tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405034409026571352024-03-13T02:19:13.636-07:00The Seven Noble Knights of LaraThe Seven Noble Knights of Lara: An epic novel of medieval Spain with strong women, valiant knights, and a bloody cucumberJessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-86982274960428415542015-05-09T06:18:00.001-07:002015-05-09T06:18:34.161-07:00The End of One Journey, The Beginning of an Even More Exciting One<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiLlWMpvUl0aetSRkFLEbPeOieCqUcE74iO-GB2mshmqdajJYqq6pSNJxpQBfzuVfFIuBYwQ_ewtyAJnvf52YZZVCkyffkxEhsvSpIYjnHx01AnKIe_S8ib5dGfj64wdy4Q2ZbavjNFT9/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+083+crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiLlWMpvUl0aetSRkFLEbPeOieCqUcE74iO-GB2mshmqdajJYqq6pSNJxpQBfzuVfFIuBYwQ_ewtyAJnvf52YZZVCkyffkxEhsvSpIYjnHx01AnKIe_S8ib5dGfj64wdy4Q2ZbavjNFT9/s400/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+083+crop.JPG" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crest of Salas de los Infantes tells the Lara side of the story. </td></tr>
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I spent two years writing my darling baby novel and more years revising it (see some of that saga <a href="http://7nkl.blogspot.com/2014/10/okay-i-finally-get-it.html">here</a> and <a href="http://7nkl.blogspot.com/2015/03/revisions.html">here</a>), but nothing happens before its time. All the elements have finally aligned for <i>Seven Noble Knights.</i> <a href="https://acmrs.org/publications/bagwyn">Bagwyn Books</a> will publish it in late 2016.<br />
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It was the day of my and my husband's return from ten days in Spain, our favorite place in the world. It's a long flight, but because of the time zones, we left Madrid a bit after noon and arrived stateside at about 2:30 pm. Having breakfast in Madrid and landing, only a little later in the day, somewhere so different it gives you culture shock even though you recognize everything—it creates severe nostalgic ache to go along with the raw fatigue. Moaning and groaning ensues. We took in the scenery, my husband kept reaching for the clutch in our automatic transmission, and we made it home to unpack in less than ten minutes, our few souvenirs bizarrely out of context now.<br />
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Yet some of the euphoria of the journey had imprinted on our minds and would be extended by an unexpected but long-hoped-for email. I was taking care of business when at 6:44 pm, a message came in with the subject SEVEN NOBLE KNIGHTS from the publisher I had so jubilantly submitted the full manuscript to in February. Up until now, these messages have been disappointing, so I braced myself.<br />
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"Dear Jessica," it began. "We have now finished our preliminary review of SEVEN NOBLE KNIGHTS..."<br />
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Yes, yes, but... I waited for the punch.<br />
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"...and have decided we are indeed interested in publishing."<br />
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Did I read that right?<br />
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This is a yes?<br />
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I never knew it would be <i>so</i> beautiful.<br />
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"This novel is very well done and hard to put down!"<br />
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That's when the tears welled up. To see my hard work pay off!<br />
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My husband entered the room and I squeaked, "I think my dreams are coming true."<br />
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It's taken a few weeks to iron out the legal mumbo-jumbo, but I can now look forward to working with professionals who specialize in medieval and renaissance fiction... on even more revisions. But really, when I came across Bagwyn, I was impressed that it's the fiction imprint of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. I already own a few of their books! I can't imagine a more appropriate publisher for <i>Seven Noble Knights.</i><br />
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Thanks to all the writers and historical fiction lovers who helped me through the drafts and the many revisions. You know who you are. I'll name names in the <i>published</i> acknowledgments.Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-67517516340756217822015-05-05T00:30:00.000-07:002015-05-09T04:25:56.149-07:00Seven Noble Knights in Modern LifeMy recent trip to Spain had many life-changing moments. Most relevant to my writing, I got to see the legend upon which I based my novel <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> "out in the world." The events, if they ever really took place, happened more than 1000 years ago. That's a lot of time for historians, minstrels, and everyone else to make the story their own.<br />
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Most amusing to me was the way entrepreneurs could use the characters' names and count on their buying public to know what they're referring to. For example:<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEf99Wvl1dqyh5clq1QXTTworVaDMi92fGwlJCyPdK2Bn5A8q663TLxD0alC9I0j1EJATqruqASjBp5SZR8c6cMc4crZpmY05BzxE2pWyT16L2K3109dSl7hPCZV19ZrYg60g0w0NLdcA3/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEf99Wvl1dqyh5clq1QXTTworVaDMi92fGwlJCyPdK2Bn5A8q663TLxD0alC9I0j1EJATqruqASjBp5SZR8c6cMc4crZpmY05BzxE2pWyT16L2K3109dSl7hPCZV19ZrYg60g0w0NLdcA3/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+108.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Mudarra Café and Grill in Salas de los Infantes</td></tr>
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This restaurant is named for the hero of the second part of the saga, who redeems the González family after fifteen years.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJnPG1_R0HRwToYmalV6eU7hXYYDqMX43vUCwndHDTMOfoTEkdcuhS0VnMrVKmD7qr5bm4ONP77rQpDTpvioeoKJzZHchOMHIS6vtEZw6Riv5qbaQXww0nNopSH_k-bPdW1OFzqJf5duu/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJnPG1_R0HRwToYmalV6eU7hXYYDqMX43vUCwndHDTMOfoTEkdcuhS0VnMrVKmD7qr5bm4ONP77rQpDTpvioeoKJzZHchOMHIS6vtEZw6Riv5qbaQXww0nNopSH_k-bPdW1OFzqJf5duu/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+088.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Los Infantes Bakery in Salas de los Infantes</td></tr>
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An enterprising pastry chef knew "Los Infantes" (the seven noble knights of my title) would lend his wares credibility.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmliOqd4eWFHbiGj4hZSKeOvl4PxXAlxJ5VfQ36c596DJMf6l2fNNtUn26hothW2uAlWaNQevSsrnF5P9NX8-MTe2UP7xjYFicNJE9AKIj1bgJjW1bOZfJGMg8-JDEh_eXUZW919LVzY1U/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmliOqd4eWFHbiGj4hZSKeOvl4PxXAlxJ5VfQ36c596DJMf6l2fNNtUn26hothW2uAlWaNQevSsrnF5P9NX8-MTe2UP7xjYFicNJE9AKIj1bgJjW1bOZfJGMg8-JDEh_eXUZW919LVzY1U/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+033.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Doña Lambra Hotel and Restaurant</td></tr>
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More surprisingly, this hotel and restaurant flaunts the name of the legend's supervillain, Doña Lambra. Granted, it's located in Barbadillo del Mercado, her territory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn89czweMNRSBP7mkMDrCtI2ER51xB2emTR88toAMLWS28Sy9OrTn5rEBmBujo39nq-uOCDH9Jl9w4mgg0meej9HrO09zIXJhyEtNBOzFOMTe689ic6DxCG_VefdfeQ1QwLfRF4gJCeV3T/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+009+Crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn89czweMNRSBP7mkMDrCtI2ER51xB2emTR88toAMLWS28Sy9OrTn5rEBmBujo39nq-uOCDH9Jl9w4mgg0meej9HrO09zIXJhyEtNBOzFOMTe689ic6DxCG_VefdfeQ1QwLfRF4gJCeV3T/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+009+Crop.JPG" width="241" /></a></div>
Barbadillo also boasts a Lambra Street!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8KSi-McpN9aOD30fSixIShcn4hPrAc66aKHoDaCdJ7AXWtINaEuMMrZxlEuw0xwZf5NIYNIe-UUdGSotVduOLJW00gHjjK_C3yRKZO49UYfda1hU7Tv5arQMKiheErtgjCWD4gWA15Q_/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+026+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8KSi-McpN9aOD30fSixIShcn4hPrAc66aKHoDaCdJ7AXWtINaEuMMrZxlEuw0xwZf5NIYNIe-UUdGSotVduOLJW00gHjjK_C3yRKZO49UYfda1hU7Tv5arQMKiheErtgjCWD4gWA15Q_/s1600/Barbadillo,+Clunia,+Salas,+Quintanilla+026+copy.JPG" width="268" /></a></div>
And a twentieth-century sculptor was moved to honor Barbadillo's most notorious ruler with a rather nice statue. The inscription reads, "Doña Lambra. Between history and legend, she ruled this village in the high Middle Ages, immersed in the events that would end with the betrayal of the seven noble knights and Mudarra's revenge (10th century)." Behind Lambra, on the left, is an impression of her husband, Ruy Blásquez, the seven noble knights' uncle. On the other side, Mudarra, the great hero. The statue tells a lot of the legend with no need for reference elsewhere. My husband and I weren't sure where the statue was, so we walked what we thought was the whole town with no luck, and then asked a couple of different residents before we found it. I was thrilled to be able to speak the name of the antagonist of my novel and see recognition on people's faces. They needed no explanation!<br />
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Stories are powerful, and apparently they last through time. I'm proud to continue the legend of the seven noble knights.<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">My book of stories, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU4IC5U" style="font-style: italic;">Unpredictable Worlds</a><i style="font-style: normal;">,</i></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">releases for Kindle on May 15 with a softcover edition available the same day. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU4IC5U" style="font-style: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">Unpredictable Worlds</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">is already available for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU4IC5U" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">preorder</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">only 99 cents</b>. Once it’s out there in the world, the price will go up, so<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">save</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at least 66% now<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>have this strangely amazing book delivered to your device on release day. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">(Originally posted at <a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/2015/05/seven-noble-knights-in-modern-life.html">jessicaknauss.com</a>)</span></div>
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Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-11566951025241385272015-03-09T17:39:00.000-07:002015-03-09T17:39:09.436-07:00Revisions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I killed some of my darlings. </td></tr>
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It took a number of months of intense writing and fretting, but at last I completed the revisions and rewrites planned out in the previous post. I was pleased to think I was cutting down the word count, but that was before I reintegrated the important details from the gutted chapters and added some more great scenes to move the story and character development along. <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> ended up being just about as long as it had been before the extreme cuts.<br />
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The strangest thing happened when I was nearing the home stretch of revisions: a publisher I had queried before I had my epiphany requested the full manuscript. Well, that's flattering! The first bad sign was that their website indicated a month to six weeks for such a response, and in reality it took six months. The second bad sign was that I wrote back to explain that I was currently revising and would send the full manuscript by a certain date, and never had any response one way or the other. I happened to know a couple of authors with that publisher, so I asked one of them to confirm or disprove the qualms that were awakening in me with those signs.<br />
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I'm glad I did it, but it was an unexpected roller coaster! My author friend wanted to let me make my own decision, but gave me the unvarnished truth of her experience with the publisher. A general carelessness, a my-way-or-the-highway attitude, not being taken seriously in the business because of a consistent lack of professionalism, a poor contract, no promotions budget, and the most egregious of all, no proof copy for the author to inspect resulting in glaring copyediting issues in the finished product—all this made me glad they hadn't gotten back to me sooner. I might have just sent the manuscript right off to a destiny of schlocky obscurity.<br />
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I stuck to the deadline I'd imposed on myself in the one-way correspondence with this publisher, and when I had <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> just about the way I wanted it, complete with trusted feedback and an objective copyedit, I looked back in my records and found a different publisher. I felt in my heart and confirmed with research that they were a great fit, so I prepared the query and sent.<br />
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They requested the full manuscript the same day.<br />
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I cried tears of joy.<br />
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And now it's back to the waiting and hoping. I've been doing a lot of that lately! It would be a dream come true for this publisher to take on <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>. Oh, the validation!<br />
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In the meantime, the wait is over for one important part of my life: soon I'll be heading to Spain. I plan to take loads of photos of places in <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> and other historical novels in planning and share them with you here! ¡Olé!<br />
<br />Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-22914246182428661912014-10-21T11:33:00.000-07:002014-10-21T11:33:16.283-07:00Okay, I Finally Get It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't usually learn the hard way. But the tenacity needed by a writer these days seems to have dulled my previously incisive perception. Or it's simply true that even an editor needs an editor...<br />
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As partially chronicled <a href="http://7nkl.blogspot.com/2014/06/literary-idol-gets-medieval.html">here</a>, although I hit a sweet spot after a year of writing, I had a terrible time figuring out how to start <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> in a way that would draw readers in and do justice to the rest of the story. The version I debuted at the Muse conference session was already the fourth or fifth complete rewrite, so along with the shock, I felt disappointed I wasn't a little closer to right after all that thinking and rethinking and redoing.<br />
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Here are the latest facts: I sent the best query letter I could come up with to 144 literary agents. I never dreamed I'd find that many in the first place, much less tap all of them! A few have yet to get back to me, but my record for agents requesting to see the full manuscript stands at a fraction of a percent. I felt a tad like the man with the raised arms in the picture above: those are the heads of his sons being presented to him. (It's an illustration from a nineteenth-century Spanish pulp version of the <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> story: more on that later.)<br />
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The most gut-wrenching experience involved my sending a chapter from Part II as a sample. The agent enthusiastically requested to see the entire manuscript. A disturbing silence followed, to be capped off by a severe disappointment when she declined to move forward.<br />
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I thought I might have better luck with publishers who accept submissions directly from authors, and while tweaking the query letter for suitability to this new audience, I had something of an epiphany: my synopsis starts at the wedding, my trailer starts at the wedding, the medieval sources I drew from start at the wedding. The only thing that does not start at the wedding is, in fact, <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>, the novel itself.<br />
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The problems with the beginning of what is, after all, my first novel, run much deeper than I could have imagined.<br />
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How had I gone so far wrong? Why did it take me so long to see it? Shouldn't I have realized something was awry when the agent loved the chapter from Part II and rejected Part I, even knowing that Part II was coming?<br />
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Simultaneously with this reeling, I began to forge a new plan. I consulted with <a href="http://kimrendfeld.wordpress.com/">Kim Rendfeld</a>, author of two excellent historical novels, refined the plan, and am now following it.<br />
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I'm deleting Chapters 2 and 3 and rewriting the important material from young Gonzalo's point of view. This should pick the pace up significantly and reduce confusion as to who the reader is supposed to root for. It will also provide opportunities to develop male egos and make for a convincing Chapter 4, the bloody wedding.<br />
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Chapter 4 will become Chapter 3 and will be quite a bit jazzier after the new Chapter 2, but also in its own right with planned additional emotional resonance.<br />
<br />
Chapter 5, currently from the point of view of Doña Lambra, will be cut down and redrawn from the point of view of Justa, the long-suffering servant. Chapter 6 will be rewritten. It may be from Gonzalo's point of view to increase reader sympathy, or I may decide to integrate it into Chapter 5 (now Chapter 4) and keep it from Justa's perspective.<br />
<br />
Extreme changes will take place in one third of all the chapters in Part I.<br />
<br />
Since I'm juggling two other writing projects, taking a class for six weeks, working ongoing editing/publishing projects, and working a full time job, these changes may take a while. Submissions are on hold so I can present the first part of the novel knowing it's the best thing since the printing press. Please bear with me.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, that Spanish pulp novel is sure to make another appearance!Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-28304550891936479042014-09-03T15:05:00.000-07:002014-09-03T15:05:25.193-07:00Unusual Historicals: The Cantigas de Santa Maria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqR1EpaP75p40fCxi1afhg3zdFPTKhfvs9LcXy-O6RvmwrTGIPA05E5IGktPKxbkyZFN0tEU0saSaAoDdRHGpnvzcWcpD0eCx1mppMHJHV8EW0WtOQhN3cZ6JX_B61MOP7ewjBhsTkXfM/s1600/Cantiga+210,+panel+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqR1EpaP75p40fCxi1afhg3zdFPTKhfvs9LcXy-O6RvmwrTGIPA05E5IGktPKxbkyZFN0tEU0saSaAoDdRHGpnvzcWcpD0eCx1mppMHJHV8EW0WtOQhN3cZ6JX_B61MOP7ewjBhsTkXfM/s1600/Cantiga+210,+panel+5.JPG" height="306" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24.6399993896484px;">Today at </span><a href="http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2014/09/wonders-and-marvels-cantigas-de-santa.html" style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79; line-height: 24.6399993896484px; text-decoration: none;">Unusual Historicals</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24.6399993896484px;"> I get to share with you the medieval phenomenon that occupied my every waking moment for three years, all told: the</span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 24.6399993896484px;"> Cantigas de Santa Maria</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24.6399993896484px;">. This unique collection of songs and artwork is the single most influential reason I became a medievalist. I hope you can glimpse why there's so much to love about these thirteenth-century songs. </span><a href="http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2014/09/wonders-and-marvels-cantigas-de-santa.html" style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79; line-height: 24.6399993896484px; text-decoration: none;">Enjoy</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24.6399993896484px;">!</span></span>Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-25947746171716311172014-08-26T15:26:00.002-07:002014-08-26T15:26:45.654-07:00A Glimpse into the Life of My Hero <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Imagine for a moment that you are Mudarra
González. You’ve just come of age, having been raised in tenth-century Medina
Azahara among splendor the world hasn’t seen for a thousand years. You’ve met Christian travelers before, but they all seemed kind of dumb to you because
they walk your palace city with mouths agape. Now you’re traveling in Christian
lands, having to interact intimately with Christians for the first time, and a
woman who claims to be your new mother takes you across an icy bridge to a
small stone chapel, the likes of which you never imagined you’d see inside.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s as dark as night, with only a few candles
before the altars and tiny windows letting the smallest bit of winter light in.
A priest comes from some dark corner to greet your “mother” briefly before
drawing back a curtain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the gloom, you can make out the shapes of a
painting very much like this one:</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcAwNdHFj8ARRCueiKzrWHhK32rf3uYhpoKB-Df19tct8os_DsgcKYDCghn2QcfCd7JuTG4UWhk9rAJElxrpCDHiQqqtFKKoCEeWclPIQAzbNy6vglY-jcrTjA7hATaeQtLLJx1ky-JyI/s1600/DSC09261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcAwNdHFj8ARRCueiKzrWHhK32rf3uYhpoKB-Df19tct8os_DsgcKYDCghn2QcfCd7JuTG4UWhk9rAJElxrpCDHiQqqtFKKoCEeWclPIQAzbNy6vglY-jcrTjA7hATaeQtLLJx1ky-JyI/s1600/DSC09261.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I went to the local art museum this weekend.
The place is impressive in the context of this area, and only makes sense when
you consider that it was established during the city’s industrial heyday. It
holds remarkable treasures from every corner of the globe. Of course, I’m
partial to the medieval galleries. They even transported a chapter house and
reassembled it just off the main atrium, complete with medieval stained glass
windows. (My fondest hope is to make a presentation of <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> in that setting once it’s published.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The painting above resides in the darkest gallery in the building. When I came upon it, I felt as if I had been transported into
my own novel!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a Catalan altar frontal from
the late eleventh century (about 100 years in the future of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven
Noble Knights</i>). It shows the ascension of Jesus, while in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven
Noble Knights<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>I had imagined a
dynamic portrait of a "Moor-slaying" saint. But the colors, the
cartoonish outlines, and the presence of crosses and gesturing hands are
exactly what I had in mind. Mudarra finds the red and yellow garish, but I
recognize these shades as the favorites in northern Spain for hundreds of
years. The serious expressions and outstretched hands are the dramatic
expressions of a visual story, meant to instruct anyone, whether or not they
could read, whether or not they’d had previous instruction.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to take this piece of
art with me because it accomplishes in an instant what I’m attempting to do
with more than 100,000 words: it brings anyone who sees it close enough to my
characters to im</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">agine themselves in their shoes.</span>Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-50716819419290742562014-06-11T00:56:00.000-07:002014-06-11T00:56:00.887-07:00Literary Idol Gets Medieval<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an accurate depiction of what happened to <i>Seven Noble Knights </i><br />at Literary Idol. Skewered. <i>(Art by Ayal Pinkus)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I've described <a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/2014/05/literary-idol-dos-and-donts-of-first.html">on my author blog</a>, in May I attended The Muse & the Marketplace conference in Boston, and learned a whole heck of a lot at a session called Literary Idol.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: inherit;">In that session, three literary agents and one editor from a highly
regarded literary press acted as the judges. Steve Almond, author, “randomly”
selected first pages of books to read aloud to the audience and judges. Imagining
that the samples were part of a query, whenever the judges heard something that
would make them stop reading, they raised their hand. If two hands went up,
Steve stopped reading and the hand-raisers explained where the piece went wrong for them.</span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Literary Idol involved a little forethought: I had to format and print out the first page of <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>. I’d signed up for this session because it seemed like an unparalleled opportunity to finally learn what might be behind all those 100+ agent rejections and non-responses. As the day drew near, of course, I wondered if I was going to be able to handle the abject terror such judgment might cause to well up in anyone.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Because so many writers attended the session, there was no guarantee that my sample of <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> would be read. But it was. I knew it was coming when Steve announced the genre: historical fiction. Although I maintained my outward cool, my heart began to pound so loudly, I was sure someone would notice and take me straight to Mass General.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spoiler alert: my sample caused <b>two</b> agents to raise their hands. This is how long Steve Almond read before they did so:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Gonzalo González peered between the
wild grasses where once had grown someone’s grain. The stone walls of Zamora
began to show their golden color while the stars faded overhead. As many as
three hundred Moorish invaders had set up their tents and built wooden war
machines daringly close to the main gate, which remained barricaded.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's it. Three sentences. I didn't even make it to the second paragraph. I don't recall whether any other samples got objections that quickly, so, hmm, I was the best at something! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The agents who raised their hands used words like "boring," "overwhelming," and "stilted." Ouch! I continued to scribble my notes as if I weren't dying inside. My brain has mercifully forgotten most of the attempts made at a running joke using the phrase "grains and gates." The overall lesson was that it was a mistake
to put the historical detail before character development. "Tell the small
story first," Steve Almond, master of pithy writing advice, said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, I get that. Now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am in an impotent rage. (It's really Doña Lambra from<br /> <i>Seven Noble Knights. Art by Ayal Pinkus.</i>) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the panic that lasted for weeks after the session, I rationalized: neither of the agents who raised their hands reads historical fiction, so what can they know about it? The details I put in the first paragraph weren't part of some bigger story, they were directly affecting the character right now.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I thought there was no way the idea of </span>three hundred soldiers with their war machines <span style="font-family: inherit;">could fail to strike terror into the hearts of readers, the kind of terror that makes them keep reading. I couldn't tell how else in the world I could develop the character and start the story </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">in medias res </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">without explaining exactly where he was and what he was up against. </span><a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/2014/05/literary-idol-dos-and-donts-of-first.html" style="font-family: inherit;">Informational equity</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, remember? I'd had this beginning approved by my writers group; a historical fiction author and amazing editor; and none other than Kristen Lamb, a disciple of Les Edgerton, among her other amazing credentials. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The rationalization gave way to that other writerly extreme, the belief that I could never tell a story anyone would want to read and I should quit trying. Normally I consider myself more stable than such mood swings. The range of emotions is a sign that I care about <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>, my most promising baby.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My deep conviction that this story is worth telling won out. It's full of awesome characters and moments. What I most need to do is get the reader on board so they make it to all those good parts. All the artistry in the world is useless unless someone can enjoy it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I asked that historical novelist/editor and got some awesome feedback: get the characters talking. I would have thought of it myself if it hadn't been my own writing I was trying to edit. So I moved the parts around and got more dialog in the beginning, and along the way, I challenged myself to get a lot more information across by showing instead of telling. I shared the results with my writers group as well as the author/editor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The writers group folks were practically fresh readers because it had been so long since they'd seen any version of the book at all. One particularly astute writer reported that the situation was confusing. Zounds! I had edited too much! The clarity was gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I went to work again, doing my darnedest to fit all the necessary facts in with some kind of flair, agonizing over word choice, and mending all the holes I could find (with further help from my beta readers).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is the latest rendition of the beginning of <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Gonzalo González peered between the
wild grasses where once had grown someone’s grain. He had lain in the dampness
for so long that his boiled leather back plate and metal mail were beginning to
weigh him down. He measured each fingerwidth of sunlight that revealed the
golden stone walls of Zamora before him while the stars faded overhead. He had
long since lost his sense of amazement at the Moors’ audacity. Three hundred of
them had set up their wooden war machines before the city’s main gate, which
remained barricaded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.55pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He turned his face to see his uncle
through the dewy stalks and whispered. “Why can’t we charge the Moors now,
while they’re still asleep in their tents?”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whatcha think? Would you keep reading? Please let me know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br /></div>
Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-68730768351980414082014-05-07T00:04:00.000-07:002014-05-07T05:06:56.188-07:00Meet My Main Character: Mudarra<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://kimrendfeld.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/meet-my-main-character-leova-a-medieval-mom/">Kim Rendfeld</a>, one of my favorite authors (<i>The Ashes of Heaven's Pillar</i> is coming August 28!) tagged me in the Meet My Main Character Blog Hop. I’m taking the
opportunity to introduce the point of view character from my current
work-in-progress, the final book in the <i>Providence</i> Trilogy, at <a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/2014/05/meet-my-main-character-blog-hop.html">my author blog</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here, meet Mudarra.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRglmc5c8-Fjm9J07Le4__yZtL6SI0UXmEYxZTgmllGY8Z0weqUz2FspEl3-sz4yk5u83QeuqqmxkQ3rK-b-AvauOuWgUV2Mz1kXEciTVey1W4VtgrbtdIwCHMBHPi1deNwdi1frsNuVUc/s1600/eduardoverastegui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRglmc5c8-Fjm9J07Le4__yZtL6SI0UXmEYxZTgmllGY8Z0weqUz2FspEl3-sz4yk5u83QeuqqmxkQ3rK-b-AvauOuWgUV2Mz1kXEciTVey1W4VtgrbtdIwCHMBHPi1deNwdi1frsNuVUc/s1600/eduardoverastegui.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One idea of what Mudarra might look like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">1)
What is the name of your character? Is he fictional or a historic person?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mudarra
González ibn Zaida is a fictional character with a lot of history. He’s the talented
but reluctant hero who rises up in the second part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven Noble Knights</i>, which is based on the lost medieval epic poem,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los siete infantes de Lara</i>. The first
part of the story includes some verifiable historic characters, such as the
Count of Castile, García Fernández, and the members of his court, Gonzalo
Gustioz and his wife Sancha (Prollina in the history books). The inciting
incident also has a whiff of truth to it. It leads to such widespread destruction
that in the second part of the story, no historical person remains to carry on
the cause and complete the revenge. Because a sense of eye-for-an-eye justice
was so important to medieval storytellers, they resorted to making up a
character from (semi-)plausible circumstances in order to deliver the ending
their audience craved. Mudarra is that semi-plausible hero.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
the medieval epic, Mudarra is one-dimensional, so it has been my pleasurable
task to make him complex and sympathetic. In the end, his doubts and decisions cast
new light on all the events of the first part and make it, I hope, worthwhile
and enjoyable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2)
When and where is the story set?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It might have been interesting to try and transfer the
characters and worldview to another time period, but because I love medieval Spain
so much, I researched what the most likely year for the inciting incident was
in real life, and settled on 974. I’ve since done more research, and that date could
be a tad too early, but in planning the sequel, it actually works better for
the story than a more accurate historical date would have. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">In 974, Castile was not yet the dominant kingdom on the Iberian
Peninsula. In fact, it wasn’t a kingdom at all. The most powerful earthly authority
was the count, and technically he owed allegiance to the Kingdom of León. Other
kingdoms battled for dominance in the north at the same time that they
maintained complex, on-again, off-again diplomatic/warring relationships with
al-Andalus, the unified Muslim caliphate that occupied more than half the
peninsula in the south.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3)
What should we know about him?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">Mudarra grows up in the Andalusian capital, far from the
Christian lands he’ll have to take a vested interest in during the course of
the second part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven Noble Knights</i>.
Although intensely trained in the arts of war from both the theoretical and the
practical standpoint, his life of sensuality, peace and privilege has not
prepared him for the trials that await in the barbaric north.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4)
What is the main conflict? What messes up his life?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The overarching conflict in the second part is the feud that
started in the first, which insinuates itself into Mudarra’s idyllic life. He
must reconcile whether or not to answer the call to revenge with his own sense
of right and wrong, and puzzle over exactly how these decade-old events have
affected his life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">The conflict becomes intolerably complicated when Mudarra
meets the daughter of his supposed enemy and falls head over heels in love with
her.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">5)
What is the personal goal of the character?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once
he meets Blanca Flor, Mudarra’s only real goal is to be with her. His life has
been turned upside down, and he’d like to start over again with his true love
by his side. He needs constant reminders of his obligation, what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> be his goal, to take revenge against
her family. It’s all tremendously confusing for him. In the end, only one of
these goals is accomplished, and I’m working out how he’ll overcome obstacles
to meet the other one in the sequel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6) Is
there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222;">Seven Noble Knights</span></i><span style="color: #222222;"> is the second version
of the title that I’ve come up with, and more changes may be in store. You can
read much more about it and how I came to write it and complete it here and <a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/search/label/SNKL">at my main blog</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7) When
can we expect the book to be published?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If it were up to me, it would have been published already.
I’m currently making the painful decision not to pursue literary agents any
longer. This book always belonged at a small press, I think, so it’s now a
matter of finding a press and an editor who believes in the book almost as much
as I do. I’m not sure how long it will take to find that needle-in-haystack,
but stay tuned for updates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Be sure to check out these other historical authors who’ve already introduced their main characters, all in their own special way:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://kimrendfeld.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/meet-my-main-character-leova-a-medieval-mom/">Kim Rendfeld</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://historicalfictionresearch.blogspot.com/2014/04/meet-my-main-character-another-blog-hop.html">Tinney Heath</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><a href="http://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2014/04/meet-characters-muhammad-v.html">Lisa J. Yarde</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.alanawhite.com/">Alana White</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://redroom.com/member/jess-wells/blog/parcelsus-father-of-surgery-in-the-middle-ages">Jess Wells</a></div>
Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-31568047031091539902014-02-18T00:07:00.000-08:002014-02-18T00:07:00.348-08:00Characters: Long-Suffering Justa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfLmSjnT8hLcIDlG6nlRins49HX1EbT4UzzlfQ4KlCqBmTVbCmH6SODmciWtvPOtE91rtAd0nBhntAQtuzwAXUxWSS38PaFkFydkg3LICHSuVWcHBvqy4W05pYEmvJ1imuoQ7F0TYp3Ti/s1600/LastBatch_0002_300ppi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfLmSjnT8hLcIDlG6nlRins49HX1EbT4UzzlfQ4KlCqBmTVbCmH6SODmciWtvPOtE91rtAd0nBhntAQtuzwAXUxWSS38PaFkFydkg3LICHSuVWcHBvqy4W05pYEmvJ1imuoQ7F0TYp3Ti/s1600/LastBatch_0002_300ppi.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the artist's rendition of Doña Lambra. <br />Justa looks a lot like her, but she never gets to throw a fit. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Justa is one of the characters I added to the mix from the original epic story I based <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> on. In the old draft of the story that no one will ever see, Justa was conceived as a snarky maid for Doña Lambra, a narrator and a commentator on the story.<br />
<br />
When I started over, I decided Doña Lambra was negative enough. She didn't need a snarky sidekick. So Justa became a sweet girl who longs for a normal life, but her ties to Lambra won't permit the freedom to pursue it. She took on more of the characteristics associated with her name, which has to do with fairness or justice, and then it turned out that <i>she</i> needed a snarky foil. That sassy role is filled by Gotina, a minor character.<br />
<br />
Partly because my critique group really liked her character, and partly because it fit brilliantly into the plot, Justa turned into a major character with a fairly complex arc. If I get to write a sequel to <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>, it will focus largely on Justa, the decisions she makes before and after <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> comes to a close, and their ramifications.<br />
<br />
She was born into a family of the minor nobility the same year as Lambra, and she looks enough like her that they could be sisters. In Part II of <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>, our hero Mudarra is afraid she might be Doña Lambra when he first meets Justa. She comes into Lambra's household as a foster child when her parents are killed in a border raid, and lives as if she were Lambra's sister until Lambra's parents are killed. From that moment on, Lambra treats Justa as her personal servant, and Justa takes it because she has nowhere else to go. The ties created when Lambra's family took her in are not easily broken, but everyone has their breaking point. When Justa finds hers, the story comes to an end.<br />
<br />
It's a pretty important role for someone who started out as a snarky maid.<br />
<br />Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-61609629342330818202014-02-06T11:31:00.000-08:002014-02-06T11:31:26.073-08:00Snip, Snip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4Id5nepKE1KmUYamInSvuy32lNXmOBN0IjhyphenhyphenBPjHfiA_sJYz21b1dbDK11lvsjXCM9Zb2BMb5rEm8xqKS0xpQ8ys82T4LhscxHte-1C6j551LtKVGi9m0sdjcL5amIOqyoRSNi0RIiPO/s1600/snip-snip-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4Id5nepKE1KmUYamInSvuy32lNXmOBN0IjhyphenhyphenBPjHfiA_sJYz21b1dbDK11lvsjXCM9Zb2BMb5rEm8xqKS0xpQ8ys82T4LhscxHte-1C6j551LtKVGi9m0sdjcL5amIOqyoRSNi0RIiPO/s1600/snip-snip-copy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I was seriously considering entering <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. When I first heard about the award, I regretted not having a novel to submit. Last year, <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> was too freshly finished. No way was it ready for submission of any kind, much less a brutal contest.<br />
<br />
The thing was, the Amazon contest caps the allowable word count at 125,000. What kind of random number is that? <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>, after the significant cuts I made over the last several months, sat at 129,000.<br />
<br />
Maybe 4000 words isn't so much in an epic novel, I thought, and started by looking for the silly things writers do. First plan for excision: most adverbs. If you modify a verb, it's often just the wrong verb to begin with! So I dove in.<br />
<br />
It took four days of gruesome, shrieking effort.<br />
<br />
But now at least half the adverbs I had are gone. It had to have strengthened the writing. It also got rid of one thousand words.<br />
<br />
Three thousand words short.<br />
<br />
So I looked at the official rules again, just to make sure, and yes, they're firm on 125,000.<br />
<br />
What other silly rules were there? The dealbreaker for me was that if you win the prize, you can't negotiate the contract. You just have to sign over whatever rights they want for themselves. Pretty suspicious. If, on the other hand, you don't win, they may offer you a contract and you <i>can</i> negotiate. It just felt weird to enter a contest in which I would hope I didn't win. So after all this time thinking of the Amazon award as a possible goal or learning experience, I won't be doing it.<br />
<br />
I'm glad those thousand words have been removed. It gave me a chance to finesse some sentences and to revisit the entire novel, seeing more clearly what its strengths are.<br />
<br />
The picture celebrates that cutting as well as my first civilized haircut. When I first got to North Carolina, I got a haircut, and was unhappy with my hair ever after. So I was determined to have a New England haircut that solved some of the problems or at least got rid of some layers, as soon as possible. It looks similar to my profile photo again, so I think I've found the haircut I belong to as well as the place. Now I just need to find the right home for <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>!Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-53347763940954836422014-01-29T00:30:00.000-08:002014-01-29T00:30:00.392-08:00New Year's Post2014 has been hectic for me as I moved and look for a job. But I never set <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> entirely aside and will have great blogs again in February.<br />
<br />
Today I have a post up at <a href="http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2014/01/june-1-1252-retracing-day-in-life-of.html">Unusual Historicals</a> that retraces the possible geography of a special day in the life of Alfonso X, <i>el Sabio</i>, in Sevilla. Alfonso X gave the mandate to write the history from which I take the story of the <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> (among many other accomplishments). Sevilla was Alfonso's favorite city after its reconquest, and is mine now, in spite of loyalties spread all over the Iberian Peninsula. I've included lots of pictures and I hope it's a fun and informative experience. <a href="http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2014/01/june-1-1252-retracing-day-in-life-of.html">Check it out</a> if you like Spain and/or the Middle Ages!<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-84771713883956235482013-12-17T11:45:00.000-08:002013-12-17T11:45:20.078-08:00A Medieval CoinA little coin appears in <i>Seven Noble Knights</i>, once Mudarra has been in Castile for a while. He wants to give money where it wouldn't be seemly, so he mitigates his crime by casting a few <i>obolos</i> into the street. Described as parchment-thin and barely worth enough to buy a loaf of bread, Mudarra's coins are based on something I have in my possession.<br />
<br />
I got this little coin on Ebay (what can't you get there?) for little money ten years ago. The vendor told me it was from the reign of Alfonso X el Sabio, pretty much my only reason for being alive at the time, so I couldn't resist. I was later able to verify in a museum in Burgos that this is just like other <i>obolos</i> out there, so I feel pretty confident that it's the real deal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMZQsJ2i8x5YC3w7VjLOZVFg95B1As_umPHcX6OTE-mlRJ9vTjmFX8CorMbdwZa0-P0OI3AYaZHj0bk8SHmPapv5WgFx0a0unRrqsT5b9Cpd_L5vOAqk7_j1ZcLsR5eWc5u_sy5Ztvkpn/s1600/DSC08582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMZQsJ2i8x5YC3w7VjLOZVFg95B1As_umPHcX6OTE-mlRJ9vTjmFX8CorMbdwZa0-P0OI3AYaZHj0bk8SHmPapv5WgFx0a0unRrqsT5b9Cpd_L5vOAqk7_j1ZcLsR5eWc5u_sy5Ztvkpn/s320/DSC08582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The front shows a castle, the emblem of Castile, and the Latin letters CASTELLE.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkuQtpHWZImDYPSXpez5InoJyPUGHziK7-8NYcSlW07hYeNGstd8II1yVrvzAg4yXpOBqYL2U9_RPsxCxWbw6tkjIRMzW_Y231f7DIO7JZ3LlL351nCvSaxI12_wO5Au0IFCgDr2SXFQm/s1600/DSC08577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkuQtpHWZImDYPSXpez5InoJyPUGHziK7-8NYcSlW07hYeNGstd8II1yVrvzAg4yXpOBqYL2U9_RPsxCxWbw6tkjIRMzW_Y231f7DIO7JZ3LlL351nCvSaxI12_wO5Au0IFCgDr2SXFQm/s320/DSC08577.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The back shows the lion of León and bears the inscription LEGIONIS.<br />
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Of course, Mudarra couldn't have thrown a coin that bore the emblems of both kingdoms because he lived during a time when Castile was an independent county officially still part of León. It's still likely <i>obolos</i> were struck at the time because of the eternal need for very small values of coins. Aside from the thinness and small circumference, one mark of a coin of small worth is that it hasn't been cut to make even smaller values. Most important to me as the author, this coin was minted during the reign of my favorite king in the history of the world and the same king whose team compiled the books where we find the first traces of Mudarra's story.<br />
<br />
This coin weighs almost nothing, but I can feel the seven hundred years in the patina. It brings me that much closer to the realities of the lives of my characters.<br />
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Happy holidays! See you again from my new home in the new year.Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-83668688622800508722013-11-27T05:56:00.000-08:002013-11-27T05:56:08.137-08:00The Cutting Room Floor<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlIYNlhwFlofJim6JMWM4pP9A1rGKro3B9OyFAd6e-PmjDxVLPFEUZ4YhvX8D0JcNWqkseL2vYpKUyTc-ErSa56oQMQwuxn5uxDVRCQeYQFoEppCheWesm1Pil152g7m7vwkiMRnv5tiK/s1600/Medieval_Lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlIYNlhwFlofJim6JMWM4pP9A1rGKro3B9OyFAd6e-PmjDxVLPFEUZ4YhvX8D0JcNWqkseL2vYpKUyTc-ErSa56oQMQwuxn5uxDVRCQeYQFoEppCheWesm1Pil152g7m7vwkiMRnv5tiK/s320/Medieval_Lady.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doña Lambra wonders why I cut her intro chapter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been a month of additional words (I'm doing NaNoWriMo on another project) and subtracting of words. Below, an excerpt from <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> which is truly an excerpt in the sense of "taken out of." I've been looking critically at the beginning of the novel (again!) and decided I needed to pick up the pace to match the breakneck speed of the rest of the book. The entirety of the chapter I first wrote is now gone and pasted below for your reading pleasure.<br />
<br />
I always called it Chapter II because I knew the first chapter had to be much more exciting. Because it's the first piece of historical fiction I ever wrote, it has a hesitancy about it. You can almost feel me reaching out my senses and trying to describe what I thought it was like to live in Northern Spain in the year 974. It contains a lot of context and sympathizes deeply with Doña Lambra, which caused problems in my critique group later when her true nature was revealed. When I finished the first draft of the novel, I excised the first half, with the silk vendor, and eventually the second half became attached to the latest version of Chapter I. Now, the battle in the first chapter cuts directly to the wedding preparations in the former Chapter III.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've done my duty and killed my darling and now I lay its body out for you to view. RIP, Chapter II. (To cheer yourself up, you can watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bja6MAvdzZU">the trailer!</a>)<br />
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<div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Chapter II<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid #4F81BD 1.0pt; border: none; margin-left: .65in; margin-right: .65in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #4F81BD .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 4.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoIntenseQuote" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>…una duenna de muy grand guisa, et era natural de
Burueva, et prima cormana del conde Garçi Fernández, et dizienle donna Llambla. </i>(I put an excerpt from the Estoria de Espanna, thirteenth-century text at the head of each chapter in the first draft. This introduces Lambra, just like the chapter does in more detail.)</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun began to relent from
its long day’s punishment of the estate of Busto de Bureba. The fish in the
river sought out the barely forming shadows cast by stones and branches. Inside
a stone house, under a thatched roof, twenty maidservants and their lady
cleaned up the dinner table, planned a cool evening meal, brought in the
washing, and put away the day’s sewing without bumping into each other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra looked out the open door
when she heard a tinkling of bells on the road. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Good evening, my lady!” cried the
peddler, halting his donkey in the middle of the road directly in front of her
house. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“What are you selling there?” Doña
Lambra wiped her brow, lifted her apron, and headed toward the packs on the
donkey’s back. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m not really selling anything yet.
I’m on my way to France, where I can get the best price for these Moorish silks
and finery. But I might bring myself to part with something for the sake of one
so obviously noble.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lambra stood a little straighter and
felt the heavy wool dress scratch her shoulders through the wicked moisture.
She tossed her head and her flaxen braids leapt up before they reached her
waist again. “Well, I won’t buy anything before I see it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Of course not, lady.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He reached high and opened the nearest
bag’s latch. The lid popped open with the force of the tightly packed fabrics
inside. “This one on top is probably the best I have.” He pulled on a corner of
the silk and Lambra quickly appraised its luster and smoothness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Green?” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Don’t turn up your nose at it, my
lady. It’s the most popular color in the very caliph’s harem in Córdoba. It’s
sure to become the highest fashion, especially if other ladies see you wearing
it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sell it to the French ladies. I’ll
have no pagan colors.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The peddler tugged at a corner of the
bolt underneath the green and a mass of azure slid into view with a swooshing
sound. He came rather closer than Lambra would have liked and held it under her
chin. “Just as I thought! A perfect match for your eyes! Or even the
Mediterranean Sea.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“My eyes aren’t blue,” she said,
backing away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“They certainly are! I must have a
looking glass in here somewhere.” He rummaged through three different packs.
The donkey flicked his tail and made the bells jingle. Doña Lambra tried to
imagine the peddler all alone leading his donkey, loaded high with goods, through
the rocky terrain toward France.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Are you going through the Roncesvalles
Pass unaccompanied and with bells?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Just my donkey and me,” he replied.
“And the bells.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You should really pack the bells away
before you get into the Basque country. You have no reason to announce your
presence among those savages.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He held a piece of polished metal
between his thumb and forefinger up to Lambra’s eyes for her to see. “I’ve
traveled through the Pyrenees many times. Don’t you think that blue silk favors
you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Now, how could I possibly tell whether
the fabric favors me in such a tiny glass?” she said, taking the glass from
him. “I can’t see myself and the silk at the same time!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He considered the fabric, eyed the pack
it had come from, and in a great sweeping motion, pulled his dinner knife from
his belt and slashed off a square of the silk. He handed it to Lambra and
folded the rest of the bolt away, saying, “You see? A perfect match. You could
embroider that swatch with your golden hairs and no one would know it wasn’t
straight from a treasure chest.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She held the fabric under her eye and
glimpsed two blue shapes in the glass. Maybe it was just the sky. She looked
up, and the peddler had already fastened all the packs. “A gift from one so
humble to one so haughty,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Thank you,” she mumbled, handing back
the looking glass. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He stuffed it into a pocket and tugged
at the donkey’s bridle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra turned back toward the
door, where she noticed five faces of her maids disperse like a puff of smoke.
She sat on the stone bench under the eaves of her house and watched the peddler
jingle his slow way toward the mountains. She was glad he hadn’t pressured her
to buy, because she had nothing to give in trade for silks. She had
administered all her own land since her father had passed away five years
earlier, so she knew that maintaining so much land and so many people often
meant sacrifice and frugality before fashion. She picked up the end of her
braid and set it against the fabric. Yes, her hair almost could pass for gold
thread. Maybe she could have one of the girls embroider stars and moons on the
fabric and set it into a bodice. Everyone at mass would think she was wearing
the latest plunder from Andalusia, perhaps a gift from another admiring knight.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her maids’ voices floated out the
doorway on some farmer’s melody. Always gossiping, joking, and laughing when
they thought she couldn’t hear. Well, she’d make them work hard enough
tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An eagle shrieked across the sky in
search of prey. Lambra looked down the road to the west. What could that be?
This road was becoming a regular thoroughfare. Two knights in chainmail headed
up a twenty-man retinue, all on horseback. As they neared the house, one of the
two front men lifted up the standard, a castle on a white field. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra tucked the blue square into
her neckline, gathered up her skirts, and ran through her front door shouting.
“My cousin’s here! He’s got twenty knights with him! What were we having for
supper? How much wine is there?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All the ladies dropped what they were
doing and scurried to their preassigned tasks for just such an occasion:
cutting more old bread for plates, clearing out the sides of the hall for
sleeping space. Only Justa, who had been born into the household at nearly the
same time as doña Lambra, followed alongside her lady as she charged through
the great room to the kitchen at the far end. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You told us to just make a salad:
cucumbers, radishes, garlic, some nuts, maybe some quince jelly.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No garlic!” Lambra didn’t acknowledge
Justa, whose words were merely an embodiment of her own thoughts. “No garlic!”
She seized the cloves from the table where the cook was about to chop them and
threw them on the floor, where a couple of puppies began to roll them around
the packed earth and straw. “No garlic for the Count of Castile! Isn’t there
any pepper left at all? Why didn’t he send ahead so we could get some quail or
slaughter some hens? Justa! Send the boys for rabbits!” Justa ducked out the
side door. “What about the pepper?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cook replied, “There’s about a
spoonful left, my lady.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Stew the rabbits in the vinegar and
put the pepper on at the last minute so it’s still fresh and pungent at the
table. I’ll trust you to find some cheese to go with the quince, and for the
love of God, make more salad!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cook tried not to sweat into the
stew pot where she set some water to boil and chopped cucumbers as fast as she
could. Lambra strode back across the house and paused just inside the front
door to inhale and exhale deeply. She smoothed the hair at her temples and
stepped outside. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The retinue was already arriving at the
house. Lambra saw the Count of Castile in the center, also dressed in mail. His
undoubtedly hot and blinding helmet was secured to the back of his horse’s
saddle. Resting his hand gently on it, he dismounted in one easy motion. Lambra
started toward him, exclaiming, “Cousin García! What fortunate wind brings you
here?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Now, now, cousin,” he replied, taking
her into an embrace, “you know better than to address me like that. It’s been
four years now.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m sorry, your grace, most high and
noble Count, leader of all Castile!” She comically bowed from the waist to
restore some fragment of their playful childhood. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re forgiven, my shrewd cousin!” He
chuckled and laid his hand on the top of her head as if in blessing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She stood and looped her arm through
his to seal the intimacy. The other knights had dismounted, so she said, “Let
us lead your noble retinue to the stables to care for their fine steeds.” She
deliberately bypassed the door and in hopes that the extra time would allow her
maidens to make the hall look as if it were always sparkling clean and ready
for important visitors. Maybe by the time they went inside, the boys would have
brought and cleaned the rabbits and the male laborers would have arrived to
welcome the masculine retinue more appropriately than her maids could. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Count unsaddled, brushed, and fed
his own horse. Lambra couldn’t help but wait for him outside by the river in
the cooling breezes. She let the reeds brush against her hands while she
inhaled the wet river fragrance mixed with summer blossoms. The eagle cruised
across the darkening sky toward its nest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her cousin came out to meet her by
himself. “I’ve sent the men inside. I have to tell you why I’m here, Lambra,
and this might be the best place for it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She took his outstretched hand and
noticed the way he avoided her gaze. “What can it be?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Lambra, you’re such a beautiful woman,
and so rich in lands, I can’t think of any man who truly deserves you!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She squeezed his slippery hand.
“Cousin, has something happened to your wife?” Did he want to marry doña
Lambra? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He smiled and looked at her. “She’s
very well. She’s in Burgos, expecting our second child.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“That’s wonderful. Praise be to God!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">García looked away again and stared
into the sun as it eased below the mountains. “You may have heard about the
happy conclusion of the siege of Zamora.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Oh, yes! We were all so glad to hear
that that beautiful city remains within Castile.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well, Zamora is more of a border
outpost than Burgos, or even Bustos de Bureba, but I suppose it has its charms.
A good river, and it’s strategic for keeping the Kingdom of León in check… But
did the news come with the reason for the end of that interminable siege?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“There was a name, someone I’d never
heard of, from far away.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Ruy Blásquez. Ruy Blásquez saved the
city of Zamora. I would still be there today if he hadn’t come to my rescue.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra thought the Earth shifted
beneath her as she realized what was really happening. She was being given
away. Married off, passed from hand to hand as if she had nothing better to do,
as if Bureba could get by without her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra had not expected to be
given in marriage. With both of her parents already passed into the next world,
she had been raised principally by <i>dueñas</i> and other servants who could
wield no real authority over her. Now well into puberty, she had been taking
inventory of all the surrounding noblemen, deciding which lands she might like
to administer, so as to arrange her own nuptials. It even occurred to her that
she needn't marry at all, but simply govern her own holdings until such time as
her Father in Heaven saw fit to pass them on to his Holy Church. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But she was nothing if not shrewd, and
if she had considered it, she would have realized that as the cousin of García
Fernández, the Count of Castile, she would likely end up as a reward to one of
his loyal warriors. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Some vassal rescued you? I should
think he was merely doing his duty.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Oh, Lambra, you can have no idea how
far above the call of duty he went. He brought one thousand knights and united
them all under Castile’s standard. And now we can fly that flag over Zamora! I
know you don’t know any other way for things to be, but it was only my father
Fernán González – less than a generation ago! – who declared Castilian
independence from León and it’s far from a consolidated reality. By bringing so
many to rally for our country, Ruy Blásquez has made himself my most valuable
vassal. And so, when he asked me to find him a wife, naturally I thought of
you, the richest and most noble of all my relatives.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra let the orange and gold
rays spewing from behind the mountain burn her eyes. “But who is this Ruy
Blásquez? How old is he?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“He’s well established.” The Count
walked around and tried to face his cousin, but she turned away from him every
time. “He’s completed his thirty-fifth year.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She couldn’t help but wring her hands
at the thought of a grey beard and rotting teeth. Well, but maybe he wouldn’t
live that long, then she would administer all the territory they had between
them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Is he landed?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He has a few parcels in the region of Lara, called
Vilviestre.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“A few parcels? I am the lady,
practically the countess, of all of Bureba! Thousands of landholders owe their
fealty to me and no one else!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Thousands? Hundreds, perhaps.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Thousands!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Lady, you forget yourself. We may be
cousins, but I am the Count here. All of ‘your’ vassals ultimately work for
me.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her eyes found his, but he had to look
away. She bowed her head and whispered, “Lara’s so far. I never imagined going
so far.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 34.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He caught her as she collapsed,
sobbing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">García entered the house first. As
Lambra’s eyes adjusted to the firelight, she saw all of her people seated on one
side of the great table, knives out, bread trenchers in front of them, with the
Count’s men seated on the other side. They had wisely left the head of the
table unoccupied for the Count and the lady of the house. She wiped her eyes
one last time. “Pour the wine!” she said a little too loudly. “We have much to
celebrate! I’m to be wed this year!”</span></span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "New York"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-29250193213409303752013-11-07T11:02:00.000-08:002013-11-07T11:02:55.065-08:00Entertaining, Fast and Fun Trailer DebutI've been working on this for about six months now. It's more of a pitch than a trailer, simply because the book isn't published yet. I hope it's entertaining and makes you interested in the story. Please let me know!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bja6MAvdzZU?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
I couldn't have accomplished this by myself.<br />
<br />
The talented graphic novelist or "story artist" <a href="http://www.ayalpinkus.nl/">Ayal Pinkus</a> did the drawing and painting that makes this trailer so special. I can never thank him enough for lending his talent to bringing the <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> to life. It's incredible to see the characters and events that have so far only been words on pages or screens this much closer to flesh and blood. Our collaboration was amazingly fruitful.<br />
<br />
The professional voiceover was done by James Scott.<br />
<br />
The background music was chosen after much agonizing. It's "Non me mordas, ya habibi" (Don't Bite Me, oh Lover), a <i>jarcha</i> from medieval Andalusia. The text is written in a proto-Spanish that has a strong relationship to what the characters in <i>Seven Noble Knights</i> would have been speaking, and when he goes to Córdoba, Don Gonzalo hears a similar <i>jarcha</i>. This version is performed by the Eduardo Paniagua Ensemble Música Antigua and is available on the album <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crisol-del-Tiempo-Various-Artists/dp/B007HJG9T8">El crisol del tiempo</a></i>.<br />
<br />
Thanks so much for watching. If you feel inclined to do me a favor, watch it many more times — as many as you can — and share it with any of your friends interested in historical fiction. Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-46343823169610648302013-10-23T10:40:00.000-07:002013-10-23T10:40:05.511-07:00Touching the PastI was going through some photos I took when I was in Burgos in October 2005 and was thrilled to find this gem:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPwJbZORWljjLuUUh45ZRapOxnPHRz2VD9Kum1C8GlWpEKLeNb0dT5MQwj4ITznezg4LqDfo4AcXNKB5auBBoVbtmAnVdAWCNKszuE2hYgBfWc0gXcgXnNvVU7RK5y_qyeD_mMtqx7mZT/s1600/Covarrubias.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPwJbZORWljjLuUUh45ZRapOxnPHRz2VD9Kum1C8GlWpEKLeNb0dT5MQwj4ITznezg4LqDfo4AcXNKB5auBBoVbtmAnVdAWCNKszuE2hYgBfWc0gXcgXnNvVU7RK5y_qyeD_mMtqx7mZT/s400/Covarrubias.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's a document granting Covarrubias to a noble monastery. It's signed by Count García Fernández, supreme leader of Castile and a character in SNKL. His wife Ava also signs. She isn't a character in SNKL, but a strong possibility for a sequel. The document dates from 972, ever so close to the year SNKL opens.<br />
<br />
This wonderful piece of faded, wrinkled, and water damaged vellum was on display in the cathedral, under glass, and you can see the reflection from the window in the picture. At the time, I was impressed with the undulated Visigothic majuscule writing and the sheer age of the document. Could I have known that seven years later, having finished the dissertation I was researching, I would complete the biggest, most complex piece of writing of my entire life about the very time period when this document was made and one of the very people who signed it?<br />
<br />
Now that I've written SNKL, I find myself wishing I could tell my 2005 self to take even more pictures and look even more closely at these extraordinary objects I haven't had the chance to get so close to since then. In that way, 2005 seems farther away from me than even the year 972.<br />
<br />
In other news, the artist completed scanning all the pictures for the SNKL trailer, so keep an eye out for that. It's going to be great!<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-49986577095868271022013-10-08T14:58:00.000-07:002013-10-08T14:58:34.635-07:00Catchphrases and the Title<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I8mwGeEp1Kgl_w5QF8blMTAIXFEF6dqZ7S0uKLo0ACK82LyWXK6gDYMCqzBukmHDiiUv4e5XMzcEoQ8mq1tlB4oPaRYca02l-DD8PkBr7skcWKixhCSa_o_3MJFEk0c2JiNrH_sB1FEh/s1600/Bloody+cucumber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I8mwGeEp1Kgl_w5QF8blMTAIXFEF6dqZ7S0uKLo0ACK82LyWXK6gDYMCqzBukmHDiiUv4e5XMzcEoQ8mq1tlB4oPaRYca02l-DD8PkBr7skcWKixhCSa_o_3MJFEk0c2JiNrH_sB1FEh/s400/Bloody+cucumber.jpg" width="381" /></a></div>
Because I haven't yet encountered the enthusiastic support from New York every writer dreams of, I've been thinking about what I can do to give <i>The Seven Noble Knights of Lara </i>that X factor.<br />
<br />
In the first draft of my query, I had a major attention-getter in the opening line: "<i>The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</i> is a medieval epic with strong women, valiant knights, and a bloody cucumber." It even made it into <a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/2013/01/on-radio.html">a radio clip</a> when I presented it at the <a href="http://jessicaknauss.blogspot.com/2013/01/novels-in-spotlight.html">Book Doctors' Pitchapalooza in Naperville</a>! It garnered laughter at the time, and there are a couple of problems with that: I wasn't sure whether it was funny laughter or uncomfortable laughter, and the book itself isn't intended to be a laugh fest. I kept it for a while, thinking that any attention I can grab is good attention, but eventually I felt too strongly that I was setting up false expectations, and changed it.<br />
<br />
The first way I made it less comical was to remove the rule of three: <i>"The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</i> has strong women and valiant knights. It is probably the only novel you'll ever read with a bloody cucumber." (This version is up on the "About the Novel" page and will come down soon.) I got at lot of approval for this arrangement, but eventually, also some puzzlement. Why do I think anyone would necessarily be attracted to a novel with a bloody cucumber?<br />
<br />
I'm trying! I really am. So I took that version out, too. My query letter now has no real "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log_line">logline</a>." It launches right into the "When Gonzalo does one thing, Lambra does another" plotting. I felt the loss of the logline and decided to try to remedy it. I came up with the logline in the picture above.<br />
<br />
Not making giant leaps of progress away from humor, am I? I'd like to invite my readers to help me write a logline that conveys more of the feel of the book, which tends toward the dramatic. Not the melodramatic! Please comment or contact me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Knauss/194593673897479">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JessicaKnauss">Twitter</a> if you have good ideas.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I like the picture above and may use it and its logline.<br />
<br />
So, no logline. How about the title? Is it too long? Too boring? I'm willing to admit I haven't been creative with the title. I just translated the title academics have assigned to the epic poem. If it helps the book, I'll change it. But to what? Would THE FAULTS OF OTHERS work? If not, I'm afraid I'll lapse into the unintentionally comical, such as BLOOD IN BURGOS or CRESCENT OVER CÓRDOBA.<br />
<br />
The trick is to be concise and impactful without dipping into the flippancy that seems to surface in me whenever I try to write in such a short form.<br />
<br />
I look forward to hearing from you!Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-53064444455540587832013-09-23T00:48:00.000-07:002013-09-23T00:48:00.790-07:00Medieval Spanish Names II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1geJjADdgmnPu5yfWdZUNKJSSehcnpHz1dkFsekUNISFVCgtNZ-KSbN7voj3VT6LsmWBMwe0JeV_Es4IswBdxPGMdKy-nFpfwjMVZIpl4tH4gRMGLI4-iNYNBlSNvidV8RLkBW6wv7LC/s1600/Panel_1_7_01_75ppi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1geJjADdgmnPu5yfWdZUNKJSSehcnpHz1dkFsekUNISFVCgtNZ-KSbN7voj3VT6LsmWBMwe0JeV_Es4IswBdxPGMdKy-nFpfwjMVZIpl4tH4gRMGLI4-iNYNBlSNvidV8RLkBW6wv7LC/s400/Panel_1_7_01_75ppi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In the last post, I lamented the lack of imagination medieval Spaniards displayed when it came to naming their male children. Some of that current also arises in female names. I think Toda and Mayor (sounds something like "my oar") are related to earlier Roman or Celtic naming habits, because Toda could refer to the girl being an only child and Mayor indicates she's the eldest.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, the historical record is full of names that have survived into the present day, like Teresa, María, and Juana. Much more exciting to find are the ones that haven't had much impact on the present day, such as<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Tigridia</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fronilde</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Argelo</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Eylo</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Goda</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gontroda</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Flammula ("little flame," quickly morphed into "Lambra," the villainess of SNKL)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and my all time favorite, Urraca </div>
<br />
There was a Queen Urraca of Castile for a while who deserves several novels, and another Urraca has a role in one of the historicals I'm researching now. Best of all, "urraca" is the modern Spanish name for the magpie, a bird I have always found mysteriously breathtaking.<br />
<br />
In the course of that research, I found out something disturbing about one of of my main female characters: I'd been calling her the wrong name the entire time! Gonzalo Gustioz's wife Sancha, so called in the histories and poems, went on the record in charters and donations with the name Prollina.<br />
<br />
I was disappointed because the next book I want to write has a main character also named Sancha, and if I could have used a different name for the SNKL Sancha, it would be less confusing all around.<br />
<br />
But then I got thinking why the poets changed the name. Sancha means "holy" or "saintly," which is perfect for this long-suffering mother of seven warrior sons. And Prollina, no offense, isn't very pretty. Storyteller's prerogative strikes again!Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-3097149890531619862013-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:002013-09-13T10:38:34.071-07:00Medieval Spanish Names I<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChCXx4LExK0u0c_D83CrdEIojefNbUSA6TxaX8Uug5xctjKmojv-vsKsnZ4oStbSrNKS7Y8_mTM_7RVnnvTYxVPfiHA9aCfD3sVOZlpI4wrUrFI6zucyAr2Yks7o6awoKp8YFW6OLJXV1/s1600/Panel_1_5_01_75ppi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChCXx4LExK0u0c_D83CrdEIojefNbUSA6TxaX8Uug5xctjKmojv-vsKsnZ4oStbSrNKS7Y8_mTM_7RVnnvTYxVPfiHA9aCfD3sVOZlpI4wrUrFI6zucyAr2Yks7o6awoKp8YFW6OLJXV1/s400/Panel_1_5_01_75ppi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dismayed young Gonzalo is comforted by his mother, Sancha, in the upcoming trailer.</td></tr>
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I recently had the first 50 pages of SNKL critiqued by someone who'd never seen it before and has no history with me. It didn't occur to me that I might get comments similar to ones I got very early on and on which I've been working and fixing and obsessing over ever since. It didn't happen much (which indicates I have indeed fixed previous problems, thank God!), but an amusing observation came through that touched on one of my earliest fears: "The father and son are named the same thing? Are we going to be able to tell them apart? You really should give them different names."<br />
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Two of the most important protagonists of SNKL are Gonzalo Gustioz and his son, Gonzalo González. Those are the names they either had in history or were chosen for them by the wise and gentle medieval jongleurs and historians. Faced with this identity crisis, I agonized over what to do. I was afraid the text would get confusing and off-putting.<br />
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In the end, I left the names as I found them and used convenient cues to make certain the reader knew which Gonzalo I was writing about: the father gets the title "Don," even though the son is also a knight, and the son often gets the descriptor "young" before his name. I also kept the nickname Gonzalico strictly for the son. It turned out that the father and son don't spend much time in the same scenes, so once I'd established point of view (because they're so strong, they pretty much call the shots in their respective chapters), I could drop the shorthand clues. For example, in Chapter VII, everyone knows I'm talking about Gonzalo the son, because the father is off on a journey he started in the last chapter.<br />
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I could always tell the difference between them, which seems to mean readers can, too. I never got a single complaint about the issue before this one.<br />
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It points out a challenge in writing historical fiction about medieval Spain: the lack of distinctive names. I think one reason the old texts always refer to the villain by the full name, Ruy Blásquez, is not only to establish psychic distance, but also because the listeners in the first audience would have appreciated knowing which Ruy the singer meant among all the Ruys in all the histories and among their acquaintances. Spanish parents in the tenth century displayed a lack of creativity in naming their children, giving rise to the use of patronymics, place names, and, one presumes, nicknames that haven't survived very often in the historical record. And more than one pulled-out hair among historical fiction authors. And possibly more than one opportunity for the same authors to take their own creative license.<br />
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To be continued with women's names...Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-24886989270588108622013-08-19T08:21:00.000-07:002013-08-23T09:51:20.338-07:00Picture It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQI1hewJGeJC6P_KWtvVhfhozu1fl8K9kv6mpvcuA21tOAwbj5riQZeDOl3CV8LdHASHxKhbLdvJnGJTVQAe-cLJBNHh95nfo6j0Ozc165d7abuy_XNFDr3fGgKxF2hyphenhyphenW58pd6dyCeXP3/s1600/Panel_1_1_01_75ppi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQI1hewJGeJC6P_KWtvVhfhozu1fl8K9kv6mpvcuA21tOAwbj5riQZeDOl3CV8LdHASHxKhbLdvJnGJTVQAe-cLJBNHh95nfo6j0Ozc165d7abuy_XNFDr3fGgKxF2hyphenhyphenW58pd6dyCeXP3/s400/Panel_1_1_01_75ppi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gonzalo and Álvar have a difference of opinion.</td></tr>
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It's every author's problem: how to get attention and potential readers for the book you've labored over so lovingly for so long?<br />
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I came up with a lot of ideas under the philosophy of "Dream Big." None of them were practical, at least not with my current resources. (My life changes drastically in that regard every six months or so.) However, an idea's impracticality doesn't mean I forget about it, so I held onto the idea of an unusual book trailer for a month or two. Then, through the vicissitudes of life, I virtually met graphic novelist <a href="http://www.ayalpinkus.nl/listing_us.html">Ayal Pinkus</a>, and made creative use of this new talent in my life by asking if he'd like to illustrate the first third of <i>The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</i>.<br />
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He said he would!<br />
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We've been having a great time ever since, bouncing ideas off each other and off the walls, trading historical pictures back and forth, and generally being creative. The process has helped me think about the novel in new ways, which I hope will benefit both my search for representation and my readers. So hang in there! It's coming, and it's going to be great!<br />
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For the color scheme, we settled on primary shades, but using tints they might have had available for clothing dye in the year 974. The result, I think, shows the expensive colors everyone wanted to display with just a slight historical patina. And it really intensifies the drama.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsjs2uA6PWGAIxfVCp_jVO-2wYNpEFDnS6EJaC_DX5TDOeehNIf4p-Z9X2F3M0wVjsKzcNTy9SvNPUlBTVxg5YOWZQ69f3UO4qJXONBHU7RQzWM_AXMV2-mmvL0PTV4mj92rgICAvGBpL/s1600/Panel_1_8_01_75ppi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsjs2uA6PWGAIxfVCp_jVO-2wYNpEFDnS6EJaC_DX5TDOeehNIf4p-Z9X2F3M0wVjsKzcNTy9SvNPUlBTVxg5YOWZQ69f3UO4qJXONBHU7RQzWM_AXMV2-mmvL0PTV4mj92rgICAvGBpL/s400/Panel_1_8_01_75ppi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting the scene: Burgos, 974. A wooden castle has just been destroyed by competing knights during the festivities at the wedding of Ruy Blásquez and Doña Lambra.</td></tr>
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So, even if no one ever watches this trailer (but <i>you</i> will, won't you?), at least I can say I made my best effort.Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-84444910006099224992013-08-05T00:56:00.000-07:002013-08-05T00:56:00.216-07:00The Epic Poem, the Novel, and History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98Rz3UUw0dgR-DeRsSmbtXSk_XPWQztPV74oP5TLgqHdspHLJ_06gQdOpmi8ZnRQtgFmsnlpQvrYsnQF5TL5UEDKarJuTQ_4LtOPNUTZkLMqXLkBf2Xs1me-aA-9yOFzWJs6wz6IIt7s9/s1600/DSC_1562_SALAS_INFANTES_DE_LARA_Y_MERCADO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98Rz3UUw0dgR-DeRsSmbtXSk_XPWQztPV74oP5TLgqHdspHLJ_06gQdOpmi8ZnRQtgFmsnlpQvrYsnQF5TL5UEDKarJuTQ_4LtOPNUTZkLMqXLkBf2Xs1me-aA-9yOFzWJs6wz6IIt7s9/s400/DSC_1562_SALAS_INFANTES_DE_LARA_Y_MERCADO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Seven Noble Knights of Lara </span><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is based on</span><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Los siete infantes de Lara </span><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">or</span><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> de Salas, </span><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">an episode of Spanish history tied up in poetry and heroism. It</span> is a story full of violent passions and old-fashioned revenge. It hits such an unusually fevered pitch that some scholars believe the story must have originated in the epic tradition of northern Europe. It might have traveled to Spain through royal marriages during the thirteenth century. In spite of the differences between this epic and other Spanish stories, <span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</span> displays a typically Spanish obsession with geography and treats specifically Spanish themes, such as coexistence and wars with the Islamic governors of Andalusia and the supremacy of Castile among the Christian kingdoms. </span></span></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">None of the poetry of the original epic — if it ever existed — has survived to the present day. In the thirteenth century, King Alfonso X <span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">el Sabio</span> had his scholars compile a history of Spain from the beginning of time to their present day, and they recorded the episode of <i>L</i><span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">os siete infantes de Lara</span> over the course of several chapters taking place during the rule of the second Count of Castile, García Fernández, in the late tenth century. In the twentieth century, scholars noticed that in several places, this supposedly historical text rhymed and presented meter and repetition typical of epic poetry. Some of the stanzas have been reconstructed, but the closest we can get to the entire original story is through the prosified version and later medieval histories.</span></span></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether the incident represents historical facts has always been up for debate. The possibility that the medieval historians derived it from an epic poem does not argue for or against its truthfulness, as traveling minstrels or jongleurs would have been the main source of news at the time, and they could remember the facts more easily when it followed a familiar format (and rhymed).</span></span></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Two fantastical elements in the story argue against the historical nature of the tale, but they can also be interpreted as miracles — confirmations of God's glory in everyday life — which medieval people would have taken as utterly factual and believable.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The first miraculous event concerns a ring which has been split in two, and the pieces separated in distance and time. As in other folk tales, when the two halves meet again, they magically fuse, never again to be sundered. Whether because it was considered a miracle, or they thought magic was more prevalent a few hundred years before, or they just weren't that concerned with details, the medieval historians record this without comment. I knew today's readers wouldn't swallow the magical reunion of the ring's halves without question, so in my novel, I simply had the ring melded back together in a normal forge.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The second fantastical occurrence concerns Don Gonzalo's eyesight. He goes blind with weeping over the years Salas is in ruins, and when his fortunes change, his sight miraculously returns. I'm sure it's more metaphorical than a strict plot point, but I recognized this as an opportunity to give the reader an experience of the medical practices of the day. Physicians were doing successful eye surgery in the Arab world at this time, so in my novel, Don Gonzalo develops sudden cataracts from weeping, staring into the sun, and even a swift kick in the face. Later, I go into the gory details of cataract surgery with an Andalusian doctor. The method is still performed the same way in developing countries today. The scene also serves to emotionally bond some of the characters. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Kim Rendfeld called this passage "riveting." I couldn't be more pleased with the results of my efforts to reconcile the fiction and the historically believable in my little epic. </span></span></span></div>
Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-15537323597838647592013-07-22T13:58:00.000-07:002013-07-29T12:49:47.222-07:00Characters: Gonzalo González<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd like to introduce the most important member of the title characters via an excerpt. From <b>Chapter II</b>, this is the first time we see the title characters, and Gonzalo in particular. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">The scene takes place on the banks of the Arlanzón River in Burgos, Spain, in the year 974. A proud mother introduces her sons to her soon-to-be sister-in-law and her servants. I'll put all clippings from the novel on the new Excerpts page.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Eduardo Verastegui. <br />
This is how handsome (and Spanish) Gonzalo should look.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sancha’s face lit up again. “My sons are outside with my husband, waiting to meet you.” She grasped Doña Lambra’s limp hand and pulled her outside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Justa, Gotina, and all the other servants followed the count and Álvar Sánchez outside to find a concentration of masculinity so intense, Justa could feel it wash over her like the waves of the Cantabrian Sea. Nine men, each with a gleaming sword in his belt, and seven with dark brown hair that shone bronze in the sunlight, laughed and talked amongst themselves, producing a resonant rumble in the women’s ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Count García said playfully, “Hey, Gonzalo, come and meet your future relative, and bring those sons of yours. Ah, there they are! I would never have known, since they’re so quiet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">[All six of Gonzalo's elder brothers briefly meet with Lambra, and then we come to the youngest.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“That will do, Gustio,” cut in Doña Sancha. She took Doña Lambra’s hand and patted it warmly. “And this is my youngest, Gonzalo. We call him Gonzalico.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The knight in question grimaced at his mother, but just as quickly flashed a smile at Doña Lambra and Justa. He looked to have completed about fifteen years, just like Doña Lambra. Even in similar clothing and with the same nearly black hair and athletic build as his brothers, he was unique. Passersby, whether men or women, let their gazes linger on him. Behind his eyes danced a playful spirit, but it was impossible to tell whether it was angel or demon. Justa observed that the air around Gonzalo seemed to move faster, to bounce off his skin and radiate outward in jagged waves. Her heart skipped. Perhaps this nephew could be an exciting friend for her lady.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Doña Lambra held out her hand for a kiss and was absorbed into his energy. She seemed to pull away as quickly as she could.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The other brothers gathered around, eager to tell Doña Lambra about their little brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Gonzalo’s learning about law. I often consult him when cases come before me,” said Diego, the eldest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“He’s good at everything he tries,” said Gustio.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suero added, “He’s even a decent hunter when I lend him my goshawk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Your goshawk?” young Gonzalo shrilled. “You’re just lucky I let you hold him sometimes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Now, boys,” Doña Sancha said over their boisterous teasing. “Let’s act like the nobles we are.”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Justa looked at Doña Sancha and tried to imagine all those well-formed men coming out of her somehow. </span></div>
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Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-35837496307675376552013-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:002013-06-24T07:19:10.880-07:00Characters: Blanca FlorThere are several characters in SNKL who began as a throwaway phrase in the source material. Yusuf came about because Mudarra needed a guide through Christian Spain, and Justa blossomed out of Doña Lambra having "a single maid" at one point in the story. They both took on their own amazing (in my opinion, because they seemed to develop independent of my original intent) story arcs.<br />
<br />
Blanca Flor, however, is all mine. I took her name from other medieval epics and her personality from the question: What would Doña Lambra and Ruy Blásquez's daughter have been like? The epic states that they had no issue, but what if the case was more that after the terrible things their parents did, no one wanted to be associated with them, especially by blood ties? If I do write a sequel to SNKL, it will be based largely on that tension.<br />
<br />
Personally, when I think of a female between 14 and 25 years old, I don't see a fully grown woman, but in the tenth century, people did in general. We're coming full circle with the way teenagers dress and make themselves up these days, but that's another story. So I took inspiration for Blanca Flor's look from her mother, seen in <a href="http://7nkl.blogspot.com/2013/05/characters-dona-lambra-and-dona-sancha.html">this post,</a> and in this gorgeous artist's fantasy:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLJeu0wckIfV6mLLZdkZA-q1FjdjXqUs5_12QmpilbS8f4Ntt4I3B96I_idDBGC3JiHuKIkc-v9lGkZqc5gM8HsIqOl0vBFVHXG9Bw2j_HE-ogM2N9RShpyKwk1thlCXm0OKiypIGQUA_/s1600/Medieval_Lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLJeu0wckIfV6mLLZdkZA-q1FjdjXqUs5_12QmpilbS8f4Ntt4I3B96I_idDBGC3JiHuKIkc-v9lGkZqc5gM8HsIqOl0vBFVHXG9Bw2j_HE-ogM2N9RShpyKwk1thlCXm0OKiypIGQUA_/s320/Medieval_Lady.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
Then I made a sketch with words to evoke when I described her for the first time. Hard to see pencil in the scan, but here it is:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoBYy843ZQnhWgZxjsYCUSeh1vL5Mxzs521aA2ZBxhOUMqGBcktFNPU06ph3sLu12FvfKXkM59t4HrJjGTweqvvlnSuf12KbKc82883FwV1WlWQjf4sPXwoiJeNJ9XejihyphenhyphenxXy8lMW9SW/s1600/Blanca+Flor017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoBYy843ZQnhWgZxjsYCUSeh1vL5Mxzs521aA2ZBxhOUMqGBcktFNPU06ph3sLu12FvfKXkM59t4HrJjGTweqvvlnSuf12KbKc82883FwV1WlWQjf4sPXwoiJeNJ9XejihyphenhyphenxXy8lMW9SW/s400/Blanca+Flor017.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
<br />
I was going for the beauty of the mother, but full of kindness.<br />
<br />
Here's how the description ended up, from the point of view of Mudarra:<br />
<br />
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA;">He ducked behind the tree
trunk, from where he observed a being who radiated so much brightness he hardly
dared to keep watching her, and yet he couldn’t look away. As he stared, he
distinguished two long braids the color of gold thread that pulled the hood
from her head and whipped from side to side and front to back as the girl-woman
changed her gait to suit her mood. Her mantle flew away from her body with each
step like the wings of a giant bird taking flight. At her neck, an underdress
of a fine, almost transparent fabric protected her fair skin from the blue wool
of her tunic. The skirt, covered in embroidered whorls, danced stiffly atop
soft leather boots. Mudarra thought he would visit a cobbler and have similar
boots made for himself in a strangely practical thought that ran somewhere
below the rapturous feelings the female caused in him. She distractedly passed
the empty bucket from one soft-looking mitten to the other as she made her
meandering way toward the riverbank. He had never laid eyes on anything like
her.</span><!--EndFragment-->
Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-66039470710053244222013-06-04T08:38:00.001-07:002013-06-04T08:38:32.299-07:00Uses of Violence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ylEqelFYRuyeGIejeAw5zNu0vF3NG1bkeyUqLhcwgMLGGExhV7XuqlqjvI7Za_wlQwdA2qUr4hdUKXGqpotTfJimLjLLvSy5oIzcXgL02QOLwrlrAxhYPLWvcJjUJBjhdwd8zIECIkrk/s1600/im1infantes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ylEqelFYRuyeGIejeAw5zNu0vF3NG1bkeyUqLhcwgMLGGExhV7XuqlqjvI7Za_wlQwdA2qUr4hdUKXGqpotTfJimLjLLvSy5oIzcXgL02QOLwrlrAxhYPLWvcJjUJBjhdwd8zIECIkrk/s400/im1infantes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The end of a really productive <a href="http://themasterofverona.typepad.com/the_master_of_verona/2013/06/the-rules-of-violence-part-three.html">three-part discussion on violence in storytelling by David Blixt</a> comes at an <i>a propos</i> time in the aftermath of the Red Wedding episode of the <i>Game of Thrones</i> series. It's well argued -- check it out!<br />
<br />
I've never been sure why I was so strongly drawn to the story that is the basis for <i>The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</i>. It's violent, and I've never enjoyed stories that showcase violence for its own sake. So, it became my mission to present the violence in a way that would affect the reader deeply at the same time that it examines the conflict from both sides and humanizes the villains. Conflict is necessary for story, and a good story will show the conflict in all its subtlety and let the reader decide what it really means.<br />
<br />
After all, this is not a new story. It's already been told in a formulaic and psychologically vacant way, so there's no point in retelling it unless I add value in the form of sympathetic characters with believable motives and emotions.<br />
<br />
I began by trying to understand why the woman who apparently motivated the biggest violent act in the entire book -- Doña Lambra -- was moved to such outrageous and unbecoming behavior. Because I started with her, I fell in love with her, and deeply confused my beta readers and some people who read my first attempts at query letters and a synopsis. I also loved the proper "good guys" in the book, but the fondness I had for writing about Lambra skewed readers' perceptions of the González family in the wrong direction and failed to prepare them for the meaning of the gore to come. I've done a lot of editing and hope I've ended up with a nice, complex balance of characteristics and perceptions in both camps. Anyone can write a good hero, but a good villain is the mark of the great writer I want to be.<br />
<br />
It's an epic story and I hope I've given each character the attention he or she deserves.<br />
<br />
So anyway, if you liked or understood or enjoyed being devastated by the Red Wedding, <i>The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</i> has incidents that I hope affect the reader in a markedly similar fashion.Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-86092011521574324932013-05-24T13:58:00.000-07:002013-05-24T13:58:40.716-07:00Characters: Mudarra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3uISyztFAM8z7o8PwkWR4iWLJlN6BZ0nr_DOklb1lZoIKJy7AvJQdlDPaD8fOhjU4tvT2uaWIbJI7yM6m4BFw3DH8_01E4ifh4p0kpZoaL6J7j3xc7yJfNVcnbKDHyjIlS2eGrO_vlmS/s1600/grey3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3uISyztFAM8z7o8PwkWR4iWLJlN6BZ0nr_DOklb1lZoIKJy7AvJQdlDPaD8fOhjU4tvT2uaWIbJI7yM6m4BFw3DH8_01E4ifh4p0kpZoaL6J7j3xc7yJfNVcnbKDHyjIlS2eGrO_vlmS/s1600/grey3.jpg" /></a></div>
Mudarra is the somewhat unlikely hero of the second half of <i>The Seven Noble Knights of Lara</i>. The reader spends a lot of time in his point of view, so my first priority was to make sure we could see the world through his eyes, sympathize with him, and generally root for him. Then I had to present him from the outside, when another point of view character meets him for the first time. He should have dark hair and light eyes and a scruffy beard, much like the picture above, although probably even a bit younger.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHOiHWXG7UCtDH_uhFVfe_mjQfewuF5fOTKgPwcL5USAPnHOVG5kE5lY47IA_hOcVRGtYCP8JgeBtsDgf4F6733r1M0f10tiWr4E-hHgkX70LQeKiKdnWhatIkDUwIEgbKrh7Aa-UXWAE/s1600/george_clooney_handsome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHOiHWXG7UCtDH_uhFVfe_mjQfewuF5fOTKgPwcL5USAPnHOVG5kE5lY47IA_hOcVRGtYCP8JgeBtsDgf4F6733r1M0f10tiWr4E-hHgkX70LQeKiKdnWhatIkDUwIEgbKrh7Aa-UXWAE/s320/george_clooney_handsome.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
This guy should credibly play his father in the movie version. (Oh, yes, the role of Don Gonzalo is coming for you, Mr. Clooney!)<br />
<br />
I could have looked online for inspiring pictures like these, but at the time, I thought it would be more creative to draw a picture myself. I've never been a particularly visual writer, so I thought that might jump-start those muscles. Sometimes the creativity only really gets flowing in one area when you take a break and try to create in another medium. I never took drawing lessons, but here's my description guide for Mudarra.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLCOI40COsNYMoWFEsk3jjqwQYXwUAkuI5d6jsKBlu_QAhNwIqqxIC5D7JVXaJktP86nFTaYRYlhvyCXRDlcyLKF7zkGwEEbcZXSIGSF-ZE9t9A0pG64np3R3bmtNRswoogEhGfsYWco3/s1600/Mudarra015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLCOI40COsNYMoWFEsk3jjqwQYXwUAkuI5d6jsKBlu_QAhNwIqqxIC5D7JVXaJktP86nFTaYRYlhvyCXRDlcyLKF7zkGwEEbcZXSIGSF-ZE9t9A0pG64np3R3bmtNRswoogEhGfsYWco3/s400/Mudarra015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Would this make an impression on you?<br />
<br />
Here's how the description ended up:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
... how
could it be anyone else, with the same cowlick in the front of his dark, almost
black hair that pointed in every direction before curling almost tamely under
his ears? His eyes were shaded under the same wild brows, and his long,
straight nose, exactly like his father’s. His square chin supported the same
half-grown stubble of a child on the verge of becoming a man. His mouth was
pursed in seriousness, but Sancha recognized instantly its shape, always ready
to burst into a smile or laughter. ...</div>
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Where had he been all this
time? He’d been doing well. As he knelt before them, his long cloak opened to
reveal that it was lined entirely in a fur as fine as silk and much warmer than
the hole-ridden lynx pelt. The tunic he wore underneath, made of a
soft-looking, fuzzy fabric, seemed to create its own heat with its bright red
color and golden embroidery. The hand he held out to her and her husband had
golden rings embedded with shimmering carbuncles on each finger. Even his boots
were studded with beads that sparkled as much as rubies. The only detail that
seemed out of place for a well-landed lord somewhere in Andalusia or in the
borderlands was the length of rough string that secured a small pouch around
his neck.</div>
Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340503440902657135.post-29785205596649586072013-05-10T09:03:00.002-07:002013-05-10T09:03:34.505-07:00Characters: Doña Lambra and Doña Sancha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytqv0-Bg2EGLgHk6KSC6flHX6hG63hE6Ya7KkRarsniXQDi-Ea583CdF8Y5dwaTzcr1SeFsBCSMEtjM1s9O_ooUIkCeIoxk_koofaQnu8aPtzo10TyaorMM_q2gneWHbq2GP4CS5lnFPR/s1600/Sancha+and+Lambra013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytqv0-Bg2EGLgHk6KSC6flHX6hG63hE6Ya7KkRarsniXQDi-Ea583CdF8Y5dwaTzcr1SeFsBCSMEtjM1s9O_ooUIkCeIoxk_koofaQnu8aPtzo10TyaorMM_q2gneWHbq2GP4CS5lnFPR/s640/Sancha+and+Lambra013.jpg" width="489" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span id="goog_1175493548"></span><span id="goog_1175493549"></span><br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="font_6" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">I used these illustrations of ninth-century noble ladies as the inspiration for what Doña Lambra and Doña Sancha, the two main female characters, are wearing the first time they meet each other in Burgos before the wedding. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I colored the edges of Lambra's chain mail girdle and sleeves to appear as if they were pieces of jade in a brass setting. Her dress should probably be a richer color, as it's her best dress, inherited from her mother. I think the most inspiring element of this sketch is the haughty look in the tilt of her head and pursing of her lips.</span></span><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I imagined Sancha's underdress or chainse to be made of a delicate, expensive fabric, and the tunic or bliaud to be richly colored, but with a more Hispanic type of embroidery. The mantle seems mainly practical to me, but perhaps it was once dyed a very dark color that has faded to grey with washing. I imagine her shorter than Lambra, even though she's much older, and the pleasant expression in the sketch is appropriate to the character I describe in the novel.</span></span><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">These come from Tom Tierney's <span class="italic" style="border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Medieval Fashions Coloring Book</span>. Sometimes, writing gets to be too much and you just have to color.</span></span><br />
<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: #93701f; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="color_2" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cultural note: The title <i>doña</i> is the female equivalent of <i>don</i>, which is used in the same manner as English "sir." It may be used with the first name or the complete name, but not with the last name only. Derived from Latin <i>dominus</i> and <i>domina</i>, they translate more or less to "Lord" and "Lady."</span></span></div>
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Jessica Knausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049731983377756203noreply@blogger.com2