I got 'talking' (virtually) with Jenny Kane because she's another Accent author. She's best known for her erotic writing under the name of Kay Jaybee. I said that it was a shame that she didn't write historical novels because, if she did, I would love her to write something for this blog. At which she explained that she's a trained archaeologist and her new (definitely not erotic) novel has a historical theme.
So: over to you, Jenny.
I’ve been writing short stories and novels for many years and yet,
despite my background as a historian and archaeologist, I’ve never written a
historical piece.
The main reason I haven’t taken the plunge is simple. The fear of
getting things wrong. There are so many pitfalls to trip over- getting the
fashion just right, the wording, the conversational phrases, the legal
terminology, making sure the correct King or Queen is on the throne – or
not – that the local Baron is a Baron and not a Lord, or a Lord and not a
Baron … and so on, and so on …
When I completed my PhD many years ago, I spent some time teaching
undergraduate students in tutorials and seminars. Although I loved my subject
(thirteenth- fourteenth century English economy and criminal law), with each
and every lesson I got more and more unsure of myself. I have never been
blessed with confidence, and although I knew my work well, I was persistently
plagued with doubts as I entered my little office. What if the students knew more than
I did? What if they asked me a question I couldn’t answer?
These are the same basic reasons I’ve never written a historical novel – fear
of getting the details wrong.
To tackle these paranoiac shortcomings, I decided to turn this very
problem into a novel.
Romancing Robin Hood is a contemporary romance centred around the world of
history lecturer Dr Grace Harper, who is obsessed about Robin Hood and the
historical outlaws that may have inspired him.
As well as telling the story of Grace’s fight to find
time for personal romance in her busy work filled life, Romancing Robin Hood also tells of Grace’s fight with her
conscience. For she is writing a novel about a fourteenth century criminal gang-
but should she toe the historical line and make her novel as factual as a
textbook, or should she write a more accessible romance which might teach a
little bit of history along the way?
Shamelessly using the work I did for my own PhD, I had
the character of Grace researching the Folvilles. A notorious criminal family,
based in Ashby-Folville in Leicestershire in the 1320’s-30, the Folvilles were accused
of murder, rape, kidnap, and ransom - and then they either got away with their
crimes, or were convicted before being quickly pardoned in return for fighting
for the King’s forces.
In Grace’s book, her fourteenth century protagonist is 19
year old Mathilda, a young woman who suddenly finds herself in the custody of
the Folvilles, and then under another very frightening type of suspicion ...
Romancing Robin Hood – Blurb
Dr
Grace Harper has loved the stories of Robin Hood ever since she first saw them
on TV as a girl. Now, with her fortieth birthday just around the corner, she’s
a successful academic in Medieval History, with a tenured position at a top
university.
But Grace
is in a bit of a rut. She’s supposed to be writing a
textbook on a real-life medieval gang of high-class criminals – the Folvilles –
but she keeps being drawn into the world of the novel she’s secretly writing –
a novel which entwines the Folvilles with her long-time love of Robin Hood –
and a feisty young girl named Mathilda, who is the key to a medieval mystery…
Meanwhile,
Grace’s best friend Daisy – who’s as keen on animals as Grace is on the Merry
Men – is unexpectedly getting married, and a reluctant Grace is press-ganged
into being her bridesmaid. As Grace sees Daisy’s new-found happiness, she
starts to re-evaluate her own life. Is her devotion to a man who may or may not
have lived hundreds of years ago really a substitute for a real-life hero of
her own? It doesn’t get any easier when she meets Dr Robert Franks – a rival
academic who Grace is determined to dislike but finds herself being
increasingly drawn to…
If you’d like to buy my latest novel, it is currently
available in e-format (paperback coming soon.)
Bio
Jenny
Kane is the author of Romancing Robin
Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the best selling contemporary romance Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press,
2013), and the novella length sequel Another
Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013)
Jenny’s
next novella, Another Cup of Mulled Wine,
will be published in November, and her third full length novel, Abi’s House, will be published by Accent
Press in 2015.
You
can keep up to date with Jenny’s book news via her blog - www.jennykane.co.uk
Twitter-
@JennyKaneAuthor
Facebook
-https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRomance
Thanks Tom- Jenny xxx
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