While I have always been a fan of the medieval time period, the idea of writing Defender of the Realm literally came to me in an instant. One day I simply saw the last four lines of the book in my head. I knew how the story ended before I knew the rest of the story. That's when I started writing.
But I would say the idea began brewing years before while working on a stage production of "the Lion in Winter". It tells the story of King Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and three of their sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Henry had his queen imprisoned for 16 years for trying to marshal a rebellion against him and attempting to put Richard on the throne. It is a fascinating story of the power struggle within the royal family for control of England and/ or each other.
I had grown up watching various tales of Robin Hood and I realized that "Good King Richard" and his scheming brother Prince John were not the stuff of legend like Robin Hood himself, but they actually lived and were part of, perhaps, the most dysfunctional family in history. It intrigued me to think of them as real people with real problems.
Of course Richard does succeed his father as king and becomes 'the Lionheart" but is so preoccupied with the crusades that he never bothers to marry or have any children. Ironically it means that John becomes king anyway, and is such a weak monarch that he ends up losing all of the family holdings in France and is forced into signing the Magna Carta by parliament(England's version of the Bill of Rights).
All of which occur years after my story. I started when they were all the most dysfunctional family in history. Richard is still a teen and is not even the heir to the throne. At this point his older brother, Henry (who would've become Henry III if he had lived long enough) is the heir apparent. The royal family are secondary characters though, they serve as the historical background for the time period I love. Defender of the Realm is about an average guy thrust into "the moment".
Want to know more? Go to www.coreyholst.com read the synopsis, watch the video, read some reviews and buy the book for yourself. I bet you like it. :)