Interview with Rory Clements, author of MARTYR

As some of you may know, I'm a big fan of historical thrillers, so I was excited when I heard about MARTYR by Rory Clements, a novel set in the later years of Elizabeth I's reign that introduces us to the intelligencer John Shakespeare, older brother of the playwright. While investigating the brutal murder of a noblewoman, Shakespeare finds himself drawn into an assasination plot against Sir Francis Drake and the hunt for a deadly Jesuit; what he discovers will shake his belief in himself and the world around him. (Picture: US cover / Bantam)

Mr Clements excels in his debut. While he can write spine-tingling action with flair, his best asset is his ability to render believable, flawed characters, as well as the complexities of a society torn apart by religious discord, poverty, and greed. I invited the author to an interview and I'm delighted to introduce him to you here on Historical Boys. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Rory Clements!

1. Congratulations on the publication of MARTYR. It's an honor to have you with us. Set in the Elizabethan era shortly before the Armada invasion, MARTYR depicts a dark and dangerous time of religious discord in England, and introduces us to the intelligencer John Shakespeare, older brother of the famous playwright. This is not the habitual look at Queen Elizabeth's reign, which is usually given a Renaissance Faire air, but rather a gritty true-to-history depiction of the intrigue and violence that both Catholics and Protestants indulged in to further their cause. Through Shakespeare's adventures, you offer a balanced look at this terrible conflict. What inspired you to write about this particular time in the Tudor period?
Difficult question - it’s a bit like asking a junkie what inspired him to take up heroin. The truth is I’m not entirely sure what drew me in, but I confess that I am now well and truly addicted to the late 16th century – it’s where I have lived a lot of my internal life these past fifteen years or so.
Hollywood barely scratches the surface of Elizabeth’s England, which is a shame because there are a lot of great stories down there. For me, the bit-part players are often more interesting than the well-known knights and nobles. Take my villain Richard Topcliffe, a licensed brute and rapist who makes Goldfinger look like a charity worker. One US reviewer in the School Library Journal asks whether he could be so consistently evil. Well, yes, I’m afraid he was – and he evidently delighted in his cruelty.

Nor was Elizabeth a saint. She ruled with ferocity and connived at the tearing apart of men’s and women’s bodies for the “crime” of being a Catholic (though it was dressed up as treason). But she was also a very cultured lady without whom there would have been no Will Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe or Ben Jonson.

In your question you say I offer a balanced look at the conflict. I was glad you said that, because I tried hard to be fair. There were atrocities on both sides and the threat to England in 1587 must have seemed as real and terrifying as the threat posed by Hitler in 1939.

2. MARTYR is a great read, fast-paced, involving, and full of twists and turns. It also offers a vivid and rare depiction of the common people of London, including prostitutes, tavern keepers, and others. You also bring give us a fascinating look at the ways in which Jesuit priests inflitrated the country, were hidden by sympathizers and hunted down by men in the Queen's pay. What surprising or interesting facts did you discover about the way these common people lived and how they were affected by religious issues?
I discovered their incredible courage and their utter belief in their own versions of Christianity. As an occasional church-goer who was brought up in the Church of England, I cannot imagine being willing to die for my faith. But in the 16th century many ordinary English people were prepared to undergo the torments of fire and steel for their beliefs. One man, a tailor named Nicholas Horner, was hanged by Topcliffe simply for making a jerkin for a priest. (Picture: UK cover /John Murray)

3. A key plotline within the novel is Shakespeare’s struggle to save Sir Francis Drake from a Catholic assasination attempt. How much of this is based on actual events?
In 1582, King Philip of Spain put a price of 20,000 ducats on Drake’s head. I mention this in Martyr. My 1587 plot is fictional – but it certainly wouldn’t be a major surprise if there had been other attempts on his life which went unreported. One thing is certain – Philip was happy to resort to political assassination to further his cause, as he proved in the case of the killing of William the Silent in 1584.

4. Besides John Shakespeare, of all the other characters in the book, which ones did you most enjoy creating and which presented the greatest challenge?
I love Drake. He wasn’t big physically, but his character was huge. I just hope I have done him justice. But I didn’t create Drake, I just interpreted him. I did enjoy creating Boltfoot Cooper, Gilbert Cogg, Harry Slide and Starling Day. All the ordinary folks, the people who don’t get their names in the history books.

5. Can you tell us about your journey to publication?

This goes back a long way. I always wanted to write novels, so I went into journalism hoping it would teach me to write well. I don’t know if it did – but I think it probably taught me to spot a good story and tell it clearly and with verve. I have tried my hand at various novels along the way, but without much conviction because earning my daily bread always intruded.

Then some years ago, as I became more and more engrossed in the Elizabethan era, I conceived the basic idea for the John Shakespeare series. It took me a long time to work it all out but finally, in 2007, I had time to give it my undivided attention. I wrote off to an agent called Teresa Chris (who seemed to fit the bill as she was listed as liking crime novels and historicals). She called me back and said she liked the idea but I had to write it first – she couldn’t sell it on the basis of a synopsis. So I settled down to write and six months later I felt it was ready.

I sent the finished manuscript to Teresa. She contacted me within days saying she loved it. A few days later it had been bought in a pre-emptive strike by Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell in America. That was one of the best days of my life. Soon after that, it sold to John Murray in the UK, Karakter in Holland, Piemme in Italy, Lubbe in Germany and Agave in Hungary.

6. How do you think your novel speaks to today’s reader or how do the events you evoke resonate in today’s world?
There are obvious echoes. You might think that Darwin would have done for religious strife, but it looms as large as ever. As for terrorism, political assassination and torture, well, what’s changed? That said, I do hope my book resonates with today’s readers. I have tried to give it a modern edge because, let’s face it, the Elizabethans saw themselves as the most modern, enlightened people there had ever been – just as we do today. This was the age of William Shakespeare, for heaven’s sake!

7. Please, tell us about your next project.
My next book, the second in the John Shakespeare series, is called Revenger and is scheduled to be published by Bantam Dell in the US next spring/summer. It’s 1592 - five years on – and Walsingham is dead. With Elizabeth about to enter her 60th year, the question of who will succeed her is more fevered than ever. Meanwhile, her courtiers Essex, Ralegh and Cecil are fighting like ferrets in a sack. And there is a dark mystery to solve – with a distinctive American flavour to it. Don’t forget, England had a foot in America long before the Pilgrim Fathers ever arrived…

Thank you, Rory. I'm really looking forward to your next book and we wish you much success. To find out more about Rory and his work, please visit:

http://www.roryclements.com/

Enter for a Chance to see Pope Joan Premiere!

Donna Woolfolk Cross's Pope Joan is one of my favorite historical novels; a sweeping and gritty look at Europe in the Dark Ages and one woman's determination to rise above the confines of her gender as the first female pope. Due in large part to Donna's amazing perseverance and dedication to promotion, Pope Joan is now an international bestseller and has been released in a new edition by Three Rivers Press. The novel has also become a film, which I cannot wait to see, and Donna is offering one lucky reader the chance to join her on the red carpet for the premiere. Historical fiction and film are two of my favorite passions, so I just couldn't resist posting Donna's contest. Go ahead: enter, and good luck! Oh, and if you need a guest, I'm always available for premieres. You can see the German language trailer here.

Join Donna and her family as they walk the red carpet on the night of the Pope Joan movie premiere! The winning entry includes two tickets to the movie premiere, plus round trip airfare for two from any location in the continental United States or Canada, and one night hotel accommodation for you to share with your guest. To enter, just buy the Three Rivers Press/Crown Publishing paperback edition of Pope Joan during the months of June or July 2009 and send Donna the original receipt. In August, she'll pick randomly from the pile of receipts to select someone and their guest to join her at the U.S. movie premiere in the fall (exact date still to be determined).
For more information, visit Donna's official contest website.

Goodbye, Farrah

I was saddened today to hear of Farrah Fawcett's passing. She was a classy lady and her battle against cancer bore testament to her determination and courage. One of my best friends in high school had her poster on his bedroom wall and I remember how much she influenced all my girl friends, who ran around with enormous winged hair and gold throat bracelets, just like Farrah.

Later on, she bowled me over with her searing portrayal of an abused woman in "The Burning Bed." Though she could act, she never seemed to take herself or her outrageous fame too seriously, something a few of today's up-and-coming stars should take a lesson from.

We'll miss you, Farrah. You defined a generation, and those of us who grew up watching you will never forget you.

The HNS Conference

So, I mentioned I'd do a brief re-cap of my experience at the Historical Novel Society Conference, which I attended last weekend. The first thing I want to say is: Wow! I had so much fun. Honestly, I didn't expect to have as much fun as I did. I had of course been looking forward to it; I attended the first U.S. HNS conference in Salt Lake City in 2004, shortly after The Secret Lion was published, and enjoyed it immensely; I met several authors I admired and through one of them, my marvelous friend Judith Merkle Riley, I eventually found my current agent and sold my books. So, I knew the HNS conferences offered important networking opportunities, interesting panels, as well as the only gathering where the historical fiction tribe can congregate and shamelessly share its obsession with the past.

This year I had the opportunity to sit on two panels: "Breaking in and Staying in the Historical Fiction Game" with Michelle Moran and Karen Essex; and "Historical Boys" with authors Doug Jacobson, Tony Hays, and last minute replacements, Margaret George and Karen Essex. The panels were great; Michelle, Karen and I focused on how marketing has become integral to an author's longevity and the different approaches we take to it. On "Historical Boys" we had a lively interactive discussion about writing in the POV of a different gender and about the political correctness /branding that has seeped into publishing and limited our ability to pitch ideas that are seen as contrary to our brand. Each panel had dynamic Q&A sessions.

I also attended an editor's panel on selling historical fiction, featuring Trish Todd of Touchstone, Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press, and Shana Drehs of Sourcebooks. The different perspectives presented by each editor were fascinating and helped answer some questions I had as to how editors acquire historical fiction and which manuscripts are most likely to be seen as successful. Not surprisingly, characters that are 'marquee' names (famous people in history) and a strong female perspective continue to dominate the genre.

The evening banquets and keynote speeches by Margaret George, Sharon Penman and Trish Todd were marvelous; but it was the late-night sessions at the bar that were true highlights for me. Meeting other writers and readers over copious amounts of wine and having robust conversations on everything from eras that fascinate us to the ways books are sold made me realize just how important that elusive 'face time' is, i.e., getting off the computer and getting out there. I've always valued personal interaction and the HNS Conference only further cemented for me the essential fact while we may be a virtual culture, as human beings we still need to talk to one another in person. I think all of us who attended the conference will agree.

If you love historical fiction and haven't yet attended a Historical Novel Society Conference, I cannot recommend it enough. These are terrific, well-organized events that offer a variety of panels for writers and readers.(In photo, left to right: Karen Essex, Michelle Moran, Margaret George and me).

I'll do anything for publicity . . .

I'm back home after a whirlwind, exciting and fun time at the Historical Novel Society in Schaumberg, Il. I'll blog later about the wonderful writers I met, the new friends I made and the overall terrific and exhaustive efforts the entire HNS committee made to create what is certainly the most comprehensive and delightful reunion for the historical fiction tribe. (In picture, left to right: Me, Cynthia Miller, Margaret George, Val Perry, Michelle Moran and Kate Forsythe).

I also met the lovely and witty Barbara Vey, blogger extraordinare of Beyond Her Book at Publishers Weekly. Barbara is truly a book lover and author's best advocate and she asked me to give her a "drive-by" video for her Monday morning blog, a request I simply could not resist. After three days of little sleep and much socializing, it just goes to show that I'll do almost anything for publicity. Enjoy! (and please don't hold it against me :)

Historical Fiction for the Summer on the Daily Beast

I'm in Chicago attending the Historical Novel Society Conference and I'll be blogging more about it when I get home, but in the meantime please check out my new article on The Daily Beast, featuring a summer historical fiction roundup.

This was a terrific opportunity for me to showcase samples of the genre at the biggest blog on the web, so if you can comment directly at The Daily Beast on the post (there is a section for comments at the end of it) they will be much appreciated. I did have some limitations, per the editor. Novels I selected to showcase had to have been published within the last three months and upcoming releases had to be no later than August. I'm hoping I'll have more opportunities to review again for the blog and thereby bring more attention to historical fiction. Fingers crossed!

E-book, anyone?

I've been reading a massive amount of blog posts and other material related to the recent BookExpo 2009 in New York; I followed the actual event via Publishers Weekly updates, because, frankly, it's the biggest book gathering in the U.S. and with all the rumbling going on around the future of publishing, I was very interested to hear what the industry thought and how they were preparing to deal with all the changes coming, one of which is the rise of the e-book. While I was reading, I came across this very interesting Q&A with author Sherman Alexie, who garnered some infamy for himself at BEA when he made a controversial remark about a woman he saw on a plane, reading from a Kindle.

Now, I have to admit, I am not an e-book reader. I've tried several times, even borrowing a Kindle from a friend; but I just don't like the sleek "feel" of the e-reader tool, nor am I enamoured of seeing a book on screen. It all feels . . . well, impersonal. I may be old-fashioned, though, like Alexie mentions in his post, I do love my computer, my iphone, my HD tv, etc. I also work on a computer all day and, as a writer, cannot imagine living without one. I've written manuscripts long-hand (yes, I'm old enough to recall a time when personal computers did not exist) so I know the drill. Your wrists ache and editing is a white-out nightmare. Computers are a writer's best friend. Unless the hard drive crashes and you forgot to back up. But I digress.

For me, a book is more than words; it's a sensory experience. I revel in all four senses whenever I read. The words are most important, yes, but the texture of the pages, the feel of the cover, the look and smell: each book has its own distinct personality, its allure, if you will. Short, tall, fat, slim, rough-cut pages, gullotine-cut, matte, varnished, embossed, smooth, new, used, collector edition, mass market, trade, hard cover -- I'm in love with the book itself and whenever I walk into a bookstore, I still get that giddy rush I've had for as long as I can remember. It's like seeing a beloved; I just can't wait to touch.

To me, books on an e-reader look all the same. Like droids. This isn't meant as a criticism or lament; honestly, I'm all for books selling in whatever formats most benefit readers - the operative word here being 'selling.' There is a comment below the Alexie Q&A that froze my blood: "In the future, no one will be able to make a living writing novels." This gave me serious pause. Of all the arguments in favor of the rapid digitalization of books, this isn't one I'd ever thought to hear, nor did I ever think to hear it declared with quite such glee. First of all, it's not as if most writers make much of a living writing novels to start with. For every James Patterson and Danielle Steel, they are thousands who sacrifice a lot to write, because they must. Most book advances are not yacht-worthy, trust me, and they're doled out in installments, so most writers never "cash in". It can take years to write a book and years to build a career, if you're lucky. And with publishing suffering the massive effects of this recession, shrinking marketing dollars means more and more of us realize we must save a portion of our advance, often up to 20%, for our own marketing, if we ever want to sell enough copies to get the next book deal.

I'm ashamed to admit, because I'm not an e-book reader I've also paid little attention to the pricing issues and formatting related to e-books. As far as formats go, it's all very complicated, and so I've just thought to avoid it by continuing to buy physical books. Pricing, however, does apparently affect me, and so I did some research, only to discover, to my surprise, that many e-books cost around $9.95! I guess the poster on the Alexie Q&A was right: at that rate, if the book does go 100% "e", none of us will be able to make a living, except the e-book publisher, that is. And when I start exploring all the pesky copyright issues coming up, I start to feel as if I need a cocktail.

Nevertheless, I'm going to pay a lot more attention from now on. As an author, it's vital to me that all writers receive decent compensation for their work and are protected as much as possible from the horrifying piracy issues that nearly gutted the music industry. I also think writers should have a say in how their work is digitalized. There's no question that the e-book is here to stay and there are as passionate defenders of it as there are opponents. I'm still muddling my way through the various arguments, because frankly I don't see why we shouldn't all be on the same page, no pun intended: we should be championing reading and joining forces to keep our book industry alive. There has to be a place for everything: I want physical book and e-books, online and physical bookstores, and all types of publishers to thrive, because I believe there is an audience for all of it, providing we, as a society and as a species, keep reading.

What do you think?