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Noontime Chat-Day 4-The Firemaster’s Mistress

October 30, 2008 by Darlene

Today I’m going to talk a bit about Francis because he is becoming another favorite character of mine and then I’ll post the Q&A from Christie Dickason. Make sure to check that out as she tells us about Guy Fawke’s Night and other interesting things like why she chose to write about this novel, why she chose to write historical fiction and what her biggest writing influences were.

I’m just past page 300 now and had hoped to read more last night but was too tired after getting home from the hospital. This last section I’ve been reading has mostly been on Francis and his father Boomer-who I think is quite the character too. It starts with Francis heading back home to Powder Mote to make the gunpower. He has to ask for his father’s help but Francis has always been frightened of his father and has always felt that he never gives him a chance or trusts him. Boomer is one of those men who prides himself on being the domineering figurehead of the family. He likes to maintain strict control over his family and his household. However, both Francis’ old nurse who still takes care of Boomer and the majority of their neighbors think that old Boomer’s mind is more than a little ‘addled’.

What turns things around a bit is a book. The Quoynt’s have had for generations a book called the Liber Ignium-The Book of Fire. This is the Quoynt’s family book of deadly secrets. Among other things it has pages upon pages of recipes for gunpowder. Francis had found this book as a boy where his father had hidden it but of course was too scared to ever say anything and his father had adamantly refused to show him the book. The thing was that Boomer knew Francis had found the book and had deliberately not said anything because he knew that this would keep Francis studying the book. Francis now reads an entry that his father had recently entered and finds that his father and he have more in common than he thought and he realizes that his father had left this entry for him. They talk, decide neither of them has an addled mind and move forward to work together.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen to Francis but I’m anxious to see what he does. Francis is a torn man. He’s torn between working for Cecil, the English Secretary of State(an important man), his friend Catesby who wants the gunpowder, his suspicion of Fawkes, and Kate whom he loves. What will he do? That’s what I have to keep reading to find out.

Well I could go on forever really. This book is very complex and involved. I find it very well written and the story flows quite well. A lot is going on that couldn’t possibly be covered here. I just know that the story has me hooked.
And now I’m going to move on to the Q&A from Christie Dickason for you all to enjoy:

1. WHAT IS GUY FAWKE’S NIGHT?

Guy Fawkes Night is the English Fourth of July – a night of explosions, picnics and lighting up the sky with huge public fireworks displays and bonfires. Last year, London ‘set the Thames on fire’ while thousands of people crowded the riverbanks. There’s an irony in the parallel, however. The America holiday celebrates the declaration of freedom from the England. The English, on the other hand, have a good time partying at a festival that was originally ordered by the king of England, James I – to give thanks for the preservation of the English monarchy.

Guy Fawkes was only one of a group of disgruntled Catholics who planned to blow up the first day of the English Parliament on 5 November, 1605, along with the Protestant king and the Prince of Wales, in what became known as the Gunpowder Plot. The king ordered bonfires to be lit every year on the anniversary of the day the Gunpowder Plot was foiled.

Because it takes place in the lengthening nights of November, Guy Fawkes Night also echoes all the old festivals in many world religions, where people make fires and create light in defiance of the darkness of winter to come.

2. AND WHY I CHOSE TO WRITE ABOUT IT…

One reviewer said about THE FIREMASTER’S MISTRESS that you sometimes couldn’t tell whether you were reading about the 17th century or today. And that’s exactly what drew me – a sense of our own modern experience seen through the filter of the past. First, there’s the culturally diverse society trying to define itself and work as a unified whole. Extremist dissidents. (I won’t spoil any big plot twists if I say that I believe Guy Fawkes was the first modern suicide bomber.) There were dirty politics and political spin doctoring. And the struggles of ordinary people to keep their balance, and, in this case, to love and trust each other across a religious divide.

I also liked the relative absence of hard fact, which gave me room to imagine my own made-up story into the cracks in what is known. Most historians will admit to a certain amount of fiction in history. I found myself caught up in a real-life detective story sniffing out possible historical fact in fiction. Though it wasn’t my intention when I started to write the book, I came up with a possible alternative theory about what might really have happened, which has been treated as plausible as well as entertaining. THE FIREMASTER’S MISTRESS was even reviewed in England alongside non-fiction historical works on the subject.

Finally, to be absolutely honest, books for me usually start with possible characters. I was already a little in love with Francis Quoynt after his brief appearance in my previous novel, THE MEMORY PALACE, and wanted to spend more time with him. What historical event could have been better for an explosives expert to get tangled up in than the Gunpowder Plot?

3. WHY HISTORICAL NOVELS?

I‘ve already started to answer this one – the sense of our modern experience filtered through the past. For me, history isn’t a place we visit like tourists, peering through glass museum cases. Right this minute, we are all turning into the history of the future. The fun and challenge of setting books in the past is to make the life of my characters feel just as real and vivid as ours is to us right now. Many things don’t change, like emotions and politics. The challenge is to show how people differed from us. The fun lies in the nosiness of finding out the details of these differences. My ‘work’ includes visiting old houses, trying on the clothes, cooking from old recipes, sitting on side saddles, wandering London streets with old maps, and talking endlessly to generous, helpful people who know more about things than I do and are often splendidly obsessed. And reading, reading, reading! (On my website, I’ve put a brief article on favorite books called ‘The Ones That Got Me Started’ and plan to add a list of particularly useful reference books in the New Year, after I deliver my next novel.)

4. THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON ME AS A WRITER?

There are two clear ones.

My father’s brilliant bedtime stories that hooked me on story telling by the age of five. And made me take it seriously as the beating heart of what I do, however much I may dress it up with other complexities. Although he was a scholarly professor of English literature, his respect for the power of the Story helped me fight free of the potentially paralysing weight of literary criticism and expectation.
And,

Fourteen years as a theatre director and choreographer taught me how to build tension, shape a story line, and understand how to make your audience want to come back for the second act. Working with actors taught me the need for the concrete details of behaviour and place that add up to a sense of truth and life. For me, research isn’t a dry pursuit of fact, it’s avoiding the wrong hat that will confuse the character and make an audience stop trusting you. My choice of the 17th century was probably inevitable after I spent four years working with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-on-Avon and in London. I’m often asked if I find it difficult to deal with ‘period English’. The answer is ‘no’ – not after being surrounded by Shakespeare’s world and language all day, every day. We sometimes even ended up ordering beer in blank verse at the pub. The trick is to avoid pastiche…but this leads us off into another huge discussion about how to write. My rule of thumb is to remember that they sounded as normal to each other as we do to ourselves. It’s all in the balance.

Christie, thanks so much for this great and informative interview and for taking the time to answer my questions.
If you’ve missed anything until now…
Day 1 here at J. Kaye’s Book Blog
Day 2 here at Peeking Between the Pages
Day 3 here at J. Kaye’s Book Blog
Day 4 is the post above
Day 5 will be at J. Kaye’s Book Blog and Peeking Between the Pages for our wrap-up.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Toni says

    October 30, 2008 at 7:31 pm

    Hi Dar… I couldn’t read your post…but I read the INTERVIEW… I loved it!!!!! It a great interview and I am happy I came her to read it.

    I read more of this book last night… I am going to snuggle up and read more tonight for sure. The Plot is thickening.

  2. J. Kaye Oldner says

    October 30, 2008 at 10:44 pm

    Dar, I have learned so much this week. I really think the Q & A was one of the best you've done so far. I had no idea about Guy Fawkes Night. That is too cool.

    Changing the subject. I hope your father continues to improve. My prayers are with both of you.

  3. Marg says

    October 31, 2008 at 2:12 am

    I feel like saying Keep Reading, keep reading, because I really want to hear what you all think of the ending!

    Keep reading!

  4. Linda says

    October 31, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    Thoroughly enjoyed this Q & A. I was especially fascinated that Christie tries on the old clothes, sits on a side saddle, cooks from old recipes, etc. Has to provide such great authenticity.

  5. Dar says

    October 31, 2008 at 7:41 pm

    Toni, the interview is great isn't it. I loved learning about Guy Fawkes. Up until now I had never heard of him.

    J. Kaye, thanks. I had just mentioned that very thing to Toni above. Dad is still in the hospital unfortunately. Thanks for the prayers-I really appreciate them.

    Marg, I'm very anxious to get to the end now. I should finish this weekend providing I don't have to spend too much time at the hospital. Watch for my complete review on the weekend and then let me know your thoughts too. Have you reviewed this book in the past. If so, send me your link and I'll read it when I'm done the book.

    Linda, that's what I love about the Q&A. You learn all these intersting tid bits.

  6. Trish says

    November 1, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    Wow!! the more you post about this book the more I really want to read it. I’ve loved reading your thoughts on this book the past couple of days.

  7. Dar says

    November 1, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    Trish, thanks 🙂 I’m going to finish it up today. Glad you enjoyed the noontime chats.

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