Tuesday 27 February 2018

Please welcome friend and author...

... Nancy Jardine to the blog today.



AW  Hello Nancy and thank you for being here.  Writing about times 2000 years ago... umm it’s all a bit of guesswork, isn’t it?  
NJ  Well, no, not totally.  That's a question and an answer that are pertinent to writing historical fiction in a period that’s considered to be pre-historic - though my era of choice is actually on the cusp!  
AW  So, what, exactly, does pre-historic mean?
NJ   Essentially, for me, the term covers the period before written sources were created.
AW  So, why is your writing on the cusp?
NJ  My Celtic Fervour Series of historical novels are set in late first century A.D. (CE), northern Roman Britain (from Yorkshire northwards into Scotland): a time and location that’s not covered by many authors.  It’s easy to see why because it initially seems like there isn’t much material to research to ensure a story is as realistic as possible without veering into the realm of a fantasy.  There are sources like Cornelius Tacitus’ Agricola, and occasional references in the work of other Ancient Roman writers about late first century northern Roman Britain but all of these prime sources need to be used with caution as their accuracy is considered to be lacking in historical terms.  The works I refer to were never intended to be an actual historical record, they were written for something more like political propaganda or entertainment, often both at the same time.
The Celtic Fervour books
AW   How interesting!
NJ   More was known about Iron Age tribes in Europe during the late first century, so some interpretations for the tribes of northern Roman Britain are extrapolations based on scant evidence.  Even calling my novels the ‘Celtic Fervour Series’ throws up problems for some people who don’t like my use of that generic term for tribes living in my location.  Other experts conclude that there’s sufficient evidence about the daily life in ‘Aberdeenshire’ to broadly term them ‘Celtic’ tribes.  What I know is that to describe my series it’s much easier to say ‘Celtic Fervour Series’ than ‘Roman Britain Iron Age Tribes Series’.
AW  I couldn't agree more!
NJ  Not having a lot to go on initially is what I love about writing in this era because, although it’s extremely hard work, there’s always something new to discover that’s ‘under the surface’.  Every other word I write in my work in progress throws up a mystery that needs to be solved first.  (Perhaps that’s why I also write contemporary mysteries?)  Simple examples might be: Can I say that my Roman Scotland Iron Age characters are tucking into bread every day?  That sounds pretty normal but was it usual two thousand years ago in what is now Aberdeenshire, Scotland?  I can’t write that in my novel before I check.  If it’s a Scottish setting would they be nibbling on oatcakes and cheese?  Check! What kind of animals would they be hunting for food?  Check!  Did they eat the plentiful fish from local rivers and lochs?  Check! Were there forests nearby for hunting boar or deer?  Check!  What was the weather like?  Check!
AW   Hmm, I see what you mean.
NJ  Today, specialist scientific disciplines, used in conjunction with archaeology, have interpreted that the farmers in ‘Aberdeenshire’ of 2000 years ago ‘tended’ more stretches of grazing for sheep than they cultivated fields of grain.  The wheat of today wasn’t grown in Aberdeenshire though they did grow some spelt - an earlier form of wheat - according to soil deposit samples.  However, the main cereal crops were ‘6 row’ barley and, to a lesser extent, oats (field core samples and midden heap faeces sampling).  So, my characters
Nancy's experimental baking -
unfortunately there was none for me to try!
could perhaps have the occasional bit of unleavened spelt bread and eating some kind of oatcake is probable.  Brose or soup is thought to be the most likely daily food made from barley, oats or a mixture of both (again faeces samples from midden heaps backs this up).  Vegetables for soup were rare and not what I’d be buying in the supermarket today.  Fat hen (we’d call that weeds) was used as was a type of wild garlic but most of the vegetables of today aren’t indigenous.  The Romans actually introduced some of today’s veggies to Britannia but since I write about the Roman invasions it’s too early to refer to my ‘Celts’ eating leeks, cabbage, peas or onions, though my Romans can tuck into some assuming their supplies have not been attacked by my resourceful Celts.

AW   Again, something else I didn't know!
NJ   You can read more of the aspects that I need to constantly check for my 2000 years ago setting on my own blog.  Finding out that spelt was being grown by my ‘Aberdeenshire’ Iron Age tribes 2000 years ago was interesting but what was really exciting during my research was finding that a local Aberdeenshire farmer is currently growing spelt as a trial because it is a highly nutritious form of wheat and good for people who cannot tolerate high intensities of gluten.  Spelt has a considerably lower gluten content.
AW   Have you tried it?
NJ   I bought some spelt flour and so far have made scones and pancakes.  When I can clear some more time for experimental baking, I’ll try some bread!  There's more about my spelt baking Here and Here

... about the books My Celtic Fervour Series published by Crooked Cat Books will no longer be available after the end of February 2018, though they will return soon under a slightly different guise.  Look out for new versions later in the spring!  My Crooked Cat Books contemporary mysteries are definitely available just now, easily seen via my author page below.

… about the author Nancy Jardine writes contemporary mysteries; historical adventure fiction and time travel historical adventure. She regularly looks after her grandchildren and sometimes her garden can look quite creative. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Scottish Association of Writers, the Federation of Writers Scotland and the Historical Novel Society. She’s published by Crooked Cat Books and has delved into self publishing.

You can follow Nancy on her Blog Website  Facebook & Author Page  Twitter  Amazon
and on Goodreads  you can  email Nancy at nan_jar@btinternet.com

Tuesday 20 February 2018

I'm reviewing Life in the French Country House...

... Marc Girouard.


I first came across this book some years ago in its French guise as 'La Vie dans les Châteaux Français, du Moyen Age à nos Jours'.  I did think about buying it there and then, but decided that an English version would make more sense - once I'd finished with it I could search out a new and deserving home for it.  The same book in French would prove more difficult to pass on or sell.  Several months and bookshop searches later I carried my long awaited possession home and found an appropriate slot for it on one of my many bookshelves.
And there it sat.  Occasionally dipped into for some detail for research or information to answer a question.  Sometimes consulted about a particular château or manoir as part of my musings about where I might spend my time on a future trip to France.  But never actually read in its entirety, that is until I returned from my last trip and finally decided that I had to properly fill the gap in my knowledge.

The author is an architectural historian, and the book includes many plans, illustrations and photographs.  Some might think it to be an intense historical study.  And in some respects it is.  Despite that, it is also a compelling read. Girouard (and I believe that name has it's origins in Languedoc) demonstrates a keen interest in the human dimension of these vast homes and gardens.  He begins with an introduction to the French aristocracy, how it worked and influenced life on the many estates.  Moving forward through the centuries he shows how the language of chivalry is still prevalent today.  He presents to us the details of a way of life that had existed for centuries and was finally brought to book and irrevocably changed by the catastrophic events of twentieth century.


Automata, Azay-le-Rideau
The research to put such a tome together, and it is a significant read at over 300 pages, must have been phenomenal.  The acknowledgements and chapter notes at the back provide a very interesting list of documents, archives, diaries etc that had been consulted.  As a plain and ordinary reader, I pick up a book expecting to be entertained.  If I also improve my knowledge on a particular subject, I count that as an added bonus.  What I definitely do not want as a reader is to be lectured.  And a read of the foreword before I started the book made me a little apprehensive of the content.  Perhaps that is why it has spent so much time on my bookshelves before being read in it's entirety.  Having reached the final page and had a chance to absorb the extensive content, what I can now say is that it was a very interesting read.  The narrative style flows easily which, in my view, makes this a book that anyone interested in France and its history would enjoy.

Thursday 15 February 2018

Come stroll with me...

Michelin Maps
... and find out more about the fascinating city of Tours


I'm beginning my second journey through the city of Tours here in Place de la Résistance.  A small square with nothing to mark it out, other than the name, as having any significance.  But the city of Tours was occupied from 1940 until liberation on September 1st, 1944.  By then the city had been bombed by both the occupying forces to begin with and then the allied forces in an attempt to route the occupiers.  Many of the old streets were unrecognisable and the rail link to Bordeaux in the south and Angers and Le Mans in the north was broken.

To the southwest of the city was the Ripault Ammunitions factory - see the map.  The D17 runs right beside it and as you travel along you can see the remnants of what was once there.  I can also tell you that, thanks to Robert Gildea's book, Marianne in Chains - my review is here - on October 18th, 1943, the factory was blown apart, killing 72 people and injuring many more.  But I have come to this particular square to acknowledge something else.  In 1948, Tours and St-Pierre-des-Corps, a suburb of the city to the north that runs along the Loire, were awarded the Croix de Guerre in remembrance of the sacrifices made by local people who actively resisted the occupiers.  And if you want to know more then I can recommend the aforementioned book.

Tour Charlemagne
From here I'm taking the rue de Maréchal and then cutting across to rue des Halles to take a step further back in history and visit the Tour Charlemagne.  The tower is the remaining vestige of an ancient basilica, dedicated to St Martin that once stood here.  Charlemagne, then emperor, was residing in Tours, and it was here that his fourth wife, Luitgarde d'Alémanie, died in the year 800.  It is said that Charlemagne had her body entombed in the original church. However, the exact location of the tomb has never been substantiated.  But it's a nice story and I love a good tale!

From here it's an easy walk through Place du Grand Marché to the quais and the river Loire.  The Loire is a fleuve and not a rivière because it flows into the sea.  It is one of the principle rivers of France and, at a length of over a 1000K's - that’s more than 600 miles to us on this side of the channel - it is France's longest river.  In addition, it drains more than a fifth of the land area of the whole of France.  Along with other major rivers such as the Lot, Tarn and the Allier, the Loire rises in the Cévennes in south central France close to Mont Jerbier du Jonc.  A natural spring at that point, it flows virtually due north until it 
River Loire at Tours
reaches Orléans where it meanders westwards to empty into the Bay of Biscay at Sainte-Nazaire.  Here in Tours it is wide and slow but it gives its name to 6 different départements on its journey from source to estuary. Earliest man has lived along the banks of this river from about 90,000 years ago and its waters are swollen by some of the most important rivières in the country, such as the Allier, the Cher, Indre, Nièvre, to name just a few of its tributaries.  So, as a bit of water, I kind of think it quite rightly deserves some attention, don't you?


Next month I'll be in Villefranche and a little later in the year I will be starting a new series of posts, Jottings from the Journals.  Watch this space…

Wednesday 14 February 2018

For Valentine's Day...





LOVES PHILOSOPHY

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix forever with a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?

See the mountain kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this work worth
If thou kiss not me?

Percy Bysshe Shelley


Tuesday 6 February 2018

Please welcome friend and author...

... Val penny to my blog today.  Hello Val...

Author, Val Penny
VP  Thank you for having me on your blog today, Angela.
AW  You are very welcome.  Now, I know your time is precious so what are we talking about today?
VP   Plotting.  I think that plotting is central to writing a novel, but it is a highly individual process.  No two authors plot in the same way.  Some plot organically while others plot in a very orderly fashion.
AW  And that last one is me.  I'm boringly organised!  But I'm interrupting so carry on.
VP  Many writers even plot differently from one book to another.  Some write scenes: hundreds of scenes that interest and excite them and then they stitch the scenes together to from the novel.  While others visualise the way the book will take shape using dozens of bits of paper laid out on their desk or even on the floor.  It must be important to make sure the windows are closed if you plot this way!  Some authors use tree diagrams, spreadsheets or mind-maps to plot and there is software available to download on line for this.
However you plot your novel, the goal is the same, to allow the journey it is about take that will last several months on the road with a novel.  It is important that you, as an author, choose between the 'organic' and 'orderly' methods of plotting so that you are comfortable that your choice works best for you and the book you are setting out to write.  I plotted my first novel 'Hunter's Chase' organically but, after attending a course run by Sue Moorcroft at last years' Swanwick Writers' Summer School, I plotted the sequel 'Hunter's Revenge' using diagrams and spreadsheets. Neither is wrong.  Both have strength and weaknesses and either can be successful for crafting a novel.
Writers who follow an organic way of plotting, approach the outline largely as a form of awareness of the story, rather than as an actual document to be followed strictly.  Many view the outline not so much as a planning device but more of an analytical tool that helps strengthen the final draft by indicating the flaws in the story-line.
Some authors begin with an idea and just jump in to tell the story.  They write steadily and regularly until they have written tens of thousands of words.  Then they go through the organic draft and delete large chunks and add other pieces until the final manuscript is complete.
Other authors, like Sue Moorcroft, plot meticulously and there is no doubt that plotting an outline is hard work.  However, having undertaken an outline on 'Hunter's Revenge', I found myself into writing my novel with confidence.  I was happy that one chapter followed another in a sensible sequence.  My characters retained their identities.  Of course at the end of the first draft, there were flaws, but I found I was able to repair those readily.
Whether you plot organically or in an orderly fashion, the important issue is that you can tell the story to your readers and that you, and they, are satisfied by your novel.

about the book... DI Hunter Wilson knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding his city and he needs to find the source but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a golf course. Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman's life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable. Hunter's perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this taught crime thriller.  

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.

about the author... Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland.  She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats.  She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University.  She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer.  However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballet dancer or owning a candy store.  Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels.  

Hunter's Chase  set in Edinburgh, Scotland is now available.  The sequel, Hunter's Revenge is in creation and you can follow Val on her Website or on Facebook or at  Friends of Hunter's Chase and on Twitter