I am delighted to welcome author Julia Ibbotson to the blog today to talk about researching a time-slip novel. Her historical romance, A Shape on the Air, is from that genre, with the action moving between the present day and 499AD. I also have a great Giveaway for you to enter. Details are at the foot of this post. First, here is a little more about A Shape on the Air:
Unlocking a love that lasts for lifetimes - and beyond!
When
Dr Viv DuLac, a medievalist, slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady
Vivianne, little does she realise that both their lives across the centuries
will become intertwined as they fight for their dreams … and their lives. How
can the key which Viv bring back with her to the present unlock the love they
both crave, and help them through the dangers they both face? And how can they
help each other across the centuries, without changing the course of history?
A Shape on the Air is a novel that asks: is there still ‘magic’
in the world? Perfect for fans of Pamela Hartshorne, Barbara Erskine
and Susanna Kearsley.
Welcome to Books, Life and Everything, Julia. Now it is over to you!
Researching for a time-slip novel
Anybody else, like me, love the historical novels of
Philippa Gregory? History, intrigue, mystery, romance, drama, tragedy – it’s
all there. I’ve learned much of my knowledge of the Tudor period from her work.
Even though I know they’re novels and not non-fiction academic texts, I still
trust that they are reasonably accurate albeit a fictionalised ‘take’ on
characters of history. I do know that she has done her research, even though
you may disagree with some of her interpretations!
All the authors I know do a lot of research before and
during writing their novel, but it’s especially vital if you are writing about
a historical period, or a location or a concept, because you have to get it
right! There are, believe me, many readers waiting to jump on the slightest
inaccuracy – and that’s understandable, and quite right. Readers want to see
the novel, even if it’s a fictionalised account of the time or place, as an
authority. When I read such a novel I want to feel I’m learning something
correct and authentic, not something wrong.
For A Shape on the Air, I had a plot involving Dr Viv DuLac
slipping back in time to 499 AD to solve a mystery, so I needed to update my
research on the early medieval period and also to research concepts of time.
Both of these are areas I love to read about, so it was no hardship. I’d
studied medieval language, literature and history at university for my first
degree and was fascinated by the Dark Ages (after the Roman rule ended and the
early Anglo-Saxon settlements began). There wasn’t (and still isn’t) very much
researched and written about the Dark Ages, which is where it got its name, not
because it was violent and barbaric (which is what many people think) but because
of the lack (darkness) of evidence in archaeology and documents. In some ways I
had to use my deductive powers to assess what might have been retained from the
earlier Roman period and what might be developing forward into the Anglo-Saxon
period. More recently evidence is now appearing, such as from the ‘dig’ at
Lyminge in Kent, England, where a fifth century feasting hall had been
unearthed not long before I wrote my book. And there is a growing body of
archaeological, geophysical and isotopic evidence to indicate how the people of
the 5th and 6th centuries lived. But I had to keep up to date with new
discoveries, all the time, keeping revisiting published research documents. So
there was a fair amount of both evidence and informed imagination at work as I
wrote A Shape on the Air.
My research into time-slip was also fascinating. I looked
again at the scientific theories of quantum mechanics, which sounds a bit like
something from Dr Who, the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, and worm-holes, all basically
ideas about space-time portals through which you could slip from one layer of
the universe into another, or from one historic period into another.
Fascinating, especially for all those who like fantasy and the paranormal, and
yet these are real scientific theories of the concept of time, albeit unlikely
to be tested by experiment! Strangely enough, I seem to be hearing those
theories quoted so much more these days in the media. So maybe something out
there is catching on!
Time-slip sounds insane, and of course Viv (in the present
day) wonders if she’s going mad when she thinks she’s had a dream but brings
back a real golden key from 499 AD! And her ‘dream’ is so real she begins to
wonder if she’s taken on the identity of Lady Vivianne, her counterpart in the
Dark Ages. How do they fit together? Why are their lives becoming intertwined?
Why do they need to reach out to each other across the centuries? Well, I’m
afraid that you’ll need to read it and see …!
Thank you so much for taking part in my book tour and for
having me guesting on your blog today. It’s much appreciated!
About the Author
Acclaimed, award-winning author Julia Ibbotson is fascinated
by the medieval world and concepts of time travel. She read English at Keele
University, England (after a turbulent but exciting gap year in Ghana, West
Africa) specialising in medieval language, literature and history, and has a
PhD in socio-linguistics. She wrote her first novel at 10 years of age, but
became a school teacher, then an academic as a senior university lecturer and
researcher. As well as medieval time-slip, she has published a number of books,
including memoir/history of food (The Old Rectory), children’s medieval fantasy
(S.C.A.R.S), a trilogy opening in 1960s Ghana (Drumbeats), and many academic
works. Apart from insatiable reading, she loves travelling the world, singing
in choirs, swimming, yoga and walking in the countryside in England and Madeira
where she and her husband divide their time.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Giveaway ( UK only)
Giveaway to win a Paperback copy of The Old Rectory, book
mark, postcard, key ring, handbag fob.
(UK Only)- just follow the link below and good luck!
*Terms and Conditions –UK
entries welcome. Please enter
using the Rafflecopter box below. The
winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and
will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7
days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative
winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.
Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for
this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception
of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and
used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random
Resources will delete the data. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much for featuring my guest post today, and for taking part in my book tour this week. Much appreciated!
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