A Novel Conversation with J G Harlond and Alina

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To be a little different from the usual 
'meet the author' 

let's meet a 
character...

Doña Maria de los Angeles Catalina Fernanda Santoña Gomez de los dos Castillas. I am also known as Baroness Metherall. 
My brothers and certain selected people call me Alina.

from

Q: Hola Senora. I’m Helen, host of Novel Conversations, please make yourself comfortable. Would you like a drink? Tea, coffee, wine – something stronger?

A: A glass of chilled wine, thank you. I have never tasted tea or coffee although I have heard of them.

Q: I believe you are a character in J.G. Harlond’s novel The Chosen Man. Would you like to introduce yourself? Are you a lead character or in a supporting role? 

A: My name is Doña Maria de los Angeles Catalina Fernanda Santoña Gomez de los dos Castillas. I am also known as Baroness Metherall. My brothers and certain selected people call me Alina. You may call me Doña Maria de los Angeles or Baroness. Or, as I am the only daughter of a 17^th century Spanish condé and you are a humble Englishwoman, ‘milady’ will serve. Naturally, I am a main character. A true heroine to my way of thinking given the trials and tribulations I have to face.

Q. “Thank you, milady, [hides a slight frown] can you tell us something about The Chosen Man?

A: Well, it is quite a long story, a historical fiction trilogy in fact. Let me start by telling you how I become involved, because many people – men mostly – think it’s about that rogue Ludo da Portovenere and it is as much my story as his. Initially, I get caught up Ludo’s nefarious affairs (both business and of the heart) when he insists on rescuing me from a bunch of cut-throat corsairs on a quayside in northern Spain. I should explain, Ludo is a Genoese silk and spice merchant who runs a side line in anything remotely profitable. In Book 1 it is tulip bulbs and he is travelling to Amsterdam when we first coincide. Anyway, he bundles me into a boat like a mere chattel and a few hours later we are sailing for Plymouth. Where – and this will shock you – he sells me! (Helen thinks to herself, 'I don't blame him, I'm surprised he didn't give her away!') To a nobleman, which would have been acceptable, I suppose, under the circumstances, but this particular nobleman is a weed. Utterly insignificant. Impertinence is not the word: it was an outrage. Apart from anything else, Ludo had no need to interfere with those pirates in the first place – although later I learn he is one of them (!) – I could have handled them perfectly well on my own. I raised four younger brothers single-handedly; a few stupid men with bent swords were well within my scope. Look what happened when they turned up again when – oh, but I shouldn’t mention that, should I? Bit of a spoiler. The point I should make is that this part-time pirate Ludo da Portovenere, for all his charming ways, is not to be trusted. He says one thing and before you can blink, he’s up to something new and entirely to his own advantage. That was why [she leans in to share a confidence] he was commissioned to influence that tulip scandal in Holland: to make a bad situation infinitely worse. [Leans closer.] He was commissioned by the Vatican for that, and the King of Spain. Later, he transfers or sells his skills to Charles Stuart and his French wife Queen Henrietta Maria. They task Ludo to fulfil all manner of secret matters, and one way or another I always seem to be involved.

Ludo's ship the Tulip

Q: No spoilers, but are you a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’? (Or maybe you are both?)

A: If you mean am I a ‘goodie’ as in a story book heroine, yes indeed. But, no, I should confess to not always being what a priest – or my loathsome English mother-in-law – would consider ‘good’. I could never have survived if I’d been a soppy ‘good girl’. Besides [she gives a small sigh then a wicked smile], a good girl would not behave with Ludo the way I do. 
[Helen smiles back at her - then they both find themselves grinning at each other like old-friends and secret conspirators.]

Q:  Tell me about another character in the novel – maybe your best friend, lover or partner … or maybe your arch enemy!

A: There are three principle characters in Ms Harlond’s version of events: Ludo, my dear friend, poor Marcos Alonso Almendro, and I. I say ‘poor Marcos’ because he is. I am the daughter of a Spanish grandee; Marcos is a nobody. Kind and loyal, but a nobody. I could mention my husband Sir Thomas, who I do come to care for eventually, but he’s so boring I won’t trouble you with a description. We all have an arch enemy (because of Ludo), a slimy Vatican assassin named Rogelio. But I have no wish to tell anyone about him. Next question.

Q: Is this the only novel you have appeared in, or are there others in a series?

A: Are there others? Weren’t you listening? I am talking about three complete novels. Each of which can stand alone as booksellers say nowadays. Together they relate some of the lesser known, more surprising bits of European history. What was going on behind the scenes of the Thirty Years War and the English Civil War between 1635 and 1644 – a secret treaty between England and Spain for example, which would have changed British history entirely had Charles not lost his head. Apart from engineering the financial tulip scandal in Holland, as I mentioned, Ludo was acting as an agent for Charles Stuart and then involved in selling part of the English Crown jewels for Henrietta Maria. I was too I confess; and the jewels business didn’t go entirely to plan.  But, oh, the Three Brethren spinal brooch was exquisite, so were all those luscious pearls. Ludo was also getting up to mischief in the spice trade as far away as Goa in India. But you are interested in me, aren’t you? Next question.

The Three Brethren jewels
from a painting of Elizabeth I

Q: Tell us about your favourite scene?

A: I’m very fond of what happened with the corsairs at the end of Book 1. My adventures, or misadventures, in Book 2 with the Spanish Royal family were jolly exciting, although heaven knows I nearly drowned in that lake in that flimsy costume. One particular scene? Standing up to my husband’s ghastly, greedy cousin when he comes to take over Crimphele (the family estate in Cornwall). Setting the house on fire then escaping Civil War England – that was very dramatic in Book 3. Although [gives a deep sigh] there were also some very sad moments. I’d prefer not to dwell on those: I like to keep my true feelings to myself as far as possible. Ludo usually guesses what I am thinking, sometimes Marcos, but nobody else.

Cotehele, Cornwall Alina’s fictional English home, Crimphele

Q: What is one of your least favourite scenes you appear in?

A: When my hateful English mother-in-law locks me in a room and I am prevented from being with my new born son. That was unquestionably the worst moment of my life. Later, in Book 3, when that slithering creature Rogelio kidnaps me. That was pretty awful. Terrifying, actually. As well as disgusting. Utterly, utterly disgusting. [Helen nods, remembering those scenes and realises that Alina's apparent arrogance is a shield that she hides behind to protect herself.]

Q: Tell me a little about your author. Has she written any other books? 

A: Jane Harlond? She is always tapping away at the keyboard contraption in her study. That’s when she is not reading. She likes to write about curious real events so she does hours of background reading and research. In The Empress Emerald it was about espionage for India during the final days of Raj. The hero of that story, Leo Kazan is a descendant of Ludo, and the woman he comes to love – by a wild coincidence – is one of my descendants from Crimphele. Jane got far too fond of Ludo for her own good, you know. Even has another set of stories planned for him. Currently, I am pleased to say, she is writing dark humour crime novels set during the Second World War. Based on lesser known real events again. For a law-abiding person she either finds or thinks up all manner of wickedness. I will say this for her, though, Jane can make most readers smile. Some scenes are very amusing, if you have a sense of humour. Not everyone does.

Q: How do you think authors can be helped or supported by readers or groups?

A: Authors need reviews apparently, so other readers can see opinions of their work. I think authors should settle for respect and be done with it, but that’s not the modern way.

Q: If your author was to host a dinner party who would she invite, and why?
A: Jane has travelled a good deal, lived and worked in various countries so she enjoys talking about different cultures and books. For a fascinating, meaningful dinner conversation she would invite:

 Jean-BaptisteTavernier, a 17^th century French gem 

merchant and traveller

Mary Ann Evans, who wrote as George Eliot

 Sir FrancisDrake 

(a rough diamond but he has lots of adventures)

DorothyDunnett, 

the Scottish author of the Lymond and Niccolò series

RobertLouis Stephenson, 

another Scottish author and traveller

BruceChatwin, 

a British travel writer

Gillian Clarke, 

the Welsh poet

 BillBryson, 

the American travel writer

MollFlanders 

(as long as Defoe comes along to keep her in check)

 VikramSeth, 

a very perceptive Indian author

(images via Wikipedia) 

Helen: Thank you, Doña Maria de los Angeles it was a pleasure talking to you.

A:  It was a pleasure. You may call me Alina now if you like. Strictly in private.

Helen: [smiles, very much liking her after all.] Thank you, that is most kind. Would your author like to add a short excerpt? But while she is doing so, I've found chatting together like this has been thirsty work, would you like a refill of that delicious cold wine? I’ll join you  I think. 
Salud! 

An extract from The Chosen Man

published by

Penmore Press

Ships bells jangled, harbour bells clanged, whistles blew, a hundred men shouted at once. The boys loading the fishing boat and mending nets careered past him. One shouted, “The Turks!”

Marcos froze. Should he run for the tender, jump into the water, or climb into the nearest vessel and lie flat? He’d never been here before, where could he hide? They’d have him this time and he’d be rowing them back to Algiers or Salé if he didn’t make shift. He scanned around for a bolt hole and caught sight of the girl: she hadn’t moved. Didn’t she know what was happening?

He moved towards her again, but it was too late. A dozen dark-skinned bodies in brightly coloured pantaloons were swarming over the quayside. Shots were fired. He dashed towards the girl, fighting against the current of local seamen running for the relative safety of their streets and homes. Grabbing the girl round the waist he pulled her down behind the coiled rope onto the ground. She righted herself immediately and gave him a sharp slap across the head.

“Get off me!” she shouted, scrambling to her feet. As she did so, she was swung into the air by a woolly-headed giant who bundled her under his arm in a practised clinch. He turned back toward the edge of the quay ready to toss her into a boat. She squirmed frantically under his arm in a froth of white petticoats.

Then suddenly she was sprawled on the ground again. The African giant was flat on his face and Ludo was standing over them.

He swore at the corsair in galley slang and pulled the girl to her feet. The huge galley rat stayed cowed on the ground, but a couple of other corsairs abandoned their own catches and turned on him, weapons drawn. He spoke again and they halted.

Marcos nipped between them and stood as close to Ludo as physically possible. The girl smoothed down her skirts, straightened her shoulders and started to walk away. Seeing her move, Ludo reached out and caught the back of her dress, but she deftly turned out of his grip and kicked him. The men laughed. Ludo grabbed her arm and pulled her to him once more. She bit his hand and he let her go with a yelp, “Regazza disgraziata!”

The slavers screeched with laughter. He spoke to them and they slapped their thighs. The girl lifted her nose as if there were a disgusting smell and stared out to sea.

Marcos straightened his back, lifted his chin and folded his arms. Standing in what he hoped was a position demonstrating strength, he watched his patrón deal with the licensed pirates.

“She’s mine, but I’m tempted to let you have her,” Ludo was saying. “She’s nothing but trouble.”

The men guffawed. “You’d get a good price for her.”

“That’s what I tell her. If she doesn’t mend her ways, I say, it’s a one-way trip to North Africa for you.”

CONNECT WITH J.G. HARLOND on:

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Twitter: @JaneGHarlond

Reviewed by Discovering Diamonds

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