Book 2: The Juicy Details

Okay, so I promised Rhonddalyn I'd post the dirt about the new Book 2.

Originally, as some of you know, the Master Plan was to write Book 2 from the POV of a character who is a baby in The Murderess's Tale. It would start 15 years later, 1401, in Florence, and follow THAT young girl's trip to England to search for her real father, and tie up some intentionally loose ends from TMT.

Well.

Based on some astute agent comments on TMT, I wanted to make sure that I included some real-life famous people (much better commercial draw, don't ya know), and of course I wanted to correctly portray life in medieval Florence. I dove into research books, and promptly drowned. Any idea how very, very (very) complicated medieval Florence was? Man. The politics alone was killing me, not to mention the artistic community, the masonic community, the plagues, the guilds, the dramatically different Florentine culture.... The plot was not moving in the book, I couldn't get a grasp on the MC, and it Just. Wasn't. Working.

So when TMT came back, I leapt on it with glee, thrilled to be able to work on something ELSE for a while. Not a real great sign for Book 2, right?

So I'm happily working away enriching TMT, and I ask one of my brilliant readers (yes, you, Kreek) if she'd want to know more about the Duke in my book. She says, "Hmmm. What about the Duchess? I'd love to see more about her." Oh ah. Hadn't even really thought about the Duchess. She's mentioned, but doesn't appear. Could I bring her in for a scene? I go and look her up, real-life personage that she is {g}.

She's AWESOME. A princess in her own right, second daughter of King Pedro "the Cruel" of Castile. Her sister is married, at this same time, to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and regent of England, _my_ Duke's more powerful brother. Two princesses of Spain, married off to two brothers, sons (and then uncles) to the King of England. Oooooh. John of Gaunt, at this time, tries to capture the throne of Castile by his wife's right. Ahhhh.

Then I go look up Pedro the Cruel. Turns out he WAS pretty cruel--a real nasty piece of work, according to several sources. Abandoned his wife. Killed people. My two Duchess sisters were offspring of his mistress. He ended up being murdered by his own brother.

Oh ah again. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think I have Book 2. {s}

So now I'm bringing the Duchess (Isabella) in for one scene in TMT...and Book 2 will be (I think) the joint tale of her and her sister. Oh, and Chaucer and his wife, and Katherine Swynford (yes of Anya Seton's Katherine fame) are all tied up in there too. I am SO ready to write this book.

First, however, must finish TMT. {s}