KAREN MAITLAND
Karen Maitland
Today I am delighted to welcome Karen Maitland, best-selling author of the medieval thrillers Company of Liars, The Owl Killers, The Gallows Curse and Falcons of Fire and Ice to my guest blog. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Karen in person at a Library Talk in Stockton and I can report back that she is not only a talented - and very interesting - historical novelist but she's also a very friendly, kind and generous woman.
Karen at Lincoln Cathedral
Karen lives in the beautiful medieval city of Lincoln. She is fascinated by the myth and magic of the Middle Ages, which she draws on for her novels. She experienced the medieval lifestyle for real, when she worked for eighteen months in a rural village in Nigeria, living without electricity, plumbing or sanitation. She contributes a regular blog on The History Girls website on the 8th of each month.
Her first medieval thriller was Company of Liars, was set at the time of the Black Death in 1348. This was followed by The Owl Killers, about the beguinages, the medieval cities of women. The Gallows Curses is set in the reign of bad King John and The Falcons of Fire & Ice which is a dark thriller, set in Portugal during the Inquisition and Iceland at the time of the Reformation. She is published by Michael Joseph/Penguin, UK and Random House USA.
Penguin UK has also just released The Gallows Curse and Falcons of Fire and Ice on eBook for the USA market.
Penguin UK has also just released The Gallows Curse and Falcons of Fire and Ice on eBook for the USA market.
Karen is also one of six historical crime writers known as the Medieval Murderers – Philip Gooden, Susannah Gregory, Michael Jecks, Bernard Knight and Ian Morson – who together write an annual joint murder-mystery novel, recent titles include The Sacred Stone, Hill of Bones, The First Murder and The False Virgin, published by Simon & Schuster.
Click here for my review of The Sacred Stone.
Click here for my review of The Sacred Stone.
Hi, Karen. Please can you tell us how you first got into this crazy world of novel writing? How did you get your first break?
With incredible bad timing I found myself working in a hospital in Belfast during ‘The Troubles.’ I needed to get those experiences out of my head, so I wrote a futuristic thriller about terrorism. It was published by a small regional publisher and although it was very small print-run, the book got shortlisted for a major national award.
Bizarrely, as I result of being short-listed I started to get commissions to write non-fiction books. It took me several years to get back to fiction writing and by then I was interested in writing historical fiction.
What attracted you to the genre of Historical Fiction?
I’m fascinated by the Medieval period, because the supernatural was so much part of their every days lives, from the clergy being trained in necromancy to a belief in demons and angels. While at the same time, a medieval female physician was pioneering the first plastic surgery.
With incredible bad timing I found myself working in a hospital in Belfast during ‘The Troubles.’ I needed to get those experiences out of my head, so I wrote a futuristic thriller about terrorism. It was published by a small regional publisher and although it was very small print-run, the book got shortlisted for a major national award.
Bizarrely, as I result of being short-listed I started to get commissions to write non-fiction books. It took me several years to get back to fiction writing and by then I was interested in writing historical fiction.
What attracted you to the genre of Historical Fiction?
I’m fascinated by the Medieval period, because the supernatural was so much part of their every days lives, from the clergy being trained in necromancy to a belief in demons and angels. While at the same time, a medieval female physician was pioneering the first plastic surgery.
In those early days, how did you juggle the demands of family life with a writing career and the day job?
My first novel was written in the evenings after work. When I started to get commissions for writing I was able to go to a job-share, so I could write half the week. Eventually, I was earning enough from writing to risk giving up the day-job, which I did on 1st January 2000. Then I supplemented my earnings from writing by tutoring Creative Writing for Adult Education. Only when I finally got the Penguin contract could I afford to write full time.
Most published authors write their first novels in the half hour they squeeze in between working, cooking, ironing, shopping etc. But if you can carve that out half hour every day and write solidly in it then it’s amazing how quickly you can get a novel written.
My first novel was written in the evenings after work. When I started to get commissions for writing I was able to go to a job-share, so I could write half the week. Eventually, I was earning enough from writing to risk giving up the day-job, which I did on 1st January 2000. Then I supplemented my earnings from writing by tutoring Creative Writing for Adult Education. Only when I finally got the Penguin contract could I afford to write full time.
Most published authors write their first novels in the half hour they squeeze in between working, cooking, ironing, shopping etc. But if you can carve that out half hour every day and write solidly in it then it’s amazing how quickly you can get a novel written.
How do you ensure that the setting, characters and details in your novels are authentic and unique?
Reading old books and archive records often throw up details you will never find on the web. I also visit the settings for the novels and ask myself – Could my murderer have got up onto the roof of Ely Cathedral during a service without being seen? What kind of trees grow along this river? I also do the things my characters do, such as teaching myself to use a medieval lucet to weave cords.
What was the most surprising thing you learnt about the publishing industry after you had been part of it for a year?
The author is a tiny cog in vast machine and the manuscript the author produces is the most insignificant part of the publishing process. On the other hand, I discovered how generous established authors are to newbies authors, freely offering advice on everything from agent fees to registering for PLR and sharing contacts, as well as providing shoulders to cry on.
Reading old books and archive records often throw up details you will never find on the web. I also visit the settings for the novels and ask myself – Could my murderer have got up onto the roof of Ely Cathedral during a service without being seen? What kind of trees grow along this river? I also do the things my characters do, such as teaching myself to use a medieval lucet to weave cords.
What was the most surprising thing you learnt about the publishing industry after you had been part of it for a year?
The author is a tiny cog in vast machine and the manuscript the author produces is the most insignificant part of the publishing process. On the other hand, I discovered how generous established authors are to newbies authors, freely offering advice on everything from agent fees to registering for PLR and sharing contacts, as well as providing shoulders to cry on.
What do you predict will happen in the future to the publishing industry?
E-books will include more interactive features as the technology to produce them becomes cheaper. This will change reading into a multimedia experience. But e-books will drive publishers to produce print books with even more beautiful covers and layouts because those books will be bought to collect and keep.
But I suspect the number of authors able to earning their living through writing full-time will greatly diminish and most books will be produced by authors writing for pleasure in their spare time.
What is the best part of being a writer?
Getting an email from someone you don’t know saying they loved your book. That never ceases to move and thrill me, especially if I having a bad day.
E-books will include more interactive features as the technology to produce them becomes cheaper. This will change reading into a multimedia experience. But e-books will drive publishers to produce print books with even more beautiful covers and layouts because those books will be bought to collect and keep.
But I suspect the number of authors able to earning their living through writing full-time will greatly diminish and most books will be produced by authors writing for pleasure in their spare time.
What is the best part of being a writer?
Getting an email from someone you don’t know saying they loved your book. That never ceases to move and thrill me, especially if I having a bad day.
What was the most difficult thing you have had to deal with?
Publishers’ deadlines. You don’t have the luxury of being able to write when you feel like it. You have to give up holidays and a social life. Often you find yourself writing having just returned from a funeral or when you’re ill with a raging temperature. It’s also hard making friends and family understand they can’t just drop in because you are at home.
Publishers’ deadlines. You don’t have the luxury of being able to write when you feel like it. You have to give up holidays and a social life. Often you find yourself writing having just returned from a funeral or when you’re ill with a raging temperature. It’s also hard making friends and family understand they can’t just drop in because you are at home.
Have you any advice for newbie authors?
My break in historical fiction came when I went to a book talk and got chatting to a lady in the audience who told me about the Historical Novel Society. I joined and went to the HNS conference where a manuscript appraiser was offering ten minute one-to-one slots to discuss manuscripts in progress. She turned out to be a talent scout for an agency and offered to show my work to an agent who signed me up and got me my contract with Penguin. So go to literary festivals and writing workshops – you never know who you might be standing next to in the queue for the loo.
Thanks, Karen. That was a fascinating insight into the world of an author published by one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. We really appreciate the time you took away from your hectic writing schedule to answer these questions. Good luck with your next release.
You can read more about Karen Maitland at her website:
http://www.karenmaitland.com/
My break in historical fiction came when I went to a book talk and got chatting to a lady in the audience who told me about the Historical Novel Society. I joined and went to the HNS conference where a manuscript appraiser was offering ten minute one-to-one slots to discuss manuscripts in progress. She turned out to be a talent scout for an agency and offered to show my work to an agent who signed me up and got me my contract with Penguin. So go to literary festivals and writing workshops – you never know who you might be standing next to in the queue for the loo.
Thanks, Karen. That was a fascinating insight into the world of an author published by one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. We really appreciate the time you took away from your hectic writing schedule to answer these questions. Good luck with your next release.
You can read more about Karen Maitland at her website:
http://www.karenmaitland.com/
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