Interview with Prue Batten on the release of her new novel, Reliquary

Over the years I have interviewed Tasmanian author, Prue Batten, she has written guest blog posts for me, and I have reviewed some of her novels, such as Tobias. It is safe to say I am a fan, so it should be no surprise that when I heard that her latest medieval novel, Reliquary, had been published, I jumped at the chance to invite her once again to my humble blog.

Welcome back, Prue. First thing's first, please tell us about your latest book, Reliquary.

An elevator pitch perhaps? 

1196 France

A small Benedictine convent

The world’s most desired and sanctified relic

The Knights Templar want it

A nun and a crusader have it

Lives lost

Faith tested

Revenge exacted

Where did you get the inspiration for the Peregrinus Trilogy?

My books are usually inspired in some way by a nugget from research for previous novels. In the Peregrinus Series, there is a pattern – people making pilgrimages, visiting relics, finding hope or redemption, some even finding damnation.

Relics were perceived as a ticket to Heaven for many in the Middle Ages and as I researched, it became inevitable that the merchant house of Gisborne ben Simon would trade in relics, a seriously cut-throat business. The Peregrinus (Latin for traveller or pilgrim) Series was born.

How does the trilogy fit in with your other books? Are they related or linked?

They are all linked by the 12th century trading house of Gisborne ben Simon which is featured in all of my backlist. Those who work for the house are an eclectic bunch of strong personalities with vivid backgrounds. Each story is a standalone, held in its place by the fact that the characters are all comrades-in-arms and this camaraderie is like a web, binding them to each other. There is very little that is light-hearted in the novels, because trade in the Middle Ages (and at any other time) was venal, and murder frequent. The old adage of First Come, First Served, could have been a 12th century mantra for a successful mercantile endeavour.

In the case of Reliquary, Christendom’s greatest relic is the centrepiece of the novel.

In Oak Gall and Gold, an illuminator monk is the ‘peregrinus’ and a lost manuscript the focus.

As for the unknown, untitled Book Three, who knows?

What was the biggest surprise for you while writing Reliquary?

That a Bride of Christ might kill to save herself.

Like all of your books, Reliquary is set on the other side of the world to where you live. I have recently moved some of my novels out of Britain and taken the characters to mainland Europe. Due to COVID, it has been impossible to travel to those places, and I yearn to be able to visit the places I have written about. How do you research the locations so far from where you live?

As I have mentioned to you before, I would have to be a millionaire to travel repeatedly (9 books) from far-removed Tasmania to the settings for my stories. However, I have travelled through Europe and the UK and filled journals with sensory detail. 

That travelling was prompted by my lecturer in medieval studies when I did my degree many years ago. He had a way of talking about the philosophical side of the Middle Ages that was electrifying for me.

In addition, I’ve been very fortunate over the years in England, Istanbul, France and now Germany, to have very qualified friends who are happy to research on my behalf, even a friend who ran a charter yacht service through the Med and Adriatic and so his watery observations of winds, tides and coastlines have been perfect.

But I also think we authors today are extremely lucky to have the web. There is NOTHING one can’t find via Google Maps, YouTube, forums and the many published research papers in various fields. 

I have been fortunate with Reliquary. Whilst my much-respected friend and researcher in France passed away last year (he is responsible for finding the little convent of Esteil in Reliquary as well as massive input into a large proportion of my backlist. I miss our repartee and academic connection), I have videos, notes, stills and experiences filed away. 

I would like to note that the reality of the settings of my novels has never been questioned and it’s humbling to receive many plaudits similar to the ones below: 

‘writes in 3D and surround sound…’

‘…vivid and believable…’

‘…an intricate tale highlighted by the details of that vast city and the life within it.’

‘The mixture of cultures in the eastern Mediterranean of the period was… realistic and handled with superb understatement.’

‘You feel you are in the cities that were described.’ 

Travel for authors may never ever be what it was. Pandemics make sure of that. I live on a healthy island which is part of an island continent and so the nation was able to ‘control’ the ingress of a certain amount of the pandemic. In addition, my own state government will always put the people’s safety ahead of everything, so I can’t guarantee 100% freedom to travel and get home – even into the future. With that in mind, I think Covid has given writers the chance to work in a different way and to build settings with unique effort and creativity rather than just showing and telling. 

But to be honest, I don’t stress about the ‘need’ to travel. I just read and write.

If I had to choose one location that I have never visited and which is written about solely from the research and five senses of my researchers, it is 12th century Constantinople, of which, sadly, there is very little left thanks to the Fourth Crusade and the Ottoman Invasion.

If I was able to choose others? The outer Scottish Isles, Scandinavia and Lindisfarne.

I interviewed you several years ago. What has changed for you as a writer since then? What is better? What is worse?

Firstly, the flooding of the indie marketplace with vast amounts of appalling writing which has damped down the reputation of so many good writers.

Secondly, Time is not on my side. I’m now seventy and have a 3 year old grandson and many things I want to accomplish. That means writing must take its place, whereas before, I did nothing much but…

I’m fortunate that I can write with little to no pressure. My portfolio is increased at my own speed and with the kind support of my readers. I live my writing life without expectation and with the desire to publish for those readers to the best of my abilities.

What has had the biggest influence on your work in the last five years?

I think I write better because life’s experiences, good and bad, continue to make a very deep mark. It’s something age delivers – a kind of soul-deep wisdom which younger folk may not yet have experienced. I think I write even more emotively. If I didn’t, I would be disappointed. And I think by writing at my own pace, I have the opportunity to hone the craft to better and better heights.

What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

Words and language – they are the most perfect things in the world. I saw the word ‘ethereal’ the other day and I took it, held it in my palm for just a moment and thought ‘What a beautiful word.’ Sometimes it can be that simple.

What is the best book you've read in the last twelve months?

Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow. Such beautifully parsed, elegant writing and an engaging saga.

What is next for you? The sequel to Reliquary? What plans after that?

Yes, Book Two, Oak Gall and Gold (working title) is a third of the way and I am guessing that at some point, a nugget will drop in my lap from the current research which will provide Book Three. I don’t stress about it. What will be will be.

After that? There’s a fantasy of nearly 40,000 words waiting to be finished and a colonial history novel waiting to be started and… 

But therein lies a whisper of that word – ‘Time’. ‘Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent.’ Carl Sandberg.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Thank you, Matthew.

Connect with Prue:

https://www.pruebatten.com

www.facebook.com/Prue.Batten.writer

www.pinterest.dk/pruebatten

www.instagram.com/pruebatten/

Prue Batten's MICHAEL, Book Three of the Triptych Chronicle

A few days ago, Prue Batten released her latest book, Michael, the third in her fabulous Triptych Chronicle. I am a fan of Prue's writing and everything points to Michael being just as great as the previous books in the series. So without further ado, here is Prue to tell us a little about the book and some of the issues she has faced while writing and researching it.

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Matthew, whose kind words featured on the cover of Guillaume, Book Two of The Triptych Chronicle, has invited me to post on his blog as I celebrate the launch of the finale to the twelfth century trilogy: Book Three - Michael.

Matthew has spoken in the past about the dilemma faced by fiction writers when research detail is thin on the ground. But he remained undeterred and seemed to have the same kind of excitement about the lack as myself.

It gives one scope and licence for the imagination…

The first issue for me was the setting for Michael. Much of actual twelfth century Constantinople was destroyed in two cataclysmic events – the Fourth Crusade and the Ottoman Conquest. I had to think hard and carefully about navigating the city. Fortunately, there’s clever online 3D modelling called http://www.byzantium1200.com It’s been a true godsend and has enabled me to walk the walk and talk the talk.

My novel is about twelfth century trade – about quality goods from the east and the covetousness that arises as western merchants fight to trade the best. I needed to find rare and highly valued commodities, the kind that would arouse deathly jealousies. In Michael, that became a silk called byssus, but there certainly wasn’t a surfeit of information. A snifter at most – the silk is rare and naturally golden, sourced from the sea and woven by a secret cadre of women through the centuries – true story. In fact, it is believed that the famous Blessed Veronica, imprinted with Christ’s face, is byssus. The silk’s value is undeniable, not least because of its enigmatic nature.

You see my problem.

Likewise, in trying to find a suitable convent outside Constantinople for one of my characters, I was concerned by Byzantine historian Judith Herrin’s prophetic words ‘many … are noted for a single reference and remain unidentified’. Once again, it seemed I was entering unchartered waters. I chose to once again make another fiction call, placing one of the ‘single reference’ nunneries, Xylinites, outside the city in a location of my choosing –west of the River Lycus that flows down into the city.

And then there was the Contarini family. They had a huge political, diplomatic and religious presence within Venice throughout its medieval and Renaissance history. Whilst there is evidence that they had dealings with Byzantium, there is no evidence of which of the many family members might have travelled there in 1195. Thus I ‘created’ a fictitious Contarini – Giacomo. It suited my plot to have Giacomo and Michael in the same room at the same time. It was one of Dorothy Dunnett’s greatest techniques and I enjoyed playing with the dice in such a way. But I do remember asking myself at one point, as another blank wall approached: ‘Are we having fun yet?’

In truth I loved every minute of writing this novel and its award-winning partners, Tobias and Guillaume. They were all hard-won stories but this one especially so, and I hope readers enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the journey.

Is this my final farewell perhaps to the twelfth century?

I’m not sure…

Michael is available at mybook.to/Sarapion

Click on the following links to find out more about Prue and her writing.

Website: http://www.pruebatten.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Prue.Batten.writer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pruebatten
Amazon: http://author.to/pruebatten

What Prue Batten learnt whilst writing Guillaume

The latest author in the "What I Learnt..." series is Prue Batten. Prue has written fantasy novels in the past, but in recent years has become a successful historical novelist, first with her Gisborne Saga trilogy, and now with her spin-off series, the Triptych Chronicle. I reviewed the first of that series, Tobias, earlier in the year. The latest of her novels is Guillaume, which is set in twelfth century Lyon. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of it and here is what I thought:

"With her customary elegant use of language, Prue Batten plunges us effortlessly into the mercantile houses, twisted alleys and secret shadowy tunnels of medieval Europe. Guillaume is a riveting tale of twelfth century trade, treachery and intrigue."

So read on, and find out a little of what Prue learnt while writing this great novel.

What Prue Batten learnt whilst writing Guillaume

1. The secrets of Lyon.

I had no idea! In the twelfth century it was a sophisticated town built on its strong Roman foundations, foundations that contained labrynthine tunnels snaking upward from the Saône to the centre of the town. The very placement of these tunnels (called traboules) gave any users quick access to and from the river. For merchants, an added bonus – goods could be carted from barge to warehouse without being seen, giving wily traders an edge in the marketplace. Once I discovered the traboules in my reading, the next step was to secure information of their condition and usage in the twelfth century. There’s barely a time in Lyon’s history where the traboules haven’t been used. Even to WWII. (But that’s another story.)

For me, I had a location for murder and mayhem in the twelfth century.

2. Did the Reformation really happen in the 16th Century? Or was it much earlier? Perhaps in the 12th Century?

Called the Waldensian movement later in history, it began with the wealthy merchant, Pierre Vaudès. Vaudès became a reformist thinker and gave up his wealth in favour of following a simple path based on the Gospels. He had parts of the Bible translated to the Lengua Romana, so that the common man might understand that God’s love was not dependent on money, images and plenary indulgences. His preachers, of which there were many, became known as Sandalati because of their simple footwear. But more particularly they were known as The Poor Men of Lyon. The Church declared the Sandalati heretics, and the preachers and followers were forced into hiding in fear of their lives, eventually leaving France for the hidden valleys of Piedmont and giving the world a simple reformist philosophy long before Martin Luther.

This gave me an interlacing plotline…

3. That it is entirely possible to include the loveliest poetry and music in a novel.

I love the inclusion of relevant poetry and music from the times in which a novel is set. Dorothy Dunnett was iconic with her usage of the device. One of my characters is a minstrel, a poet and an aesthete. He allows me to make use of other word-forms and thus it was that I was able to use the beautiful ninth century poem, Pangur Bàn about a white cat and a monk. I sourced the online translation by Robin Flowers and when Guillaume, Tobias and Adam stay at the small priory of Pommiers en Forez, they are cared for by Brother Hugo, who has a white cat.

I also read about the most emotive piece of music this year, Carmina qui Quondam. As it dates from the eleventh century, I felt it would most definitely appeal to a minstrel of Tobias’ standing. And I included other song lyrics from the times as well.

These were indulgences in the writing of Guillaume, but like the colour in stained glass, I hope they add to the novel’s depth.

4. I learned a new word – one that resonated and one that I just had to use in my novel.

This year, I purchased a wonderful book called Landmarks, by Robert Macfarlane. Essentially a list of colloquial words to describe landscape, for me it was like discovering precious gems. One word stood out – ‘endragoned’ – first coined by Gerard Manley Hopkins to describe a roiling sea. Could I use this word? Why not if I acknowledged its provenance? Thus:

‘They entered the hall – a wave of sound rolling toward them like an endragoned sea crashing upon rocks. Nothing but men’s voices, a grumbling roar that made one search for the soft ameliorating face of any woman at all…’

Macfarlane’s book is a true treasure and I don’t think this will be the last time I use it.

But I learned many other things during this year of writing. Research fills one’s mind with such things as one creates the framework for historical novels. All providing layers and dimension for one’s story.

Thank you, Matthew, for allowing me to reveal four special ones.

Buy Guillaume

Connect with Prue Batten:

http://www.pruebatten.com
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REVIEW: Tobias by Prue Batten

Tobias by Prue Batten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book of Prue Batten's I've read and it did not disappoint.

It is the tale of the eponymous hero of the novel, Tobias, a dwarf minstrel. To have a protagonist who has to contend with the struggles related to being born different, make for an interesting read and Batten brings to life the complexities of living with achondroplasia in medieval Europe. Tobias, his twin brother, Tomasso, and most of the cast of characters come from Prue Batten's Gisborne series of books, but they are all well-defined here and I felt I got enough of their backstory for the most part to understand their motivations and desires.

Batten's prose is rich and lush, like ribbons of embroidered silks trailing through the mind. The settings are vivid and real. It was easy to imagine the author had spent years of her life in the locales of Constantinople, Crete and Venice, but as she lives in Tasmania, I don't think this is the case. All I can assume is that she carried out exhaustive research and then fleshed it out with a delightfully detailed imagination. An imagination that sees every pebble on a beach, each bag of spices spilled onto the cobbles of the Byzantine harbour-side, every stitch on a sweat-stained gambeson. Batten is able to conjure each zephyr blowing over the Adriatic, the scent of sweet fruit syrup cordials drunk in the coolness of a merchant's walled garden, the icy bite of a steel misericorde blade slicing into pliant flesh. Her writing is sumptuous, and the plot, whilst quite straightforward, is well-drawn and leads the reader to the inexorable violent conclusion.

Although the time and the place of the story is very different, there was something about the interaction of certain characters, the absolute authenticity of the locations and the poetry of the prose that at times reminded me of the great Patrick O'Brian. For historical fiction, there is really no greater praise.

The only character I found hard to connect with was Tomasso. I found him unlikable and thoroughly unpleasant. It is clear that he is meant to be perceived that way and a large part of the plot revolves around his selfish and self-destructive behaviour, but by the end of the story, I didn't care whether he found redemption from his sins, or was utterly destroyed by his thoughtless actions. I wondered whether I would have felt differently if I'd read the previous trilogy, and whether the denouement of the plot would have been more heart-wrenching as a result.

This is a big story told through the eyes of a little person. Prue Batten brings us a rich tale of deceit, intrigue, politics and violence. And she does so with poetic writing and real verve.

View all my reviews

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Prue Batten

On my blog today I am pleased to welcome the extremely successful and talented independent author, Prue Batten. Her books are always among the top-sellers in their categories on Amazon and I hear nothing but praise for her prose and immersive tales of the medieval world. 

On 31st August, you released your latest book, Tobias. Tell us a bit about it.

It is the journey of one man and his brother – dwarves, or as they are known today, little people. In the medieval era they were sometimes feared, sometimes desired as curious court trophies. Tobias and Tommaso are on a secret mission to retrieve the infamous and heavily policed dye called Tyrian Purple from Constantinople, at risk to their lives.

It’s been an exceptionally hard book to write as I knew nothing of the condition called achondroplasia or dwarfism and that alone required deep research and help from little people themselves. My medieval world could not be scaled down. My characters had to cope. And then of course, there was complex subject matter like the vast history of the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Church, iconography, sailing the Adriatic, Hellespont and Bosphorus and so much more…

Where did you get the inspiration for Tobias? 

Tobias existed in two previous novels (Book of Knights and Book of Kings) in his role as troubadour, spy and companion, but he was always a secondary character. My editor, John Hudspith, had come to love Toby and he suggested there was a story that should be told. I thought about it, Toby and I talked and he agreed that I should proceed.

What was the biggest surprise for you while writing Tobias?

That his story was so very deep and moving. It still stuns me.

You have written several books now. In general, do you find that the story chooses you or that you choose the story?

The story always chooses me.

You live on a working farm in Tasmania. How much of your environment and experiences do you think flow into your writing?

Hugely. If one takes away the mechanisation and modern animal husbandry (drugs and chemicals), then farming is as medieval and raw as it ever was. Barley and oats still feel the same as they slide through one’s palm, soil still smells the same after rain – promising food for the coming year, sheep give birth in the same way, wool still leaves a coating of fatty lanolin behind as one stretches the crimp. And of course, there is the unfortunate brutality of nature – snow, wind and rain at lambing, the need to put an animal down swiftly if it is in dire straits and beyond help. The despair of a dry year. Riding horses, the aftermath of a dog attack, the conviviality of country life. All I need to do is make pottage and strike a flame for the fire, light a tallow candle and I am there…

What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?

In historical fiction? Dorothy Dunnett without doubt.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

The best is the widespread friendship online. Seven years ago, I knew no one who wrote. Now some of my closest and, I predict, lifelong friends are writers.

And the worst thing? 

My total lack of self-discipline!!! I should be sent to the corner or made to write 100 times on the blackboard, ‘I will concentrate much harder’.

What is the best book you've read in the last twelve months?

Ann Swinfen’s Cristoval series (I have read two and am on the third in the series.) So very clever and beautifully written.

What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?

Winning a silver medallion in the USA for A Thousand Glass Flowers and being talked about online by The Huffington Post.

What is next for you? The sequel to Tobias? What plans after that?

Tobias is the first in a three book chronicle called The Triptych Chronicle. The second is entitled Guillaume and takes place in France. I’m currently researching it. The third is a dilemma as I’m in two minds. Should I write about Mehmet al Din, the Arab doctor, or about William of Gisborne and the Fourth Crusade…

And now for the quick-fire questions:

Tea or coffee?

Tea – chamomile. Sadly I’m sensitive to caffeine.

Burger or hot dog? 

Burger – with homemade fruit chutney and grilled haloumi. Definitely not Macca’s.

Villain or hero?

Depends on the man! Hmm, on second thoughts an anti-hero – the tough chap who is bad but could be redeemed.

Beer or wine?

Wine – white, chilled. And maybe a second glass…

Movie or TV series?

TV series.

Happy ending or tragedy?

I quite like the bittersweet. Then again, I’m not adverse to the hero and heroine sailing contentedly off into the sunset.

In the car, audio-book or music?

Either/or. Depends on the voice. Certain male audio voices have been known to cause me to drive off the road, their tone is so spine tingling.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions and may you have continued success in the future!

Matthew, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Buy Tobias here and keep up to date with Prue and her books at the following:

www.pruebatten.com
www.facebook.com/prue.batten.writer
www.pinterest.com/pruebatten