Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice.
Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470.
Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’.
Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through.
Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary.
Book Title: Return to the Eyrie
Series: Medieval Hungary
Author: Katerina Dunne
Publication Date: 30 April 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Page Length: 404
Genre: Historical Fiction (Medieval) / Historical Romance
Join me in a cosy chat with author, Katerina Dunne.
What inspired you to start writing?
I started writing short stories for fun together with my brother in my teenage years. They were only for family and friends to read, but I enjoyed the creative process very much. Many years later, I still had the “itch” and wanted to write a novel but did not have the confidence to try it until 2016. The idea for the particular story was born out of my love for both Hungary and history. As I did my Masters in Medieval History with my thesis about civil conflict between 1438-1442 in the Kingdom of Hungary, I realised how little the English-speaking world knows about medieval Hungary. So, I combined my studies and my interest in Hungary by writing my first two novels (Lord of the Eyrie and the sequel Return to the Eyrie set in the 15th century) that would introduce English-speaking readers to this fascinating era. I plan to write more books set in medieval Hungary although they will be completely different stories and centuries.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
The hardest part was definitely the editing. The amount of sweat and tears I shed trying to get the novel to its final draft! But I listened to the feedback from the editors and beta-readers because I knew that would make the novel better. It was pure hard work, determination and countless re-writes that got me through the process so that now I can feel proud of my achievement. Because millions of people have an idea for a book, yet only a small fraction of them achieves their dream of actually writing and publishing it.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
The heroine, Margit, is the character closest to my heart. She is in a way a projection of my younger self. As a child, I was a tomboy and always played with toy swords and guns instead of dolls. Even in my adult life I took on “manly” hobbies, such as air rifle shooting, and trained in medieval combat. My favourite TV shows and movies always have warrior characters, either male or female. With the exception of the childhood trauma (which I never experienced, thankfully!) I saw myself in Margit. Since I left my own country to live abroad and rely on my own mental and emotional strength, I am a bit of a fighter like her. I immensely enjoyed writing Margit’s character, especially her fight scenes but also her determination and focus to pursue her destiny in a harsh and dangerous world.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
I find it hard to think of celebrities whom I would like to cast in the roles of the characters. If I had the chance, I would like to be involved in auditions to look for less-known actors that I might feel embody the heroes of the story in a better way. I know my characters well, and I would need to sense how the actors can connect emotionally with the characters before deciding who can act in the movie of my novel. Here are the pictures that I created with the help of Runway AI, which present the characters as I have imagined them.
Margit, the heroine of Return to the Eyrie
Endre, her husband
Adnan, her best friend
Márton, her cousin and villain of the story
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I hope the readers will enjoy the story and find the characters relatable and memorable. I also hope they will learn a bit about 15th-century Hungary by understanding how it was to live back in those times and facing the dangers of everyday life. In fact, I would love to hear back from readers as to what new things they discovered while reading the book.
Buy this Book
Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin.
Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers.
Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022).
Social Media Links:
Thanks so much for hosting Katerina Dunne today with a fabulous interview.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club