To Crown A King looks like a great story of
Christina Bruce in Scotland, 1295. The
cover is rather stunning, is there anything you can tell us about it?
I have yet to meet
someone who does not love this cover! My vision for it was simple: I wanted it
to be regal and bright. I can say with absolute certainty that my designer
knocked it out of the park!
How long did it take you to write To Crown A King?
I wrote the book in
about ten months, but it took much longer to research and plot out the story. This
period in Scottish history is intricate and complicated by lack of records and
differing opinions. My aim with To Crown
A King was to portray a familiar tale but through a different narrative –
one not well known, but equally as important.
What inspired you when writing To Crown A King?
As a lover of history, and especially of untold stories of
women in history, I wanted to do Christina justice. While very few facts are
known about her, it is believed that she played a major role in the societal
and political landscape during the Wars of Scottish Independence. What inspired
me – and what continues to motivate me as I write the sequel to To Crown A King – is to give her the
account she deserves – one that portrays her as capable, clever and strong. It
is the best way I can honour her memory.
Why did you decide to become a writer?
I tried hard not to be a writer. My employment history is as
varied as it is long. But when the muse just won’t leave you alone and the
story ideas just keep coming, eventually you give in. I wrote my first novel Las Hermanas to get it out of my head.
The relief was short-lived though. Christina Bruce invaded before Las Hermanas was done.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when
writing To Crown A King?
The people! I’m certain many historical fiction writers say
this, but the biggest challenge to this story was the real-life characters. During
this time, the majority of Scottish noblemen owned land in both Scotland and
England. So when the Scots lost a battle against the English, to save their
English lands, these lords would simply bend the knee to King Edward of England
and promise not to rebel against him again. But as soon as they could manage
it, they would return to the Scottish side to fight the English once more. As
much as this might seem like a good strategy to saving one’s land, the constant
switching back and forth of these noblemen made it quite challenging for me to
depict who was on what side at any given time without drowning the reader in
unimportant backstory and explanation.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I have two rambunctious dogs (Bentley the beagle and Abigail
the black lab). A large part of my day is figuring out how to tire them as
quickly as possible so I can get back to work! If I’m not hanging out with
them, you can find me building something in my garage, kayaking on the lake, or
drinking coffee on the deck!
Where can readers find out more about your work?
I hang out in all the usual spots: Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and
am failing spectacularly at Twitter (2020 goals here I come!). But the best place
to connect with me is through my website: www.rjmbooks.ca. Drop me a note, send me your questions, or simply say hello. I’d love
to connect with you!