Ask the Author: Stanley Goldyn
Answered Questions (7)
Stanley Goldyn
Hello Jessica,
I note that you're in HK. Stay safe over there and may the turmoil subside quickly.
Anyway, good question - thank you.
I have been diligently working on a sequel to The Cavalier's Commission.
Many of the characters will continue to appear as it's 1619, and The Thirty Year's War marches on.
It will essentially be a love story, yet the plot allows for plenty of action and adventure, which will ensure that military-minded readers remain satisfied.
Significant research has aided in setting the plot, so like its predecessors, book three will be a view into history swathed in a novel.
Now the fun begins - the writing. Look out for it.
I note that you're in HK. Stay safe over there and may the turmoil subside quickly.
Anyway, good question - thank you.
I have been diligently working on a sequel to The Cavalier's Commission.
Many of the characters will continue to appear as it's 1619, and The Thirty Year's War marches on.
It will essentially be a love story, yet the plot allows for plenty of action and adventure, which will ensure that military-minded readers remain satisfied.
Significant research has aided in setting the plot, so like its predecessors, book three will be a view into history swathed in a novel.
Now the fun begins - the writing. Look out for it.
Stanley Goldyn
So many wonderful and interesting options. However, restricted to only one selection, I would choose Dumas' 17th Century France, 1625, to meet the French king's guard, the musketeers.
There, I would do what young men do. I would love, duel, gamble, travel and enjoy the pleasures, camaraderie and life of a forgotten romantic time.
I would journey east to the German states and the Kingdom of Bohemia, to share in and experience the rigours of the Thirty Years' War.
And in old age, I would reside on acreage as a country squire, and grow old with a beautiful wife, our children, a vineyard and apple orchard. Interspersed amidst wine and mead, writing would occupy my time, together with reunions with reminiscing old friends, as we remember our halcyon days of youth, optimism and young vitality.
No emails, computers or telephones - one would mount a horse to get a message through.
Oh......and watch the golden, scarlet slashes of sunset as the evenings slip into twilight, the most seductive time of day.
There, I would do what young men do. I would love, duel, gamble, travel and enjoy the pleasures, camaraderie and life of a forgotten romantic time.
I would journey east to the German states and the Kingdom of Bohemia, to share in and experience the rigours of the Thirty Years' War.
And in old age, I would reside on acreage as a country squire, and grow old with a beautiful wife, our children, a vineyard and apple orchard. Interspersed amidst wine and mead, writing would occupy my time, together with reunions with reminiscing old friends, as we remember our halcyon days of youth, optimism and young vitality.
No emails, computers or telephones - one would mount a horse to get a message through.
Oh......and watch the golden, scarlet slashes of sunset as the evenings slip into twilight, the most seductive time of day.
Stanley Goldyn
Have been writing a sequel to the first adventure - The Cavalier Club - and have settled on a title. I am currently working on the last chapter, which, as with the first novel, re-enacts the grittiness of war in the early 1600s.
The chemistry between the protagonist and his love interest grows during this telling, and being mindful of numerous comments from readers of my initial work, I have included a little more titillating content to balance the content.
The story line follows actual events very closely, and in fact, the whole manuscript covers just under two months of the timeline of real history. The Thirty Years' War is still in its infancy, yielding vast material for future novels.
At the conclusion of the draft, my serious editing begins, then re-edits and finally, submission to the publisher. We are now in mid-1619, and approaching Dumas' period of 1625 and The Three Musketeers, although there is no overlap here with France.
So, what can you expect? Action, romance, adventure, loyalty and tits and bums - all while you follow the course of history in Eastern Europe in the twilight tears of the Renaissance.
The chemistry between the protagonist and his love interest grows during this telling, and being mindful of numerous comments from readers of my initial work, I have included a little more titillating content to balance the content.
The story line follows actual events very closely, and in fact, the whole manuscript covers just under two months of the timeline of real history. The Thirty Years' War is still in its infancy, yielding vast material for future novels.
At the conclusion of the draft, my serious editing begins, then re-edits and finally, submission to the publisher. We are now in mid-1619, and approaching Dumas' period of 1625 and The Three Musketeers, although there is no overlap here with France.
So, what can you expect? Action, romance, adventure, loyalty and tits and bums - all while you follow the course of history in Eastern Europe in the twilight tears of the Renaissance.
Stanley Goldyn
Jack Channing and Marianna, whose love continues to grow stronger despite the separation of distance and war.
Stanley Goldyn
Good morning Koziolek,
I heartily thank you for your refreshing questions. My interest in the Thirty Years' War probably began when I first read The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas).
His wonderful tale is set in France at around 1625, whereas my story begins at the siege of Pilsen, in Bohemia, in 1618. My enthusiasm with this period stemmed from the romanticism and chivalry of the time - a period of heroism, gallantry, love, friendship, duelling, hard drinking and hard riding, daring and adventure.
This interest began when I was a young boy, and has only increased with time. My absorption with the period deepened as I read about the history of the era; the facts behind the events, and not only fictional story-telling about that Europe and its personalities. As I always had the desire to write, it occurred to me that I could invent my own romantic, cavalier hero and weave a colourful quilt around the real facts of Europe's history during that turbulent period.
"Was it hard to finish such a project?" No, not at all. It was an enjoyable and rewarding, self-imposed assignment that took exactly 12 months to complete. It began on my birthday and I added the final full-stop exactly a year later.
I wish I could read German or Czech, as I am sure that far more historical material would have been available to me. I was eager to learn about the people, the commanders, the sovereigns who graced the days of that remarkable age. However, an author has only finite information with which to work, and his challenge is to create an entertaining composition that captivates and rewards the reader.
I hope that you are entertained by The Cavalier Club, and that its last page leaves you with a desire and the anticipation to read the next instalment. I am working on this as we speak - and thoroughly enjoying it.
Enjoy the adventure,
Stanley Goldyn.
I heartily thank you for your refreshing questions. My interest in the Thirty Years' War probably began when I first read The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas).
His wonderful tale is set in France at around 1625, whereas my story begins at the siege of Pilsen, in Bohemia, in 1618. My enthusiasm with this period stemmed from the romanticism and chivalry of the time - a period of heroism, gallantry, love, friendship, duelling, hard drinking and hard riding, daring and adventure.
This interest began when I was a young boy, and has only increased with time. My absorption with the period deepened as I read about the history of the era; the facts behind the events, and not only fictional story-telling about that Europe and its personalities. As I always had the desire to write, it occurred to me that I could invent my own romantic, cavalier hero and weave a colourful quilt around the real facts of Europe's history during that turbulent period.
"Was it hard to finish such a project?" No, not at all. It was an enjoyable and rewarding, self-imposed assignment that took exactly 12 months to complete. It began on my birthday and I added the final full-stop exactly a year later.
I wish I could read German or Czech, as I am sure that far more historical material would have been available to me. I was eager to learn about the people, the commanders, the sovereigns who graced the days of that remarkable age. However, an author has only finite information with which to work, and his challenge is to create an entertaining composition that captivates and rewards the reader.
I hope that you are entertained by The Cavalier Club, and that its last page leaves you with a desire and the anticipation to read the next instalment. I am working on this as we speak - and thoroughly enjoying it.
Enjoy the adventure,
Stanley Goldyn.
Stanley Goldyn
Every author has a desire to read, and perhaps, he comes across a line of text that inspires the acorn which he then allows to grow into a tree as the story takes shape.
The inspiration can be almost anything and its genesis is a spark that starts from a book, a film or something that has happened - at a party, a BBQ or function, at school or on the street.
I read a novel not long ago that I thought was poorly written and, believing it to be capable of being improved, this initiated my desire to do just that. Write a better novel.
On a daily basis, the inspiration to continue writing is the desire to craft and complete a pleasing book. And with the conclusion in sight, the writer can add anything along the way, the freedom to add characters, kill them off, cast a new scene, include colourful descriptions - absolutely anything.
In my case, writing good stories allows me to leave something behind for others in the world.
The inspiration can be almost anything and its genesis is a spark that starts from a book, a film or something that has happened - at a party, a BBQ or function, at school or on the street.
I read a novel not long ago that I thought was poorly written and, believing it to be capable of being improved, this initiated my desire to do just that. Write a better novel.
On a daily basis, the inspiration to continue writing is the desire to craft and complete a pleasing book. And with the conclusion in sight, the writer can add anything along the way, the freedom to add characters, kill them off, cast a new scene, include colourful descriptions - absolutely anything.
In my case, writing good stories allows me to leave something behind for others in the world.
Stanley Goldyn
Crafting non-fiction is entirely different, but writing a novel allows the author to create their own world where there are no boundaries and absolutely everything is possible.
You have the freedom to shape your protagonist into a hero or villain, someone attractive or repulsive, or anything along the infinite spectrum in between.
The writer also controls the scenes that are created, plots and sub-plots, length of the story and how many chapters divide their tale.
A writer of novels, simply put, is the god of his or her world.
You have the freedom to shape your protagonist into a hero or villain, someone attractive or repulsive, or anything along the infinite spectrum in between.
The writer also controls the scenes that are created, plots and sub-plots, length of the story and how many chapters divide their tale.
A writer of novels, simply put, is the god of his or her world.
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