Lily of Lonestorm

the second volume of the 

Threepenny Tales 

series:

Lily of Lonestorm

The 

Seafaring Adventures 

of a Girl 

in search of her Parents

The second in the 

THREEPENNY TALES series, 

Lily of Lonestorm

is a touch more melancholy than its predecessor Barnaby Twickins, however Lily's lonely life is soon cheered by a band of extraordinary pirates and an unusual friendship, as she launches a quest to find her long-lost parents. 

Will's Way

A Story of Shakespeare's Youth

Spoiler Alert:

this post contains details which reveal plot elements of Will's Way

Cremonese School, Portrait of Young Boy, late 16th century

 

A leitmotif of my stories is the evolution - and power - of the written word: from writing's beginnings as a Mystery accessible to an elite, to its controversial transformation into a tool for the many, through religious upheavals and technological advances (the invention of paper and the watermark and the revolution of the printing press) and the increasing literacy of the general population, touched on in Will's Way.

William Shakespeare? The Grafton Portrait, 1588

Shakespeare's participation in these last developments seemed the perfect basis for a new novel. Yet I had no intention of embarking on a story about the adult playwright. Apart from the fact that so much has already been written, I was curious about his childhood, his beginnings, the influences which formed him. I hoped too that such an introduction to the Bard might stimulate curiosity in young readers. The advent of the theatre in Shakespeare's day can be compared with movements in music and art which have inspired the youth of our era. But although Shakespeare is 'for all time', his language can be challenging. To meet him as child and youth, living in his turbulent but exciting age might help render him more accessible. 

William Shakespeare? The Sanders Portrait 1603

The Adventures of Barnaby Twickins

the first volume of the

Threepenny Tales
series: 
 
The Adventures of Barnaby Twickins

The 

Nonsense Adventures

of a

Clowning Prodigy
  

The first in the 

THREEPENNY TALES  series,
The Adventures of Barnaby Twickins 
was born of a desire for something light, 
after three serious novels.

  

No research was required, except for a little inspiration from the 17th/18th centuries.

Dante's Gift

Fiorenza mio amore

 

  SPOILER ALERT: 

this post includes details which reveal

plot elements of Dante's Gift

The Dove was begging for a sequel; although it was not planned from the outset, it became clear while I was writing. The story did not end with the executions of the Goodmen and women and with Sibilia's escape. Others fled and carried their message abroad, the Goodmen's religion survived at least into the following century and their fate was possibly caught up with that of other persecuted groups such as the Templars. 

Bonshommes being banished from Carcassonne in 1209; some of those who survived would have fled to communities in northern and central Italy

Although Sibilia's mission would not be described in detail, it also seemed necessary to trace her legacy. There was the added temptation of transferring the sequel to Italy and Florence, and of introducing a protagonist I have revered for many years. I confess I hesitated to include him at all: it seemed impertinent at best and hubris at worst. Perhaps I have committed hubris, but it has been a great adventure doing so!

Sandro Botticelli's portrait of Dante Alighieri, 1495

The Dove of Montségur

Medieval Musings

SPOILER ALERT: 

some details in this post reveal

plot elements of The Dove of Montségur

Although my first love at university was medieval Italy, hence Dante studies, the dolce stil novo, the Sicilian School, the history of Florence etc., I also took a course in Provençal (today more correctly called Occitan), the language of the population of Southern France, and hence of the troubadours, the poetic ancestors of the sommo poeta (the 'supreme poet') Dante Alighieri. The course was dull and poorly taught, but the subject matter was intriguing, the language of the troubadours rich and exciting, seemingly a blend of Spanish, Italian and French with original elements. And the troubadours were such innovators!

Can vei la lauzeta mover  'When I see the lark spread its wings' by Bernart de Ventadorn (circa 1145 - 1200) performed  here by Ensemble Alla Francesca

My first novel, Evin of the Trees, is set within a broad time frame (some time in the Bronze Age) and features extensive travelling. The next story had to be more circumscribed, to deal with one episode in a restricted time and place. What better than a mountaintop fortress during a siege? Research on Southern French history associated with the troubadours brought to light Montségur and the tragedy of the bonshommes, better known as Cathars. It seemed a fitting focal point.

It happened here, almost 800 years ago, in what was then the County of Toulouse

Evin of the Trees

The theory of a matriarchal society

 
SPOILER ALERT: 
this post contains details which reveal 
some plot elements in Evin of the Trees

I first came across Graves's The White Goddess in the late 70s. It is an obscure, complex work, at times confusing and alienating - those who quote in Ancient Greek without providing a translation come across as erudite yes, but also arrogant. Here is an admirable summary of his thesis from Wikipedia's entry on Ogham (pron. oyam), the alphabet of the druids:

Graves took his inspiration from the theories of the ogham scholar R.A.S Macalister...and elaborated on them much further. Graves proposed that the ogham alphabet encoded a set of beliefs originating in the Middle-east in Stone Age times, concerning the ceremonies surrounding the worship of the Moon-goddess in her various forms. Graves' argument is extremely complex, but in essence he argues that the Hebrews, Greeks and Celts were all influenced by a people originating in the Aegean, called 'the people of the sea' by the Egyptians, who spread out around Europe in the 2nd millennium BCE, taking their religious beliefs with them. At some early stage these teachings were encoded in alphabet form by poets in order to pass on their worship of the goddess (as the muse and inspiration of all poets) in a secret fashion, understandable only to initiates. Eventually, via the druids of Gaul, this knowledge was passed on to the poets of early Ireland and Wales. Graves therefore looked at the tree alphabet tradition surrounding ogham and explored the tree folklore of each of the letter names, proposing that the order of the letters formed an ancient "seasonal calendar of tree magic". Although his theories have been disregarded by modern scholars...they have been taken up with enthusiasm by the neopagan movement. 

Why write? Why e-publish? Why blog?

                                        Why indeed?

Disclaimer: I do not credit myself with any great talent, particular inspiration or brilliance. I simply feel the need to write. Writing adds another dimension to life. Exploring and developing ideas for a story is stimulating. Creating new worlds, or one's own version of familiar worlds, is extremely satisfying.  And I love telling a story. I write stories that I would have liked to read as a child and young person. And that is almost enough.

An 'ulterior motive', in the more serious narrations, is an intellectual one: to examine how knowledge has been transmitted over the centuries, particularly through language and writing, how skills we now take for granted, in the past were unknown to most and secret to a few. Whether this exploration is imagined or factual is not really the point; the former can stand for the latter in a novel.