Always happy to have a writer of historical fiction as my guest. This week we have the talented and prolific Barbara Gaskell Denvil, who talks with such enthusiasm about writing her medieval English novels that you can't help but want to read them!
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INTRIGUING TALES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE
By Barbara Gaskell Denvil
Echoes in the night, running footsteps
on the cobbles, the flicker of a candle flame at a window, distorted behind
thick green-tinged glass. Outside in London’s alleyways the darkness is intense
as the moon is hidden behind the rooftops with their soaring chimneys. But
suddenly there’s the flare of a torch and its sizzle of fire. The Watch is
coming – following – calling! But the
light is then extinguished, in the wind. Panting, losing breath, whispers. The
lanes are narrow and the central gutters are thick with rubbish. The footsteps
continue, though now fainter in the
distance. He is getting away.
Dreams. Visions. Inspiration. Hauntings.
I write historical fiction, and my books
are set in late medieval England around the latter half of the 15th
century. There’s a reason for this, for I have dreamed of such things all my
life and the episode above is a typical night’s journey into the past. Even
while living a highly romantic life for some years on a yacht sailing the sunny
Mediterranean, I slipped into those medieval paths of my dreams.
When I started, many, many years ago, to
seriously research the period that I already visited once asleep, I found an
absorbing fascination in such details. This has never abated. I love to study
the principal characters of the era, such as Richard III, Edward IV, Henry VII
and all their amazing lords, ladies, courtiers and followers. But it is the
ordinary people who inspire me most of all, along with their intriguing lives, limitations,
desperate struggles and beliefs .
I have always been an author of sorts, an
editor, critic, journalist, short story writer, screenwriter, and most of all a
reader. And so it came naturally for me to write about the experiences which
were already nightly dramas. I have now written several historical novels based
around this late medieval period, and although my plots are centred around
genuine historical characters and events, it is my own multi-layered storylines
inhabited by beggars and soldiers, prostitutes and butchers, thieves and
orphaned children, which interest me the most. My books are long – sorry – but
with a huge cast of characters and depth of plot, a short book would be
inadequate. After all, it takes a long book to relate all the interweaving mystery,
adventure, crime and romance that my books involve. I am fussy about historical
accuracy, but it is bringing my individual characters to life which I particularly
love, since they all quickly become my great friends – even the villains – and
I continue caring for them long after the book is finished.
Two of my historical novels have been on
sale for some time in Australia where I now live – but I have recently made
them available worldwide and now have great pleasure in announcing that SATIN
CINNABAR, SUMERFORD’S AUTUMN and BLESSOP’S WIFE are all available worldwide on
Amazon.
BLESSOP’S WIFE (published as The King’s
Shadow in Australia) is a tale of crime, mystery and espionage set against the
turbulent times when Edward IV died, and events led to Richard III accepting
the throne. SATIN CINNABAR actually starts on the battlefield of Bosworth as
Henry Tudor claims the crown of England from Richard III. SUMERFORD’S AUTUMN
takes place during the first years of the dawning Tudor dynasty when the
pretender known as Perkin Warbeck appears in England, claiming to be the
rightful king. These books do not lead on one from the other, and each has its
individual story and characters. But the dark and troublesome background of
late medieval England persists – on the page just as it does in my head.
I continue to write of course, every day
at my computer with the glorious Australian scenery and wildlife outside my
window for inspiration. Rather a contrast to dark medieval alleys,
but the peace and beauty are great for concentrating the mind. All I hear is
wind in the trees and birdsong – then the click, click of my keyboard. So there
are many more books to come -----
Blurb for BLESSOP’S WIFE
1483 and Edward IV wears England’s crown, but no king rules unchallenged. Often it is those closest to him who are the unexpected danger. When the king dies suddenly, rumour replaces fact – and Andrew Cobham is already working behind the scenes.
Tyballis was forced into marriage and when she escapes, she meets Andrew and an uneasy alliance forms. Their friendship will take them in unusual directions as Tyballis becomes embroiled in Andrew’s work and the danger which surrounds him. A motley gathering of thieves, informers, prostitutes and children eventually joins the game, helping to uncover the underlying treason, as the country is brought to the brink of war.
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Purchase Sumerford's Autumn and Blessop's Wife.
