Guest Author: E.D. Walker

This week on Unusual Historicals, we're welcoming Noble Romance author E.D. Walker, whose latest medieval romance, THE BEAUTY'S BEAST, features a werewolf knight in Norman times. Here's the blurb:

Lady Kathryn's father has sent her to court to find a husband, but being penniless and disinterested doesn't bode well for her success. Bored by the petty intrigues of court, she finds her loneliness is eased when the king charges her with the care of his newest acquisition: an uncanny black wolf. What the king doesn't realize is his remarkable pet was once Gabriel, his favorite knight, cursed into wolf form by an unfaithful wife.

The beast's too-knowing eyes and the way he seems to understand her every utterance convinces Kathryn the wolf is more than what he seems. Resolving to restore him, she doesn't count on the greatest obstacle being Gabriel himself. The longer he stays in wolf form as a captive of the court, the harder it becomes for him to remember his humanity. And to fight his wolfish urges to maim and kill.

Only Kathryn's affection and determination stand between Gabriel the wolf and Gabriel the man. But when the man who betrayed him returns to court, will Kathryn's love be enough to keep Gabriel from exacting a brutish revenge that will condemn the wolf to death?

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"...a page-turner fairytale for the adult (or younger!) dreamer....I really enjoyed this tale! How can you not like a book with a cheeky protagonist and a noble gentle-were?" ~ Night Owl Reviews

"I bought and read it all on in one night, and I loved every minute of it." ~ Book Geek Reviews

"I believe that THE BEAUTY'S BEAST is E. D. Walker's first published novel. I certainly hope it will not be her last, because I enjoyed this story enough to want more from her. Excellent job, Ms. Walker. Keep up the good work!" ~ The Book Wenches

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Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a SoCal girl born and bred, and right now I'm finishing up a (somewhat overdue) BA in English Literature at UC Berkeley.

I understand your inspiration for THE BEAUTY'S BEAST came from a homework assignment?

Yep. My World Lit professor assigned the medieval poem "Bisclavret" by Marie de France. As soon as I read this great poem about an accursed werewolf knight I knew I wanted to write a novel based on "Bisclavret." Just the two-word description gets me all excited: Werewolf. Knight. That's awesome, right?

That does sound cool.

Yeah! Who knew homework could be so exciting?

So, as far as 'writing' homework, were there any interesting research problems you encountered on THE BEAUTY'S BEAST?

Definitely. One really problematic aspect for me was that my hero is injured in the beginning of the novel, but he's injured in his wolf form. This meant I had to research medieval veterinary care, information about which is, understandably, somewhat limited. Eventually, I based the treatment for my wolfy hero on the sort of things that might be used on a prized hunting dog.

Were there any parts of researching the book that were particularly fun?

The clothes! I am a total historical clothing geek. I love historical fashion, so getting to play dress-up with my characters is always one of my enduring joys as a writer. For Kathryn's gowns I looked at historical paintings and woodcuttings. I also used Tom Tierney's paper doll books a little for inspiration. It was really great, actually, because my sister is an artist and this past Christmas she surprised me with a paper doll collection of my very own of the two main characters from THE BEAUTY'S BEAST. She's so detail-oriented she actually drew little wolf details on the trim of the heroine's gowns.

Often, in historical novels some real life historical figures show up. Do any real historical figures appear in THE BEAUTY'S BEAST?

Not many real historical people pop in, but I did feel so indebted to Marie de France for giving me such brilliant source material that she has a very small cameo in the book.

Can you offer any recommendations for books similar to THE BEAUTY'S BEAST that your readers would enjoy?

I would definitely recommend the Brother Cadfael chronicles by Ellis Peters. They're cozy mysteries set during the civil war in England between Stephen and Maude. The main character is a monk, but there's a little romance in each book between secondary characters. Cadfael books are straight historicals, so no fantasy elements, but I was heavily influenced in my tone for THE BEAUTY'S BEAST by that series with its warm, comforting presence. Another great historical read that does have fantasy elements is The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold. That book is set in Renaissance Italy, and the heroine is the half-black daughter of a master goldsmith and magician. The Spirit Ring is chock full of action, court intrigue, romance and magic.

What's up next for you?

My second book HEIR TO THE UNDERWORLD actually came out late last year. It's a YA fantasy romance. Not a historical, alas, but the book is filled to the brim with ancient mythology, gods and fairies, so I think there's stuff there for a historical fan to enjoy.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know?

Yes: I love hearing from readers! I have a blog that I update at least 3 times a week, a website where readers can learn more about me and my books, and a Facebook page where I post news and interesting links all the time.

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Thanks for stopping by today, E.D! Readers, E.D. is giving away a copy! Just tell us which shifter type is your favorite. I'll draw the winner next Sunday. Void where prohibited. Best of luck!

Women Did It Better: The Bayeux Tapestry

By Lindsay Townsend

Men fought and died in England in the battle of Hastings in 1066. The kingdom and crown passed to a foreigner, William of Normandy.

This event is recorded in spectacular detail by the Bayeux Tapestry, made by women. There are only a few women shown on the tapestry in this story of feudal rights and obligations, claims, counter-claims and war, but scholars now agree that women made it.

The 'tapestry' is in fact an embroidery, done on strips of linen joined together to form a huge running narrative of the events leading up to and beyond the decisive battle. The seven joints are done with great skill and are almost invisible. At one time the tapestry was even longer, but the end is now damaged and incomplete. However the rest is a stunning, detailed account, a unique primary source.

Who were the women who embroidered this massive tapestry? Evidence suggests they were English. Earlier French tradition claimed the tapestry had been embroidered by William's wife Matilda, but what seems increasingly likely is that the piece was made in England as a gift for the new queen.

English female embroiderers were famous throughout Europe for their wall-hangings and church garments. Earlier English queens, such as Edith, were acclaimed for their skill as embroiders. A wall hanging made by English embroiders, showing the defeat of the English at the battle of Maldon in 991, was given to the monastery at Ely by the defeated leader's widow, Aelflaed, as a memorial to the English dead.

The Bayeux Tapestry may have partly served as a memorial to the English dead and have even been stitched by some English widows at either Winchester, the seat of the court and government in Anglo-Saxon England, or Canterbury, or the nunnery at the Minster in Sheppey in Kent--all famed centres of English embroidery. In some cases we may even know their names, such as the woman Leofgeat, who in 1086 in the Domesday Book is described as doing gold embroidery for the king.

Gold was not used in the Bayeux Tapestry, but wool thread dyed sage green, blue-green, red, buff and blue were stitched on the linen using an outline and stem stitch, then laid and couched stitches, making the whole stand out in low relief, like a sculptor's frieze. The figures are active and the tumult of the battle is shown. The English warriors with their moustaches and longer hair are picked out, and the Normans with their cropped locks, and several of the key moments of 1066 are there: Halley's comet, as a harbinger of trouble; William, lifting up his helmet to reveal his face and prove he's still alive; and the climax of the battle, where Harold is felled by the arrow.

A woman is also behind a faithful facsimile of the tapestry. In 1885 Elizabeth Wardle saw the original at Bayeux and, along with 35 other women, was inspired to produce a copy, to be housed in England. This is now kept at the museum in Reading, England.

Guest Author: JoAnn Smith Ainsworth

Sundays here at Unusual Historicals mean guest authors, and our guest today is JoAnn Smith Ainsworth. Her latest release from Samhain Publishing is MATILDA'S SONG, a fiery star-crossed tale of a Norman man and a Saxon woman in 12th century Britain. Here's the blurb:

Duty requires sacrifice...but the heart will not be denied.

At the time, pretending marriage to her middle-aged widower cousin seemed like the best way to escape a politically motivated betrothal to a brutal knight.

Now, Matilda's journey toward a new life has landed her in hot water--she's been waylaid by a local Norman baron who's mistaken her for a real bride. And he demands First Night rights. Hot water turns to steam in a scalding night of passion...passion she has never known. And now must live without.

Lord Geoffrey is entranced at first sight of the Anglo-Saxon beauty and finds that one night in her arms is not nearly enough. But all he can offer the low-born Matilda is a life in the shadows--as his mistress.

Her head warring with her heart, Matilda resigns herself to her duty in a masquerade of a marriage. It's a choice that could cost her life. For the knight who first sought her hand is back with murder on his mind. Now it's Geoff who's faced with the ultimate choice: which is more precious...his estates or the love of the one woman who can heal his soul?

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Reviews:

"One of the best books I have read this year." ~ Coffee Time Romance
"If you enjoy a good medieval tale, don't miss this one." ~ ParaNormal Romance
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book." ~ Literary Nymphs
"Great story" ~ RT Book Reviews

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What's different about your medieval romances?

I write stories about ordinary folk faced with extraordinary circumstances. A reviewer for Paranormal Romance says about MATILDA'S SONG: "One thing I really liked about this story is the fact it isn't about lords and ladies, instead it tells a tale of a common born woman."

How did you choose the 1120 A.D. settings for MATILDA'S SONG and its companion novel OUT OF THE DARK?

My choice of a novel highlighting medieval Britain derived from the roots of the Ainsworth family in 900 A.D. The name is Anglo-Saxon, meaning the property of Ains. It has a coat of arms with fearless courage as its motto.

I needed a time period when women had a certain amount of freedom to choose their husbands. After research, I learned that 900 A.D. would not work. The first generation after the Norman Conquest gave me the right blend of social conflict with the diminishing of Saxon laws, religion and healing practices while the Norman culture was gaining a toehold--but with relative political calm and no war.

What is unusual about your medieval romantic suspense, OUT OF THE DARK?

A reader review on Barnes & Noble says: "Having a blind relative, I especially appreciated reading a story in which the leading lady is blind."

The heroine for the novel comes from personal experience. I worked with a blind woman who ran the department for disabled students at a local community college. I admired how much she could accomplish in a day with only one reader to help her. While my heroine is not totally blind, I wanted the challenge of writing about a limited sight experience.

Besides my critique partners, I had Lynne Laird, a retired instructor for the California School for the Blind, read the OUT OF THE DARK manuscript. Like my heroine, Lynne is sight-impaired. I had to print the manuscript in 16 point Courier for her. It took almost a ream of paper. It must have pushed her eyes to the limit, but when she was done I was confident I had a heroine who was acting within the abilities and limitations of her sight.

How do you strive to write realistically?

A reviewer for Affaire de Coeur says I write "vivid descriptions of time and place."

I write vividly of medieval times because personal experiences bring realism. When I carried wood as a pre-teen so my Great Aunt Martha could stoke up the iron stove to prepare dinner, I wasn't thinking, "I could use this in a novel someday." Yet, the skills I learned from my horse-and-buggy ancestors translate into backdrops for my historical romance novels.

Growing up with these experiences provided me with a sense of everyday life before labor-saving devices: an out house, a great aunt who had a root cellar, hand-pumping water, an ice box, wash boards, home-made lye soap, canning, growing our own food, feeding chickens, plucking feathers, reading and embroidering by candlelight, and Saturday night baths in a metal tub with water heated on the kitchen stove (with wash basins for sponge baths during the week). While technological change happens rapidly these days, changes were slow centuries ago. My youthful experiences weren't that far away from those daily household chores needed to add realism to my historical settings.

It was hard work, but we didn't know better at the time. To us, we lived in "modern" times.

Can you describe some of those experiences?

Take lye soap, for instance. It's caustic. It sears your lungs and burns your skin if you don't handle and mix it just right. Once it's made, you still have to shred it into detergent flakes by scraping the bar of soap across a metal slicer. When the soap bar gets small, there's a good chance you'll shave your fingers.

Then there is plucking chicken feathers. The headless chicken is dunked in scalding water to loosen the feathers. The bigger feathers are easier to pull. But the little ones! Besides being hot to the touch, the pin feathers just didn't seem to want to come out. If you leave them, they become part of your dinner.

Beating dust out of rugs was fun. Grandpa would hang the rugs over the clothesline on a spring or fall housecleaning day. We kids grabbed the wooden handle of a woven-wire tool with a head about as wide as a shovel blade and beat the hell out of the rug. Dust would go everywhere. Being outdoors, it blew away. One catch--we didn't have dust masks in those days. These early childhood experiences make the "vivid descriptions" in my novels.

Thank you for inviting me to share my writing with you. I invite you to visit my website.

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Hmmm, a blind heroine who knows her caustic lye? Sounds like my kind of story! Leave a comment or question for JoAnn and you'll be entered into a drawing for one of her books. Your choice: either MATILDA'S SONG or OUT OF THE DARK. I'll draw a winner at random next Sunday. Void where prohibited. Good luck!

Excerpt Thursday: JoAnn Smith Ainsworth

This week on Excerpt Thursday we're featuring JoAnn Smith Ainsworth, whose Samhain romance MATILDA'S SONG is set in 12th century Britain. Please join us Sunday when JoAnn will be answering questions and giving away a copy. Here's the blurb:

Duty requires sacrifice...but the heart will not be denied.

At the time, pretending marriage to her middle-aged widower cousin seemed like the best way to escape a politically motivated betrothal to a brutal knight.

Now, Matilda's journey toward a new life has landed her in hot water--she's been waylaid by a local Norman baron who's mistaken her for a real bride. And he demands First Night rights. Hot water turns to steam in a scalding night of passion...passion she has never known. And now must live without.

Lord Geoffrey is entranced at first sight of the Anglo-Saxon beauty and finds that one night in her arms is not nearly enough. But all he can offer the low-born Matilda is a life in the shadows--as his mistress.

Her head warring with her heart, Matilda resigns herself to her duty in a masquerade of a marriage. It's a choice that could cost her life. For the knight who first sought her hand is back with murder on his mind. Now it's Geoff who's faced with the ultimate choice: which is more precious...his estates or the love of the one woman who can heal his soul?

***

Author's note: This excerpt from my medieval romance novel, MATILDA'S SONG, is set in Britain a generation after the Norman Conquest. This excerpt takes place during a night-time village dance.

Matilda danced and danced and only sat when she had no breath left. As soon as she could, she was up again. Her thoughts were totally on the music, her body responding to its beat. Her face felt warm and her breath came in short bursts. Her hair had long since escaped its covering and cascaded around her face. Worries were forgotten as she lost herself in the pleasure of the dance.

Night had long since fallen. Crackling bonfires sent wavering patterns of light across the darkened green. Crickets competed with the musicians and added their tones to the musical sounds.

Matilda turned from her last dancing partner to the one standing behind who had put his hand on her waist. Immediately, she was whisked into the exuberant steps of a country dance, with not a moment to catch her breath. Strong hands led her into a twirl and it was only as she came out of it that she saw her dance companion.

Geoff!

She faltered, but was dragged along into the next pattern. Her feet automatically responded, which was just as well because her brain failed her. She couldn't protest. It would be unthinkable to cause a scene after dancing with most of the men in Caelfield this night.

She should be angry with Geoff for his trap, but she could not be. She should be distant and cold, but with him those emotions were not in her repertoire. She longed to move closer than was proper, but somehow found the strength to resist.

Geoff said not a word, but, whenever his hand touched her to lead her into the next segment of the dance, he'd let it linger longer than necessary. Matilda knew she should pull away, but couldn't bring herself to fore go his touch. She hated when the dance caused them to part and longed for the times when it brought them together. She should hate herself for wanting it so.

Conscience be damned. In the flickering light, she gave herself up to the joy of the dance. She breathed in Geoff's scent of soap and leather as if it were the food of life. She escaped into the trance evoked by his eyes. She drifted toward heaven with no care for the future.

She was glad that her feet followed the familiar dance steps on their own because she had no willpower to force them to act. Her body vibrated to his touch, evoking memories of their night together. She allowed the feelings to flood over her, creating a need in her loins that couldn't be satisfied. Her fate took on a dreamlike quality. She was transported from this dancing green to that bedchamber and to the awakening of her body that she still couldn't fully comprehend, but would forever cherish.

When the dance ended, Geoff bowed and disappeared into the crowd. To Matilda, he took joy itself with him.

The night sounds seemed muted, the dancers no longer as happy as they had been, the music embodying less vitality. She felt depleted and her body trembled.

Slowly, she walked alone off the dancing green--as if passing through a dream--to sit with her cousin William at the table. She pleaded exhaustion and declined other offers--not wanting to dilute the memory of that one miraculous dance.

Expansion & Invasion: The Normans

By Lisa Yarde

During the Viking Age, the spirit of conquest and expansion beyond Scandinavia gave birth to a new race of warriors--the Normans. From their base in northern France, a region called Normandy, they expanded their influence and control into the British Isles and the Mediterranean with bloodied swords.

Beginning in 820, Scandinavian raiders penetrated the northern Frankish kingdom, sacking Rouen and besieging Paris. After decades of repeated incursions, a new leader emerged named Hrolfr Ragnvaldsson known as "the Ganger" who set his sights on the Frankish territory. Born on the Norwegian island of Giske to Jarl Rognvald the Wise of More in about 860, Hrolfr descended from lone of the oldest ruling families in Norway, one which would come to control the Earldom of Orkney. Clearly, ambition ran in the family. Hrolfr did not want the usual bribes, loot and plunder; he intended to stay and establish holdings in the beleaguered kingdom.

In 887, he carved out territory and settled his people in the lower Seine region. Twenty-four years later in 911, King Charles the Simple of France concluded a treaty with Hrolfr at Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, conceding the territory the Viking leader had held for so long. In return, the Viking leader promised to protect the land against other Scandinavia raiders. Hrolfr, now baptized Rollo / Robert became the first Count of Normandy.

By the custom of hand-fasting he wed Poppa, daughter of the Count of Bayeux after killing her father Berenger and fathered at least fourteen children during his marriage with her. He also married the daughter of Charles the Simple, Giselle but had no heirs by her. He built fortifications at Bayeux, Brionne, Bessin and Maine, and his followers also married Frankish women and took local concubines. When he died in 933, the Normans were in complete control of northern France from the outskirts of Brittany to the coast of Flanders. In 1911, on the thousandth anniversary of the treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, France erected statues of its first Viking leader, like the one shown here at Falaise.

Statue of Hrolfr the Ganger / Count Rollo at Falaise, Normandy
Despite the next two centuries of intermarriage between the native Frankish people and the Scandinavians, and their acceptance of Christianity, their Norman descendants yearned to expand their territory and control. Hrolfr's heirs added the Contentin and Avranchin and Richard II became first to style himself Duke of Normandy. The warlike tendencies of their ancestors led to bitter struggles among the Normans. In 1017, when Richard exiled Osmond for killing one of the Duke's relatives, he raised a band of more than 200 warriors and journeyed to Italy. Osmond's brother Rainulf became the first count of Aversa, north of Naples.

In 1035 Rainulf struggled to hold his land against Byzantine interests and appealed to his fellow Normans. Two of the twelve sons of Tancred de Hauteville, William and Drogo answered the call. William won the nickname "Iron Arm" by killing a Muslim ruler at the siege of Syracuse, in southern Italy. He became Count of Apulia. His brother Drogo succeeded him. From their bases in Italy, the Normans wrested control of Sicily and Malta from the Muslims, and established the kingdom of Sicily which existed until 1194.

Statue of William II, last Norman king of Sicily
In 1066, Hrolfr's great-great-great grandson William the Conqueror set his sights upon an even greater conquest than in the Mediterranean; rule of England. The Vikings had raided along the English coast for at least 50 years before they began terrorizing the Frankish domain. From early on, they also expressed a strong intent to remain in the lands they raided.

After the Battle of Edington in 878, the Danish Viking leader Guthrum the Old wanted to settle peaceably in England. By treaty with King Alfred the Great in 886, Guthrum achieved his wish in the establishment of the Danelaw, territory stretching from Northumbria and East Anglia to the eastern coast. Two centuries later, Duke William of Normandy married Matilda of Flanders, a descendant of the King Alfred and consolidated his power. The English king Edward the Confessor was half-Norman by his mother Emma and he held the Normans at his court in high favor.

When he died, his Anglo-Danish in-laws, the Godwinsons, under Harold seized the throne. William claimed that two years before, Harold had sworn an oath recognizing Edward's offer of the English crown to the Norman Duke. In the autumn of 1066, William sailed to England and his followers ravaged the English coastal towns, daring a response from Harold. The King marched his army south, just after defeated a Viking invasion from the north at Stamford Bridge. So it was that an Anglo-Danish ruler met the Norman Duke, himself descended from a long line of Viking seafarers, but Harold lost England and his life at the Battle of Hastings.

Bayeux Tapestry, depicting Duke William and his Norman retainers
With their rise to power, the Normans imposed feudalism and dynamically changed the political power structure and culture of very domain they conquered.