Get ready to meet the Band of Bastards from Lois Templin! Lois was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this exciting historical romance HERE!
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited and has it shown up in one of your books?
Wales. The first book I ever wrote was set in Scotland—and I love Scotland—but after visiting Wales, I wanted to know everything about it. There was something so beautiful and mystical about the forests, hills, villages, and castles. I loved how remote it seemed compared to where I lived at the time in the United States. And every time I’ve traveled through Wales, everyone I meet is so welcoming. You feel like you are an old friend returned. Plus it has a castle at every turn! And many of them were built during the reign of King Edward I in the 13th Century, which is the time when my books are set.
How much research do you do into the time period and places you write about? Do you have any experience dressing in character or participating in living history situations or are you more a fan of libraries and online resources?
As much as I love the book and online research, I also love experiencing first-hand anything medieval related. I love to do research, and like so many authors, often get lost in research rabbit holes! But, for me, the downside of doing too much research is getting caught up in the fear of making an historical error or misrepresenting an event in history. I’ve had to work on letting go and accepting that I am going to make some mistakes, but the most important thing is to write a good story.
I’ve not been a re-enactor at medieval events, but I’ve attended many renaissance festivals with family and friends dressed in medieval garb to fully immerse ourselves in the mirth and merriment. That’s where I learned how high up your legs mud will get caked when wearing a full-length medieval gown in the rain! I’ve also trained in sword fighting so that I could better understand what it is like wield a sword. And I owned and rode horses for many years, which has been helpful in my writing since it’s the most common mode of transportation in medieval times.
What are your favorite kind of characters to write? Do you have a specific trope that you’re drawn too?
I love Grumpy/Sunshine! And typically my favorite is sunshine heroine and grumpy hero (although, my second book in the Band of Bastards series has a sunshine hero and a grumpy heroine). There is something about a broody, unapproachable man who turns into a softy only for the woman he loves. The journey is just so delicious watching him failing to ignore the heroine, then giving in to tolerating her presence, then starting to admire her sunshine personality and wanting to kill anyone who tries to destroy it, then finally becoming a mushy man in love. Seeing the persistence of the heroine along the way, her refusal to let anyone dampen her sunshine, and the way she shows those around her that there is strength in her insistence to see the good in others is a something I will never tire of reading. Or writing–the heroine of my third book in the series is a sunshine.
Where is your favorite place to write? Does it change depending on where you are in the process?
I love writing in coffee shops! My husband and I live in Greece, and we travel a lot to see family, friends, and to just explore amazing places. Wherever we go, I love finding interesting coffee shops to settle in and write for a while–and people watch! In the little seaside village we live in, there is a great coffee shop right on the beach that is open into the wee hours of the night. This is my current favorite place because I can write for a while, leave everything at my table and take a swim in the sea when I need a break, then come back, order another coffee (and possibly a homemade cherry topped cheesecake), and go back to writing. But when I’m near the end of a book and in a time crunch, then my favorite place to write is outside on our deck, especially if I’m writing late into the night. There’s a cool breeze usually, and I feel like I’m not alone because the village dogs, cats, goats, and donkeys do a lot of chatting during the night!
Which comes first for you: the plot or the characters? Do you know where the story is going before you begin, or does it come to you as you write? Do scenes come to you fully formed or are you as surprised as the reader?
I wish I was a writer who knew exactly where the story was going and how it would end before I begin! That would make my life so much easier, and I envy writers with that gift. My books come to me first with an opening scene–the event that starts gears of fate turning–and a glimpse of the characters involved. From there, I start writing and see where the instigating situation leads the characters. Eventually, I do have to sit down and suss out a solid arc and where the story is headed, but I usually don’t do that until I’m about a third of the way through the first draft and have a clearer picture of the characters and their motivations in my head.
