The Herb Knot
By Jane Loftus
The Hundred Years’ War comes to life in this spellbinding tale of love, betrayal and conspiracy…
A quest born on the battlefield will change a young boy’s destiny…
Rafi Dubois is five years old when his mother is murdered after the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Alone and lost, Rafi is given a token by the dying Englishman who tried to save his mother’s life: a half-broken family seal which he urges Rafi to return one day to Winchester.
Years later, when Rafi saves a wealthy merchant’s wife from a brutal robbery, he is rewarded with the chance to travel to England, taking the seal with him.
But when he reaches Winchester, Rafi finds himself in a turbulent world full of long-held allegiances, secrets and treachery. His path is fraught with danger and with powerful enemies working against him, Rafi falls in love with Edith, a market apothecary. But in doing so, Rafi unleashes a deadly chain of events which threatens to overwhelm them both…
The Herb Knot is a sweeping and passionate novel set in one of the most tumultuous times in English history, from a powerful new voice.
Publication Date: May 8th, 2025
Publisher: HQ Digital
Pages: 336
Genre: Medieval Historical Fiction
An interview with Jane Loftus
What inspired you to start writing?
Reading! I enjoyed reading historical novels so much I wanted to write one myself. I particularly love reading medieval novels. I will read anything historical to be honest, but like everyone, I have a favourite period. I read so many Jean Plaidys as a child I’m sure that the historical novel is what pushed me to doing a degree in history. Who are these people, I want to know more? And then, of course, living in the former capital of England, how could I not?
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
It’s very hard to write when you’re just not feeling it, but you have to. I find if I stop writing for more than a week, I can’t remember what I’ve written and it’s almost like starting over. Forcing myself to sit in front of the computer and even write one sentence when I’m not in a writing frame of mind is really, really difficult. I also find plotting hard as anything. I start with a beginning, and then an end, so I know where it’s going to go. But getting there, putting the little stepping stones in? GAH! Thinking up subplots, finding incidents to create tension – I find that really difficult. Ironically, when I force myself to write even if I don’t think I have anything to say, that’s when the plots happen organically. The book I’m writing now, which is a follow up to the Herb Knot – as per usual I got the start and ending, but halfway through the book several subplots made themselves known to me and some of the characters have had a complete personality change. Revising this is going to be…challenging!
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Roger! I love him. He takes so much on himself and pretends he doesn’t care and is just Mr Tough but he’s a big old soft Mr Whippy. You absolutely know where you are with him. If he dislikes you he dislikes you but if he likes you then you’re set for life. He will go from one to the other without being defensive about his previous opinion of you. No bad feelings whatsoever. I enjoyed writing his scenes with Rafi so much because they’re both so sarcastic and I had a lot of fun with that. Marianne is missing out, I tell you. She should hoik her habit up, shin it over the Abbey walls and run away with him. Do it, girl!
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Oh heck. I did scour the internet for photos of actors to use as a guide for the characters, to keep consistency of physical descriptions etc. I even used an amibo for Stefan (Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening in case you’re asking).
Someone asked me if I’d used Tom Holland for Rafi but I’d actually used Ben Wishaw. Joan was based on lovely Liv Tyler and Marianne was Marianne Cotillard. Roger – I needed someone quite sinister looking with an etched face (that you can grow turnips in). Willem Dafoe seemed just the ticket. My apologies to Mr Dafoe as I would never dream of planting root vegetables in his face. Hugh was based on a Spanish actor called Aitor Luna, who played a medieval merchant in a Netflix series called Catedral Del Mar (which I recommend if you like costume drama adventure and are able to suspend disbelief to breaking point – which fortunately I can so enjoyed it immensely). You can at least see now why I kept referring to him as handsome. Ahem…
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I hope they were entertained and thought it worth the hours they spent reading it. If I was able to grip readers and make them want to turn the next page and then the next, I’d be so, so happy. It’s exactly what I want from a book and I want my book to be like that. I want to be completely lost in the story and not want it to end (yet wanting it to end because I need to know what happens).
If it makes people want to visit Winchester, then even better!
Buy this Book
Jane Loftus
Jane Loftus gained a degree in 16th Century European and British history from Surrey before taking a postgraduate degree in modern political history. As a lone parent, she worked in Winchester Waterstones before returning to IT once her son was older. Hugely passionate about the Middle Ages, she drew inspiration for this novel from the medieval layout of Winchester which has been painstakingly documented.
Jane is originally from London but has lived in Winchester for over twenty years. When not writing, she is usually out walking or watching costume dramas on Netflix – the more medieval the better. She also plays far too many rpgs.
Thanks so much for hosting Jane Loftus today with such a fabulous interview linked to her compelling new novel, The Herb Knot.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club