François's Collections

I'm so excited. Through interlibrary loan, I just received a gigantic tome entitled The Collections of Francis I: Royal Treasures by Janet Cox-Rearick (Antwerp 1995). It catalogues all the paintings, sculptures, "curiosities," manuscripts, tapestries and casts that François collected, as well as discussing his architectural projects and his relationships with various artists throughout his reign. I happened to open to a lovely portrait of a French woman that would make a perfect cover for my first novel! I'm sure I'll have lots of interesting things to share as I work my way through it.

I also received a small book called the Guide de Fontainebleau mystérieux (Tchou, 1967). It contains odd facts and ghost stories about the château--prime fodder for an historical novel.

Hang with me a little longer, I've almost completed a history post. If you remember, we left poor François mouldering in a Spanish prison many months ago. He's more than ready to come home by now, le pauvre.

HNS Conference Recap

The Historical Novel Society Conference is over, and what a wonderful event it was! It's hard to get back to reality after spending three days immersed in the world of authors, books, and best of all, new friends.

The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield, a beautiful hotel in the Chicago suburbs eight miles from O'Hare airport (although with the traffic, it might have been eighty miles!). The ultramodern setting--huge open spaces, kidney-shaped tables, low couches, free standing columns, pyramidal topiaries, a soothing brown and aqua color scheme--made a curious contrast to the conference topic, especially since the setting for the previous gathering had been a hotel decorated with antique furniture and colonial shop signs. The Woodfield staff were efficient, the food delicious, and the space perfect for our various sessions. If there were any snafus with the facilities, they weren't at all noticeable from the participants' point of view.

Now on to the exciting stuff--the incredible authors and publishing professionals who were in attendance. Margaret George, author of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII and HELEN OF TROY, gave the opening address on Friday night. Declaring that historical fiction authors are time travelers who take their readers with them, Margaret described the various methods she uses to create the atmosphere of the era she is writing about. To get in the proper mindset when she writes, she surrounds herself with the music, objects, smells and tastes of the past, trying her best to block out the modern world. Her methods must work, given her books' success! Trish Todd, the editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster's imprint Touchstone/Fireside who has brought us the novels of Philippa Gregory, Kathleen McGowan, and Anne Easter Smith, described during a lunchtime address the economic difficulties facing publishers today and the thrill she continues to find in her work despite them. She foresees many changes in the way publishers do business, but feels this is not a cause for alarm--good books will continue to find their way into readers' hands and hearts. The prolific Sharon Kay Penman spoke during the final banquet and regaled her listeners with little-known facts about women's lives during the Middle Ages, particularly in Wales. Women there had many more rights than they did in England--for example, a woman could initiate a divorce if her husband had bad breath or if he added a live-in concubine to the household! It was an amazing experience to hear these talented women share their wisdom and artistic lives with us.

The panel sessions I attended were equally enlightening. On Saturday morning, I listened to Michelle Moran, Christopher Gortner, and Karen Essex talk about "Breaking In and Staying in the Historical Fiction Game"; they shared their experiences as first-time authors and emphasized the importance of authors actively working alongside their publishers to market their books. The panelists suggested a plethora of practical marketing ideas and strategies. In the session "Debut Novels," Catherine Delors, Kamran Pasha, Barbara Corrado Pope and Ann Weisgarber spoke about the genesis of their first books and recounted their paths to publication, which varied widely. Mr. Pasha, an enthusiastic speaker who has written a novel about Mohammed's wife Aisha, encouraged us writers not to give up; we all have something important to share, a message the world needs to hear that only we can impart. His inspiring words provided me much food for thought, as did the other panelists' stories of dedication and determination.

On Friday afternoon, I attended the Editors' Panel, in which Shana Drehs (Sourcebooks), Barbara Peters (Poisoned Pen Press), and Trish Todd (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) spoke about selling historical fiction. It was quite interesting to hear how the three presses, medium, small, and large, each go about acquiring new work and how they were adapting to the difficulties of the present market. In "Talking the Talk: Historical Fiction Dialogue," Christine Blevins, Kate Forsyth, Margaret George, Nancy Hull and Mary Sharratt addressed the use of dialogue to establish character, narrative, and setting in their works. They spent a good deal of time on the appropriate use of dialect, as well as the importance of choosing the proper level of diction. They even shared the curse words characters in their novels use in anger! On Sunday morning, I attended only one panel: "Query Letters that Worked." Three authors, Catherine Delors, Barbara Corrado Pope, and moderator Joyce Moore shared their query letters;  two agents, Stephanie Cabot and Pam Strickler, discussed what they liked about the letters and why they had garnered requests. The agents shared additional letters from their authors and opened the floor to questions from the audience. Listeners came away with excellent advice on what agents look for in a query letter--a brief, to-the-point description of the story--and how to address issues such as multiple novels and target audiences.

Saturday evening was devoted to fun. First came the group book signing, in which over seventy authors chatted with attendees and signed copies of their books purchased from the well-stocked conference book shop. The cash-bar reception then preceded the sumptuous banquet, which was itself followed by a historical costume fashion show. Twenty or so attendees paraded costumes ranging from medieval gowns and wimples to eighteenth-century pirate hats and spyglasses to twentieth-century suffragette sashes and placards. Finally, the hardiest attendees ignored their fatigue to listen to five authors--Eileen Charbonneau, Margaret Frazer, Jade Lee, Anne Easter Smith, and Diana Gabaldon--share titillating sex scenes from their novels. The bartenders and wait-staff got more than they bargained for working this gig!

The best part of the conference, for me, was meeting many of the writers whom I've gotten to know over the internet during the last two years. I reconnected with Diana Gabaldon, Martha Terilli, Sarah Johnson, Tinney Heath and Marilyn Alm, whom I met at the last conference; Catherine Delors,  Sheramy Bundrick, Lucy Pick, C.W. Gortner, Michelle Moran, George Berger, Christine Blevins, Laurel Corona, Susanne Dunlap, Karen Essex, Amanda Orr, Donald Platt, Vanitha Sankaran I got to meet for the very first time. I was also very lucky to be able to spend time with my lovely agent, Stephanie Cabot, who up until now has only been a voice on the phone. 

Heartfelt thanks go to the Historical Novel Society and the conference organizers for putting together this amazing event. For readers who are considering attending the next conference, I have two words--DO IT! You'll make new friends and valuable connections and meet authors whose books you've read and raved about. Exposed to the wisdom and expertise of published authors and industry professionals, you'll come away exhilarated, inspired and determined to finish that book. The only disappointing thing is that the conference lasts only two and a half days, then you have to wait two years until the next one.

A Pre-Conference Snippet

Posts have been scant of late; I've been busying preparing for the Historical Novel Society Conference I will be attending in Chicago this coming weekend. I am excited on many counts: I will be meeting my agent in person, as well as many of the writing friends I've made over the internet during the last two years. The list of authors attending this year's conference is quite impressive: Edward Rutherford, Margaret George, Diana Gabaldon, Sharon Kay Penman, Michelle Moran, C.W. Gortner, Catherine Delors, to name only a few. It will be an amazing opportunity to learn from these writers' experiences and expertise; I'll be wandering around like a star-struck teenager. I will also be having two pitch sessions with editors. Since I've been rereading my first novel, The Measure of Silence, in preparation, I thought I'd share a snippet with you:

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Copyright 2009 by Julianne Douglas

She heard his tentative steps on the stairs, the stifled curse when he tripped on the landing. He eased open the chamber door, blinking like a startled mole when the light from her lamp fell upon his face. “Wife. You don’t sleep.” His cheek twitched, a telltale sign of his discomfort.

“Hush. Come in and shut the door.” He shuffled into the room, mouth slack and eyes bleary. “What happened? Did that fool of a farrier lighten your purse again?”

The hand he ran through his hair left a trail of haphazard spikes in its wake. “Had a bit of bad luck, is all. I’ll make it up tomorrow.” He loosened the thong of his smock and pulled the garment over his head, lingering long within its folds. His ribs strained against the pale skin of his chest.

Jollande turned back to the table and wiped her pen. “Remember the poem I’ve been working on? The one about Diana and her bow? I just finished it.” She hated the false brightness in her voice.

The bed creaked as he sat down. “Diana?” The unfamiliar name foundered on a ragged belch.

“The goddess of the moon. The virginal huntress.” She hesitated, then turned and held a sheet out towards him. “You may read it if you’d like.”

“Goddess? Could she help me win tomorrow?” Arnault chuckled, pleased at his own cleverness. He waved the paper away. “Show it to your friends in town. It’s wasted on me.” He yanked off a shoe and tossed it to the floor. The caged finches erupted in a paroxysm of frightened twitters when the wooden heel smacked the boards. Arnault groaned and covered his ears with his hands.

Jollande released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. As she swung around to return the paper to the desk, her elbow bumped the ink pot, overturning it. Channeled into grooves scored by her pen, the dark ink sketched a feathery web of half-formed letters and superimposed words as it spread across the tabletop.

Arnault’s voice rose to a pitiful wheedle. “Come to bed, wife. Perchance my luck will take a turn for the better.” He slumped back on the bolster, cheeks flushed, eyes watery slits. By the time Jollande wiped up the mess, Arnault had fallen asleep.

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I'll post about the conference as soon as I return. Say a prayer my work gets a better reception than poor Jollande's poem did!

Aural Neophyte

I've never listened to an audio book before, and considering the amount of driving I do, that's a shame. I took the plunge last week and checked out two audio books from the extensive collection at our local library: BROTHERS, by Da Chen, and THE MASTER, by Colm Toíbín. I decided to listen to BROTHERS first and have made it through three of the ten discs so far, listening only while in the car.

I've always preferred reading to listening to the radio, so I wasn't sure how much I'd like following a story by ear. Add to my natural disinclination for auditory media the distractions of driving in rush hour traffic with a toddler in tow, I expected the experiment to be an "epic fail," as my teens would say. However, I have found myself completely caught up in Da Chen's story (so much so that it's easy to forget that I'm supposed to be driving!). I haven't had any trouble following the plot or keeping the characters straight, and my fear of missing important details h

as not materialized.

BROTHERS is the story of two half-brothers who grow up in China during the end of Mao's cultural revolution and the years immediately following. I've always had a fascination for that period in Chinese history ever since reading André Malraux's LA CONDITION HUMAINE (MAN'S FATE) in college. Da Chen tells the story by alternating chapters between the two brothers, using the first 

person point-of-view for each. On audio, a different reader reads for each of them. Two voices make the listening experience a lively one and aids in keeping the story lines separate. (Given my limited experience with audio books, I'm not sure if using multiple readers is typical or not.) One thing I do find irritating is that one of the readers adopts a breathy almost-falsetto when he reads the lines of female characters, a ploy I feel is completely unnecessary.  I do notice, too, that the audio format draws attention to clichéd sentences or images. Shifts in register or wooden sentences interrupt the narrative flow and distract me from the story, probably to a greater degree than if I had encountered these weaker lines in print. Listening to the story being read highlights, for me, the sound and style of the language. This observation validates one of the strategies I rely on when writing my own fiction--I read each and every passage aloud to check the flow and rhythm. I'll be curious to see if I focus on language to the same extent I have with that of BROTHERS when I listen to my next audio book.

Have you listened to audio books? What has your experience with them been? I'm certainly glad I finally tried. If nothing else, I feel like I'm making a stand against the discouraging truth of there being "too many books, too little time"!

And the Winner Is...

Jackie Hodson! Jackie, it wasn't clear to me by your comment whether you were actually entering the drawing or not, so could you please contact me by email and let me know for sure? If it turns out that Jackie has already read MISTRESS OF THE SUN, I will draw another name.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and to Ms. Gulland for choosing to visit Writing the Renaissance on her blog tour. I hope we've encouraged many new readers to pick up her wonderful book.

MISTRESS OF THE SUN by Sandra Gulland: Interview and Review

Today I'm fortunate to be able to participate in the blog tour promoting the release of the paperback edition of Sandra Gulland's novel MISTRESS OF THE SUN (Touchstone, 2008). MISTRESS OF THE SUN recounts the fascinating story of Louise de la Vallière, the first official mistress of the French king Louis XIV. Set against the "magnificent decadence of the seventeenth-century French court," the story follows Louise from her humble beginnings as the daughter of a lesser nobleman, through the blossoming of her love affair with Louis, to the difficult decisions she must make once Louis decides to share his affections with another woman, the dangerous Madame de Montespan.

I had the opportunity to ask Ms. Gulland some questions about her book and her writing experience.

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1. What fascinates you most about Louise’s life or personality? If you could 
ask Louise one question, what would it be?

Mainly I'm fascinated by Louise's horsemanship. She is described as a timid, shy and retiring young woman who also just happened to be able to out-ride and out-hunt the King and his men. There was a puzzle in that I wanted to solve. I'd love to ask her how she learned to ride and hunt so well. It wouldn't have been easy for a woman in the 17th century.

2. I loved the Marquis de Saint-Rémy’s (Louise’s step-father’s) convoluted manner of speaking. Were you consciously invoking the linguistic affectations of the précieuses, the witty women of seventeenth century literary salons?

I love Saint-Rémy, as well. I wasn't thinking of the précieuses, but rather, simply, of a not-very-smart, stuck-up sort of man who puts on airs. It was fun turning his ordinary phrases into puzzles of complexity.

3. Did any of your characters surprise you by what they said or did as you wrote the novel? Were there any instances where the biography of an individual conflicted with the direction you wanted the story to go in, and if so, how did you resolve this conflict?

I knew from the beginning that Louise would leave her children, but I didn't know how it would work out. Biographers tend to judge her harshly for this, but I didn't see evidence that she didn't love her children. Quite the contrary. As I got to know her better, I began to understand.

4. Have you read Alexandre Dumas’s novel Louise de la Vallière? How does your Louise differ from his?

I have not read any of Dumas's work — yet. I started to read Louise de la Vallière, but then put it aside because I feared getting entangled in his imaginative interpretation of the history. Perhaps now I should read it. I’d be interested to see how they differ.

5. What was the most challenging part of writing this book? The most interesting?


I am — I guess one could say — an “open-minded” agnostic (raised atheist), and the most challenging part of writing this novel, for me, was getting into the intensely religious and superstitious head-space of my 17th century characters. This was crucially important to understanding the 17th century, and especially important to my main character, Louise de la Vallière. This realm of the research also proved to be the most interesting. Researching convent life at the time reveals worlds of horror (where the convents were stand-ins for prison), but also worlds of peaceful intellectual and artistic flowering, worlds where women could be (at last) free to rule their own domains. It varied greatly from convent to convent.




6. Who is a character (from any place or era) that you wish someone would write a novel about? Are you tempted to try?


I'm constantly noting in my margins of books: “This would make a great story!”

From the Sun Court era, I’ve tried a number of times to find a way to tell the story of La Grande Mademoiselle, the King’s eccentric, rich cousin and an early feminist. I’m reminded of a painting I bought, the image of a mountain. The artist told me, “I looked at that mountain for years, wondering how to paint it.” La Grande Mademoiselle is my mountain. 


I’d love to see (or write) a convincing and well-researched novel about the Man in the Iron Mask. (Back to Dumas here, of course!) If I were to write it — and I may, some day — I might explore one possibility that’s cited, that it’s really The Woman in the Iron Mask. 



Lauzun’s story fascinates me: his crazy relationship with La Grande Mademoiselle, his courtship for the King’s favor, his “true but chaste” love and heroic rescue of Mary of Modena. (It’s possible that La Grande Mademoiselle’s story could be told in this way — as well as the story of the Woman in the Iron Mask, since Lazun and "the Mask" were in the same prison. Perhaps I’ve just outlined a novel in answering this question!)





In any case, there are so many stories, I could go on and on (and ON). For me, there has to be something in a character that hooks my curiosity. 

7. What are some habits you have developed as a writer that have made you more productive?




The converse of this question is: Have I developed habits that have made me less productive? The answer to that question is YES: I’ve become accustomed to reading (and answering) email with my morning coffee instead of diving into my writing. And now, along with my email, I have to — of course — take a peek at Twitter.

But to answer your question, it's a question of tricking myself into working. Fear helps (especially fear of failure). Deadlines help too. Once I begin a draft, I've learned to move it forward daily until I reach the end. No looking back! I set daily minimums and chart my progress in a journal. I know from experience that just one day off equals three days of floundering, so I really try to hold to the daily goal. 




8. How does promoting the paperback edition of a book differ from promoting the hardcover?



The biggest difference seems to be, at least in my case, that the publisher 
promotes the hardcover, and the author promotes the paperback. For the hardcover, my publishers arranged book tours. For the softcover, I arranged my own Blog Tour (including this blog: thank you!). 





Thank you, Sandra! Your enthusiasm for the seventeenth century shines through, especially in the intriguing ideas you have for future novels. I'll be recommending MISTRESS OF THE SUN to all my reading friends and looking forward to your next novel.

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I just finished reading MISTRESS OF THE SUN today and I must say I enjoyed it immensely. I found it a bit hard to connect with the child Louise in the first fifty or so pages of the novel, but once Louise moved to the French court to serve as attendant to Louis's sister-in-law, the English princess Henriette, something clicked and I was completely drawn into the story. Despite her obvious strengths, Louise retained an endearing fragility that made me root for her up to the very end. Far from a celebration of the sordid titillations of court life, this novel tells the story of a young woman who finds herself in her struggle to reconcile her convictions with her love.

I find it interesting that in the interview above Ms. Gulland acknowledges that getting into the "religious and superstitious headspace of [her] 17th century characters" was the most challenging aspect of writing the book, because I think she did an excellent job of doing so. So many times writers of historical fiction minimize the question of religion and its effects on their characters' outlooks and choices. Gulland's Louise, however, constantly struggles with her scruples. Highly spiritual by nature and formed in her faith by her father and a nun aunt, Louise has a difficult time reconciling her illicit love for Louis with her moral standards. Her sin never becomes any easier for her bear and leads her to embrace life as a religious once Louis's demands become too onerous. I admire how Ms. Gulland respects the fact that the real Louise did forsake her position in order to take the veil and how, in fact, the author prepares us for this choice by showing Louise's struggles from the very beginning. It would have been easy for Ms. Gulland to depict the choice as either imposed upon Louise from without or only tepidly embraced by her, but neither of these would have been true to the real Louise. Despite her weaknesses and faltering, Louise never loses her faith; in fact, her suffering strengthens it.

I found Ms. Gulland's depictions of life at court well-researched and vividly presented. She captures the superficiality and theatricality of the Sun King's court, its emphasis on "seem" rather than "be," on appearance rather than essence. These dichotomies are captured in Louise's love for "Louis," but her dislike of the "King." A genuine, trusting soul, Louise ever struggles in this duplicitous environment, yet finds the inner strength and determination to overcome its temptations. Her innocence is not an insipid, unthinking blandness, but the ferocious purity of the wild stallion who shadows her journey.

This is the first book I've read by Sandra Gulland and I look forward to reading more. MISTRESS OF THE SUN is a well-researched and engaging ride through the treacherous terrain of the French court--and the human heart.

******

Ms. Gulland has graciously provided a copy of the paperback edition of MISTRESS OF THE SUN for a lucky reader to win. If you would like to be entered in the random drawing, please leave a comment here with an answer to this question: 

Louise de Vallière was an amazing horsewoman. On a scale of one (You couldn't pay me to climb up on one of those beasts!) to ten (I'd give Louise a run for her money!), how good a rider are you?

Comment with an answer and your name will be entered once; comment and follow the blog (new followers always welcome!) and your name will be entered five times. The winner will need to email me her mailing address so I can forward it to Sandra's publicist. The contest is open from now until midnight PDT Thursday, May 14. Winner will be announced here on the blog Friday morning. Bonne chance!

Review of SIGNORA DA VINCI

SIGNORA DA VINCI  by Robin Maxwell (NAL, 2009) is an entertaining and imaginative re-creation of the cultural cauldron of sixteenth-century Florence. The story is told by Caterina, a village apothecary's daughter who, after a brief liaison with a nobleman's son, gives birth to a boy destined to become one of Italy's greatest creative minds. Snatched from her by his father's family, Leonardo is doomed to lead the anonymous life of a bastard until Caterina takes charge of his destiny--and hers. She convinces his father to apprentice him to an established artist in the city. Determined follow Leonardo, Caterina disguises herself as a man and establishes herself in Florence as Cato, Leonardo's apothecary uncle. Educated in philosophy and the alchemical arts by her father, Cato/Caterina befriends the legendary humanist Lorenzo de' Medici and becomes a member of his Platonic Academy, a secret philosophical society established to further knowledge of the ancient arts. Eventually, Caterina and Lorenzo fall in love and she reveals her true identity to him alone. Together, the couple works to advance Leonardo's career while their circle battles Fra Savanarola, the Church reformer who seeks to curb the excessive luxury and pagan influences that saturate Florentine society. Even as she watches her son's genius flower, Caterina cannot escape the decline of her lover's health and great changes that overtake the city she has grown to love.

I applaud Ms. Maxwell for broaching a difficult subject and a setting that is little exploited in historical fiction. It was thrilling to see the likes of Sandro Botticelli, Pic de la Mirandola, and Marsilio Ficino coming to life in the pages of a novel. Lorenzo de' Medici was a fascinating individual, and the author does an excellent job of creating a character who was vastly learned yet at the same time politically savvy and personally engaging. The book's settings, from artists' botegas to noblemen's villas to Caterina's own apothecary shop, are vivid and historically authentic. The tension between the new philosophers and the Church authorities is well-drawn, though rather categorical; the author's sympathies in this struggle are never difficult to discern. Ms. Maxwell's writing style is accessible and engaging; I found myself completely drawn into Caterina's story and eager to discover how everything would play out.

The strength of the book lies in the relationship that binds Caterina and her son. Caterina recognizes Leonardo's giftedness from the beginning and encourages him to pursue his unconventional interests. Some of my favorite scenes are those where the young Leonardo explores the world and glories in the wonder of things. There is a true sense that Leonardo's genius unfolds precisely because Caterina provides the acceptance and love that encourages him to take risks. Caterina loves Leonardo with ferocious devotion, sacrificing marriage and living a life of deceit in order to be near him. For decades she lives as a man; although this opens up for her opportunities to which she never could have aspired as a woman, the strain of this double life gradually takes its toll. In this sense, Caterina mirrors in her personal life the sacrifices countless Renaissance scholars, artists and philosophers were often forced to make in order to expand their knowledge and pursue their dreams.

SIGNORA DA VINCI is an enjoyable and absorbing read, and I thank Ms. Maxwell for opening up the world of Renaissance Florence to readers of historical fiction. 

Interview with Robin Maxwell, author of SIGNORA DA VINCI

Robin Maxwell is the author of seven historical novels, most of which are set in Elizabethan times. Her latest novel, SIGNORA DA VINCI (NAL, 2009) explores the Italian Renaissance through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci's mother, Caterina. It has been called Maxwell's "most remarkable novel yet" (Michelle Moran), a "sparkling epic" that "continually delights with intriguing details" (Vicki Léon).

I had the opportunity to ask Robin some questions about her research and the writing of her novel, and her enthusiasm for a Renaissance familiar to few shines through.

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1. What were the challenges of writing about Renaissance philosophy for the modern lay reader?

Thanks for asking. Executing this philosophical aspect of SIGNORA DA VINCI well was critical to the book's success. It was central to the story, but it had the potential for being dry, dense, and hard-to-understand. I realized that these days, most people don't spend much time thinking about or studying philosophy of any kind, no less Renaissance philosophy or its origins -- Platonic and Hermetic thought, and even further back, Egyptian magic and astrology. Learning about this subject was utterly fascinating to me, but I wasn't sure it would be to anyone else.

It was a leap of faith in my readers, I suppose, thinking that if I presented the subject clearly, if it was relevant to and truly forwarded my story's plot, and if it was intrinsic to the book's main characters -- Leonardo da Vinci, his mother Caterina, and Lorenzo "The Magnificent" de' Medici -- that not only would my readers find it fascinating, too, but they would learn something about western civilization's evolution out of the Dark Ages into the brilliant light of the Renaissance and what is known as "Early Modern History."

Some of my favorite scenes in the book are set at gatherings of Florence's "Platonic Academy," where all the brightest lights of scholarship, the arts and politics, met to discuss classical philosophy -- itself an act so outside the parameters of the all-powerful Catholic Church and so heretical, that it was literally a burnable offense. Yet these courageous individuals were so persistent, so obsessed with the idea of learning the truths of humankind and the cosmos, and the road to true spiritual enlightenment, that they risked everything to continue.

The other challenge was learning the philosophies myself -- I'd never studied them before -- the Greeks, the Egyptians, Hermes Trismegistus, alchemy and astrology (the only "sciences" in those days). I realized that though Plato was the basis of all modern thinking, I didn't know anything about his writings. So I went onto Amazon.com and typed in the words "understanding Plato," and voila! Up popped a booked called UNDERSTANDING PLATO by David Melling. It was a fabulous book that perfectly explained in layman's terms what the man and his thinking were all about. I also relied heavily on the brilliant Frances Yates (four of her books) to learn about alchemy and Hermeticism.

All that was left for me as a writer was to fit this preposterously complex glut of material into the story I wanted to tell in an interesting and entertaining way, one that a broad audience could understand. My main technique was to impart the knowledge through dialogue between my main characters, which in itself was fitting, as so many of Plato's works were written as just that -- dialogues between his teacher, Socrates and himself.

2. I'm intrigued by the feminist angle that colors your depiction of the Platonic Academy (concretized in the prominence given to the Egyptian goddess Isis). Could you elaborate on this a bit? How open were Renaissance philosophers to the power of the feminine?

Another great question. I think the most shocking aspect of Renaissance philosophy was that when you dug into its deepest roots, you realized that it went far beyond 15th century Italian men studying and lionizing the ancient Greeks. Because the Greeks were studying the far more ancient and pagan Egyptians. And at the bottom of Egyptian thought was their belief in Isis, the original "Earth Mother" -- progenitor of all gods and goddesses, bringer of life itself, and the figure responsible for the first-ever "resurrection."

Then you had Plato, who believed women and men were equals!!! That noblewomen should receive as fine an education as men and should be allowed to participate in the public sphere -- even hold office. How radical is that?! Of course, by the time this stuff was revealed to the men of the Italian Renaissance, the "Goddess" was long-dead and there'd been 1,500 years of the Christian Church that had beaten women into the ground and made them irrelevant except as sex-objects and brood mares. Women had no rights in 15th century Florence, and it was the rare female (like Lorenzo de' Medici's mother, Lucrezia who, by the way, is a major character -- at age 18 -- in my new novel, O, JULIET) that received a good education (or any education at all).

So while the Renaissance men might have been studying these principles in the Platonic Academy meetings, for the most part, their wives, mothers, sisters and mistresses were still stuck in the traditional life of Italian women -- barely allowed to leave their fathers' houses as girls, and their husbands' houses as wives, and bearing children until they dropped dead. Why do you think I disguised my protagonist -- Leonardo da Vinci's mother -- as a man? If she'd been a woman she would never ever have been able to gain entree into the world I was determined to explore in this book.

3. If you had written the story from the perspective of Leonardo himself, how would the story have been different? What aspects of his life would you have focused on?

Actually, my first thought was to write a book about Leonardo, because he was -- and remains today -- much more than just an astonishing artist. He had the most original mind of any man of any century. He was an inventor, scientist, philosopher, atheist, believer in Nature as God, vegetarian (when such a thing was a heretical act!), a homosexual, a believer in freedom of the human spirit, and that learning did not come from books but from personal, first-hand experience. However, the publishing business today -- especially in the historical fiction genre -- is quite fixated on stories told from a woman's point of view. So I was forced to revise my thinking.

If Leonardo had been the lead character, I would have tried to delve more deeply into his psyche. For an individual to emerge as a full-blown, half-a-milennium-ahead-of-his-time genius just after coming out of the Dark Ages is mind-boggling to me. Since I was determined to illuminate the "Shadow Renaissance," the Medici, the Platonic Academy, and the Turin Shroud hoax, I probably would have placed Leonardo squarely in the center of that world, rather than his mother, Caterina. In retrospect, it might not have been quite as appealing a book as it was with Caterina, because with her as the protagonist, she was able to observe an all-male "inner circle", secretly, through female eyes, as well as have a love relationship with a man. If I'd only had Leonardo to work with, I would have been writing primarily about homosexual relationships and truthfully, though I have several close friends who are gay, I'm not familiar (from an "insiders" point of view) with that kind of sexuality.

4. I know authors often don't have much say in the cover design for their books, but is there a specific reason why the designers chose not to feature one of Leonardo's many portraits of women on the cover of SIGNORA DA VINCI?

The truth is, authors have very little (if anything) to say about their covers. The figure on the cover of SIGNORA DA VINCI is Raphael's "Veiled Lady," and the background is from something else. They are both evocative of the period and very beautiful, but I objected at first to the artwork because I felt the woman didn't reflect Caterina (at least the way I saw her). I doubt she would have had such fine clothing, being the daughter of a country apothecary, and of course she's disguised as a man in most of the book.

Actually I wanted another of Raphael's paintings ("The Madonna of the Chair" which you can see on my website at the top of the "Passport to the 15th Century" pages, the one called, "Was the Mona Lisa Leonardo's Mother?" In this, a much less "noble" looking girl is holding a baby boy in her arms and they're looking at each other with such love, that I thought this was a more appropriate cover -- it was so much a book about the love between a mother and her son. But I got shouted down.

That said, I think its the most gorgeous of my covers to date. Clearly, the designers were looking for an image that would make somebody pick the book up and want to buy it. In this, I think they succeeded brilliantly. Moreover, I personally wish I owned that dress the veiled lady is wearing!

5. How did you grow as a writer in writing this book?

Writing deeply about people who risked their lives to pursue their non-conforming religious/spiritual beliefs helped me to come out of the closet myself on this issue. I can now say, proudly and unflinchingly, that I am an atheist. I remember seeing Sebastian Junger (THE PERFECT STORM) a few years ago on Book TV at the National Book Fair on the White House lawn being interviewed by Laura Bush and stating, without batting an eye, that he was an atheist. I thought then, "How brave. Could I ever do the same?" Since writing writing SIGNORA DA VINCI I discovered the courage, in this deeply religious country of ours (and in the conservative community where I live), to speak truthfully about my anti-religious leanings.

6. What trends do you see in the field of historical fiction and how do you feel about them?

Aside from the ubiquitous "headless women running away" used on 99% of historical fiction novels' covers, I'm getting pretty tired of publishers only allowing us historical fiction authors to write from a woman's point of view. Of course I know that for the longest time women were shut out of history entirely, but I think the "women-only" trend is an over-reaction (like bra-burning during the early feminist movement) that was once useful, but has run its course. In my new novel, O, JULIET (to be published in 2010) I was able to convince my publishers to allow Romeo to have a first-person voice in the story, as well as Juliet. In the future, I hope to be writing more from the male point of view (as well as the female). To me, it doesn't matter what sex your protagonists are, as long as they're remarkable people.

*******
There's a lot here to discuss here, so jump in with your comments! I'd like to thank Robin for her willingness to be interviewed and the insightful answers she provided. I wish her all the best with SIGNORA DA VINCI and her new book, O JULIET, scheduled for release in 2010. Visit Robin's website to learn more about her books and to read some interesting features she has posted about the historical context of SIGNORA DA VINCI.

To conclude this spotlight on Robin Maxwell, my next post will feature a short review of SIGNORA DA VINCI, which I very much enjoyed reading.

Name that Plant

Did you know a palm tree planted in the sixteenth century is still alive and thriving in Italy? The tree, protected now inside an octagonal greenhouse, was planted in 1585 in the Orto Botanico di Padova. Padua's botanical garden is the oldest academic garden still in existence at its original site, and its ground plan survives nearly unchanged. The university established the garden in 1545 in order to cultivate native and exotic medicinal plants. In the latter half of the sixteenth century, medical students took two courses on medicinal plants: a theoretical course based on the lecturs of Dioscorides, and a practical course which involved identifying and studying the plants growing in the garden. The numerous surviving examples of maps of the garden written in different hands suggests that the students had to identify the plants growing in the different beds. This practical training helped them avoid administering incorrect plants when preparing medicines and treating their patients.

The palm, a Chamaerops humilis, is often referred to as the "Goethe palm." Studying the palm in 1786 helped the famous German writer articulate his ideas about evolution, which he published in an essay entitled "Metamorphosis of Plants." The palm is presently the oldest plant in the garden, following the death in 1984 of a chaste tree whose presence was documented since 1550. The garden also houses both a magnolia and a ginko planted in the mid-1700's and considered to be among the oldest specimens in Europe.

[Sources: Orto botanico di Padova; The Botanic Garden; "Botanical Education in the Horto medicinale of Padua in the 16th Century"]

Interview with YA Fantasy Author Cindy Pon

Today is release day for Cindy Pon's YA fantasy novel, SILVER PHOENIX: BEYOND THE KINGDOM OF XIA (HarperCollins/Greenwillow). I met Cindy on an internet writer's forum about the time she had just started looking for an agent. I was impressed by her determination and perpetual optimism, as well as the way she always has kind and encouraging words for other forum members. I'm so thrilled that fate has smiled on her and brought her to this exciting day.

Cindy has answered a few questions for us about her novel and about writing in general:

From what you’ve told me, you did a lot of research into ancient China before writing SILVER PHOENIX. Why did you ultimately choose to cast SILVER PHOENIX as a fantasy rather than an historical novel?

i did do a lot of research to set the tone and setting of SILVER PHOENIX while writing it. i bought beautiful books on the emperors of china, the palaces, the court rituals, the architecture of china in centuries past, the dress, etc.

but when i began writing, i found that i was really "stuck" on historical details. what period was it? i'd have to set it before the qing dynasty, maybe even before the tang,  where foot binding began at the tail end... what i wanted my heroine to do, to go through, was nearly impossible to believe if set in actual history. AND i wanted the fantastic elements. i realized then i wasn't lisa see, i wasn't writing a historical, i was writing a fantasy. i wanted to be able to use chinese folklore and myth, but also be able to use my own imagination--as many fantasy books do.

What is something interesting you learned during the research phase of writing? Did this fact make it into the novel under some guise?

i researched on eunuchs and how they had their "precious parts" removed. and yes, this made it into the novel. 

Young adult fiction is quite popular in today’s market. Did you set out to write a novel for teens? To what do you attribute the appeal of young adult fiction to adult readers?

no. i didn't set out writing SILVER PHOENIX for the YA market. i thought i was just writing a straight adult fantasy novel. it wasn't until i began querying for agents that some writer friends as well as agents asked me, isn't this YA? it's a really fine line, especially in fantasy, where many of the protags can be teens. but in the end, i realized that there were elements of finding yourself, searching for your own identity, rebelling a little or a lot against society, against your parents, and of course, first love. these elements are in my debut and often themes in YA fiction.

i think the crossover line is getting murkier by the day. especially in the fantasy genre--if you look at TWILIGHT and HARRY POTTER as examples.

Who is your favorite character in SILVER PHOENIX and why? Were there any characters you wish you could have spent more time with?

tough one. i have a crush on my own hero, chen yong. but he remains a bit of a enigma to me. he intimidates me a little as a writer, his creator. or maybe more than a little. =) i really love li rong (and almost all readers tell me they love li rong), who is chen yong's younger brother. he really added humor to the novel and i found him incredibly easy to write.

What do you want your readers to come away with from their reading of SILVER PHOENIX?

i hope that they were able to escape, that they trusted me as a writer, and believed what they were reading. i hope my characters and story linger with them for a little while after they've finished reading.

What was something you learned about yourself while writing the novel?

that i was a writer. a serious writer. i never considered myself as one until i finished revising the novel and went on to query agents. i found out that i'm pretty determined as a person, as well as optimistic. it's a cautious optimism, but it's there. =)

You are quite active in the virtual writing community. What role did various writers’ forums, blogs, or critique groups play in your quest for publication? How important do you think being “plugged in” to such things is for a writer today?

oh my. the online blog and writing forum community are mentioned in my acknowledgement page. and rightly so. before i found my writing friends, i only had the online community to look to for help and guidance and encouragement. this is such a roller coaster heart wrenching business. our writing means so much to us, and truly, no one but another writer would understand

 the despair of rejection after rejection or the utter elated joy of getting a full request or an agent who says YES or the elusive editor that does. i find the writing community to be incredibly supportive, and i hope that i can give back as much as i can.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

keep writing, keep dreaming. not everyone sells their first book or even their third. it takes a lot of will power and a thick skin, but if you feel passion for it, if you love the world you create, your characters enough, keep going. it's well worth the difficulties to keep reaching for the stars.

for what are we without our dreams?

If you were to write an historical novel, when and where would it be set?

oh wow. i LOVE reading about elizabethan and tudor times. i am fascinated by anne boleyn and elizabeth I. i love strong women who led in the past, the double whammy they had to deal with being in power and being a woman. the rules are turned on their heads, and so many smart, clever women were able to navigate through this, despite it all.

that world is much more familiar to me, even now, after writing silver phoenix. but i'd love to write a historical based in china. i'm intrigued by my maternal grandmother and grandfather's stories, in pre world war II china. SILVER PHOENIX is dedicated to them.

What can we look forward to reading from Cindy Pon in the future? 

i hope many more books, well written and then even more well written, with stories that will draw you into the world. i've got a sequel for SILVER PHOENIX that i'm working on as well as a children's picture book using my own chinese brush art.

thanks so much for having me, julianne. i always enjoy reading the wealth of info on your blog and it's a pleasure and honor to be interviewed!!

Thank you, Cindy, and best wishes for a long and successful career!

********

Cindy, as she mentions, is an accomplished Chinese brush artist. You can see examples of her art at her website, cindypon.com. To celebrate her launch, Cindy has graciously offered to send a bookmark with a lotus painting on it to the first five commenters below. Post a comment, and if you're one of the first five, send your snail mail address to Cindy at pon.cindy  @  gmail.com [without the spaces]. She'll be sure to send you one. Although you probably won't need it for SILVER PHOENIX--it promises to be a book you won't be able to put down! I'll post a review as soon as I get my hands on a copy.

Cindy will be stopping by, so feel free to ask any questions you might have for her. Once again, congratulations to Cindy on her special day!

Spam

I've had to turn on "Comment moderation" since the blog has been getting spammed with unsavory links in a foreign language. Please don't let this stop you from commenting; I promise to approve all genuine comments as soon as I am notified of them.

Thanks for understanding!

Booksale Bonanza

I'm such a book geek. Here I am all excited about the great haul I made yesterday at our local library used book sale. For $16, the price of one new trade paperback, I bought the following books, all hardcovers but two:

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi by Jacqueline Park 

[I've read this before and liked it and since it's set in the 16th century, I wanted to own a copy.]

Depths of Glory: A Biographical Novel of Camille Pissarro by Irving Stone

Those Who Love: A Biographical Novel of Abigail and John Adams by Irving Stone

[I read The Agony and the Ecstasy as a teenager and loved it, so I thought I'd try more Stone. Plus, I've always wanted to know more about Pissaro.]

Somewhere in France by John Rolfe Gardiner 

The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik 

[Always wanted to read this memoir.]

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

[Cold Mountain is one of my favorites, so I'm looking forward to this one, although I hear it's quite different.]

Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick

Shadow of the Moon by M.M. Kaye

[Read this in high school, but I think it's worth a re-read.]

A Song of Sixpence by A.J. Cronin

[Have never read any Cronin before.]

The Fool's Tale by Nicole Galland

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

[This is one of my favorite books, but I didn't have my own copy.]

Prince of Foxes by Samuel Shellabarger

[Members of Historical Fiction Online always mention Shellabarger, so I thought I'd try one! This one has a lurid 1970's cover.]

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Paint It Black by Janet Fitch

[I loved White Oleander. Janet Fitch is an instructor at the Squaw Valley Writer Community of Writers, which I've attended twice, and I've always found her talks to be inspiring and full of practical advice.]

So, while I feel slightly guilty to have bought all these books used and thus cheated the authors of royalties, I'm excited about my finds. I realized while I was skimming the spines on the display tables why it is I write--I want someone to feel the same thrill on finding my book that I feel when I find a book I've been wanting to read! It's not the fame, not the money (good thing!), but the thought that I could bring a few hours of enjoyment to someone by doing something I love to do. I want someone to rush home someday with my book in her hands: "Look, I found the latest Julianne Douglas!" (And, shhhh, don't tell my agent, but I won't even mind not getting the royalties for it. *smile*)

Now, someone please tell me when I'm going to find the time to READ all these books, never mind where I'm going to put them!

Upcoming Author Interviews

I have two exciting events to announce:

Next Tuesday, April 28, is the release date for my writing friend Cindy Pon's debut YA fantasy novel, SILVER PHOENIX: BEYOND THE KINGDOM OF XIA (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins). To celebrate the novel's release, I will be posting an interview with the author. Cindy, who is an artist as well as a writer, has agreed to send a beautiful, hand-designed bookmark to the first five people who comment on the interview. Be sure to check back on the 28th for the fun.

On Monday, May 11, I will be participating in Sandra Gulland's blog tour for the paperback release of her novel MISTRESS OF THE SUN (Touchstone). I will post a Q & A with Sandra and a review of the book. In addition, Sandra's publisher has provided a copy of the novel for me to give away to a lucky reader. More details will follow as the date draws near. 

On a related note, Robin Maxwell is working on responses to the interview questions I sent her, but she must at present focus on the final revisions of her forthcoming novel O, JULIET. I will post the interview and my review of SIGNORA DA VINCI together as soon as Robin is able to get back to me. I wish her all the best as she polishes what is sure to be another marvelous novel!

Back to work now...

A Virtual Tour

The internet is a wonderful thing. Poking around today looking for information about the palace of Fontainebleau, I found this neat video tour that offers a panoramic view from four vantage points in the palace (two exterior, two interior). The view of the lagoon is stunning. I'm not sure how much of the décor of the Salon François I is original (the palace has been renovated and redecorated innumerable times through the centuries), but the stucco decorations above the fireplace are surely the work of Rosso or Primaticcio. Unfortunately, and inexplicably, the tour does not include a visit to the Galerie François I, which has been faithfully restored to its original state and is the showpiece of the palace.

An Egg-ceptional Easter

Although eggs do serve as a powerful symbol of new life and resurrection, the custom of decorating eggs at Easter has a more mundane, though quite interesting, origin. As eggs were a forbidden food during the forty days of Lenten fasting, eggs laid during these weeks either had to be hatched or kept for eating after Easter. To preserve the eggs, people dipped them in mutton fat or wax and decorated to make them more attractive. Poor people dyed their eggs red; noblemen gilded theirs or adorned them with their coats of arms. Plates of decorated eggs were brought to the parish priest on Easter morning. The priest sprinkled them with holy water and blessed them with a specific egg-blessing, thus releasing the worshippers from their Lenten privations. The decorated eggs were then given as gifts. Baskets of painted eggs were presented to the King of France after high Mass on Easter Sunday; he would distribute the eggs to his courtiers. Henry VIII once received a Paschal egg in a silver filigree box from the Pope. The largest egg laid in the vicinity of the palace during Holy Week was wrapped with a single red ribbon and presented to the king. The groups of youths would go from door to door in towns and villages singing and collecting eggs from their generous neighbors. They would use some of the eggs for rolling games and tosses; out of the rest they would make huge omelets which they would share to celebrate the end of the fast. 

Hmm, an omelet is sounding pretty good right now. . . race you to the kitchen!

Best wishes for a happy and blessed Easter.

(Sources: A History of Food, M. Toussaint-Samat and A. Bell; The Antiquarian Magazine and Bibliographer, E. Walford; The Gift in Sixteenth Century France, Natalie Zemon Davis)