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| #BookSpotlight |
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| Welcome to my Blog! Wander through wonderful worlds real and fictional, meet interesting people, visit exciting places and find a few good books to enjoy along the way! |
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| Anna Belfrage |
I write historical fiction. Well, not exclusively, but mostly my characters (and I) end up stuck in the past. My first book was set in the 17th century, my latest in the 13th. One of my WIPs is set in the same time frame as Helen’s fabulous Jesamiah [Sea Witch Voyages] books, i.e. the first few decades of the 18th century. Not a century I ever intended to write about, but there you go, sometimes things happen.
Another of my WIPs is set in the 14th
century, I have one set in the 15th century and, of course, I have
to write the final book (one hopes) about Robert and Noor and their adventures
in the late 13th century.
My latest release, Her Castilian Heart, features Robert
and Noor. They’re fictional characters who inhabit the same world as Edward I
and his queen, Eleanor of Castile. I like having fictional characters as my
protagonists as that allows me to go a tad wild and crazy plot wise. But it is
the real characters, the real events, that create the structure and the world
in which my imaginary people live and breathe.
This, of course, is why any serious writer of historical
fiction takes their research seriously. And it’s not only about the kings and
the queens, the significant battles or other important events. Is about digginginto the past, researching what curfew meant, and how people lit their homes in the dark, and
what they ate during Lent—or the long Advent fast. It is about attempting to
understand the constant presence of the church (and God) in the lives of
medieval people, to step away from our relatively democratic here and now to a
time when most people did not have a voice.
Writers, particularly of historical fiction do a lot of digging!
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| Digging for the facts- Hunterian Psalter c. 1170 [Helen: you can tell he's a writer, look at that expression - he's so obviously thinking about that next chapter!] |
Serious research requires understanding just how much hard
work went into, for example, doing laundry. All those linen shirts, all those
braies and shifts, all those sheets were first soaked—in some cases in urine to
add a certain bleaching effect—then they were boiled with lye after which they
had to be rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. Handling lye was not without risks:
this is a highly corrosive substance that can leave you with bad burns if you
spill it on your skin.
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
| Jean-Baptiste_Greuze - The_Laundress La Blanchisseuse) Google Art Project |
Most of that research will never make it into the finalised
book. But it underpins the story, helps anchor the writer to the chosen era and
somehow bleeds into the text, adding atmosphere to the narrative.
Recently, I was at a lecture given by a writer who has written
a book about Philippa, daughter of Henry IV of England and queen of Denmark,
Sweden and Norway. Fascinating lady, this! I was really looking forward to
listening to the author, but was more or less immediately disappointed when I
realised that she had not done any research—she’d hired someone to do it for
her. Que???? My desire to read said book more or less went up in smoke immediately.
Why, you may ask. Well, because it is my experience it is the writer’s
passion—and knowledge—of their period that makes for a good read. There is very
little passion if you’ve outsourced the research.
I don’t only write “straight” historical fiction. I also write
time travel historicals, plunging my unprepared modern-day protagonists into
situations they have little experience in handling. My first series had Alex
Lind land rather painfully at the feet of 17th century Matthew
Graham. He was a Scottish Presbyterian, she a modern woman who was accustomed
to managing her own life as she saw fit. Life would never be the same—for
either of them. One of my WIPs features a male time traveller, and let’s just
say the transition from high-flying partner in a Private Equity firm to an
utterly confused—and very frightened—nobody in the 15th century is
hard. Very hard. To illustrate those
difficulties, once again, I need to know just what kind of a world I’ve plunged
poor Simon into. (He just keeps on yelling at me to get him out of there—which
I have no intention of doing. Yet) So I am now doing a lot of research into the
complicated politics of the 1460s and 1470s in England while also reading up on
clothes (“Me wear hose and one of those ridiculously short doublets? Never!”
says Simon) and food, and trade and. . . Long, long list.
For me, like most of my fellow writers of historical fiction,
the research adds colour and smells and noise. It gives context and slowly,
slowly you begin building the world your characters have to survive. A hard
task? Yes. But also one of the most rewarding aspects of writing historical
fiction!
Anna’s latest release Her Castilian Heart
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| About the Book |
Blood is
not always thicker than water…
At times a common
bloodline is something of a curse—or so Robert FitzStephan discovers when he
realises his half-brother, Eustace de Lamont, wants to kill him.
A murderous and greedy
brother isn’t Robert’s only challenge.
He and his wife, Noor, also have to handle their infected relationship
with a mightily displeased Queen Eleanor—all because of their mysterious little
foundling whom they refuse to abandon or allow the queen to lock away.
Eustace is persistent. When Robert’s life hangs in the balance, it falls to Noor to do whatever it takes to rip them free from the toothy jaws of fate. Noor may be a woman, but weak she is not, and in her chest beats a heart as brave and ferocious as that of a lioness. But will her courage be enough to see them safe?
Buy Links:
Universal Link: http://myBook.to/HEART
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3cj9TIq
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3dVZuCE
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3KfqvgF
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3AIBfks
REVIEW
“I have been fortunate enough to have read the first two books in this series, so I was waiting for its continuation with excitement. Her Castilian Heart surpassed all my expectations for this series. Anna Belfrage has become a master at the historical romance genre and I can recommend all she has written.
When reviewing a continuing series I always ask if this book can still be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. The answer is an emphatic yes! The author does an exceptional job of dropping in the salient points from previous episodes so the reader is never left wondering about what went before. Her mix of fascinating real events and characters from history combines perfectly with the fictional experiences of her main protagonists in the story. The romance is real and you can feel the love and passion between Robert and Noor pouring from every page. The love scenes are sweet, romantic, and intensely passionate. What I particularly love about Noor is her strength of character and her unwavering courage to speak against those in power who make decisions, when she vehemently disagrees with them, despite the possible consequences. She was a woman not afraid to speak her mind at a time when women were very much decorative collectibles or tools for men to form alliances.
For those who love medieval battles and fighting, they will slake their thirst well in this story but for me, it was the tender, beautiful, sweet moments between Robert, Noor, and their expanded circle that I will remember the most. I am so looking forward to the next iteration in this journey that is promised with the next book. This is a fantastic read and one I can highly recommend.” Five star review, READER’S FAVORITE by Grant Leishman
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna always writes about love and has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. More recently, she has published Her Castilian Heart, the third in her medieval Castilian series set against the conquest of Wales. She has also written a new time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time.
Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com
Social Media links
Website: www.annabelfrage.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabelfrageauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage
Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage
You might also like ... books written by Helen Hollick
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
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Thank you for both the spotlight and the lovely review says Anonymous Anna 😀
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure :-)
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