The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls By Mercedes Rochelle

9/12/2020

Award winning, multi-volume, multi-genre author, Mercedes Rochelle introduces us to “The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls”:
Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.

This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.

This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.

Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.

Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.
This book has received an Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion!

What a wonderful telling of a long-lost story! The author has pulled off an exciting reconstruction of a tale filled with intrigue and menace for so many of the people involved. Mercedes uses a rotating-by-chapter, first person point of view to smoothly recreate the action and details of these events from over a thousand years ago.
I love first person POV, it brings a level of familiarity that isn’t found in other point of views.
Mercedes is so expert at bringing the culture and daily life of people born over a millennia ago to life. The scene setting leaves nothing to be desired, dialogue is wonderful and the characters seem so real and alive.
You are going to love this book, there is action, intrigue, international politics, romance and horses. Something for almost everyone.
I give “The Sons of Godwine” a score of 4.9 stars!

73 Comments

Mercedes Rochelle link

9/13/2020 10:36:06 am

Thanks for the wonderful review. I used to think I didn't like First Person narratives, but I've changed my mind!

Mark

9/13/2020 11:49:35 am

Welcome back. We will continue the conversation we started in "The Kings Retribution".
New questions.
I have read several of your books and this is the first one in first person POV, point of view. Why did you make the switch to first person in this book?
How hard was the transition as a writer?

Mercedes Rochelle

9/13/2020 01:05:59 pm

There's an interesting story behind this book. Way back when I got discouraged after unsuccessfully trying to publish my first book, I had already written the first draft of Godwine Kingmaker and about fifty pages of this book. Everything went on the closet shelf and I went on to start my own business, which lasted twenty years. Finally, when I pulled this book out of storage and blew off the cobwebs, I was stunned to discover I had written it in first person. I didn't even remember doing that! Why? Why did I start it in first person? I didn't even like the idea of writing that way. But when I sat down and read it, I really liked the approach. Eventually I remembered why I did it.

My main purpose in writing The Sons of Godwine and Fatal Rivalry was to show Tostig's point of view in the whole Battle of Hastings buildup. Tostig has come down to us as the Judas, the betrayer of his brother. But was it really so black-and-white? Harold was no angel. He was flawed, like any great man. I felt that the only way to present a balanced picture was to put the story in their own words.

Once I started writing in first person, I felt a freedom I never experienced before as a writer. I could be snide, obtuse, arrogant, clever, observant, generous in ways a third person point of view would not be able to duplicate. Especially with Tostig! I had great fun writing as him. At the same time, I felt his poignancy. As one of my reviewers said (Discovering Diamonds for Fatal Rivalry): "one moment you understand Tostig and his motives, the next you sympathize with Harold, and this makes for an interesting conflict." That's exactly what I was trying to do! On the other hand, I'm not sure I'll ever attempt to do more than one first person in the same book. It was very difficult to give each the five brothers his own voice.

Mark Schultz

9/13/2020 04:36:50 pm

You did a marvelous job of presenting the five brothers. I think you captured each person quite well. They each expressed themselves from their own point of view.
I agree with your assessment of Tostig and Harold, with each acting in their own best interest, they are the hero of their story. They gives ample room for multi-layered characters. None of us are wholly good or wholly evil. We are all a mix of motivations.
I hope you write more like this, your transitions were quite smooth. You are good at this. I forget who said it, easy reading is damn hard writing. I do appreciate how much work you did for this to read so well.
New questions.
Villain, protagonist, every story and hero needs a villain. Who is the main villain in this book?
Which is more fun to write protagonist or antagonist?
What is one thing you like about your villain and one thing you don't like about your hero?

9/13/2020 06:02:03 pm

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I think you'll like FATAL RIVALRY, which continues the story to its (un)natural end.
As for villains, originally I meant to make Eadric of Laxfield the villain: the fellow who took care of things in East Anglia before Harold came along and ruined everything. Of course, Harold got the girl too, which enraged him. But you know, I felt sorry for him! Once I discovered that Eadric fought for Harold at the battle of Hastings (next book) I had to rehabilitate him. Luckily, I still had Gospatrick to fill the role of villain. He was pretty nasty. In reality, he was probably the wronged party, going back to the days of Canute. Circumstances being what they were, Gospatrick lost his castle of Bamburgh and tried to make do on the far side of the earldom of Northumbria. He was certainly not a good sport about it when Tostig came along! It was difficult for me to feel sorry for him, and he was pretty ungracious all the way to the end.

I think on the protagonist vs. antagonist question I tend to favor the protagonist. As a reader, there are so many books where the bad guy revels in senseless violence, and I get really squeamish to see an innocent party wronged. It's very hard to do the antagonist right—from my point of view. I think the bad guy should have some good qualities, and to do it right his actions have to make sense. Why stick his neck out just to wreak revenge? I read that very scenario last night and I found it unconvincing. The good guy shouldn't be perfect, but I assume s/he at least tries to do the right thing. That makes me comfortable! In SONS, I'm not sure I even have a hero, because all my characters are flawed. I'm beginning to think that's my calling card as a writer!

9/13/2020 06:20:13 pm

Eadric was coming across as the big, bad wolf at one point. You handled the switch quite well.
Gospatrick was a beaut! He was fueled by anger and had a strong thirst for revenge, no matter how long it took to deliver.
You are right, the antagonist needs some good qualities. His actions only have to make sense to him. Every villain is the hero in the story he tells.
In high school, I had to read Beowulf. In college, I discovered Grendel, by John Gardner. The same story told from the monster's point of view. I liked it more than Beowulf.
Harold was the protagonist and the antagonist almost, it depended upon whose POV we were in at the moment.
BTW, I loved the interjections from Editha. They served the story quite well, for me.
New questions.
Do you have anything you consider to be your writing lucky charm?
What is the biggest obstacle you face in writing?

9/13/2020 08:31:59 pm

Interesting story about Grendel and Beowulf. I can relate to that!

You know, as for the lucky charm, I do surround myself with little pictures on the wall I've had for decades. One is a little brass rubbing of St. George and the Dragon. Another is a 3"x5" three-dimensional viking ship picture hand-painted on wood. I've had it so long I don't remember where it came from but I keep it near me at all times. It's in a plastic frame. Most recently I've added the Sutton Hoo king bronze wall plaque given to me by my favorite reader. It's funny how these little things give one comfort.

For me, personally, my biggest obstacle is getting the details right. There are so many ways to screw up, and guaranteed there is at least one critic out there who can't wait to jump on inaccuracies. I re-read many of my source books because although I retain the important anecdotes, I usually can't remember where they came from. So I have to search and search until I find them, and sometimes it's only one line of text. But I have to get it right! Sometimes it's the sequence of events that plague me; what happened first? And when the chroniclers disagree—which happens often—I have to go back and forth, back and forth until I decide which story makes the most sense to me. Sometimes I'll pull pieces of a single scene from three or four different books. It's truly maddening. This is one reason I sometimes don't know what's going to happen until I get there.

I'm going through that right now in my current WIP. The slipperiest character who keeps betraying first one side then the other MUST have his own reasons. I just can't figure out what they are. Is he truly evil or just misunderstood? I won't know until the day I get there.

9/13/2020 09:01:53 pm

Your lucky charms sound like they have a lot of meaning for you. Much more than random junk and trinkets. I like that.
Because it is so difficult to piece together details from that era, even the experts can't be 100 per cent sure. There is a great deal of conjecture and wiggle room in your area of study. Even if a so-called expert cries foul, I bet it is because it impinges on his hobby horse and he doesn't want anyone to see the man behind the curtain.
That level of difficulty is mind boggling. I have no doubt that you have a lot of books in your personal library. I am also willing to bet that most of your research is now done online.
New questions.
How did you get started on this writing historical fiction in the first place?
Do you struggle with writer's block, if so, how do you overcome it?

9/14/2020 03:14:30 pm

Actually, I still prefer my physical books; I retain the info better (and can find it easier). However, I have discovered a fabulous site online that contains academic articles: JSTOR.ORG. The more focused the article, the more useful I find it.

As for historical fiction, I was reading and enjoying historical fiction before I even knew it was a genre. It all started when I specialized in the 19th century novel during my college years. I think the first time I had an inkling about historical fiction was while reading "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Medieval France came to life. Then I read "The Three Musketeers" and I was truly smitten. I still am. By the time I started writing my first novel, I still wasn't aware I was writing in any kind of genre; I don't remember referring to historical fiction as such in college. But as the novel progressed, I stayed on the historical trail which directed my plot. By the end of that first book, I realized I was onto something!

I think that Writer's Block is just an excuse for procrastination. We all do it. I used to beat myself up when I thought I had writer's block, but then I realized that I just preferred to do something else! Like gardening. Like social media (marketing). Like housecleaning (ok, that's a stretch). Sometimes I'd let a week go by without touching my manuscript. I mean, really, who cares if I write or not? If it doesn't get written today, it might get written tomorrow. Once in a while, when I'm really stuck, I'll just make myself a note in the manuscript and skip forward to the next chapter. I'll come back to it in the next draft when I'm better prepared to face whatever's bugging me. And not concerning myself about it is, in a way, the best way to beat it. If it's not a problem, then no need to turn it into one.

9/14/2020 03:23:53 pm

I have to admit to loving physical books also. Our next move might be cross-country and we will likely be leaving most of our possessions behind.
I love that single-minded devotion to the historical record. Your books are quite good.
I have been all over the map regarding blocks to expressing creativity. I used to sweat bullets when I was stuck. Now, I move on to another project. Sometimes my muse needs a break from conscious effort. And yes, at times I would rather do something else.
New questions.
Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not?
Are there any issues that are peculiar to writing this genre that might not apply to other genres?
Do you ever read books in other genres? Why or why not.

9/14/2020 03:38:18 pm

It's funny... I heard a discussion about pseudonyms just the other day on NPR. Things haven't changed much, have they? I think if I were to write in a different genre, it might be appropriate. I would be approaching a different audience, after all. I noticed that authors with pseudonyms, once they got famous, are published as "so-and-so writing as so-and-so", and by then it's an advantage. But earlier in their career, they kept the other name secret. It does double the work, though: different web page, etc. I think, these days with the internet, it would be so easy to "blow one's cover" that the extra effort might not be worth the trouble.

Naturally, the accuracy issue must be more critical with historical fiction, though maybe I'm bring short-sighted. I suppose accuracy in tone, customs, attitudes must be important in other genres as well. I had a friend once who resuscitated a novel that he, too, put away for twenty years. Ironically, the first thing I noticed was that his characters were using pay phones! I got a good laugh out of that.

I rarely cross genres, though I do like an occasional mystery (especially in historical setting). There's no explanation except for personal preference. Without historical context, a story has little meaning for me. It's just made-up stuff. I can't get interested in fantasy for that reason, though I was a big Tolkien fan in my high school days. I consider this a character default in myself, but I can't help it!

9/14/2020 07:18:15 pm

Every author has different reasons for using and maintaining pen names. I have noticed the same thing, some authors bringing the pseudonyms out of the closet and into the open. I agree, the level of success has something to do with it. I think these authors are hoping to get some of their fans to crossover into the other genres. At east one author has a landing page for each pen name, but they direct people to the main website where everything is located.
Accuracy is important to some fans of hist-fic. I enjoy the genre a lot, it is in my top five favorites. As long as an error is not egregious I am unlikely to know.
That is funny about the payphones. They have almost completely disappeared.
Tolkien was a master, or rather an expert that got carried away with his work at home. Fantasy is my second favorite genre, right behind sci-fi.
New questions.
Do you think reading, watching movies or listening to music help you be a better writer?
At this time, do you read books for entertainment or just research homework?

Mercedes Hayes

9/14/2020 07:59:34 pm

I absolutely rely on movies to get my creative juices flowing. There's nothing like an intense conflict to project tension, or confusion, or anger. Yes! I tend to absorb facial expressions and attitudes from actors which I use in my novels. Once in a while, an actor actually fits my main character. For instance, in GODWINE KINGMAKER, my Godwine was modeled after Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes! I had a bubble-gum card of that movie to remind me. And I modeled Canute after Pierce Brosnan from Noble House. I still don't understand what captured me! As for reading, I think it's a must. Both good and bad writing can instruct—what to do, what to stay away from. If you don't read, I don't know how you could write.

I have a little routine that works for me in my reading. I read novels before bed, and non-fiction every morning with my coffee (my research, mostly). I'm always sharper in the morning and let's face it: most history books can be tedious at best. They won't put me to sleep in the morning. On the other hand, if my bedtime novel is fascinating, I have a hard time going to sleep. Naturally! So I tend to keep a boring book on hand so that if I'm getting too caught up in my novel, I'll switch to the boring one which may help put me down. Maybe.

9/14/2020 09:06:08 pm

Movies are really good at portraying tension and conflict. Sometimes they have a secret weapon not available to writers. Music can be used to amplify tension. Music can have a profound effect on a watcher, it's in the background because the eyes are focused on what is happening on the screen.
That is a good tip for reading the boring stuff. Do it in the morning with coffee or tea.
New questions.
What type of book is your favorite guilty pleasure to read or listen to for fun?
You already mentioned Hunchback and Three Musketeers as instrumental in getting you into writing. Have you ever read a book that changed the way you look at writing since those early books?

9/14/2020 09:59:52 pm

Guilty pleasure? Sheesh, I don't have one! What a bore I am.
I'd say I am indebted to Sir Walter Scott for changing the way I looked at writing. I absolutely loved his Ivanhoe, and I think it may be what inspired me to write about the Middle Ages. I came to understand that he was more Romantic than Historical, but I swallowed that book and made it my own. I studied him at great length in college. Ten years later I discovered Sharon Kay Penman when I read her Sunne in Splendour about Richard III. It was the first time I read a fictional biography about a king, and it was quite an inspiration to me. Ever since then, I've always wanted to write about a real person—an influential person—in a biographical way. Most people write their stories around a king, but few tackle him head-on.

9/14/2020 10:32:06 pm

My thanks to Sir Walter. I am glad he showed you the path you were to travel.
The detailed events and the reactions of the characters make or break a book. If the characters aren't challenged enough then they aren't living right. All of the characters in Sons of Godwine undergo trials of one kind or another. Short or long, there is no escape for them.
New questions.
What was the message you wanted to deliver when you wrote this book? Do you feel you were successful in getting that message across to the reader?
What is your writing Kryptonite and how has it affected you?

9/15/2020 10:03:19 am

My main purpose in writing The Sons of Godwine and Fatal Rivalry was to rehabilitate Tostig. He has come down to us as the Judas, the betrayer of his brother. But was it really so black-and-white? Harold was no angel. He was flawed, like any great man. I felt that the only way to present a balanced picture was to put the story in their own words, showing the inherent problems in their relationship by their own attitudes. Tostig obviously felt snubbed by his brother all the way from childhood, which created resentment he never got over. Harold, on the other hand, rarely gave Tostig a second thought. That didn't help matters any! The other brothers could only sit on the sidelines and watch the proverbial train wreck. I hope I got that message across!

Doubt is certainly my writing Kryptonite. I know that the topics I choose are far from mainstream; that's why I choose them. How many more books about Henry VIII do we really need on the market? So I can't very well expect them to ever become best-sellers. But their very uniquity dooms them to relative obscurity, which of course is not particularly desirable, either. But I can't bring myself to tackle a popular figure, so I'm really my own worst enemy!

9/15/2020 10:52:12 am

Tostig certainly needed some help, his corner was quite empty.
His story, as you have told it, makes a lot of sense to me. When there is a gap like ten or twelve years between siblings, in a family that is already dysfunctional, the lack of attention paid to the younger by the older is pretty common.
Doubt is something that affects us all. I call it the inner liar. It seems to have the sole goal of bringing us down and keeping us from fulfilling our destinies.
Like most authors, promotion and marketing is an uphill battle. This problem has been aggravated by the covid complication. So many conventions have been shut down. For some authors, the face to face events were a significant portion of earnings.
New questions.
Do you ever brainstorm with non-writers and if so, is it effective?
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer to enhance your career?

9/15/2020 03:32:00 pm

Sad to say non-writers have little interest in talking about history—especially historical fiction. With the exception, that is, of my long-suffering husband. He's just a captive audience! Nonetheless, on occasion he comes up with a suggestion that induces an "AHA!" moment, usually because he's not buried in historical hodgepodge. It can be very refreshing.

Money spent? This is going to surprise you. My first experience with a "hybrid" publisher, where I contributed to the publication of my first novel, was a huge step forward for me. A hybrid publisher is not a vanity press; they actually offer services like editing, cover design, publication, (some) marketing, etc. Bottom line: they gave me the ego boost I needed to say yes, I am good enough to be accepted. They saw me through the whole publication process from start to finish, so that when I went off on my own (and I did by my third book), I knew what all the steps were. It didn't cost a fortune and I don't regret spending the money. (I did my homework first before I went with them.)

9/15/2020 03:48:11 pm

You make a good point there. Civilians are not likely to get excited about history, for many reasons.
However, your husband is a conscript and has little opportunity to escape your questions.
I am delighted to hear of your experience with hybrid publishing. At first glance it can look so much like a vanity press. Good on you for doing the research. I like the participatory model of hybrid publishing, I think it has potential. Feel free to share their name if you want to recommend them to others.
New questions.
Are you self-publishing now?
Have you started your own imprint? Here is a good article about that idea: https://www.janefriedman.com/why-self-publishing-authors-should-consider-establishing-their-own-imprint

9/15/2020 04:12:34 pm

Thanks, Mark. I used John Hunt Publishing for my first two books. They work on a sliding scale, depending on your potential earning status. For instance, with my first book I was an unknown; I guess you could say they wanted me to put my money where my mouth was! Even so, they liked my work and my investment was smaller than someone who looked liked they would need more editorial help. If I remember correctly, my investment was around $1400. The good news, for me, was that they published my second book without any contribution on my part. Alas, by the time I was ready to publish my third book (THE SONS OF GODWINE, in fact), the first had under-performed (I think it was overpriced, but I had no input on pricing.) So they disagreed on whether to charge me on the third book, but the guy who wanted me to "pay up" won the argument and I walked away. By then I understood that the marketing was on me, so why pay them for the privilege of being published when I could do it on Amazon for free?

Bottom line: it was a good experience and eventually I was able to buy back the rights on the first book. The second book, unfortunately, continues to limp along at a high price, so I can't get my rights back until it really "tanks". It's the only one of my books out of line, price-wise and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't really promote it either, because that's also out of my hands. So in that respect, it's a mixed bag. Nonetheless, I don't regret what happened.

Thanks for the article. I did go to my own imprint, having read some other article that convinced me (can't remember what it was). I thought it looked better to use my own imprint rather than Create Space as the publisher. That certainly screams "indie", doesn't it? I'm not ashamed of being an indie, but I don't necessarily want to advertise it, either. It was the simplest matter ever; I just signed my business name up with my local township and Voila! Royalties go under my social security number, so no problem there.

9/15/2020 05:18:22 pm

I agree with JHP, you are a good writer. I can see how that experience was an confidence builder, you deserved it.
Whether traditional, hybrid, independent or self-publishing, the responsibility for marketing falls squarely on the shoulders of the author. It is the new normal. Traditional publishers have found their profit margins squeezed to almost nothing by Amazon and circumstances beyond the control of anybody. Marketing expenses are so easy to cut for a publisher. It's cheap to put a listing on their own website and call it good!
That is good to hear it was easy to register an imprint as a business. I think it is a good idea.
New questions.
With the explosion of different streaming services, these companies are scrambling for content. Writers are going to be sitting on the top of the heap soon, because they are content providers. Have you considered shopping your content to these companies or an agent?
An e-book is only one form that writing can be consumed in. Have you considered licensing large print, graphic books, plays or audio books? Audio books, in English and translated, are exploding worldwide.

9/15/2020 06:48:12 pm

Yes, I have ventured into the audiobook world. I am in agreement that this is a fast growing segment of the market and people are starting to expect to see audiobooks available. I noticed that Amazon often puts up the audiobook version on the search results. However, this is not inexpensive! Hiring a good narrator is key, and it's important to remember that high-quality recording equipment is part of the formula. If an author wants to record his/her own book, the final quality will probably suffer. Depending on how you do it, hiring a narrator will probably cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars and possibly a split of the royalties. I suspect it'll take years for me to break even. Then there is the marketing side. Unlike Kindle Unlimited, if you go with Audible you cannot run a price reduction deal. You do get free promo codes to ask for reviews, but this isn't infinite. It's hard to promote these audiobooks.

Now, BookBub has gotten into the audiobook game and they are using their own program (Chirp) to market them. I fear they are going to give Audible a run for their money. An exclusive with Audible lasts seven years, so now that I'm committed, I can only sit back and watch the fireworks. And hopefully not cry too hard.

9/15/2020 07:39:43 pm

I will mention here that we had an extensive conversation about audio books and you even brought into our chat your narrator for the audio version of "Heir To a Prophecy", Kevin E. Green. It was quite informative. Anyone who wants to read that interview only need to click on the link just above this interview, for that book.
Having a book narrated into an audio book does require good equipment and a work space optimized for audio production. There are blogs and videos out there about DIY, but your results will vary.
Another up and coming factor promising to reduce the cost of producing an audio book is artificial intelligence. AI is getting so good that it is almost a hands-off affair. Right now, that kind of AI audio book still needs to be edited by a human. But I think it won't be too much longer and that won't be a necessity. It will open up a can of worms when it comes copyright and royalty issues. Because the AI voice will be able to sound like any person in the world. Wouldn't it be nice to have your audio book produced in the voice of Sir John Gielgud or Sir Alec Guinness? That game changer is coming over the horizon as we speak.
Chirp will be interesting to watch. The grip that Audible has will be disrupted.
New questions.
I do not have an Audible membership. I find audio books hard to focus on unless I speed the playback up to 1.5 times the normal speed. I am very visually oriented and read quite fast.
How does an author make money on Audible? Is it like Kindle Unlimited where the author is paid by the number of pages read?
If AI was refined enough and much cheaper than a human production, would you use it to put more of your books into audio books?

9/15/2020 08:10:11 pm

I wish I knew how to make money on Audible! Obviously we need to sell lots of books, which I haven't. The author gets paid based on whether the reader is using their free membership credits (the lowest royalty), purchases made by audible members not using their credits (somewhat better royalties), or what they call "A La Carte"—a full-price purchase by a non-member, which does happen. Unfortunately, when all is said and done and the narrator is paid their split, the royalty seems to come out at about $1.00-$1.50 each, so why spend all the extra money? Oh yes, exposure. Of course.

I'll reserve judgment on AI. I have a hard time believing we won't be able to tell the difference, but time will tell.

9/15/2020 08:51:43 pm

Exposure is the name of the game. You have that right. Thanks for enlightening me about how Audible pays the author. I am not surprised that it's so little. If Chirp takes off, Audible might pay more.
I understand your skepticism about AI. They have been promising us for decades that flying cars are only ten years away. They now have AI writing articles for newspapers, blog posts and books though human editing is still required. That's where I come in. I grossly overestimated computers and word processors in the 80s. I thought my proofreading days were numbered, until I understood how the spellcheckers worked off of a list of correctly spelled words. I knew then I was safe and I am not worried yet. I think narrating a book will be easier for AI than editing and proofreading.
New questions.
Do you subscribe to any magazines, newsletters, blogs or podcasts that enhance your writing career? Feel free to share as many as you would like.
Have you looked into foreign markets? Many different countries use English as an official language or a second language. There are aggregators that specialize in getting books into many different markets and they handle all the formatting changes. Big Bad Wolf is a company that sells English language books all over the world in the millions. Granted, these are books left over from large printing runs, it’s worthwhile for the economies of scale to print more than is needed.

9/16/2020 12:07:33 pm

So far what I noticed about AI is the lack of emphasis or expression when reciting something on the phone, etc. How would AI know to slow down the pace of a phrase, or holler when excited? This all remains to be seen, of course. I don't watch a lot of animated cartoons, which I believe often uses AI. It this correct?

Sorry to say I don't subscribe to newletters, etc. The best I get is an occasional Twitter post about writing, which I rarely finish. (OK, Slap my hand.) I find these posts often use the author's own writing for examples, which I find to be more of a marketing piece. I once read Stephen King's book about writing which I found very interesting, probably because I agreed with him. Perhaps I just don't want to learn that what I am doing is wrong!

I haven't ventured into the international market yet. It sounds like more money spent. Let's face it; if my domestic sales are modest at best, why would I do any better overseas? I am assuming that Amazon is reaching most of those markets anyway? Am I right?

9/16/2020 12:32:55 pm

I don't know anything about AI and cartoons. That is a current limitation of AI, expressing emotion through speech. I think that will be overcome by the AI listening to many thousands of audio books narrated by humans. We will see, we do live in interesting times.
You are probably right, there is most likely an expense in going wide. The benefit is the much increased exposure. Some authors have done very well with that. There are lots of blog posts about it.
When Amazon began, they declared the intention of having a store in every country. That plan was never realized. They do have stores/dedicated websites in 14 countries, as of two years ago. I am not aware that they have opened any new stores since.
Would you do any better if you went through an aggregator? No idea of course. The only hope is that increased exposure will lead to increased sales.
New questions.
What are your favorite reference books or websites for grammar and writing?
Do you ever put a story aside and come back to it at a later date; if so, how long before you return to it?

9/16/2020 12:59:48 pm

Grammar was the only class in school I got an A+ in. That was seventh grade! I've relied on my instincts and retention (in that subject, at least) ever since.

Back in my younger days, when I had an agent for my first novel, she suddenly returned my manuscript with a brief note saying sorry, go soak your head or something like that. To satisfy her demands I had already cut about 100 pages from the manuscript and had "finished" my second book in a hurry. I was devastated, and put my books on the closet shelf, threw away my notes (idiot!!) and left them there for twenty years. I never thought I'd go back to them. But, as fate would have it, I felt unfulfilled all that time and brushed off the cobwebs, as I said earlier. So yes, I put them aside for a while but not the way you meant! Ironically, my original manuscript was typed on Word Star and that word processing program was long defunct. I couldn't even read it in MS Word. It was all gobbledegook. What a panic! But, as we know, the internet can be a wonderful thing and I found a piece of software that could translate Word Star to text. That saved my little butt.

I certainly had mixed feelings, looking at my twenty year-old story. I saw lots of flaws, but essentially liked it. The second book needed a total revision, but that was ok. My expectations were totally different, and yet I was still able to place the books with the hybrid publisher I mentioned. You can see why I needed the ego boost!

These days, I don't put my book aside for more than a week or two. With the help of beta readers, I keep my head clear and can see where the manuscript needs to be enhanced. Walking away is a good thing; it just shouldn't be a habit.

9/16/2020 02:57:08 pm

Excellent. Grammar is just as important as spelling.
That is so odd for that agent to give you a kiss off like that. I don't think I have heard a story like that before. It makes me wonder what happened in her life that she acted like that.
Twenty years is a long time. You matured a lot in that time. I never thought about a length of time measured in years or decades with that question. My context was about days, or a week or two, at the most.
I remember Word Star, it was very confusing! All of that formatting code on the page with the text. I couldn't deal with it.
Knowing the rest of the story, it makes a lot of sense that you took the steps that you did.
New questions.
Were you a plotter or a pantster when you started writing? How about now, has that changed?
Do you think you were born to write or did you have to learn the craft?

9/16/2020 03:47:34 pm

Interesting about plotting. Back to Stephen King and his "On Writing"; here's what he said about plotting: "I distrust plot for two reasons: first, because our lives are largely plotless...and second, because I believe plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren't compatible." Spot on! If I had to rely on plots and outlines, I'd never get a story off the ground. I've never been comfortable with using outlines; it takes too long and locks me in (figuratively speaking). I see writing as a bit of a miracle; there are times I am in a real pickle, so to speak, and I must rely on my characters to solve their own difficulties. Often, I don't know what is going to happen until I write it. You know, it almost always works for me. I've always written this way. Of course, with historical fiction you already know the sequence of events; getting there is the challenge. A lot of times I have to scratch my head because the historical record doesn't make sense to me. The challenge is keeping my character in character. What makes that person tick? No kind of outline will help me there.

I kind of believe a person is born to write, just like an artist is born to draw. What gives me the sense that something is right... or wrong? It comes from deep inside. The grammar is taught, I'm sure. But the knowledge that a particular word is necessary (thank goodness for the Thesaurus) seems to be innate. Although to an extent I think we learn from reading, I also think the ability to recognize good prose must come natural.

9/16/2020 04:34:29 pm

I am part way through "On Writing". I was reading it on our last vacation, mostly on the plane. I haven't been on a plane since then and I haven't looked at the book also. It might be time to finish it.
That is an interesting thought from King. He certainly is a prolific writer.
He is also reported as saying that he didn't enjoy horror that much. So when his writing scared him really bad he knew it was pretty good.
Plotting or pantsing your way through a book. As long as the book gets written that is what counts. For writers of historical fiction, the plot is more or less set already. Filling in the details is what makes or breaks the telling of the story. Even some aspects of the story are set because of the culture of the times the story existed in. As you have previously pointed out, when the experts disagree is when it gets interesting. Figuring out what motivates a character requires some sleuthing at times. You are not the first author I have heard say that you write to learn how the story will turn out.
The thesaurus has saved my bacon more times than I can count. Sometimes a word feels wrong and sometimes it feels right. Context is so important. Thank you Peter Roget! God save the queen. I thought he was French because of his last name. Nope, he is British.
New questions.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
What is the easiest part of writing a book in general?

9/16/2020 06:06:54 pm

Ha! I thought he was French, too. The know-it-alls tell us not to use a Thesaurus, but I think that advice is for people who don't know definitions. For people like me, with memory slips... well, you're right! Saved my bacon, too.

Good questions! Every draft has its difficulties. During the first draft, I have a heck of a time getting the facts down. Like I said earlier, I have to search through all my books to find a little tidbit I just have to use. I am guilty of using a yellow highlighter to mark passages I think I'll need later (unless it's an old book. Then I need bookmarks.). I don't always know what I'm going to use, so sometimes I don't highlight a passage and then I bitterly regret it. My second draft may be toughest for me because I have to figure out how to tie the major events together—the segue ways, as I call them. Or the fillers. They can be critical to the flow of the story, but I have to totally use my imagination. Horrors!

I find the dialog to be the easiest thing to write, because I already know how my characters feel (well, usually). I also think the dialog can add the most intrigue, or sometimes the most tension to the action. Dialog flows for me to the point I sometimes have trouble ending it. Funny, I don't like those kinds of movies, though! (Like THE BIG CHILL)

9/16/2020 07:31:45 pm

You can have my thesaurus when you pry it from... Sorry, I got carried away. I use the dictionary in Word a lot when I am proofing, I also search a lot of words. The thesaurus in word gets used also, but not as much as the dictionary. I want to be presenting proper and factual information to a client.
It's easy for me to imagine how hard it would be to fill in the huge gaps in the historical record from the middle ages. The details of daily life for peasants and up to the king. Everyone had different challenges at different times. Quite a bit like we do now.
Dialogue is so important for conveying information, meaning and context to the reader. Dialogue makes or breaks a book, in my opinion. That is the moment when the reader is closest to the characters, if the emotional connection isn't established there then it is very unlikely to happen.
New questions.
What did you buy with your first royalty check?
How did you celebrate when you published your first book?

9/16/2020 09:04:30 pm

I have a checkered past when it comes to publishing. After my fiasco with the agent (above), I digressed and composed three art indexes by subject (Middle Ages, Classical Art, and Saints). This was way before the internet and they were good library books. (The books cost around $60 each.) My first royalty check was $5000 some-odd dollars, and I thought I was being cheated! Oh, if I had only known!!! I don't remember doing anything special with the check besides pay bills. Mind you, considering how long it took to put each book together I probably made $5.00 per hour. But what else is new? By the time I published my first novel with John Hunt, the thrill was pretty much gone. Too bad!

9/16/2020 11:15:40 pm

Checkered maybe, interesting for certain! Back before the internet that was not to bad of a wage in the 70s and early 80s.
We live and learn.
New questions.
How many times did you rewrite the first page, the first chapter of this book?
Do you have a “favorite” filler word or two that you have to keep taking out of a story, like “just” or like “like”? 😉

9/17/2020 11:23:19 am

This is one of the books that ended up on the shelf for twenty years. I remember very clearly that I was surprised it was there, and that I had written 50 pages (and in first person, if you remember). It was like a gift from the gods. I don't think I changed a thing! It was evidently a story that wanted to pour out of me, and it's a good thing I originally wrote it when it was all fresh in my mind. Most certainly it set the stage, so to speak, for the rest of the book. Godwine Kingmaker was a little tougher, because I was referring to a legend about the origin of the dynasty and it was more than a little apocryphal, I believed. Nonetheless, that's all I had at the time and I had to work with it. Decades later I discovered a more realistic theory about Godwine's origin. Too late!

Oh yes, I have my darlings. I have so many of them I made a list so that I could do a global search on my last draft. "That" is at the top of the list, so is "appeared, seemed, were, began, and little". I love to have my characters turn around. That's the toughest to fix.

9/17/2020 01:35:04 pm

That is amazing! On the shelf for so long and it was perfect. I love it because it is so different from what most authors relate to me. When something that old is discovered there is usually weeping, derision and gnashing of teeth.
You can only fight a war with the weapons you have. Kingmaker went through some major changes.
'That' is a very common filler word. I am always looking for ways to delete it because so many authors use it so liberally. A double 'that' drives me up a wall. I see 'just' quite a bit, even in my writing.
Turning around is a good action beat. A character could also lean over, lean back, and probably more.
New questions.
Do you believe that a good book will sell itself?
Do you think good marketing can overcome the limitations of a mediocre book?

9/17/2020 03:33:25 pm

No and no. That's my own belief, anyway. My own books aside(!!!) there are many obscure books I've read that are fabulous but don't have mass market appeal. That's the kind of world we live in. Just look at how movies are made; who wants to take a chance on an unknown? Once in a while a "sleeper" gets through, then the copy cats all fall into place. Of course great marketing helps, and it even might make a fortune for the author in the short run. Humans may be easily influenced, but in the end they know when the've been "had". Or at least I hope so! How many Shades of Grey can we tolerate? Of course, once the fortune is made, does the author care?

9/17/2020 04:09:38 pm

I agree with you. There are a lot of well-written books that don't fit into the mainstream. So they never reach the critical saturation point in the market and a fortune is missed being made.
Good point about movies, they keep recycling the same stories, with minor tweaks. In some ways the traditional publishing industry is in the same spot, with profit margins being so skinny, they don't take chances anymore.
New questions.
What is the biggest myth about writing that would help aspiring authors?
Writing historical fiction, the main characters already exist for you. Do you ever compare them to modern people who you think might be like them for insight into their psychology?

9/17/2020 08:46:24 pm

We could fill a volume about publishing myths, couldn't we? My biggest disappointment (and it shouldn't have been) was thinking that a publisher would do some serious marketing for my book. Wrong! I should have realized that they have to get back their investment (i.e. the advance) on the big players. There's not enough money left over for the little guys. Since the author finds himself/herself responsible for their own marketing, it makes indie publishing a lot more understandable. Losing all the reproduction rights with a publisher doesn't sound like a big deal initially, but that too can have long-term impact. I was very fortunate that my publisher was not interested in audio rights; years down the road, I was able to publish my books on audio myself. At the time I signed the contract, it was totally unthinkable. Who would think things would change so drastically?

As for the characters, ironically this very I made a post about Harold and Tostig feuding that sparked quite a discussion concerning people fighting with their own brothers. Some things never change.

9/17/2020 09:37:43 pm

Your biggest disappointment about marketing is echoed by so many authors, even some traditionally published authors. You mentioned the advance, another huge disappointment! If there is an advance, that is a big if, it must be paid back by sales of the book. The advance is most likely going to be very small, and the royalties the author has agreed to will be non-existent until the advance is paid back in full.
Too many authors trust the publisher. The only thing you can trust the publisher for certain is that the publisher will take care of themselves first. Really, it has to be that way. If the publisher cannot make a profit then they won't be in business for long. They have a lot of expenses, whether they are small of big.
It is so important for the author to have a knowledgeable lawyer look the contract over, to be sure the author's intellectual property rights are protected. As you mentioned audio books, there are a lot more ways to license a story beyond that now. Plus there is licensing in foreign markets in English or translated into other languages.
We know that sibling rivalry has existed for a long time, beginning with Cain and Abel.
New questions.
Do you have any problems when writing about characters of the opposite sex, why or why not?
How do you balance the demands on your time as a writer with personal relationships?

9/18/2020 12:17:35 pm

It seems like publishers have an uphill climb these days. I can't see how it will ever get better for aspiring authors.

Interesting question about gender. I was a tomboy when I was a kid and never grew out of it. I am actually more comfortable writing about men then women. Isn't that odd? Especially in a historical context, I see women as pretty dull for the most part. It's not their fault: they are lucky to get educated in anything besides taking care of the home, child rearing, etc. Their rights are practically nonexistent and they are obliged to do what their parents tell them. It's terribly risky writing about a rebellious daughter resisting marriage because she only wants love. How many truly influential, rebellious women got their own way in the middle ages? I suspect very few. How many got to go on adventures? Leave the house without a chaperone? No, they had to sit in their solar working on embroidery and waiting for their man to come home. Many of the historical fiction books I read about women have them spending most of their time waiting—even famous women. The very few who asserted themselves were castigated, called she-wolf, or something equally insulted. I'd far rather write about men who get all the glory!

Fortunately for me, my husband is low-maintenance, as am I. We don't make demands on each other's time, and we are very comfortable in our lifestyle. Alas, I'm kind of a lone wolf and don't go out socially very often. I have very little patience for small talk and parties, so my attitude fits my lifestyle.

9/18/2020 12:44:39 pm

I don't think it will ever be easy for the author seeking an agent and traditional publishing. I learned early this year that most legitimate, literary agents receive no compensation until a contract is signed and books are sold. The odds are stacked against the unknown author.
I know one independent author that wrote a four book series and decided to query the fifth. She actually got some interest from an agent, but the agent wanted her to rewrite the story out of the series. The author agreed to do that and never heard back from the agent. She went ahead and published it.
Women in the middle ages had little to no standing without a husband. They were more like a commodity waiting to be sold at market. They certainly seem dull, since the history has been written by men.
Men had all the excitement and took all the risks.
You and your husband are well matched. I imagine that you both have done well in the covid isolations. I know I have for the most part. I still get to see some of our children and grandchildren almost every week.
The one thing I do miss a lot is teaching the kindergartners at church and working with the other volunteers.
New questions.
Did you have pieces of the story that were removed from this book? If, so why did you remove them?
Do you have any other passions or creative outlets to pursue if you didn't write?

9/18/2020 04:55:01 pm

My husband and I joke that our lifestyle hasn't changed significantly because of Covid. We take more walks!

I'm one of those authors who writes less on the first draft and needs to add, rather than the other way around. Ever since my first novel and cutting out all that stuff (due to the agent's request, as written above), I never did it again. In fact, I wish I had kept what I removed, but I was young and foolish and lost it all. Interestingly, with SONS, I really did the opposite. My first inclination was to write the Harold Godwineson story completely from his brothers' point of view. When I got to the end, I saw that it was woefully thin. Not only was the book too short, it was missing too many things his brothers would never have known (like his relationship with Edith Swan Neck). So I had to go through it again and all Harold's memories. Naturally, that made a huge difference!

Realistically, I'm not missing any lost vocations. Back when I was younger I was an active reenactor which involved many creative activities; I loved making pavilions, believe it or not, and costuming. But when I got married, my spouse was not interested so I let it drop. I think I had outgrown that particular hobby anyway, and most of my friends had already left the group. I never found anything to replace it, and I miss it on occasion, though it's only in passing.

9/18/2020 06:09:53 pm

You certainly made the right choice with this book. Rotating the point of view by chapter worked quite well to avoid head hopping. On a couple of the long chapters I had to check the title to verify whose POV was active, but all in all I loved it.
I thought about getting into reenacting when we lived in Vancouver, Washington. There is a vibrant community and a part of the old fort is still there. I started to collect gear, but never took the plunge, family life took precedence.
New questions.
Are you going to use first person POV in a book again?
What type of scenes do you find hard to write and why?

9/18/2020 07:26:11 pm

I really enjoyed writing these books in first person. Funny how I went back to third person in my next series... or maybe not. I didn't feel comfortable jumping into the head of King Richard II. Was it because he was so incomprehensible to historians? Or was it because I didn't think I could fathom how a king would feel? Probably a bit of both. So for the next few books I'm sticking with third person. Perhaps in the future I will go back to first person, but I noticed it seems best when used as a secondary character talking about the king, or whatever—outside looking in, as it were. It seems that when I do write, the POV I use just comes natural.

I have a hard time writing intimate scenes, partly because I think there's a fine line between sexy and pornographic. I don't think it fits into historical fiction unless, as in my first book, the outcome is a bastard. Even then, I wondered how I would ever get that book into a library. It probably never happened!

9/19/2020 12:05:47 pm

If you were going to write the next series in first person it could be done like this book, through the eyes of the people closest to him. You could even throw in a bit from a wicked person.
I haven't checked a book out of a library in a long time, even though I live only about six blocks away from one. I have so many books I want to read now my Kindle is getting heavy.
I have no doubt that there are some racy books in the library.
New questions.
How do you maintain the excitement for yourself? Your excitement will impact others around you.
Do your friends and family members buy your books?

9/19/2020 03:42:35 pm

That's a good question. While I am writing a book, I read about the subject literally every day. I wonder myself how I can maintain interest. Most of my reading is the second time around, and it's a marvel what I uncover—usually in the footnotes. You miss so much the first time around. So you could say I treat it as kind of a treasure hunt, and I do discover new things that force me to go back and enhance my prose. Sometimes it's as little as colorful imagery. That very thing happened this morning (first reading this time, but a very pedantic writer). He gave the most incredible description the huge nave called Paul's Walk inside St. Paul's Cathedral; this is undoubtedly where my source pulled the truncated description from. Too bad I already wrote about it in my previous book! (Where Queen Anne was laid out in state after her death.) Too late for me this time. Anyway, this is why I only pick topics I am sincerely interested in; if I'm going to spend one or two years on it, I had better be in love with the subject!

I had one friend who helped me with my book; he, too, was a writer. Otherwise, no. Even my spouse doesn't read my books. But since he's my patron, I forgive him! If we go on a long road trip I will read my book to him since he's a captive audience. At least that way he can help me when we do shows.

9/19/2020 04:24:15 pm

That is an excellent plan and makes so much sense. Since you know you will spend a long time on the topic, loving it and the treasure hunt makes a lot of difference in your energy level.
Your husband really loves you. That is pretty obvious if he helps you at public events. What a good guy! If nothing else, he can be your cashier.
New questions.
What area of your writing has the greatest need for improvement at this time?
Is there a non-writing skill you would like to have that might help you as an author?

9/19/2020 04:43:00 pm

I think discipline is at the top of the list! My books get written, but I tire easily and require lots of breaks, especially in my first draft. It's just as well: I don't work well under pressure.

I am envious of writers that use a lot of imagery in their story. I think if I had the skills of an artist I might do a better job imagining settings.

9/19/2020 05:08:17 pm

Oh boy, I need a nap also. I am 67 now and naps look better all the time.
Imagery is an important thing. There are a lot of factors that go into a well-crafted description of a setting. An art course is a good idea. Sketching, or painting could be helpful and fun. For that matter, a course in photography might be worthwhile also, there you have exposure manipulations and framing the picture is vital and can make a big difference. Most of the mechanics have been eliminated so that allows for learning the artistic side easier.
I personally love black and white photography, it is far more unforgiving of mistakes than color photography. Ansel Adams is a favorite.
New questions.
On average, how long does it take you to write a book?
What is your next book about and when do you think it will be published?

9/19/2020 05:22:51 pm

On the average, I come out with a new book every 12-15 months. Most of my writing gets done in the winter season when I am captive in the house. I'm usually researching the next book while I am writing the current one so I know where my characters are headed. If I start a whole new series in a whole new era, it'll probably take two years to write the first book. I see books all the time by successful authors that are obviously rushed to publication; to me the quality starts to drop when the author feels rushed. I'm not inclined to fall into that trap. I don't really think that anyone is chomping at the bit to read my next novel!

My current WIP is called THE USURPER KING, starting with Henry Bolingbroke in exile. The thing I don't know is where it will end. There's a lot going on in the early part of his reign—three major rebellions in the first five years...not to mention the Richard II subplot. So this, too, may evolve into two books. I just don't know yet. The stress between him and his heir is a whopper, if you remember your Shakespeare (Henry IV part 1 and 2), though there doesn't seem to be a consensus among historians as to how much is fabricated by the great bard. More research is required!

9/19/2020 06:17:07 pm

You do have fans. There are people who want your next book. Granted, history and historical fiction are not at the top of a lot of peoples' lists, but you are a good writer. While poorly-told history can be a snoozer, your books bring history to life, especially this book written in first person POV. You have a website and a mailing list, maybe you should encourage people a little bit more to sign up for your newsletter. You are sending out a newsletter, aren't you?
Bolingbrooke was a busy bee! No one can accuse of him of being a slacker and unconcerned about his welfare and legacy. This is going to be good stuff! I can feel it.
New questions.
What will you do differently with this next book, in terms of publishing, if anything?
Have you ever developed a fondness or attachment to one of your characters?
Have you ever killed off a character unwillingly because it fit the plot?

9/19/2020 07:05:43 pm

Thanks for the positive reinforcement, Mark! Yes, I do have a mailing list and I mainly use it for specials, though I do try to email once a month regardless.

I have to say my heart went out to Tostig Godwineson. Not only was he the most fun to write about, I thought he got a bad deal all the way around. Of course, that also goes with your third question. I had to kill all the brothers except the youngest, Wulfnoth, who spent the rest of his life a hostage. You haven't gotten there yet, but the events of 1066 are so pivotal that allegedly every schoolchild in England is taught about it in school. At least I hope so! Not so much here in America, which is where I come in. The Godwines who were such a major force in Anglo-Saxon history, it's a shame to see them fade into obscurity after only two generations. So very sad! And of course in GODWINE KINGMAKER I had to kill off King Canute. If he had lived a full life, I think so much would have been different. Maybe even the English would be speaking Danish now!

9/19/2020 08:42:24 pm

Good, I better subscribe to your email, if I am not already.
I remember learning about the Battle of Hastings and the year 1066 associated with it, if I recall correctly. I can't remember Why it is so important beyond that. My wild guess is the Normans were defeated by the Saxons so thoroughly they never regained their control over the British Isles. Please correct this humble padawan as needed.
You have to kill the major people when they die, more or less. That is what is recorded in history.
Now, if you ever have a mind to delve into alternate history, perhaps with a touch of sci-fi thrown in for time traveling plot devices, Mark Twain would say that's the spirit.
What if Canute never lost control and Danish became the mother tongue of England? Would the American Revolution have taken place? Food for thought.
New questions.
How do you deal with a difficult section in a WIP?
Have you ever read that section out loud to sort out the difficulty?

9/20/2020 10:21:55 am

SO sorry... you got it backwards. The Normans defeated the Saxons so thoroughly that the whole English aristocracy was wiped out in the succeeding decade, to be replaced by Norman overlords. They are the ones who built the stone castles.

If I am having a particularly hellacious time with my WIP, I will stop everything and sit down with a couple of history books. Lucky me! There's usually some sort of answer I may have overlooked. If all else fails, I will put a big gap in the manuscript, make myself a note and move on. By the time I get to it in the next draft, about half the time the issue has worked itself out. The other half of the time I put my nose to the grindstone and force my way through, knowing it's only a temporary blip. Having finished a previous draft, it doesn't look like a dark tunnel in front of me.

During my second draft I read everything out loud. If it doesn't sound right to my ears, it won't read well. My husband often thinks I'm talking to him from across the house! Anyway, I usually don't read out loud during my first draft; there's no flow yet.

9/20/2020 10:44:59 am

Why am I not surprised my lysdexia kicked in again. It happens often enough. Thank you for the clarification. Normans 1 Saxons 0.
Your plan for dealing with writer's block and black holes in a manuscript sounds like it works well for you.
I think reading aloud is quite helpful because it brings more than one of the senses to bear on the issue. I also have suggested to allow software to read a passage out loud. A mechanical voice is different from our own. Another trick I recommend is reading backwards, one paragraph at a time.
New questions.
Do you use music or some other stimulus to cultivate a feeling within that will help you write certain types of scenes?
Do the reviews of your books make an impact on how you write subsequent books or volumes?

9/20/2020 11:16:23 am

I never thought about reading it backwards. I'll give it a try!

I actually need to write in total silence (it's not easy in a house with an open floor plan, but we manage). Music helps me get through the gym, but not at home.

Book reviews can be very helpful, if written constructively. Mostly they have made me aware of the necessity of getting everything right; there's always someone out there who knows their stuff better than I do. It kind of adds to the paranoia and makes me triple-check my sources. And I still make mistakes. There are times I conclude that the reviewer just isn't my kind of reader (they sometimes accuse me of too much history) or came to my book with false expectations. On the whole, I know my own voice and follow it. You can't please everyone!

9/20/2020 01:23:36 pm

One more idea at no charge for you, my friend. Change the font and color of the font for a read through. It jars our brain in a beneficial way.
I can read pretty much anywhere. But when it's time for serious work, I need silence like you do. Proofreading means no music or other distractions for me.
You nailed it. There is always someone who knows more or has a great eye for the errors.
Every book has an audience and the opposite is true also, every book has a non-audience, those people who won't enjoy the story for any number of reasons. You cannot please everyone. 100 percent. The book has not been written that everyone loves and never will be.
New questions.
Is there any particular time of the day that ideas usually hit you?
Are there any secrets people are bound to find when they read your books?

9/20/2020 06:48:08 pm

I like your idea about secrets! I wish I was that clever. No, my stuff is pretty straightforward. I used to hate symbolism when I was in college (English Literature major) and I rarely got the analogy.

I would say I get my best brainstorms while I'm supposed to be reading my non-fiction morning coffee research book. Suddenly I find myself staring out the window, plotting the next chapter. Of course, this is not to be discouraged, but I wish it happened while I was actively typing instead of comfortably reading.

9/20/2020 07:27:52 pm

You must be one of those concrete people who think in a straight line most of the time, a, b, c, etc.
Many authors have mentioned to me that the muse speaks so often when they are not ready. It seems to be a common problem. I know one author that hears from her muse about 2:30 am almost every morning, of course, she keeps a pad and pen handy. Another author revealed that her muse whispers to her in the shower and she lamented missing so many good ideas because they were gone by the time she got out. I suggested she get a waterproof notepad and a Space pen, so she can record the inspirations in the shower. She was happy to learn about that.
I am betting you write those ideas down, so you won't lose the golden stuff.
I have found that performing a simple, repetitive task helps me to hear the muse when I am faced with a big problem.
New questions.
Is it hard or easy to connect with your muse, why do you think it is that way?
For your own reading, do you prefer e-books or physical books?

9/20/2020 09:14:25 pm

I always think of the muse as a poetic entity, or some agency to help the creative flow. Again, because I am such a linear thinker, I'm not sure I'm wired that way! Inspiration comes about after hard work, or careful consideration. I feel like the information I need is already there waiting to be dug up, not a light bulb in my head. When I need it, with luck I can find it.

I bring my Kindle to the gym with me for the treadmill, that's for sure. When reading before bed, I prefer a book because the light from the Kindle seems to keep me awake. When doing research, I always prefer a real book; for some reason, when my source is electronic, I don't retain the information as well. It's also much harder to retrieve it electronically. Sometimes I don't have a choice; at times I can't get my hands on a physical history book. And also, let's face it: a free or .99 ebook can be irresistible—much less expensive these days than a paperback. That's a deciding factor.

9/20/2020 09:33:54 pm

Some people have to work harder than others to find what they need. No question.
The light from electronics will keep you awake, it's also hard on the eyes according to what I have read. I read all day, so I found an adjustment on my phone and laptop to give the screen backlight an orange glow and it's much easier on my eyes. It looks weird at first, but now I am used to it and I find it more comfortable. I hope it is helping my eyes also.
In an e-book, you can highlight passages and make notes. If you are not using those features you will discover how useful they are.
New questions.
Do you edit and proofread your own books or use a professional?
How do you convince readers to write a book review?

9/21/2020 11:55:48 am

Most of my old history books on Kindle are scanned. I can't highlight them (too bad!!) and sometimes, I can't even bookmark that page. Sometimes, such as with Archive.org, I can get it on MOBI (they use OCR), but the text is so full of random characters that it's impossible to read. Also, the footnotes are blended into the text (same font size) so it's hard to figure out where the text continues on the next page. It's very frustrating but still better than not having them at all.

Because of financial restrictions I try to proofread my own books with the help of software programs. If I am lucky my beta readers catch mistakes. It's faulty at best, I know.

I wish I knew how to convince readers to write a review. It seems that most people are uncomfortable about it, and even asking for a sentence is more than they are willing to do. I review every book I finish with the hopes that my readers might return the favor, but it doesn't work that way, does it? But my efforts did not go unrewarded: Amazon made me a Vine reviewer, so I can get free stuff! Anyway, many of my peers have concluded that maybe one in a hundred readers will leave a review; that sounds about right. So moderate sellers are doomed to languish, I think.

9/21/2020 01:00:54 pm

I thought all Kindle books were created equal. That is very sad news. Dealing with all of that stuff would be really hard. You can not relax much when reading for research. Notes or screenshots become imperative.
I understand about budgets, we all have to deal with them.
It is hard to get readers to leave a review. I have heard that from so many authors. 1% is a very low number. How many reviews did you leave to become a Vine reviewer? I have not heard of that program before.
New questions.
What are your thoughts on bad book reviews?
What marketing strategy has had an immediate impact on your daily sales?

9/21/2020 01:33:47 pm

Amazon Vine is an invitation only program for reviewers who have achieved a certain percentage of helpful reviews. It doesn't correspond with the number of reviews left; my reviewer ranking is a paltry 12,850 which is way above the heavy hitters (the lower the better). But at some point my helpful reviews triggered an invitation and an email came out of the blue. Vendors set aside items for Vine reviewers to sample and keep, as long as we leave a review. The items cannot be resold for six months, then we are free to do what we please with them. You will see the badge "Vine Voice" after the reviewer's name. It's quite an honor, actually.

Constructive bad book reviews can certainly be INstructive if the author puts aside the bad feelings. Although I must admit, I very rarely leave a bad review, myself. I know how hard an author works and it's not fair to trash their work just because it doesn't suit my taste. If I can't finish a book, I won't review it; that's not fair, either. A bad review without any support to back it up just has to be ignored, even though it hurts the ratings. I once had review that said my historical accuracy was iffy. That hurt! But also, nothing else was said, so the criticism was worthless. I also got a 2 star rating with no review; Amazon is allowing that, now. Frankly, that's not fair, either!

I cannot find a marketing strategy that works consistently. I try AMS ads through Amazon which at least gets some exposure (the competition is fierce). But because the bidding price is fairly high, I can't break even. How long am I willing to lose money to advertise? Oh, I mean spend money. Giving one's books away gets the most action, but my most successful giveaway, about 1500 books, garnered me zero reviews. And no appreciable sales on my other books. I never tried that again! They say most people don't even read the free books they download.

Some marketers really like BookBub. I don't mean the featured deals... these are rare and an author is incredibly lucky to get accepted. I'm talking about BookBub ads. There is a strategy to getting the ads to work (there's a marketing Guru out there named David Gaughran who wrote an interesting book on the subject). I tried David's strategy and it kind of worked, but I'm sure the limited appeal of my subject got in the way. Even he said BookBub ads don't work well unless you make your book cheap... 0.99 or free. So there you go. I'm still flailing around.

9/21/2020 02:57:38 pm

There are different kinds of bad reviews, no doubt. The helpful ones are good and actually help support the good reviews, because that bad review demonstrates that the good ones are not just from friends and family. Then there are the trolls, they enjoy kicking over trash cans also. They deserve only one thing, to be ignored. It's very important to not engage them, because they love nothing more than knowing they got under someone's skin.
I would think that the charge of historical inaccuracy came from a person who didn't know as much as you or had a different interpretation of the facts. You can't do anything about either of those things.
The Amazon ad thing is amazing and lines the pockets of Amazon so well, a genius strategy for them, not so much for authors.
There are some great blogs about ads, another is Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur. He has done a lot of research into Amazon ads.
New questions.
How do you relax when you're not writing?
What is your favorite motivational phrase that keeps you going?
What famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet? A famous author?

9/21/2020 04:02:44 pm

I love working in the yard when the weather is perfect; this is great therapy for me and there's plenty to do! I also use that time to catch up on my audio books. In the winter, I am stuck to I just concentrate on my writing. It's amazing how fast the time goes.

It's funny... when I am frustrated by lack of sales I keep thinking about Vincent Van Gogh. Now, that's a serious case of not being appreciated until after your death—not that I want to go that way! I understand that just before his death (maybe suicide, maybe not) his last show was actually successful. If he had just hung on, his life might have become very different.

I'd have loved to have met Peter O'Toole. I've been obsessed with him for all of my adult life. He's such a fascinating mix of "bad boy", charisma, intellectualism, and mystery that he was truly one-of-a-kind. Ironically, I used to dream about him, but once he died the dreams stopped. Strange, isn't it?

9/21/2020 05:26:24 pm

After growing up, I started to appreciate yardwork much more than before. I found it to be rather relaxing. Especially raking leaves, that chore lasted almost three months.
I imagine that VVG would have had a much better life. He illustrates the idea that you only lose when you give up.
That is very interesting about O'Toole and your dreams. I don't recall ever dreaming about a famous person. It may well have happened, but I don't remember it.
Last questions.
What are your thoughts about mentoring beginning writers?
What books do you think every author should read, and why?

9/21/2020 06:15:43 pm

I never thought about mentoring another writer. I think it would be very difficult. How does one teach the feeling you get when you know what you just wrote is right? Or wrong? Every writer's book gives the experience of that particular author, and I suspect one cannot absorb the advice until one is ready... through practice. This goes back to the question of whether one is born with the talent or not.

What books... I'm not sure why but I feel that Mark Twain is an important part of every upbringing. He was so deliciously honest yet sarcastic, and so very American. I think Sherlock Holmes is important for critical thinking and characterization. I think Shakespeare is important because he is such an integral part of our culture—even our world culture, since everyone does Shakespeare. Even Klingons. Mind you, I didn't give book titles because I don't think it matters. Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth... they all teach us something.

9/21/2020 07:05:30 pm

That is a very eclectic list. There are so many excellent authors and each can teach us something unique and special. Mark Twain helped me through some rough times when I was young.
I have another promotion that starts tomorrow. So we must bring this interview to a close. Thank you for being a regular guest on the Wordrefiner channel. I enjoy our conversation a great deal. We have had a lot of visitors this week, even though they don't join our conversation, they are still there.
Until next time, Mercedes, keep on writing.

9/21/2020 08:45:33 pm

Thank you, Mark. It seems you are getting to know me very well! It's been a great week and I enjoyed visiting with you. Until next time... Au revoir.

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls By Mercedes Rochelle

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