Sir Thomas More by Hals Holbein (Accessed via Wikipedia ) During lockdown, we had Time. Remember that? I was in my probationary year of teaching: almost certainly among the most exhausting years for any profession. All my time had been taken up with school work, and I regularly stayed at school until after 6pm, having arrived there at eight in the morning. Now, children, this is not sustainable and, very soon, I decided I didn’t like working where I was. Then I realised that I didn’t like teaching at all. But, in fact, neither was particularly true: I just needed to be true to myself and to say no, which would give me the ability to manage my work/life balance in a more appropriate way. What does this have to do with historical fiction, I hear you say? Well, during March 2020, we went into lockdown and suddenly I went from working ten-hour-days to ten-hour-weeks. I met up with my class on Google Meet, I put work up for them on a meticulously designed Google Classroom, but I just h...
Today is the first day in a series of interviews for the stories of the Historical Writers Forum anthology, To Wear a Heart So White. Our first interview is with Rachel Aanstad who is the author of the story, Agatha's Eyes. So let's meet Rachel and hear more about her story...
First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing?
I’ve been fascinated by history since I was a little girl. My playtimes always involved pretending I was something like a priestess in Ancient Egypt or a Lady in Waiting at Queen Elizabeth I court. I was always interested in the lives of people who weren’t monarchs or wildly famous.
Over the years I have been lucky to be able to explore a variety of careers. I worked as a radio DJ, a bookkeeper, an architect, an illustrator, a set designer, a Shakespeare director, a gardener, a teacher, a writer, and a medicinal herbalist. I have lived all over the US and traveled in Asia. All of these experiences have helped me be a better writer. These days I’m a happy homebody and I focus on research and writing.
In relation to Agatha’s Eyes, where did your inspiration come from?
Well, this is a little personal but I’m currently dealing with health issues that require me to be home in bed most of the time. I was researching the ecclesiastical roles of women in the Middle Ages and learned about the lives of anchoresses. These were women who became attached to a specific parish church and never left. They become a living anchor for their community that tied the physical world to the divine.
Given my current circumstances I found it very easy to imagine myself in that lifestyle. I love cozy mysteries but all those amateur sleuths are very active. They scurry all over town to solve crimes. I wondered if it was possible to write a mystery where the sleuth must rely completely on what she can learn from the confines of her own room. Would it be possible to solve a mystery without ever leaving your home?
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| St. Madelberte, Abbess of Maubeuge, being tempted by a demon while in prayer, from a woodcut by Leonhard Beck (1517-1519) |
Agatha’s Eyes is very much Agatha’s account of events. What are the biggest pros and cons of writing in a limited point of view?
The cons were many given that Agatha can’t leave her abode. It was very tempting to change the point of view to one of the more mobile characters but I wanted the reader to feel Agatha’s challenges. It is frustrating to be stuck in one place while important things are happening elsewhere. At the end of the story I wanted the reader to enjoy the satisfaction that comes from surmounting those limitations.
There’s clearly a lot of research gone into this story. Did you come across a particularly fabulous research gem?
Yes I am indebted to Dr. Justin Sledge and his YouTube channel Esoterica. He provides entertaining and historically rigorous lectures on a variety of faith-based and esoteric traditions. He has a wonderful series on female mystics that was very inspiring.
There are a lot of very different characters in this story. Was there a particular one which you liked or disliked? Why?
I was very fond of the gossipy Goodwife Applebottom. If there are future instalments of Agatha’s adventures the next story will probably focus on the goodwife and her many trials and tribulations.
Agatha’s Eyes has a very satisfactory ending – how important do you think it is to have closure at the end of a piece of crime writing?
I think for a cozy mystery a satisfying ending is essential. As writers we are asking the reader to go on a ride with us. They have no idea where we are taking them and they are entrusting us to make their time with us worthwhile. I want my readers to feel that their time was well spent and to feel empowered to surmount frustrating and scary situations in their own lives.
And finally, what’s next for you and your writing?
I’m currently writing a non-fiction book called Shakespeare’s Influences for Pen and Sword. This is my third book about Shakespeare’s plays. The other two are called A Midsummer Night's Dream Illustrated Handbook and Encyclopedia and A Bawdy Twelfth Night or What You Will Encyclopedia & Dramaturgical Handbook.
To Wear a Heart So White is available here on #KindleUnlimited
So let's meet the book...
A cost for every action, and a price for every deed.
The Historical Writers’ Forum proudly presents seven stories of Crime and Punishment, from across the ages. From an anchoress to a war hero; from Italy to Missouri; this anthology has a story for everyone.
Included stories are:
The Ignoble Defence - Virginia Crow
Agatha’s Eyes - Rachel Aanstad
A Pact Fulfilled - Eleanor Swift-Hook
Carte de Viste - Ronan Beckman
A Dish Served Cold - Brenda W. Clough
Shadows of the Adriatic - Tessa Floreano
A Dangerous Road - D. Apple
Now, lets meet the author...
Rachel Aanstad
R. K. Aanstad is a writer, artist, and historian. She lives in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by books, cats, and silly little dogs. She has a dollhouse kit company called Tilly Valley Miniatures and writes books about Shakespeare’s plays. She is currently writing Shakespeare’s Influences for Pen and Sword to be published in 2025.
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