Lilywhite Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Elizabeth Chadwick Website This month we have Elizabeth Chadwick joining us as featured author. Already well known to some of our members, Elizabeth has written a large number of historical fiction books (see here for details). Her latest A Place Beyond Courage is out in paperback in October. I'd like to thank Elizabeth for taking the time to answer our questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 Hello and welcome to you first of all, and whilst I'm here, I'm going to jump in with my first question..... What is your favourite time period to write about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 (edited) Hello Lilywhite, I hope I've come to the right place! Thank you so much for asking me onto your forum for July. I think, having had a glance around, I might even stay on. I love to talk books and I read across all genres, not just historical. My favourite time period to write about covers the timescale 1066-1250, with a leaning towards the middle of that period. It's where I've done the most research and I feel comfortable in that era. When I go to write in that time period it's just like opening a door to another room in my own house. If I suddenly decided to write a Regency or Tudor novel, it would be more like going out of my house and staying in a hotel. I could do it, but it wouldn't be as natural. There are some wonderful stories waiting to be told from this time period and I don't think I'm going to run out any time soon. A Place Beyond Courage is the story of John Marshal - 1105-1165. He's a man who is perceived by a modern audience to have been a callous father with nothing but his own gain in mind. 'Root and branch of hell' is what a bishop called him back in his own day. But is it the truth? What were the real circumstances of his life. That was what I set out to discover, and in doing so, my own life has been enriched beyond measure. Also in October The Time of Singing comes out in hard cover. This is again based on fact and is the story of Roger Bigod, builder of Framlingham Castle in Norfolk and his marriage to Ida de Tosney, mistress to King Henry II and mother of Henry's son William Longespee, later Earl of Salisbury. I have the trailer up at my blog at the moment. http://livingthehistoryelizabethchadwick.blogspot.com/ Before the end of the month I'll organise a prize draw with a forum moderator for a set of the Marshal novels - i.e. A Place Beyond Courage, The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion, and also a copy of the new hardback. They won't get sent out until October though! Hope to speak to some of you later on. Back to the coal face of the day job! Elizabeth Edited July 1, 2008 by elizabeth Chadwick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Before the end of the month I'll organise a prize draw with a forum moderator for a set of the Marshal novels - i.e. A Place Beyond Courage, The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion, and also a copy of the new hardback. They won't get sent out until October though! That is very generous of you, thank you. Historical books are my favourite genre and I am looking forward to finding out more about your books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Historical books are my favourite genre and I am looking forward to finding out more about your books. Yeah they are mine too I did a history degree so I just love this type of writing. Hehe this should be a good month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 (edited) I'm sorry to admit I haven't read any of your books. How would you entice me to read them? Edited July 1, 2008 by Inver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 It's really great that you can be here Elizabeth. As many know here, I love historical fiction. I also have a couple of your books on mount TBR How did you become interested in writing and which other authors have influenced your love of historical writing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm sorry to admit I haven't read any of your books. How would you entice me to read them? Hello Inver! A difficult question to answer without going into ego-freak sales-woman mode:blush: However I'll have a go. I receive very little promo and publicity from my publishers and I have to rely on word of mouth recommendation, but since I am now considered to be a 'best-selling' author, I guess that's a good accolade for the material I write. I research very thoroughly. I won't say I always get it right, no author of historical fiction ever can, but I do my best, and this means that I don't just read reference books for my research. It's inter-disciplinary. Yes I read books - primary sources and academic secondary sources. I also use the Internet for books and articles and for networking with experts. In addition to that I re-enact with an early medieval society - Regia Anglorum. They are hot on authenticity and being a member means that I get to explore my chosen research subject in 3D. I know what it feels like to walk in medieval clothes. I know how to spin with a drop spindle, or to cook using Norman cooking pots and cauldrons. I have worn a mail shirt and donned a bucket helm. I talk to the guys involved about what it's like to fight in a mail shirt or get on a horse wearing one. All of this underpins what goes into the novel. I also use psychic research as one of the strands, which involves 'time-travelling' to speak with some of my subjects. All of the above disciplines are geared towards me making it feel as real as possible for a reader. I am always aware that I am writing for a modern audience, but I also feel a need to have integrity with the past. I hope that anyone who reads one of my novels will actually feel as if they are there in the moment - that they have been transported back to the life and times of Henry II for e.g. It's about us as we were then. Yes, society's rules were different, but we are still the same animal. There are some fantastic stories lurking in our history, many of them forgotten or as yet untold and just crying out to be brought to life. My novel The Scarlet Lion has been nominated by the founder of the Historical Novel Society as one of the landmark historical novels of the last decade. A Place Beyond Courage recently won the Best Historical Novel category (as opposed to best historical romance,it's not a romance as such although there is romance in it) by Romance Reviewers today. I've been 4 times nominated for the RNA Major award in the UK - an award chosen by readers, and I won a Betty Trask Award for my first published novel The Wild Hunt, which is being re-issued this December. So I guess those are reasonable credentials for recommendation. As always though, it boils down to personal taste as well:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Wow Elizabeth it sounds all so interesting! Absolutely fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slywaka1 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 In addition to that I re-enact with an early medieval society - Regia Anglorum. They are hot on authenticity and being a member means that I get to explore my chosen research subject in 3D. I know what it feels like to walk in medieval clothes. I know how to spin with a drop spindle, or to cook using Norman cooking pots and cauldrons. I have worn a mail shirt and donned a bucket helm. I talk to the guys involved about what it's like to fight in a mail shirt or get on a horse wearing one. All of this underpins what goes into the novel. That sounds amazing!! Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 It's really great that you can be here Elizabeth. As many know here, I love historical fiction. I also have a couple of your books on mount TBR How did you become interested in writing and which other authors have influenced your love of historical writing? Hello Angel, Pleased to meet you! I first began writing at the age of 15, but I was born to write I think. From earliest memory I know I told myself stories with beginnings, middles and ends. I have a particular memory of telling myself a story when I was 3 years old and sitting up in bed one light summer evening, making up a tale about the fairies on my cotton handkerchief instead of going to sleep! I didn't actually write anything down until my teens when I fell madly in love with Thibaud, le Chevalier Blanc in a children's TV series. You can read about Thibaud and his effect on me here on my blog. http://tinyurl.com/42a8ox To write my own story about the crusades I had to start researching the Middle Ages and the more I researched the more fascinated I became. Once having written my first novel, originally inspired by Thibaud, I was hooked. To be actually able to re-read one what one had created rather than have it disappear forever as the spoken word was a definite bonus and my career decision was made. Obviously it took a lot longer to realise that goal, but I knew it was what I wanted to do for a living if I could get my foot in the door. Authors who have influenced my love of historical fiction include: Dorothy Dunnett - in a league of her own Roberta Gellis - showed me that it was possible to write intelligent historical with a romantic element Grace Ingram - Red Adam's Lady is a classic Graham Shelby - The Knights of Dark Renown and The Kings of Vain Intent Mary Stewart's Arthurian novels, especially The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills - poetry in novel form Cecilia Holland - Hammer for Princes, Until The Sun Falls, Great Maria - showed me that heroes came in many shapes and sizes and that the most memorable love scenes are not always the most perfect ones. Valerie Anand - King of the Wood Sharon Penman - Here Be Dragons Ellis Peters - The Cadfael books, particularly the early ones. Don't tell anyone but I had a huge crush on Hugh Berenger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Ellis Peters - The Cadfael books, particularly the early ones. Don't tell anyone but I had a huge crush on Hugh Berenger! He's mine!!!!!!!! I've read, and loved the Greatest Knight and Daughters of the Grail. Think I preferred the former as it seemed to based in fact and somehow I learned a lot in the nicest possible way! Are you a full time writer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 He's mine!!!!!!!! I've read, and loved the Greatest Knight and Daughters of the Grail. Think I preferred the former as it seemed to based in fact and somehow I learned a lot in the nicest possible way! Are you a full time writer? Hello Louiseog! Okay, you can have Hugh Berenger. John Marshal is my special guy with William a close second! Yes, Daughters of the Grail I was commissioned to write by a TV producer and it is slightly different to my usual. He had a basic treatment he wanted fleshing out and turning into a full blown novel that he was hoping to make a three part series from. It never happened, but the novel was born. The Greatest Knight solidified my foray into biographical fiction. I guess I am on the periphery of the Philippa Gregory market. I write a similar genre, but I'm happy to write about men as well as women and obviously I write an earlier period. There is a follow up to The Greatest Knight - The Scarlet Lion which tells the second part of William Marshal's life and has more input from his wife. A Place Beyond Courage is the story of William's father, John. (what a guy!) Yes, I am a full time author and have been so since 1990, although I didn't properly start earning a living from writing for several years and it's only in the last three or four that I've gone bestseller. As Joanna Trollope once said, it's taken a decade (longer in my case) to become an overnight success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy collector Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Wow Elizabeth...you really have researched your stuff...I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading your material, I'm not a great history fan but to be honest I'd read anything (except voilent murders). Which of your books would you recommend for someone like me who hasn't yet dabbled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Urgh, I've been updating my blog and now my formatting's gone weird - can't put the quote at the top. Never mind. I reckon it'll all snap back into place once I've shut down the PC overnight. It's hard to know what to recommend off the cuff. I think I would say start out with Shadows and Strongholds. It's based on the story of what happened to some of the inhabitants of Ludlow Castle and the Welsh Marches in the mid 12th Century and it has been generally well received. I know historical fiction isn't for everyone, but one of my passions is bringing history right into the here and now while never losing sight of the fact that I am showing the reader a different world. Wow Elizabeth...you really have researched your stuff...I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading your material, I'm not a great history fan but to be honest I'd read anything (except voilent murders). Which of your books would you recommend for someone like me who hasn't yet dabbled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 6, 2008 Author Share Posted July 6, 2008 Glad to see you're settling in Have you always wanted to be and author and if you weren't an author, what would you be doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Glad to see you're settling in Have you always wanted to be and author and if you weren't an author, what would you be doing? I worked in shops to earn a crust before I became an author and I have a higher qualification in retail management, but it was always only just a job to make ends meet. In an ideal world and if I weren't an author I would either still work in publishing as a commissioning editor, or I would be an archaeologist or historian. I did consider taking a history degree after A levels, but for various reasons it remained a pipe dream and I went to work at Debenhams instead - in the lingerie department....not much difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hello again Elizabeth. I just wanted to say that I am reading Daughters of the Grail, which is the first one of your books that I have read and I am absolutely loving it! I am finding that I want to be reading it every second of the day. I will be looking out for the rest of your books now, so thank you, you have become one of my favourite authors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hello and welcome Elizabeth, I've just picked up The Conquest to read next, looking foward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 How long does it usually take you to write a book? Do you write using a pc or longhand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hello again Elizabeth. I just wanted to say that I am reading Daughters of the Grail, which is the first one of your books that I have read and I am absolutely loving it! I am finding that I want to be reading it every second of the day. I will be looking out for the rest of your books now, so thank you, you have become one of my favourite authors. Thanks Nici! I was commissioned to write Daughters of the Grail by a TV producer (many moons ago). It never got made into a film or 3 part series, which is what he was hoping to do, but a novel did come from it - well before the Da Vinci Code and Kate Mosse's Labyrinth! It originally came out in the UK as Children of Destiny. The USA title was Daughters of the Grail and this is the one my publishers used for the re-issue, which I've re-edited. I usually write 'straight' historical, but this one has a very slightly fantasy element. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hello and welcome Elizabeth, I've just picked up The Conquest to read next, looking foward to it. Many thanks madcow. Hope you enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 How long does it usually take you to write a book? Do you write using a pc or longhand? Hi Inver, Generally just over a year. My contracts are currently at 15 months which gives me a little bit of breathing space too. I've been immersing myself in the Middle Ages since my teens, so although I have to do quite a lot of research, I do have a bit of a headstart. If I suddenly decided to write a Regency novel I'd probably need about 10 years to get up to scratch! I think the more you know about a period the more you can bring it to life. That doesn't mean dumping the historical info into the novel like a text book, but it means that the characters will think and feel like people of their time. I write onto the PC these days. Time was when I wrote longhand - as a young mother I was forever jotting things down in a notebook in between changing nappies and dealing with small children. I prefer a desk top to a laptop though - more room and my elbows are less scrunched up! One of the other things I do, which isn't medieval, but does help inspire me, is use music as a key to developing scenes. I've just put a new 'soundtrack' up at one of my blogs. Here: http://elizabethchadwicksoundtracks.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hey Elizabeth, I'm new on the Forum's here and came to check out this thread. Unfortunately I can't say I've ever read any of your books.. But after reading this thread I've very interested in doing so. Quick question for you. Have you always been interested in historical fiction, or did you ever consider writing any different genre's of writing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Chadwick Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hey Elizabeth, I'm new on the Forum's here and came to check out this thread. Unfortunately I can't say I've ever read any of your books.. But after reading this thread I've very interested in doing so. Quick question for you. Have you always been interested in historical fiction, or did you ever consider writing any different genre's of writing? Hi Enthusiast! I notice the cover of Twilight on your Avatar - brilliant book. I seriously fell for Edward Cullen when I read it. I'm hoping to read The Host soon. To your question. My interest in historical fiction was a gradual development over my teens and early twenties. The person originally responsible, as mentioned in an earlier post, was the character Thibaud from the children's TV programme Desert Crusader. http://livingthehistoryelizabethchadwick.blogspot.com/2008/04/tall-dark-and-handsome.html Once I embarked on the research, I was hooked and it went from there. If I wrote another genre, it would probably be fantasy or something along the Stephenie Meyer lines - although I have no intentions of changing at the moment. I do occasionally write short stories for magazines in a contemporary style and have had them published in such as Woman's Weekly, The Lady and The Sunday Express - but they are not a favourite part of my job. If I changed historical era I'd probably go earlier to Anglo Saxon or Arthurian. Definitely NOT Tudor. I think that particular era has just about reached saturation point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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