The Author's Advice to the Reader

I've been following a discussion on Goodreads that concerns historical novels and the "truth" they present. I also spent many, many years teaching history, using novels as a way to make the past more interesting to students than the history books seem able to do. What I see is that there are two purposes to reading historicals, and the wise reader understands what her goal is and then how much she cares about truth as opposed to an exciting story.

First and maybe foremost, we read for entertainment. We love a certain era, certain characters, or certain events from history and want to see how each author presents them. We want to be swept away from the now, want to know how they did things back then, want to think about differences and similarities between us and people in other times.

The other reason we read historicals is to learn about the past. Many of us get most of our understanding of history from novels, and there's the rub: not all novels are created historically. A reader who picks up a certain book with no historical background to call upon may conclude that everything in the book is true, and that's probably a mistake. Almost all authors have to bend the truth a little to make a novel work, even if it's just telescoping time or adding minor characters.

In all probability, it doesn't really matter if you think Anne Boleyn had sex with her brother, but there are ways to become better informed. First, read the author's notes; often we want to let you know where we depart from the facts for the sake of a good story. Second, read more than one author's take on a character or time period. There are hundreds of books on Marie Antoinette, for example, so you can get a rounded view and decide for yourself whether she was wicked or merely misguided.

Finally, there's always nonfiction. If you are reading to learn and not just for entertainment, you can look up what original or scholarly sources say on a topic. Just be aware: there aren't any totally objective sources, so you, like the authors who write historicals, must decide for yourself if Richard III killed his nephews or not. (I vote not, but it's just my opinion!)

Speaking Tudor - Unknown 1-28-2010

An anonymous noblewoman with strong opinions, also a character in HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER, is our Thursday blogger.

I watched your leader speak last evening on the television, and it was quite intriguing. Your nation of elected leaders functions, though not very efficiently. Each man -- in modern times, each person -- has opinions as to how life should go, and if each is free to pursue that course, chaos is inevitable. Your Alexander Hamilton opined that "the people is a beast." Your beast does not know what it wants, only that no one wants to give up anything he already has.

A leader has two tasks: one is to lead, to take a nation in the direction he or she
feels it must go. If that leader has absolute power, things move most efficiently, and that is the way I would recommend your nation move. I will admit that the leader's personality may make things difficult in some areas, but when there is one voice of leadership, everyone knows what the goals of the nation are. Each person has the choice to work toward the leader's goals or be removed from the process. Efficient.

The other task of a leader is to provide what I will call the image of leadership.
He or she must appear capable and hopefully dedicated to the task. It seems to me
that your two-party system sets itself up to fail, since it almost required that the party out of power carp, whine, and in any way possible detract from the successes and goals of the other in order that it may put itself in power. They do that by attacking the leader's image, making him or her seems weak, and forcing decisions that appease the people's fears but are not in the best interests of the nation. When the party out of power convinces people the leadership cannot lead, they are elected, the roles reverse, and the process begins again.

Were I asked, I would advise your governments, American, British, and any others with similar systems, to give the "ruling" party full power, let it implement the plans it promised, and then decide, in four years, or seven, or ten, if it deserves to remain in control. To elect a leader and then refuse to let him do what he promised seems the height of inefficiency to me, and the detractors are quite annoying. I'm not a great fan of beheadings, but a few of them cause me to consider the benefits.

Speaking Tudor - Hugh - 1-27-2010

Hugh, a visitor from 1537 and a character in HER HIGHNESS FIRST MURDER:

I am a simple man, and to me simple things hold the most interest. There is something in your time that I like very much, and that is your clothing.
Now I must say that it is not as fine-looking as my Welsh Guard uniform, which
has a grand and jaunty flair, but for comfort, your clothes are best.

Nothing I have found here scratches the skin the way woolens do, and most
things keep their color and shape, though you have a very mania for washing
them. I felt quite naked for a while without a proper hat, but Peg found
me something acceptable in dark blue with a gold-colored "M" emblazoned on it.

I find it odd that there are no laws about what a person may wear. I suppose your commoners are glad to be allowed to choose the colors and fabrics they like, but it
is difficult to tell who is noble and who is common among you.

Finally, boots. I have never worn boots that fit my feet so well, right from the first day. Those I was given are actually cut to fit a right or left foot, and this had to be pointed out to me so I did not confuse them. Once I understood the concept, it makes perfect sense, and I wonder why we did not think of it.

All in all, I like the garb of two thousand and ten, although I would not mind a bit more decoration for my own gender. Have you forgotten that it is the male of the species who is supposed to strut and preen and call attention to himself?

Speaking Tudor - Hannah 1-26-10

Hannah, a servant at Hampstead Castle, visiting 2010:

I find it both wondrous and frightening to be in your time. I once thought the London streets noisy, but they are nothing compared to the sounds and sights I have experienced of late. Here there is no silence, and no darkness, either.

In our time, night was a time for rest. Yes, those of grand state could prolong the day with candles and rushlights, but for most of us, sunset was bedtime and sunrise the end of sleep. I think you must be confused by your ability to light the night, and I wonder that your bodies can adapt. In your cities there is no real night, for lights of all kinds burn so brightly that one cannot see the stars. That is a great loss, for they are beautiful, and folk need their rest.

And the noises! My sleep is disturbed by many frightful things, and though Peg assures me it is only the furnace (which I must admit is wonderful) or the self-moving carriages that pass the house night and day, I wake each time. During the day I shrink from the sound of machines that suck their power through long cords. Marvelous things, like the floor cleaner and the drying-hair thing Peg uses, but what a clamor they make!

I do not complain. I merely marvel that you accept without question the disruption of your thoughts, your sleep, your peace.

Speaking Tudor - Simon Maldon

(Author's note: sorry for being MIA last week. Being a brand new Grandma took precedence!)

Simon Maldon, Guest in 2010 from 1537

I told a bit last week about my adventure with Her Highness, the princess Elizabeth Tudor. Now I will tell you about her, at least what I know.

The princess has been ignored by her father the king for most of her life, and I believe this pains her greatly. She admires him above all others, and his distaste for her, although understandable under the circumstances, is as bitter as gall.

His Majesty sees in Elizabeth the woman he once loved, the one he saw accused of the worst of crimes: witchcraft, incest, and wantonness. I know not what Henry really thought of Anne Boleyn, but to those who say Elizabeth is not his daughter I would say, "His Majesty knows she is."

I saw them together once, and it was obvious to me that each recognizes the other, not only as blood but as kindred spirits as well. Henry knows Elizabeth is his child; it is only that he wanted -- no, needed -- a son so badly that he rejected her mother, and her as well.

Although I do not claim to know what is in the mind of the king, I thought I saw in him a wish that he had not taken the path he did, for seeing Elizabeth grown, he must have known that she, of all his children, was the one most capable of ruling, the one with both the courage and the acumen needed to head the nation and lead it to prosperity.

Simon Maldon, visitor to 2010 from 1572:

I will tell you a little about my adventure with Her Highness, the Princess Elizabeth. We met due to my father's occupation, for he is a physician. He was called to Her Highness' home when a woman there broke her leg. I met the princess that day, and our mutual interest in languages led to more visits. During that time, strange murders were occuring in London. We knew nothing of it until the killer
struck within Her Highness' household. When that happened, nothing, not even His
Majesty, King Henry VIII, could keep Elizabeth from investigating the crimes. I
became her agent, going where she could not. It was the most dangerous time of my life, but it was also the most exciting. A cripple like me, involved in sleuthing,
connected with royalty, and, for once, important to the world.

Speaking of Those Tudors

I hope my Tudor friends have entertained and not offended. They do have opinions, which leads me to the subject of "they".



I'm always upset when people say "They used to believe ..." this or that. My response is that no time has a unified "they". I once had a visitor from what was then the USSR who was shocked to find that Americans don't all go clubbing every night or at least every weekend. (In fact, she was shocked that we don't HAVE any clubs where I live.) Folks in the future, watching our television shows, might say that "they" believed in Oprah's choices of what books to read, Simon's judgment of what is talent, and Dr. Phil's wisdom for how to live your life. I'm not criticizing any of those luminaries, since I've yet to watch any of them work their television magic. I'm just saying I am not one of "them", and I know lots of others who aren't either.



So when you hear that people of the Tudor era believed this or that, stop for a moment and think about who might have thought for himself, who might have known better and kept quiet to keep the peace, and who might have said out loud, "That's bollocks!" Just like "us", "they" were a varied and variably gifted lot.

Speaking Tudor - Unknown

(Recap) Amazing News! Modern science has developed the ability to bring people from the past to our time. It's a huge secret, of course, but I have discovered the method and brought four characters from HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER to 2010. In the coming weeks, you'll hear what they have to say about our time, their time, the best of times, and the worst of times.

"I find your time interesting, particularly in language. What a lot of it you use! Words to me should be weighed and chosen carefully, but in 2010, everyone speaks, writes, and even 'tweets' with very little thought. When one reads what some vomit onto this thing you call the Internet, one wonders. Is there no such thing as proper English these days? Even your newscasters have declining abilities, it seems, those at the top being tolerably conversant with their mother tongue but some below them lacking even a basic knowledge of syntax and usage.

If I were to stay here for any length of time, which I do not plan to do, I would make it my mission to point out such faults. How can a person think adequately if he cannot put his words into comprehensible expression?"

Speaking Tudor - Hugh

(Recap) Amazing News! Modern science has developed the ability to bring people from the past to our time. It's a huge secret, of course, but I have discovered the method and brought four characters from HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER to 2010. In the coming weeks, you'll hear what they have to say about our time, their time, the best of times, and the worst of times.

Hugh Bellows here. I serve His Majesty, Henry Eight, and I will say from the start that your time is not for me. Folk today are soft and there is no clear sense of right and wrong. At the risk of offending, I will explain. At least a man is free to speak his mind in 2010 and will not be branded for it.

You have made an industry of dealing with criminals: police forces, attorneys, judges, courts, parole officers, bailbondsmen, social workers, and many more. Even your entertainment device, the t-and-v, is besotted with why criminals do what they do and what happens to them "in the system". You watch a killer do terrible things and applaud his cleverness even as you look forward to his arrest. And then what? Often they are locked away, which is good, but why are they not put to death in some public event, to serve as an example for others?

I believe that this fascination with crime began with the making and selling of books. Before men could read, they listened to their sovereign, who told them what the law would be. When books and papers and such became plentiful throughout the land, men began to think they could decide for themselves what a law should be. Now the law is a stew of all men's views and opinions, and as such, its purpose is blunted.

I say let your leader, the one you call President, say who will live and who will die. He will make mistakes, to be sure, but many men make many mistakes, or fail to act altogether. Which is worse?

Speaking Tudor - Hannah

(Recap) Amazing News! Modern science has developed the ability to bring people from the past to our time. It's a huge secret, of course, but I have discovered the method and brought four characters from HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER to 2010. In the coming weeks, you'll hear what they have to say about our time, their time, the best of times, and the worst of times.



(New post) "I am Hannah, and I work at Hampstead Castle, where the Princess Elizabeth has been staying. I suppose that is why I was brought to your time, but it is not for the likes of me, I must say.



"I am an orphan, sent to Hampstead to make my way in the world. There I learned how to work hard, for Hampstead is a constant trial to its inhabitants. Built long ago, it has no modern comforts, certainly nothing like the homes of today. Still, it is better than the place I come from, a foundling home overcrowded and grim. In truth, Hampstead is grim, but it is not crowded, and there are folk there I have come to know and like.



"When Her Highness was sent to us, we were all very excited. I was nervous at first, but she is not so frightening when one gets to know her. Not that I claim close acquaintance, of course. I know my place. Still, she speaks when we meet on the stairs, and she once took me with her to carry her things home from a shop, and that day it was almost like we were friends, for we laughed at the antics of the street vendors and she asked my opinion on which ribbon best matched her new skirt.



"Now that we are here, in the year 2010, she bids me to be strong and not cower at motorized traffic and the constant din of electonic devices. "They are still people, Hannah," she says. "No matter their wondrous machines and their learned ways." I try to keep it in mind, but I am not used to it. I'm told that here I am as good as anyone else, that there is no servant class. People serve others everywhere I look, but it is apparently different these days. I'm not sure how. I will ask Simon Maldon to explain it. He is common, like me, but ever so much wiser."

Speaking Tudor

Amazing News! Modern science has developed the ability to bring people from the past to our time. It's a huge secret, of course, but I have discovered the method and brought four characters from HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER to 2010. In the coming weeks, you'll hear what they have to say about our time, their time, the best of times, and the worst of times.

First to speak is Simon Maldon, apprentice and part-time sleuth for Elizabeth Tudor.

"I am Simon, and there is so much to say about your time that I cannot think where to begin. So much wonder! So much that I would never have believed possible! Yet there are things that trouble me, too. I will write on both as things progress.

"For today, let me tell you of a wonder I enjoy very much: the shower. At first I was reluctant to try it. The little cage seemed confining, and the idea of taking off all my clothing was odd. But once I was assured that I would be alone and that the cage opens easily from the inside, I agreed to try it. What a wonderful feeling! Water of whatever temperature one likes cascades down, washing away dirt and even easing aches and pains.

"I confess that I smell like a woman right now, for the hair-cleaning stuff I was given is quite flowery. Still, it is a wonder to feel so refreshed. I'm not sure I like the feel of 'blue jeans', but the shirt I now wear is quite soft and comfortable. However, I think I will not be allowed to keep it, for it has someone else's name emblazoned on it, someone named Izod. He sounds like a wizard to me, so I will be careful to return it in good condition."

Order HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER on amazon or from any bookseller.

Talking About Books

Met a friend for lunch yesterday for the express pleasure of talking about books, publishing, authors, reading, and writing. Some of you might have regular contact with others in the biz, but living in rural northern Michigan limits my opportunitites, and I'm lucky if I get to speak to someone who really knows the stresses of publishing once a month. I'm sure I bore my friends silly with talk of edits and pub dates, and many of them struggle to keep up with the argot.

But lunches with those as crazed as I am on the subject are days to be savored. Topics are visited and revisited: what is it that's wrong with that cozy? What was Author X thinking when she wrote that one? Will Author Y's new stand-alone be well received, and how did he get his publisher to agree to that new direction?

Others might wonder (I'm sure the waitress did when we hit the third hour) what is so fascinating. But we know. We know.

Speaking and Listening

Here's what I observed over thirty years of teaching communication. It's important for today's author to be a good speaker, because we must present well before agents, editors, and audiences of potential readers. While I would hate to think we compete with each other, we are compared to other writers as we sit on panels, in pitch sessions, and so on. Many times I've bought books based on the impression a speaker made on me at a convention. Nevada Barr springs to mind; she has such a presence on stage that I wanted to read what she'd written, and it worked. Other times it doesn't turn out quite so well, but the impression an author made during a presentation had an influence, even if I only bought one book.

Listening, too, is critical for authors, and we often neglect that skill. Missing the nuances of tone and expression, sometimes even missing the words themselves, is common, especially when the listener's situation is fraught with nervousness. What exactly did that agent say? Was I too busy thinking of how to appear clever that I missed the hint of truth behind the polite phrasing? It can even be more specific: Did the agent say to send three chapters and a five-page synopsis or five chapters and a three-page synopsis?

So as writers, we have to sigh and admit that improving the other communication segments is almost as critical to our success as becoming better writers. We have to speak well and appear confident as we do. We have to listen well and sift through the chaff of all we hear in a day, finding the kernels of truth that we seek.

The last word on speaking and listening? After thirty year of observation, that one's easy: PRACTICE.

Playing God

I received several comments on a recently published work because it in some ways parallels events in my life. The comments center on the idea that if a certain person of my acquaintance comes up missing, I would have to be suspected, given the plot of the story.

Yup.

Life is unfair, unbalanced, and unjust. People we all know should be punished aren't. Writers have the luxury of deciding whether justice will reign and how it will happen. And we don't even have to give DNA samples afterward.