Auntie M has just interviewed her writing colleague, Lauren Small, who specializes in historical novels. Brickhouse Books has published her latest, an odyssey centering on the First Crusade. Welcome Lauren!
Auntie M: You’ve written many historical novels in different eras. What inspired you to choose this particular time period?
LS: My books always come out of my passion for social justice and my belief that by exploring the past, we can better understand the present. I’ve been very concerned in recent years about the rise of white Chirstian nationalism and antisemitism. People seem to be talking a lot about the Crusades. I was prompted to look more into the topic, and became hit with the bug to write about it.
AM: I know you’ve done exhuastive research for Radegonde. Can you describe your research process?
LS: I read everything I can get my hands on, in this case, both histories of the Crusades and testimonials that have come down to us. Luckily, I’d already had the chance to travel to many of the main places where the Crusades took place, such as France, the Rhine Valley, and Jersusalem. I also visited museums to look at artworks and artifacts, and of course the Internet provided information through maps, images, and so on.
AM: Can you explain your character development for Radegonde and the other main characters who tell this story? Did you have difficulty narrowing your focus to her and her circle?
LS: I felt from the beginning that we would experience that Crusade through Radegonde’s eyes. She’s only fifteen years old, with a curiosity to explore the world. I expanded the story by including different kinds of people who took part in Crusades like this: a Jewish scholar, a runaway monk, a Muslim girl, and a formerly enslaved African woman. I especially wanted to focus on women, since I think their voices are often overlooked in history.
AM: Let’s talk process. When you finally sat down to write this, did you work from an outline of high points, write scenes out of order that you knew you’d need, or did the story develop as you wrote?
LS: The story developed as I wrote it, although I always knew it would follow the journey of the Crusade, from northern France to Jerusalem.
AM: How much revision did you have to do for this book?
LS: A ton! I always do a lot of revision—it’s one of my favorite parts of the writing process. This book went through four major drafts, in addition to my reworking individual scenes.
AM: Is there a scene or passage you’re particularly proud of writing?
LS: One of the most important scenes I wrote was the massacre at Mainz. We have a lot of historical information about it, so I had much to draw on. It was a terrible atrocity at the time, but has largely been forgotten. The scene was very hard to write, but in the end I was proud to have done it, to honor the people who died there.
AM: What do you hope wil resonate with readers once they’ve read Radegonde?
LS: I hope they will see how much we can understand about the present by delving into the past. In particular, I hope they will understand why the Crusades are still relevant today.
AM: Please tell us about some of your other historical novels, as they range over different periods.
LS: I do range widely in my work! For instance, I’ve written about my hometown of Baltimore during the First World War era, and about the Nuremburg Doctors’ trial.
AM: What’s your next project? Will it be historical in nature?
LS: Yes, I’m writing a novel inspired by the Medieval Jewish scholar named Maimonides. He lived a fascinating life!
AM: Where can readers find Radegonde and the First Crusade?
LS: I’m very grateful to my publisher, Brickhouse Books, which has done a beautiful job with my book: http://www.brickhousebooks.com.
Lauren Small is a novelist with a strong interests in social justice and the power of historical fiction to illuminate the present. She earned a PhD in Comparative Literature, and is an adjunct assistant professor in pediatrics in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, where she teaches medical humanities. She has been a guest contributor to the “On Being” blog of American Public Radio and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her previous novels include The Hanging of Ruben Ashford (Brickhouse Books, 2022), and The Eye Begins to See (Ethics Press, 2023).
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