Ask the Author: Elizabeth Chadwick
Answered Questions (7)
Elizabeth Chadwick
Hi Linda,
I haven't thought about it - mainly because Sharon Kay Penman has already written that story in Here Be Dragons which is a truly wonderful novel. It's an iconic rendering which would be a very hard act to follow!
I haven't thought about it - mainly because Sharon Kay Penman has already written that story in Here Be Dragons which is a truly wonderful novel. It's an iconic rendering which would be a very hard act to follow!
Elizabeth Chadwick
Hi Brooke,
They can be read as standalones, although they do have a chronological order. It isn't necessary to have read the earlier ones though, to jump into the middle.
They can be read as standalones, although they do have a chronological order. It isn't necessary to have read the earlier ones though, to jump into the middle.
Elizabeth Chadwick
Hi Deanna,
I research in depth and try to be as accurate as I can, although I prefer to use the word 'authentic' rather than accurate. I have been researching my period - late 11th, 12th and early 13th centuries for over 40 years and I have an extensive library. For me it's not just the immediate research but the constant ongoing immersion of myself in the culture and mindset of the period. Without that layering, it's easy for characters to become modern people in fancy dress. At the moment I'm reading books on pilgrimage and the Holy Land for my new work on William Marshal, and on the sidelines for curiosity I'm reading another book on the culture of food and drink in medieval England. (CM Woolgar's latest from Yale University Press. Yes, people did drink water according to his research, although you'll see the myth promulgated in a lot of places online that they didn't. That's the kind of detail I'm constantly chasing and studying in depth). It's all grist to the mill.
The Bigods were an offshoot of my Marshal novels in that I became interested in them through the marriage of Mahelt Marshal to Hugh Bigod. Hugh's mother was a royal mistress and on studying her story, I became interested in what had happened to her - what effect it had on her. I was also interested in Roger's story - denied his inheritance because of his father's rebellion, and having to rebuild, while fending off rivals. My research included material from a PHD thesis on the Bigods and Marc Morris's book on the same family which gives an overview of the earlier Bigods, although his book is mainly on the 13th century branch of the family.
Elizabeth :-)
I research in depth and try to be as accurate as I can, although I prefer to use the word 'authentic' rather than accurate. I have been researching my period - late 11th, 12th and early 13th centuries for over 40 years and I have an extensive library. For me it's not just the immediate research but the constant ongoing immersion of myself in the culture and mindset of the period. Without that layering, it's easy for characters to become modern people in fancy dress. At the moment I'm reading books on pilgrimage and the Holy Land for my new work on William Marshal, and on the sidelines for curiosity I'm reading another book on the culture of food and drink in medieval England. (CM Woolgar's latest from Yale University Press. Yes, people did drink water according to his research, although you'll see the myth promulgated in a lot of places online that they didn't. That's the kind of detail I'm constantly chasing and studying in depth). It's all grist to the mill.
The Bigods were an offshoot of my Marshal novels in that I became interested in them through the marriage of Mahelt Marshal to Hugh Bigod. Hugh's mother was a royal mistress and on studying her story, I became interested in what had happened to her - what effect it had on her. I was also interested in Roger's story - denied his inheritance because of his father's rebellion, and having to rebuild, while fending off rivals. My research included material from a PHD thesis on the Bigods and Marc Morris's book on the same family which gives an overview of the earlier Bigods, although his book is mainly on the 13th century branch of the family.
Elizabeth :-)
Elizabeth Chadwick
Hi Carolyn,
Hand on heart it's a while since I wrote The Winter Mantle, so I'd need to go and check since I don't remember offhand! I don't think I covered that aspect in the novel, but even so, I would have checked on the biographical details. I'll get back to you.
Hand on heart it's a while since I wrote The Winter Mantle, so I'd need to go and check since I don't remember offhand! I don't think I covered that aspect in the novel, but even so, I would have checked on the biographical details. I'll get back to you.
Elizabeth Chadwick
Hi Brittany,
I would love such things to happen but how it works is that the author is usually approached by a TV or film company who ask to buy the rights to the book. Then they have to find the funding to get it made which is easier said than done! However, my Marshal novels have had the rights bought by a film company recently - hooray!!. I have historical consultancy rights on board and they are looking at making a two hour pilot. There is still a long way to go and it still might not happen, but the spark is there. :-)
I would love such things to happen but how it works is that the author is usually approached by a TV or film company who ask to buy the rights to the book. Then they have to find the funding to get it made which is easier said than done! However, my Marshal novels have had the rights bought by a film company recently - hooray!!. I have historical consultancy rights on board and they are looking at making a two hour pilot. There is still a long way to go and it still might not happen, but the spark is there. :-)
Elizabeth Chadwick
Not really that I recall - although of course I may have banished it from my memory if it wasn't right! I do occasionally write contemporary short stories for magazines and newspapers. I can do it, but it's not my favourite thing in the world to do (I get asked to do it at times and it can pay well), so I tend to find that a chore. With my historical fiction work, I enjoy the writing and researching lots and it's not happened - yet!
Elizabeth Chadwick
Everyday attitude to violence. While I can understand it and have studied the mindset in order to write it, I do find my modern self at odds with it at times, especially when it comes to children and animals. I grew up in a society where smacking children was the norm and the 'spare the rod and spoil the child' mentality was still rife. Now it's less acceptable. There's been a shift. So if one writes a beating scene which might be perfectly normal for the Middle Ages it can be difficult for modern readers to absorb. At the same time one has to be true to history, so it's a delicate balancing act.
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