Robert first met Elizabeth de Burgh in 1300 at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, she was staying with her aunt Egidia, who happened to be married to James Stewart, predecessor of the royal Stewart line of kings. Robert’s first wife Isabella, sister to the Earl of Mar, had died in childbirth four years prior and Elizabeth was now caring for his daughter Marjorie. While Robert only stayed part of the winter at Rothesay, he has obviously fallen very deeply in love with her in that short period of time.

At the time, Robert was estranged from his father, who was then living in England and had remained obedient to Edward I, sometimes known as Longshanks. Robert and his father had been at odds ever since Robert had joined with the Scottish rebels at Irvine in 1297 against English forces. Although no battle took place at Irvine, Robert had marked himself as an enemy in defiance of Edward’s overlordship.

After meeting Elizabeth, he was faced with an impossible dilemma – because Elizabeth’s father was the Earl of Ulster, another steadfast adherent to the English king. As long as Robert remained a rebel, he could not have Elizabeth, nor could he have Scotland’s crown.

For months, Robert struggled with how he could marry the woman who had so undeniably stolen his heart, while still retaining his pride. In the end, he swallowed his pride and love won out. Robert submitted later that year to Longshanks at Linlithgow, vowing his loyalty. For nearly five more years, Robert deftly played the part of the faithful liegeman, doing Longshanks’ bidding, even though it earned him the spite of his fellow Scotsmen. Because of this, Robert is often looked upon as an opportunist and in some ways he was. Longshanks had intimated that the throne of Scotland, having been stripped from the inept John Balliol, would pass to a Bruce. Robert, seeking a way to win the crown without bloodshed, played along, because he was well aware of the power of the English army and the blood feuds that divided Scotland, preventing its unity.

As the years passed, it became increasingly clear that Longshanks had no intention of letting a Scot rule Scotland. And so Robert began to plot his rebellion, lining up allies in Scotland well in advance of any action. But when John the Red Comyn betrayed his plans to Longshanks, events rapidly precipitated. There was no longer any reason to hide his ambitions.

Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scots at Scone in 1306. But following a battle at Methven, in which the Scottish forces were soundly defeated by the Earl of Pembroke, the remnants of Robert’s army fled through the wilderness. Eventually, his wife, daughter and sisters rejoined them. But another defeat at the Pass of Dalry, this time by the Scottish lord, John of Lorne, resulted in Robert sending his womenfolk away. Which brings us back to Elizabeth’s capture.

For eight years, they were separated . . . until, following his historical victory at the Battle of Bannockburn, Elizabeth and Marjorie finally came home – their return bargained for by an exchange for The Great Seal of England, which had been captured in the aftermath of the battle. Obviously, his wife and daughter were the first thing on his mind.

While much is made of Robert the Bruce as warrior and diplomat, it often amazes me that more is not made of a man who was obviously so deeply in love with this woman that he relinquished his pride and scraped his knees before the very man he detested for denying his family its proper inheritance.

It is hard to say what might have happened had Robert never fallen in love with Elizabeth - whether he would have eventually claimed the crown anyway, whether he would have succeeded in uniting a kingdom fractured by age-old blood feuds, or whether Bannockburn would have ever occurred in light of all those other challenges and possibilities.

That, my friends, is a love story worth telling. History has a human side to it, sometimes very tender and noble.


***Drop by Historical Novel Review August 8th-10th for a chance to win a copy of The Crown in the Heather!***


Until later,
Gemi

'Bruce' is the new 'Tudor'

Last week I learned that not one, not two, but three - count 'em THREE - established mainstream historical fiction authors are coming out with novels that feature Robert the Bruce or William Wallace. I'm stoked! The last traditionally published author to venture into Bruce territory was Nigel Tranter with his own The Bruce Trilogy (released 1969-1971). (BTW, Tranter wrote a hundred books in his lifetime - wow! To be that prolific . . . )

Why would I be excited that someone else has written and is releasing a novel about the same historical figure? Because these authors already have loyal readers and their books are only going to increase awareness of the time period, the historical figures and the events surrounding the Scottish War for Independence in the early 14th century. This is such a rich period in history I'm surprised it's taken so long, but better late than never, I say.

Think about this: how many books are there about King Arthur, Queen Elizabeth I or Henry VIII (or any of his assorted wives)? Dozens . . . hundreds maybe? I say Bruce is the new Tudor. Move over Ann Boleyn, the Plantagenets are about to displace you.

The Lion Wakes, by Robert Low - This story covers the years from 1296 to the Battle of Falkirk. (Harper Collins UK, March 31st, 2011)

Insurrection, by Robyn Young - From the author of The Brethren Triology about the Crusades, this one looks to have an interesting twist to it. (Hodder & Stoughton (UK), Oct. 14th, 2010)

The Forest Laird - William Wallace, by Jack Whyte - Whyte is the author of the Camulod Chronicles and various Templar books. (Tor, Sept. 2010)

There are loads of books out there mimicking Meyer's Twilight books and Rowling's Harry Potter series. Once hooked, readers go in search of more. Certain storylines or styles of writing will appeal more to particular readers. Books are not a one-size-fits-all category. So, for both readers and writers, competition is a good thing. And I'm looking forward to how each of those authors spins the tale of Robert the Bruce.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Book trailer and Kindle for The Crown in the Heather, a novel of Robert the Bruce

I'm just a teensy bit excited about two new things! First, I finished creating a book trailer for The Crown in the Heather and posted it on YouTube!!! Yes, I feel like a cyber-giant now.



Very soon I'm going to post a list of 'Things I Learned This Year That I Never Thought I'd Need to Know to Get a Book Published'. For short, we'll just call it 'Things I Learned . . .' Anywho, you can add learning how to use Windows MovieMaker to that and setting up an account on YouTube. My daughter got a smidge perturbed that I hogged her laptop for three days while I figured out all the bells and whistles and then made her watch my rough cuts half a dozen times, but she was a good sport. The only really aggravating part was that YouTube wanted to text a verification code to me to set up an account. Call me a Caveman, but I don't have texting. Eventually, they took pity on me and let me through the sacred portal.

This trailer has been in the works for months. Not that it took me that long to actually make - it was more a matter of finding a block of time to do it - but I picked out the soundtrack (Long Road Ahead) a long time ago from Kevin MacLeod's awesome Royalty Free Music site. The pictures are all from iStockphoto. Now all I need is someone with a charming Scottish accent to do a voice-over for the narrative bits. Do you think Gerard Butler is available?

Second, I published The Crown in the Heather to Kindle, thanks to Lisa Yarde's incredibly easy-to-follow D-I-Y with Kindle. Although to fess up, if I had followed her suggestion about adding a '#' or other symbol between scene breaks, I wouldn't have had to already publish a revision, ahem. So Lisa's instructions are spot on. I am just impatient sometimes.

While I hadn't originally planned to make it available on Kindle so soon after releasing the paperback, I believe this is the best way to reach new readers. Kindle people tend to be voraciou readers. BTW, don't forget to check customer tags while you're browsing (i.e. 'Robert the Bruce', 'historical fiction', 'Scottish history', etc.). That makes it even easier for customers to find a particular book. In fact, next time you look at any book there, tag it.

Already I'm selling 1-2 Kindle versions a day. A big Woot! Woot! because I'm pretty sure those are folk I don't even know and I've barely mentioned it anywhere. The Kindle price is just $2.99 for now and if, like me, you don't own a Kindle device, you can download it FOR FREE onto your PC - how cool is that? You can also download Kindle apps for your iPhone, Blackberry, you name it. Imagine that - someone could be on the New York City subway with nothing more than their phone, reading my book. Just click on the link to my book below or go to the Kindle store on Amazon.com and you will see links there.

Lastly, I'd like to thank two super-cool people:

1) Greta van der Rol, who wrote two very informative guest posts for me this week on researching the historical novel and creating characters from historical figures, and

2) Lisa Yarde, who has been hosting a series of posts this past week over at The Brooklyn Scribbler on how Five Self-Starters did it (Peter Johnson, Lisa Yarde, Michelle Gregory, Kristina Eammons, and me). If you're interested in learning about the decisions and experiences of some indie authors, check it out.

Until later,
Gemi

Author Greta van der Rol discusses bringing historical figures to life

In the previous post, guest blogger Greta van der Rol talked about her research of the events before and after the wreck of the Dutch ship Batavia. In this one, she'll give us some insight into how she developed her characters from that information:


"Okay, so I had a pretty good idea of the recorded facts and the historical and visual context. But that’s not a novel, is it? Characters make novels.

Always, always I went back to the journal to try to see into these people’s minds. Most historians support the notion that the Batavia’s captain, Adriaen Jacobsz, was in a plot with Cornelisz to hijack the Batavia, kill Pelsaert and go pirating. Drake-Brockman supported that belief, so did Dash, although Godard (another amateur) had his doubts. But it seemed strange to me for many, many reasons, not least because there is no record of Jacobsz having been executed.

My picture of Pelsaert soon became one of a man trying to salvage his own reputation. He and Jacobsz had a history, they despised each other. Reading the early part of the journal, where Pelsaert describes the initial wreck, I raised an eyebrow as Pelsaert used ‘I’, implying he gave orders that would have been given by the captain. The same thing happened during the longboat’s journey as Pelsaert claimed credit for things I felt were beyond his knowledge. Jacobsz deserved the credit and received none. It was also important to remember the man for whom Pelsaert was writing this journal – the formidable Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor of the Indies. A harsh and puritanical man, he was unimpressed (to say the least) at the loss of a ship and its cargo. One could expect Pelsaert to be at pains to present his own actions in the best possible light.

In contrast, my picture of the captain was of a tough, strong, capable man. A hard drinker, a womaniser sure enough. But a true leader, somebody these hardened seamen would follow. Zwaantie, the young woman who won Jacobsz’s affection, is depicted in the journal as a tart. But again, some of the evidence for that conjecture comes from Cornelisz. I think the mere fact that Jacobsz took Zwaantie with him in the longboat indicates a little more than a casual fling.

The journal reveals Cornelisz as a psychopath, silver-tongued, charismatic and an accomplished liar who would say anything to save himself. The main evidence for the existence of the piracy plot implicating Jacobsz comes from Cornelisz. There is corroborating evidence given by some of the other henchmen, but men said things like “I didn’t know about a plot until after the wreck” or evidence was extracted through torture. I began to wonder if I could build a case that Cornelisz deliberately wove a tale of a plot to seduce his followers. He needed sailors to pull off his plan to capture a rescue ship and he was a merchant. What better way to add validity to his plan than to implicate the popular captain? Pelsaert, of course, jumped at the notion of a plot.

The other two characters, Lucretia and Wiebbe Hayes, are merely bit players in the journal. Dash and Drake-Brockman gave me the wherewithal to paint Lucretia as a real woman, a grieving mother going off to join her husband in a far-off land. Combine that with the perilous situation of a high-born lady left with a mob of louts and it’s easy enough to imagine how difficult it would be for her. I took the opportunity to use her as the eyes of the victims, if you like, interpreting events on Batavia’s Graveyard from her point of view.

Dash also gave me a start with Hayes, probably a junior son of a fairly well-born family. From there, the unwritten story emerges in the journal. A leader who could pull together such a disparate bunch of men and forge them into a group that could threaten armed thugs.

Of course I made some things up. It’s a novel, after all. I guess every historian has a duty to examine the facts and interpret them and in a way, that’s what I’ve tried to do in this book. One reader (who knew the history) describes the novel as dramatization rather than fiction. I’ll take that, with a bow."

***CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE LINK FOR THE NEW TRAILER FOR DIE A DRY DEATH!

Many, many thanks, Greta! To say that I was impressed by this novel is a huge understatement. It was riveting. A bit adventure and thriller - something you usually don't get in a historical novel. If you haven't yet heard of it, do check it out on Amazon.com or see my review on Die a Dry Death below.

Until later,

Gemi

Author Greta van der Rol discusses researching the historical novel

I'm always curious how other writers of historical fiction research not just events, but the people they're writing about. Greta van der Rol, author of Die a Dry Death, was gracious enough to write two guest posts for me. The first one here will examine how she uncovered the detailed events that provided the framework for her fascinating book. The next post will discuss how she got into the minds of the historical figures who took part, to weave those events into a plot driven by said characters.

Here is the first installment:

"Gemi has asked to write about the historical research that went into ‘Die a Dry Death’ my novel about the wreck of the Dutch merchant vessel Batavia in 1629, and then to talk about characterisation in said novel. Now I’ve written this, I find it isn’t a generic ‘this is what you do’. It’s very much a personal story of what I did for this book. So take it as a case study. Maybe there’s something in here for the student.

Research and characterization feed off each other, of course. Especially in this case, where all the people in my book were real. They lived and died and their story has resonated down through the centuries. For me, that gives the author an added responsibility, to try to get it as right as can be.

Having grown up in Western Australia, I heard about the Batavia and the other Dutch wrecks of the 17th and 18th centuries at primary school. That was a long time ago and I think I’ve read most of the non-fiction about all those wrecks. I’ve been to the maritime museum in Fremantle and seen the artefacts recovered from the site, including the Batavia’s actually keel, rebuilt in the basement. I’ve been on the Batavia replica built in Holland (there are some pictures on my website) and I’ve stood on the forbidding cliffs the longboat sailed along. So I’ve been immersed in the story for a long time.

But back to research. Any book about the Batavia is based on one main account of the events – Pelsaert’s journal. Francisco Pelsaert was an employee of the Dutch East India Company, the Upper Merchant in charge of the fleet of which the Batavia was the flagship. So while Adriaen Jacobsz, the ship’s captain, was in command of the ship he was beholden to Pelsaert. (Who was not a sailor.) After the Batavia was wrecked, Pelsaert started a journal to record events. On his return to the Abrolhos islands to rescue the remaining survivors, he documented the trial of Cornelisz and his band of thugs.

Apart from the journal, the only other known contemporary document is a letter written by Predikant Bastiaensz to his family. It is about the only source for what happened in the last few days when the thugs made their final attacks on the soldiers.

Henrietta Drake-Brockman’s Voyage to Disaster (UWA Press, 2006) contains a translation of Pelsaert’s journal, Bastiaensz’s letter and other documents she was able to procure from Holland and Jakarta, such as Coen’s orders to Pelsaert. As an aside, Drake-Brockman, an amateur historian, actually deduced the whereabouts of the wreck from reading the descriptions of locations in the journal and the Predikant’s letter. Archaeologists had been looking on the wrong reef. The ship was finally found in 1963, when her book was first published.

Mike Dash’s wonderful book Batavia’s Graveyard (Phoenix, 2002) is a much more recent work written by a trained historian. The book provided details about life on the ship and life in the colonies. I found out what people ate, discovered the soldiers would have had to buy their own equipment and got a real feel for the rigid layering of society. Dash used records from the other Dutch wrecks to deduce what life might have been like for the survivors; what they may have eaten – and who would have eaten what. He also researched the backgrounds of the main players in the drama – Pelsaert, Cornelisz and Lucretia van der Mijlen in particular. For me, this was fantastic. I could start to see what I was dealing with and put the people into historical context. I augmented impressions with the paintings of the Dutch ‘Golden Age’ where one can see clothing, food, interiors – both in Holland and in the city of Batavia. The Dutch national gallery proved to be a wonderful resource. I could see drawings of the fort, sketches of Batavia street life, paintings of the wealthy burghers.

My third main source was The First and Last Voyage of the Batavia by Philippe Godard (Abrolhos Publishing, 1993). Godard’s lavish coffee table book provided photographs and sketches of the Abrolhos islands and its wildlife, coloured pictures of paintings, the layout of the fort at Batavia, the marine archaeology and cross-sections of the ship itself. The author commissioned paintings of the main players, too. But I ignored them. No one knows what any of these people looked like, not even Pelsaert."

Thanks, Greta! To be continued . . .

Until later,
Gemi