Lindsay says:
When I first started writing for publication, I wrote in one of my favourite genres, historical romance. Since then I have also written both romantic suspense and historical mystery, and the three genres have the following in common for me:
High stakes
Adventure
A ticking clock
A heroine under pressure who responds
A protective hero
A setting that has an impact on the characters.
With my most recent novel, I have returned to the Middle Ages and to Historical Mystery. An Older Evil is the first of a series of stories featuring the heroine Alyson Weaver. Alyson is older than my romance heroines and experienced in life and love, a widow of Bath who loves life and who hates injustice. In the times when she lived there was no formal police force, so when a stranger is murdered close to her home, Alyson feels compelled to investigate, especially when her family and household come under threat.
Alyson is also happy to play Cupid whenever she can and there is a romantic subplot in this novel... an unusual romantic subplot.
**Q&A with Lindsay Townsend**
If you had a time
machine, where would you go?
I’d love to travel back (incognito, always incognito)
to the Stone Age to discover who painted the cave paintings and why. I’d like
to go forward to see what happens in the next two hundred years. I would flit
back to the Mongol Court of Genghis Khan and those of the Mogul Emperors of
India. I’d take a trip to Whitby in the 6th Century and visit the
Abbess Hild. But I would always want to return to my own time and my own
people.
Your latest
historical, ‘An Older Evil,’ is a historical mystery and the first part of a
series, rather than a historical romance. Why the change in writing direction?
To me, it’s not that much of a change. As I mentioned
on the Thursday blog, to me there are shared elements in historical romance and
historical mystery – a historical setting, a ticking clock, high stakes and
adventure. All my stories tend to have these elements. In ‘An Older Evil,’ I
have an older heroine and more overt ‘shown’ violence than in my historical
romances, but I already explore dark themes in my romances. ‘The Snow Bride’
deals with a serial kidnapper and murderer. In ‘Bronze Lightning’ the heroine
is raped. And there are romances within ‘An Older Evil,’ as Alyson my heroine
enjoys playing Cupid. As for the series aspect, I discovered that Alyson is
such an interesting character I was happy to write about her again. Her story
features several long arcs that need more than one book to develop.
What draws you to
write about the Middle Ages?
It’s such a long period of history and such a vital
one, when so any forces such as the law, the church, Islam, magic, natural
sciences, writing, numbers, astronomy were being developed. Medieval Europe
experienced the Black Death, launched the Crusades, and saw the development of
towns and cities out of the forests and wild places. All these things give me a
rich tapestry to set stories against.
What are the
possible pitfalls in writing about the medieval period?
In my medieval stories, I need to avoid the pitfall of
having modern characters in medieval fancy dress, so I strive to make the
reactions of my heroes and heroines realistic to the time. Birth control was
not reliable, for example, so unplanned pregnancy was a danger and that would
determine how people behaved. During the Middle Ages people were afraid of hell
and the afterlife and I like to show that in my stories.
In my medieval mysteries, I have the additional
pitfall of the law and how it has changed. There was no formal police force
during the Middle Ages and the whole idea of forensics was unknown. For my
Alyson to investigate she must do so in a way that is appropriate to her time and
character. I overcome the issue by using her natural curiosity, life experience
and desire to gossip.
In both mystery and romance, there is also the issue
of language. To use ‘real’ medieval language would be impossible as language
has moved on since then, yet to use too modern expressions can pull a reader
out of the story. I try to use ‘timeless’ language and show medieval beliefs
and customs in action.
What are you
reading at the moment?
‘Snuff’ by Terry Pratchett. (Fantasy with strong
historical elements)
‘Fire and Silk,’ by Erin O’Quinn. (Historical romance
set in ancient Ireland)
‘The Sorcerer’s Revenge’ Book 2 of the Apothecary
series by Linda Sole (Medieval historical romance with paranormal elements)
‘A Pig in the Roses,’ by Peter Alan Orchard. (Historical
mystery set in ancient Athens.)
‘Reluctance,’ by Jen Black. (Regency historical
romance with unusual premise).
Thank you, Lindsay, and best of luck with An Older Evil!
