tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post475716411350326549..comments2024-03-27T22:25:42.129-05:00Comments on Reading the Past: An interview with Kim Rendfeld, author of The Cross and the DragonSarah Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-36511596458929917132024-02-04T15:06:24.053-06:002024-02-04T15:06:24.053-06:00Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed reading it!Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed reading it!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-39306040468284758712024-02-04T14:34:40.249-06:002024-02-04T14:34:40.249-06:00I love the diversity and thought behind the charac...I love the diversity and thought behind the characters names! It is a very refreshing thing to see such unique ideas which compliment their origins. It also really makes the characters more interesting. Great interview!Brooke Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14630510717167861843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-41210621132108255052023-10-02T15:50:39.513-05:002023-10-02T15:50:39.513-05:00I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview with K...I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview with Kim Rendfeld, and it has been particularly enlightening for me as I've been considering entering the historical fiction genre myself. It's truly fascinating to see the dedication and passion that goes into crafting such stories, with a deep commitment to research, character development, and historical authenticity. Exploring the author's creative process and her insights into the Carolingian era has been both inspiring and insightful. Oghenerukevwe Akpogumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11256406489771949973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-73995911171914453102012-09-25T16:07:05.780-05:002012-09-25T16:07:05.780-05:00There is no unnecessary repetition in this book, w...There is no unnecessary repetition in this book, which was nice to see. Even the historical background to the story is smoothly woven in.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-74526609970704772932012-09-25T16:04:07.492-05:002012-09-25T16:04:07.492-05:00I hadn't heard anything about Gisela before th...I hadn't heard anything about Gisela before this book deal came along but have been doing some googling around since :) Rollo I'd heard of, mostly because he appears on William I's family tree. That's interesting about the planned DNA research. I bet there's a ton of paperwork and permissions associated with a project like that.<br /><br />And yes, definitely true!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-41953710907390180472012-09-25T10:56:28.644-05:002012-09-25T10:56:28.644-05:00Interesting how sometimes journalism can be such a...Interesting how sometimes journalism can be such a good training ground for a writer.<br /><br />No wasting of words.Shelleyhttp://dustbowlpoetry.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-53683352332503714132012-09-24T16:22:46.464-05:002012-09-24T16:22:46.464-05:00Sounds interesting, Sarah. Gisela is a rather nebu...Sounds interesting, Sarah. Gisela is a rather nebulous character, isn’t she? I believe that she isn’t mentioned in Frankish sources as a daughter of Charles the Simple - there has been some speculation that if she was connected to the royal family it might have been as an illegitimate child.<br /><br />Rollo’s origins are also pretty obscure. He has been associated with Rolf the Ganger, a legendary Norse figure from the Viking sagas, but whether he was actually Norse or Danish is disputed. A <a href="http://www.explicofund.org/famoushistoricalfigures.jpg" rel="nofollow">Norse historical research foundation</a> currently has plans to use DNA material from some of Rollo’s descendants, like his grandson Richard the Fearless, in an attempt to answer this question.<br /><br />Of course, lack of confirmed detail is good news for historical novelists- gives a bit of room to play :)<br /><br />Annishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02367569632016734415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-15405912149844315112012-09-24T09:53:19.494-05:002012-09-24T09:53:19.494-05:00I may have read (or tried to read) that same novel...I may have read (or tried to read) that same novel! The names sound very familiar. These days I'm more apt to put novels back on the shelf if the names are obviously not right. <br /><br />Today I read of a new deal for Iris Anthony's upcoming novel, set in 10th-century France and dealing with the marriage between Charles the Simple's daughter (as tradition has it) Gisela and her marriage to Rollo the Viking - an ancestor of William the Conqueror.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-8365727232440286952012-09-24T03:28:46.984-05:002012-09-24T03:28:46.984-05:00Sounds great- I've just ordered a copy :) I...Sounds great- I've just ordered a copy :) I've never been able to understand why more historical novelists haven't tapped the potential of the Carolingian era as a setting. Good on Kim for sticking to her guns as far as authentic period names go - nothing kicks me out of a historical faster than inappropriate names. I remember once reading a historical romance set in the Merovingian period where the main female characters were called Deirdre and Felice. Good grief!Annishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02367569632016734415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-44046630971437933922012-09-22T09:28:08.813-05:002012-09-22T09:28:08.813-05:00Thanks for your comments - I enjoyed reading Kim&#...Thanks for your comments - I enjoyed reading Kim's responses as well!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-58770011413050353002012-09-21T19:53:26.941-05:002012-09-21T19:53:26.941-05:00A fascinating interview on Kim Rendfeld's rese...A fascinating interview on Kim Rendfeld's research and writing approach.V.E. Uletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16281722775885368688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-29651928983065388452012-09-20T08:00:20.827-05:002012-09-20T08:00:20.827-05:00Glad you enjoyed the interview! I'm happy the...Glad you enjoyed the interview! I'm happy there are publishers willing to take a chance on less common settings.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-68909996407951752652012-09-20T07:53:32.400-05:002012-09-20T07:53:32.400-05:00I think publishers and readers get wrapped up in a...I think publishers and readers get wrapped up in a craze and then an era, reign, or person is overdone. Glad to see this novel diverts from that path! Great interview. :)Heather Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16998406608932437532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-16245481805242300962012-09-19T18:57:57.282-05:002012-09-19T18:57:57.282-05:00Novels about the Franks are exceedingly rare. I c...Novels about the Franks are exceedingly rare. I can think of only a handful, which is odd considering how well known "The Song of Roland" and Charlemagne are.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-41940277066138577952012-09-19T13:30:12.323-05:002012-09-19T13:30:12.323-05:00I don't think I've run across any fiction ...I don't think I've run across any fiction about the Franks anytime recently. This looks like an interesting departure from the current obsession with the Tudors that I'm going to have to check out.J. R. Tomlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01109874615059334200noreply@blogger.com