Ask the Author: Lee Swanson
Answered Questions (6)
Lee Swanson
The best advice I can give is to set your stories in places you've been. Even if your plot occurs sometime in the distant past, the ground seldom changes even if the buildings and streets do. Smell the air, feel the heat (or cold) on your face, put your bare foot in the water. Even if you can't travel to the particular place you're writing about, go to someplace similar.
Lee Swanson
It's a bit of a God complex really. A writer gets to create these really fabulous settings and people them with characters who act just the way you want them to. Don't like people who are cruel to old people? Create a secret society in which octogenarians go out at night seeking revenge! Even if the real world doesn't behave the way you'd like, the one at the tip of your pen will!
Lee Swanson
Ugh! Writer's block is a personal bane of mine! I'm not a quick writer under the best of circumstances, preferring to make corrections as I go rather than letting the words flow in a stream of consciousness. As a result, I can get blocked not just by where I want the plot to go, but by word choice as well. What I often do when I'm stuck is to go back and polish something I've already written, like a character description. Then, when I return to what I was originally writing, I can approach it with a feeling I have accomplished something. Hopefully, success breeds success (but not always).
Lee Swanson
I love to travel to historical locales, especially those that might feature as settings for my novels. Walking the streets of places like Lubeck, Germany, and Bruges in Belgium, where many of the streets have changed very little over the centuries, it is easy to imagine what life would have been at the time. Once I've decided on a plausible plot, I'm ready and eager to begin writing.
Lee Swanson
I am currently writing the sequel to "No Man's Chattel," entitled "Her Perilous Game." The plot of the novel begins with Christina voyaging to Bruges before returning to London. There, she faces complications and dangers both old and new. Her association with the English nobility draws closer, compelling her to make a perilous journey north that ends with quite unexpected consequences.
I am hoping to publish "Her Perilous Game" in September, 2019.
I am hoping to publish "Her Perilous Game" in September, 2019.
Lee Swanson
The idea for "No Man's Chattel" began with the question, "How could a woman become successfully independent in the male-dominated world of the middle ages?"
Spoiler alert: A few features of the plot follow.
Some ways seemed obvious. The vast majority of powerful women of the period were members of the nobility, enhancing the status of their birth through advantageous marriage alliances. Others, such as Hildegard of Bingen, were brides of Christ, attaining influence only after they had risen to become abbesses or other high positions in the Church.
There were a few exceptions, of course. In the early 15th century, Christine de Pizan gained fame across Europe as the first female professional writer. Similarly known for her writings was the English mystic, Margery Kempe. Joan of Arc? For a while, at least, but then things turned rather grim. It definitely seemed men knew they held power and were most determined to ensure it was seldom shared with women.
Well then, how could I create a plausible protagonist without simply giving her a royal birth, supernatural visions of The Almighty, or a penchant for poetry? Especially, how could I put her on equal footing with her male contemporaries? The answer is, I couldn't. Medieval society was too rigidly divided between what was acceptable for men and what was permissable for women. To make matters worse, conduct for women was often codified, if not within the laws of the land, then certainly by the edicts of the Church.
So, I decided to cheat. In the 13th century, chroniclers alluded to a woman who actually reigned as pope from 855-857 AD. Disguising herself as a man, this talented and learned woman quickly rose through the hierarchy of the Church by way of her own innate abilities. Eventually, she was elected pope. All might have gone well except Pope Joan had the misfortune to fall pregnant, doubly so as she gave birth during a papal procession, (word of caution here for our protagonist, Christina). Shortly after this unfortunate spectacle she died of natural causes or was more likely murdered.
Now that I had decided to have my female protagonist masquerade as a man the next question was where should I place him (her) within medieval society. One of my chief areas of interest is the Crusades. To believe a disguised female could live amongst a crusader army of thousands of men and not be discovered, however, would have been ludicrous.
Firstly, the conditions were appalling. Except for a few of the highest leaders, the men lived in extremely close quarters, especially when on campaign. The first time the disguised woman would have trodden into the desert to relieve herself, she quite likely would have fallen victim to a Saracen arrow or, at the very least, been followed by one of her male comrades with a bit of curiosity and way too much time on his hands. Might she have gotten away with it? Perhaps once or twice, but certainly not a few times a day for an extended period of time. She would have been discovered, shamed, and kicked back amongst the camp followers. The end.
After discarding a few other possible scenarios, I settled on placing our heroine among the German Hanseatic trading community of the 14th century. The Hanse was a confederation of northern German market towns and merchant guilds that dominated European trade throughout the high middle ages. For much of this time, the foremost amongst the Hanseatic cities was Lubeck, the hub of the confederation's east-west trade network.
Why the Hanse? Several reasons actually. Firstly, I have done extensive research and collected many resources on the topic. I have also traveled to many of the towns and cities that formed the commercial centers of the confederation, walking many streets that still have architectural vestiges from seven hundred years ago.
The Hanse was also a completely male fraternity. Statutes existed forbidding the presence of women in many of the foreign enclaves. Although women were not specifically banned from participating in trade, neither were dogs. The thought of either becoming Hanseatic merchants was equally absurd. Except in a few specific instances involving widowhood, commercial activities were conducted solely by men. A disguised woman clandestinely entering this world would live each moment terrified of discovery, with even the slightest break from character arousing suspicions from her male counterparts. Suspense and tension are important aspects to any good story, don't you think?
Even with an effective disguise that aroused no doubts, our protagonist couldn't just walk to the next Hanseatic town and proclaim herself a merchant. Just like today, a person must have money for investment, significant collateral, high prestige, or a very good reputation to enter the world of commerce. A masquerading woman would not have had ready access to any of these without risking disclosing her true identity Logically then, she had to somehow possess these advantages through another means.
But how to do this? The obvious answer is to place her within one of the wealthy merchant families who already possessed the wherewithal to conduct business. But even in this privileged atmosphere she would still be a woman. Her father would have been ridiculed if he allowed her to participate actively in his trade transactions, even if she could somehow persuade him to do so. To complicate matters further, the number of these patrician families was quite small, even in a city such as Lubeck. Someone would certainly notice if a daughter who had lived her entire life in the town mysteriously disappeared one day, only to be immediately replaced by an unknown young man who looks suspiciously reminiscent of the missing girl.
As a result, our protagonist had to have the advantage of a family of high standing; yet, had to travel to somewhere where she would not be known and her connections would still be recognized. Not as easy as it sounds, however. Medieval travel was time-consuming and dangerous; therefore, most people did not venture far from home unless it was essential. Even though travel was a routine aspect of merchant life, the heads of the great families seldom participated, choosing instead to remain at home and let their subordinates or hirelings do the legwork. Neither would he permit his daughter to embark on a senseless voyage just for the fun of it. There had to be a reason why he would allow his daughter to travel to an unknown city. The obvious answer was to be married.
Marriage alliances between the rich and powerful families of Europe was a common occurrence in the medieval era. This also provided a reason for the protagonist's father to travel with her, to ensure the wedding proceeded according to the two families' agreement. As a result, two of the members of the family had a reason to be aboard ship. Add a few fortuitous coincidences (for plot development, not necessarily for the characters themselves) and our protagonist arrived at her destination, in disguise and with a plausible backstory.
Consequently, Christina Kohl was born and "No Man's Chattel" was written.
Spoiler alert: A few features of the plot follow.
Some ways seemed obvious. The vast majority of powerful women of the period were members of the nobility, enhancing the status of their birth through advantageous marriage alliances. Others, such as Hildegard of Bingen, were brides of Christ, attaining influence only after they had risen to become abbesses or other high positions in the Church.
There were a few exceptions, of course. In the early 15th century, Christine de Pizan gained fame across Europe as the first female professional writer. Similarly known for her writings was the English mystic, Margery Kempe. Joan of Arc? For a while, at least, but then things turned rather grim. It definitely seemed men knew they held power and were most determined to ensure it was seldom shared with women.
Well then, how could I create a plausible protagonist without simply giving her a royal birth, supernatural visions of The Almighty, or a penchant for poetry? Especially, how could I put her on equal footing with her male contemporaries? The answer is, I couldn't. Medieval society was too rigidly divided between what was acceptable for men and what was permissable for women. To make matters worse, conduct for women was often codified, if not within the laws of the land, then certainly by the edicts of the Church.
So, I decided to cheat. In the 13th century, chroniclers alluded to a woman who actually reigned as pope from 855-857 AD. Disguising herself as a man, this talented and learned woman quickly rose through the hierarchy of the Church by way of her own innate abilities. Eventually, she was elected pope. All might have gone well except Pope Joan had the misfortune to fall pregnant, doubly so as she gave birth during a papal procession, (word of caution here for our protagonist, Christina). Shortly after this unfortunate spectacle she died of natural causes or was more likely murdered.
Now that I had decided to have my female protagonist masquerade as a man the next question was where should I place him (her) within medieval society. One of my chief areas of interest is the Crusades. To believe a disguised female could live amongst a crusader army of thousands of men and not be discovered, however, would have been ludicrous.
Firstly, the conditions were appalling. Except for a few of the highest leaders, the men lived in extremely close quarters, especially when on campaign. The first time the disguised woman would have trodden into the desert to relieve herself, she quite likely would have fallen victim to a Saracen arrow or, at the very least, been followed by one of her male comrades with a bit of curiosity and way too much time on his hands. Might she have gotten away with it? Perhaps once or twice, but certainly not a few times a day for an extended period of time. She would have been discovered, shamed, and kicked back amongst the camp followers. The end.
After discarding a few other possible scenarios, I settled on placing our heroine among the German Hanseatic trading community of the 14th century. The Hanse was a confederation of northern German market towns and merchant guilds that dominated European trade throughout the high middle ages. For much of this time, the foremost amongst the Hanseatic cities was Lubeck, the hub of the confederation's east-west trade network.
Why the Hanse? Several reasons actually. Firstly, I have done extensive research and collected many resources on the topic. I have also traveled to many of the towns and cities that formed the commercial centers of the confederation, walking many streets that still have architectural vestiges from seven hundred years ago.
The Hanse was also a completely male fraternity. Statutes existed forbidding the presence of women in many of the foreign enclaves. Although women were not specifically banned from participating in trade, neither were dogs. The thought of either becoming Hanseatic merchants was equally absurd. Except in a few specific instances involving widowhood, commercial activities were conducted solely by men. A disguised woman clandestinely entering this world would live each moment terrified of discovery, with even the slightest break from character arousing suspicions from her male counterparts. Suspense and tension are important aspects to any good story, don't you think?
Even with an effective disguise that aroused no doubts, our protagonist couldn't just walk to the next Hanseatic town and proclaim herself a merchant. Just like today, a person must have money for investment, significant collateral, high prestige, or a very good reputation to enter the world of commerce. A masquerading woman would not have had ready access to any of these without risking disclosing her true identity Logically then, she had to somehow possess these advantages through another means.
But how to do this? The obvious answer is to place her within one of the wealthy merchant families who already possessed the wherewithal to conduct business. But even in this privileged atmosphere she would still be a woman. Her father would have been ridiculed if he allowed her to participate actively in his trade transactions, even if she could somehow persuade him to do so. To complicate matters further, the number of these patrician families was quite small, even in a city such as Lubeck. Someone would certainly notice if a daughter who had lived her entire life in the town mysteriously disappeared one day, only to be immediately replaced by an unknown young man who looks suspiciously reminiscent of the missing girl.
As a result, our protagonist had to have the advantage of a family of high standing; yet, had to travel to somewhere where she would not be known and her connections would still be recognized. Not as easy as it sounds, however. Medieval travel was time-consuming and dangerous; therefore, most people did not venture far from home unless it was essential. Even though travel was a routine aspect of merchant life, the heads of the great families seldom participated, choosing instead to remain at home and let their subordinates or hirelings do the legwork. Neither would he permit his daughter to embark on a senseless voyage just for the fun of it. There had to be a reason why he would allow his daughter to travel to an unknown city. The obvious answer was to be married.
Marriage alliances between the rich and powerful families of Europe was a common occurrence in the medieval era. This also provided a reason for the protagonist's father to travel with her, to ensure the wedding proceeded according to the two families' agreement. As a result, two of the members of the family had a reason to be aboard ship. Add a few fortuitous coincidences (for plot development, not necessarily for the characters themselves) and our protagonist arrived at her destination, in disguise and with a plausible backstory.
Consequently, Christina Kohl was born and "No Man's Chattel" was written.
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