All Henri of Maron wanted was to stay with his family on his country estate, surrounded by lemon groves and safety. But in 13th century Palestine, when noble-born boys are raised to fight for the Holy Land, young Henri will be sent to live and train among men who hate him for what he is: a French nobleman of an Arab mother. Robbed of his humanity and steeped in cru-elty, his encounters with a slave soldier, a former pickpocket, and a kindly scribe will force Henri to confront his own beliefs and behaviors. Will Henri maintain the status quo in or-der to fit into a society that doesn’t want him, or will fate intervene first?
The first book in The Two Daggers series, The Scribe takes readers on a sweeping adventure through the years and months that lead up to the infamous Siege of Acre in 1291 CE and delves into the psyches of three young people caught up in the wave of history.
Pain. His sister’s screams. And a beautiful face in the jeering crowd. When Henri of Maron woke, he had only a few memories of his brutal flogging, but he knew the world had changed. He had changed.
Now, as he grapples with the fallout from his disastrous decisions, war with the Mamluk army looms closer. To convince the city leaders to take the threat seriously, Henri and the grand mas-ter of the Templars must rely on unlikely allies and bold risks to avoid a siege.
Meanwhile, Sidika is trying to find a way to put her life back together. When she is forced to flee her home, her chance encounters with a handsome amir and a strangely familiar old woman will have consequences for her future.
The Land of God weaves the real historical figures with rich, complex characters and an edge-of-seat plot. Readers who enjoyed the Brethren series by Robyn Young and The Physician by Noah Gordon will appreciate this immersive tale set in the Middle East in the Middle Ages.
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"The Scribe author, Elizabeth R. Andersen, wearing her favorite shirt from Inkwell Threads at the 20BooksVegas conference in November" |
What inspired you to start writing?
"If the book you want to read doesn't exist, then you must write it yourself." I'm paraphrasing here, but this is genuinely what motivated me. I have been writing my entire life, starting with fairy tales when I was a little kid. I have a journalism degree, so I wrote and edited news all through college and early in my career. Eventually, I transferred into tech, which meant writing marketing material, ad copy, and email content for large companies. Fiction always felt too far away. I did not even want to attempt to write about other people's lives until I had lived more of my own life first. And then, as I was searching around for a good historical fiction read, I realized that it was time. I was searching for an adventure series that took place outside of Western Europe where I could really get attached to the characters, and I just couldn't find anything.
I want to be clear: there is nothing wrong with books about the Tudors, or WWII, or about Medieval England or the Romans. I just felt like I had read enough of those and I wanted to see some different representation. Then I tumbled down the rabbit hole of researching and writing historical fiction - and I have no intention of stopping my fall.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
By far, the biggest challenge I encountered when writing this book was how to ensure that I represented the history and flavor of the different cultures with accuracy and sensitivity. I take a very neutral point of view on religion in these books (the second book is called The Land of God, but this merely refers to the fact that the events take place in a part of the world that is religiously significant for many people). If I could write the stories and leave religion entirely out of them, I would, but unfortunately, in the Middle Ages, faith was inseparable from society at the time. I consulted piles of books – both by expert medievalists and primary sources – and spoke with professors and religious leaders to ensure that I did not misrepresent Islam or Judaism (I was raised in a Christian family, so I felt I had that one fairly well covered). I had to reconcile myself with the fact that there would be no way that I could please everyone. The best I could do was ensure that all points of view were represented and that I focused on the personal journeys of these characters instead of reducing them only to their religion or their race.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
How on earth could I choose! Every one of the characters has a lot of personality. Henri was the character I started with, so he is probably the one I am most attached to, even though he makes some stupid mistakes. Sidika was initially a minor character, but she elbowed her way into the forefront, and my early readers loved her, which encouraged me to give her more prominence in the story. I love how hard Yusuf Ibn Shihab (you will meet more of him in book 2) tries to be honest and faithful to his beliefs, and Emre's irreverence is endearing to me. Each of them goes through immense trials, and often after writing one of their chapters, I feel like I have gone through it myself.
Some of the main feedback that I see from readers is that it's hard to keep track of the characters, so I am planning to go back through the books and rename the chapters for the featured character, a la George R.R. Martin in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I found that this helped me remember who was who and look forward to the chapters with my favorite characters. Hopefully, that will help my readers, too!
If your book was made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
This is actually something I have avoided thinking about because I'm trying to keep my expectations in check (although I love dream casting other books by other authors). The other challenge is the lack of representation in Hollywood by actors of Arab and Turkish descent. These actors are usually typecast into roles of "terrorist," which is insulting and incorrect. All I can say is that if a producer or a director approached me, I would not sell the rights to the story without a written promise that the cast would represent the diversity of the characters in the book. I encourage people to read it themselves, and if there is a particular character who reminds them of an actor, find me on Twitter or Facebook and let me know!
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I hope that my readers come to love these characters as much as I do. But more than that, I hope my readers appreciate that there is so much more nuance to a person than "good guy" and "bad guy." I am fascinated by what motivates people. Good guys can fall from grace and bad guys can find redemption. I hope that readers can look past the stereotypes that they have been fed about the middle ages and the people who lived through it. There were Templars and crusaders who treated their Muslim and Jewish neighbors with love and respect. There were Muslim women with immense power and influence. Just because their stories were not popularized doesn't mean they did not exist.
Every one of my characters is in a battle against themselves – insecurities, resentments, privilege (or lack of it). They are three-dimensional and complex. I hope that readers can stick with them, since the process of building complex characters takes time. My characters do not always do "the right thing," but that is what makes them relatable.
Oh, and despite how dark these books can get at times, I am planning a happy ending <3
Where to buy The Scribe:
Where to buy The Land Of God:
Elizabeth R. Andersen
Elizabeth R. Andersen's debut novel, The Scribe, launched in July of 2021. Although she spent many years of her life as a journalist, independent fashion designer, and overworked tech em-ployee, there have always been two consistent loves in her life: writing and history. She finally decided to do something about this and put them both together.
Elizabeth lives in the Seattle area with her long-suffering husband and young son. On the weekends she usually hikes in the stunning Cascade mountains to hide from people and dream up new plotlines and characters. Elizabeth is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
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What a great interview! Thank you so much for hosting today's tour stop.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club