Ask the Author: K.M. Butler
Answered Questions (3)
K.M. Butler
The study of history so often focuses on the battles, invasions, and famous figures who painted the broad strokes. However, a good rule for storytelling is to follow the emotion and tension. That space where struggle and desire intersect is where a writer can touch the universal human truths that affect us all.
The Viking Age is a story of migration and cultural blending. Consider the Normans: they mixed a brutally efficient war machine and a respect for strength with fanatical Christian faith and Frankish cavalry tactics. But, they originated from a long series of tiny, daily interactions. What did the Franks think when Norse settlers settled on the plot beside them, slaughtering animals and sprinkling their blood on the corners of their parcels? When they started to intermarry and create a messy mixture of each of their beliefs? What effect would that have on, say, a young couple forced together by convenience and need, but certainly not love?
As Halla says in the novel, "Important things are born in such moments, though no one ever remembers them."
The Viking Age is a story of migration and cultural blending. Consider the Normans: they mixed a brutally efficient war machine and a respect for strength with fanatical Christian faith and Frankish cavalry tactics. But, they originated from a long series of tiny, daily interactions. What did the Franks think when Norse settlers settled on the plot beside them, slaughtering animals and sprinkling their blood on the corners of their parcels? When they started to intermarry and create a messy mixture of each of their beliefs? What effect would that have on, say, a young couple forced together by convenience and need, but certainly not love?
As Halla says in the novel, "Important things are born in such moments, though no one ever remembers them."
K.M. Butler
While The Raven and the Dove is a novel about creation—the blending of two cultures into something new—I’ve just finished the first draft of a novel that explores cultural collision from the other angle: loss. This next novel is set during the Spanish Reconquista shortly after the fall of Toledo to the Castilians. In that period, the tolerant taifa kingdoms were quickly consumed by a much more autocratic empire from northern Africa. My main characters each lose their home and way of life, and throughout the story have to find a way to heal.
My next novel is probably going to be my furthest back in history, exploring a key figure who's often overlooked in the shadow of a much more famous figure!
My next novel is probably going to be my furthest back in history, exploring a key figure who's often overlooked in the shadow of a much more famous figure!
K.M. Butler
As a historical fiction writer, my writing process starts with exploring interesting facts about history. I read non-fiction, searching for an interesting event, a quirky figure, or a conflict. I'm particularly drawn to moments when cultures collide. As I was reading "The Normans: From Raiders to Kings", Laws Brownworth described the Normans as having the ferocity and dedication to battle as their recent Viking ancestors, but with the faith and zeal of the most fanatical of Christians.
That description stuck with me. I started wondering about the forces that brought together the Franks and Norse, previously intractable enemies. My research showed that it wasn’t a linear process; Norse resurgences happened frequently, only to swing back to Christianity again.
With The Raven and the Dove, I wanted to capture that ambiguity and the forces that pushed against each other at this place and time. The struggles Halla and Taurin face as they try to live with each other’s wildly different world views provide personal stakes, but the novel is truly an exploration of the tensions and ambiguities that made the Normans.
That description stuck with me. I started wondering about the forces that brought together the Franks and Norse, previously intractable enemies. My research showed that it wasn’t a linear process; Norse resurgences happened frequently, only to swing back to Christianity again.
With The Raven and the Dove, I wanted to capture that ambiguity and the forces that pushed against each other at this place and time. The struggles Halla and Taurin face as they try to live with each other’s wildly different world views provide personal stakes, but the novel is truly an exploration of the tensions and ambiguities that made the Normans.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more