Northern Noir
[No, this isn’t recent snowfall. But I’ll come back to the weather below.]
Crime Writers’ Association conference, York
One thing on my mind at the moment is crime, especially of the northern noir variety. Last weekend I was away at the 2023 Crime Writers’ Association conference in York. And what a splendid weekend it was! We crime writers were out in force, showing renewed confidence and energy now the pandemic has eased and we all have multiple jabs. The slate of expert speakers was remarkable, of course. For me, invidious though it is to choose any particular speaker, honourable mention must go to Professor Barry Strickland Hodge, whose aptly titled talk What’s your Poison? was just what I needed. Not that I’m planning to smuggle powdered foxglove into my husband’s supper, not just yet anyway. But when any weapon more recent than a spatha or a ballista is denied to the writer of Roman mysteries, specialist information on ancient poisons is very welcome!
Beyond the talks, and the partying (which was magnificent), I managed to fit in an afternoon of luxuriant research. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that my new Quintus Valerius novel features Eboracum (Roman York) extensively. I came here to meet the amazing Ivory Bangle Lady at the wonderful Yorkshire Museum last year. (The lady made such an impact on me, I’ve used fictional licence to give her a small but significant role as Placidia Septimia in The Loyal Centurion.) On this trip, I made two more discoveries which have thrilled me.
The first was when I ventured into the undercroft of York Minster, a cornucopia of Roman-period delights and very well-presented. The minster, as a Christian church, is oriented east-west, while the larger, earlier Roman fort paralleled the river Ouse, thus NW to SE oriented. So I did not expect to find anything special, as the buildings largely mask each other. Imagine my delight to find myself standing right beside the wall of the legionary shrine in the ancient fort principia.
Now, this may look like any old pile of rubble to you; to me, it’s the exact place where a very important clue emerges from Tiro’s erratic memory, eventually to shine a light on the real villainy at the heart of The Loyal Centurion. Importantly, the shrine is right where I want it to be. Never say I neglect to tease my readers in these columns!
I then spent a couple of hours wandering the more salubrious districts of Eboracum. A little south of the Ouse, across the Roman bridge, a late second-century property developer saw a profitable opportunity to build two luxury mansions on a ridge overlooking the city. He developed an artificial terrace to give these des res houses large gardens, to go along with the internal courtyards, central heating, gaudy wall-paint and three stories of York stone required by the wealthier Roman residents. Having found the archaeology reports, I immediately gifted one of these mansions to Lady Julia Aureliana, as a legacy from a wealthy aunt. Thus dragging Julia a long way north, in nice time for murder, treason, and Saturnalia mayhem — in short, all hell breaking out in northern parts.
Anyway, this suburban locale is as desirable as it was 1800 years ago: elevated, perfectly-positioned for views and breezes, yet very convenient for all the city’s delights. Here’s the modern-day view across the Ouse, towards the city and fort (the bridge and direct street north are long gone):
All in all, a wonderful weekend in York. My grateful thanks to all at the Crime Writers’ Association, especially to Jean and friends in the local chapter who worked so hard to make this year’s conference absolutely terrific.
Writing for immersive reader experience
Back to the weather. While our real-world weather has been (very) slowly improving, the climate in my fictional world is steadily getting worse. In fact, in chapter 14 I have flung Quintus, Tiro, two young friends, five horses and an unfortunate dog into that worst of settings: a January blizzard in Caledonia. They’re off the grid and days away from the warmth and safety of a Roman settlement. For good measure, I’ve chucked in hostile Pictish natives, together with corrupt soldiers, all hot on their trail. As I sit here, looking out of my writing cabin over a sunny Malvern garden, you might wonder how I can conjure up Scottish winter scenes with any authenticity. The answer is, I’ve already done it, so to speak. It all goes back to research.
To begin with, I checked climatic records for my period (220s AD). We’re in an era of climate warming, and so were the Romans. Temperatures then were very similar to ours, perhaps a trifle warmer. Warm enough to grow grapes and make wine even in Britannia. But winters were still reliably cold, as there were less dramatic fluctuations than the climate change we’re subject to.
I knew the travel scenes in this book would happen in midwinter. So when we went to Scotland researching Tayside in January, I made careful notes and videos about how the weather looked and felt; the quality of the light; wind direction and sounds; cloudscapes; plant and animal life; and especially how Scottish cold and damp manifest themselves. We had plenty of cold and damp on that trip. I’m still wondering how any country could have such exceptionally cold damp without actually freezing! No wonder they have such marvellous cafés, pubs and bookshops in Scotland.
[This is me, freezing while filming in Abernethy.]
The one thing we didn’t have, while north of the border, was much snow, and I wanted my guys to have heavy snow. So when snow later struck here at home in the Malverns, I immediately dashed out with my phone to take pictures and make audio notes. All those notes got filed in a place I could find easily (Scrivener), so when I came to write those scenes I could vividly recall the sensations of mid-winter Scotland well enough, I hope, for my readers to shiver too!
My April News
The Loyal Centurion is nearing halfway point. Hopefully (for me at least!) this means my characters, old and new, are well-established, the plot is twisting and thickening, and the author knows where she’s going. North: that’s the general idea. Just one more significant new character to spring on you, Dear Reader, but I promise I am dropping hints as I go along. Still on target for summer publication.
My April talk to St Gabriel’s WI had to be postponed, unfortunately. We’re re-arranging the talk, probably for early 2024.
June is National Crime Reading Month, and I’m delighted to be taking part in an author event for Malvern Library. Alongside fellow local crime writer Linda Mather and other authors, I’ll be chatting with my good friends at the Coffee & Crime club. If you’re local and love crime reading, do come along at 10.30 on Friday 2 June, at Malvern Library. I’m so looking forward to it!
Coming close on the heels of June is July, and then we’re really into festival and holiday season. Top of the list for me is the Eboracum Roman festival 2023. To be held over the weekend of 8-9 July, this extravaganza of Roman re-enactment and celebration takes place in the beautiful grounds of the Yorkshire Museum. Plus — how to say this modestly? — I am flabbergasted that I’ve been invited to join the Eboracum Writers this year. I never imagined I’d be rubbing shoulders with the biggest and best of the world of Roman writing, as a fellow author. There is, however, one downside. I bumped into Alison Morton of Roma Nova fame last weekend, and she has instructed me very firmly that this is a costume event. That’s all very well for Alison, who is a tall lady whom one does not gainsay. A full-length robe and trailing palla for me, at all of 5’ 1”? I’m not convinced. I’ll keep you posted on the costume front, and latest details of Eboracum next month.
Finally, I can’t resist sharing my most recent ★★★★★ Amazon review for my second Quintus Valerius mystery, The Carnelian Phoenix:
A historical novel for the chilly winter evenings
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2023
Beautifully written in flowing, sympathetic prose, with a page-turning plot and well-paced narrative, peopled with warm, likeable characters, and full of decency and humanity. Altogether, a wonderfully enjoyable read.
Thank you, unknown but highly-valued reader!
I’ll leave you with a reminder: if you’re new to the Quintus Valerius series, you can find the first book, The Governor’s Man, on Amazon for a tiny £1.99, or read it free on Kindle Unlimited.
And in the run-up to publishing my third book, The Loyal Centurion, I’m planning a very special give-away. So if you aren’t already a subscriber to my Substack newsletter, please do sign up to keep in the loop.