I am so pleased to welcome back to the
blog the very awesome, very patient, very historically-fantastic and
kinkeriffic Kay Berrisford! Kay put up with my questions about being British
and writing ye olde BDSMe a few months back. She also recently put up with Lisa Henry’s and my shenanigans on her blog. So this time I owe her a rich,
thought-provoking interview in which she doesn’t have to worry about being
hounded for advice on how I can be more British, or being asked to school me in
the ways of history…
And maybe I don’t exactly deliver.
1.
Tell us about Lord of the Forest!
Lord
of the Forest – out tomorrow! – is my m/m retelling of the Robin Hood legend,
with lots of m/m sexing and a dose of kink. My Robin’s a lone warrior, on the
run from the law, who bands up with Cal (a brattish and totally untrustworthy
royal spy), Herne the Hunter, and various others, to do the Robin Hood thing
and save England from the clutches of the evil barons. Of course, along the
way, he finds love in the most unlikely of places…
Lord
of the Forest was a joy to write, and I’m hugely excited about it (if a little
nervous.) It’s very different
from most
of the recent movies, that’s for sure. For some reason I was too terrified to
watch any Robin Hood films or TV shows when I was writing it, instead
comforting myself with fifteenth and sixteenth century ballads. I took them as
my inspiration as well. Um, I’m a bit weird like that.
I
was going to say that Lord of the Forest has a bit less kink than the rest of
the Greenwood series, because being set in medieval times with real castles and
dungeons and all the associated whump, meant my guys weren’t much into tying
each other up for fun. That said, I
managed to get in, among other things, an accidental variant on tentacle porn,
and a short, not-quite-domestic-discipline
scene, which was added to the story after a chat with, er, J.A.Rock no less!!!
Anyway,
here’s the blurb…
Lord of the Forest (The Greenwood.)
England, 1217. Dark forces are
rising. In the Greenwood, foul spirits grow powerful, and greedy barons plunder
the lands. Only one man dares fight back—Robin Hood.
Robin’s band of brothers is
broken. Now a lone warrior, he denies his famous name and laments the friends
and lovers he’s lost. When the fair folk capture Cal, a beautiful young
forester descended from the Greenwood’s ancient protectors, Robin rescues him
and forges a new alliance.
Despite a sizzling attraction,
Robin senses Cal isn’t like his old comrades, and he’s right. Cal’s been raised
as a royal spy. He plans to seduce and betray Robin, but can’t harm the man
he’s falling hard for. Mistrust and arguments spill into passionate lovemaking,
as Cal learns the meaning of loyalty, fighting beside Robin, the only friend
he’s ever known. Even the enchanted forest seeks to bind Robin and the returned
protector ever tighter.
Their connection will be
tested by nature’s wildest forces, Robin’s past, Cal’s lies, and in a baron’s
darkest dungeon. To survive, Robin and Cal must admit their love and embrace
their true destinies. Only then can they save England and each other—and win
their happiness ever after.
The Greenwood series can be read
in any order. If anyone needs a refresher or a quick-glance guide to the
universe, check out my A to Z of the Greenwood here:
Sounds awesome! I wish everyone would heed my advice
and add discipline scenes to their work. I’m only trying to help.
2.
I was re-watching one of my favorite movies the other
day, The Last Unicorn, (because I’m
an adult)—and the Greenwood was mentioned! I didn’t know what this meant as a
kid, but thanks to you, I’m all over it now. Where else might the Greenwood
have popped up in my day to day existence without me realizing it?
The
greenwood is cool because everyone kind of knows what you’re getting at, even
if you’re not all thinking about exactly the same thing. In English mythology
(though there are variants in other northern European cultures and beyond) the
greenwood conjures romantic images of the land before industrialization and
modernity—of untamed sprawling woodlands, rich with mystery and magic, and
populated (conveniently for me) by folk like Herne the Hunter, Robin Hood, and
druids. English greenwood lore can be fairly clean and innocent, not to mention
patriotic and sometimes a tad royalist. Though we do have our quotient of
bloodthirsty fairy tales, I imported some of the darker elements of my
Greenwood from the much gorier Germanic forest lore.
Where
have you heard about it before? Well, plenty of fantasy writers use it,
including Tolkien. Mirkwood was the Greenwood, before the nastiness associated
with the return of Saurun set in. Another example, which I’ve blogged about
elsewhere—E.M.Forster refers to it in his novel, “Maurice” (written in
1913-14). The tortured hero, unable to live openly as a homosexual, turns to
the greenwood as the imaginative space in which he and his male lover can exist
unfettered, in stark contrast to the homophobic reality in which he struggles
to survive.
That’s
another cool and liberating element of the greenwood—it exists outside modern
laws, including the sexual ones. That’s
why literary lovers have long escaped to the forest realm, as in Midsummer
Night’s Dream, of course!
My
Robin hails from Sherwood—and was born in Inglewood, in Yorkshire, where some
of the earliest mentions of Robin hail from—but the bulk of Lord of the Forest is
set in the Greenwood. My Greenwood is roughly based on the New Forest and its
myths and legends (which I waffled on about in my last interview here!!) My version
is much larger and denser than the New Forest and has less caravans and
tourists in it.
I love Maurice! I forgot about the Greenwood fantasies.
3.
Who is your most out-of control character? The one who
just won’t listen when you tell him what you need him to do?
In
the past, it was Herne the Hunter (who features in Lord of the Forest and Bound
for the Forest as well as his own book, Bound to the Beast.) I had a hell of
time getting a hold on his character, particularly when I wanted him to explain
important plot points. He just wouldn’t. He’s a great, brooding ancient
warrior, and words don’t come easily (er, unlike to me :P) However, I think I’ve got a handle on him
now, as we seemed to be a little bit more in tune when I was writing Locking
Horns (my sequel to Bound to the Beast.) I just had Tam do all the talking.
4. I make fun of my Australian co-writer Lisa
Henry a lot for spelling words like color, favorite, harbor etc. with a “U.”
When the Brits do it, though, I admire it. I think I have it in my head that
you guys did it first, and Australians are copycats. Can you confirm this for
me, regardless of whether it’s true?
Of
course it’s true. Then again, I am a
whinging pom.
I don’t know what that is, but I’m picturing
a flying Pomeranian.
4.a. Teach me three new British words. Go:
Moggy – cat. (as in, right now a great
fluffy moggy is trying to walk across my keyboard.)
Don’t let the whinging pom get it!
Puff – breath (as in, “I’m out of
puff.”)
Lurgy – minor illness/cold. Okay, I
think I used this one in an email, but I’ve just had the lurgy again. Booo!!!
Edit: the Australians are copymoggies.
4.
One thing I love about books like Bound for the Forest and Simon,
Sex, and the Solstice Stone is the way sex (or the suggestion of it)
factors into ritual—and becomes a necessary means for the characters to achieve
some larger goal. I recall from my Marion Zimmer Bradley days that sex often
factored into pagan rituals. How do you see sex working in your historical
fantasy books, was it really a big part of old-timey rituals, and why are we so
prudish now? That was three questions. Sorry.
As
far as my books concerned, if there’s going to be a ritual, my first thought
is—hmmm, how kinky can I make it? My
second thought is—hmmm, but is that kinky enough? How can I really make ’em squirm.
But
there’s more to it than that. In erotic romance, sex is supposed to move the
plot and the relationship between the main lovers on. Mixing sex with ritual
pitches that onto a whole new level, heightening the process of transformation and
connection both physically and supernaturally. So that’s fun.
Was
it really a big part of old-timey rituals?
Well, that can be answered a million ways. Sex has certainly long been an element of *fantasies*
of pagan religious rituals, as featured in many a Victorian “penny dreadful.” As
for the actual pre-historic religion that I took my inspiration from in the
Greenwood novels, well, we don’t know a great deal about the substance of
rituals. What we do know often comes from accounts written by the Romans, and
they were keen to portray Ancient British and Germanic peoples as (pervy)
savages anyway. However, we know for certain that sex and fertility rites were pretty
damn central to prehistoric religion. The first of my books I opened to seek an
example just now fell open on a picture of a female figurine sculpted in the
shape of a phallus (dated from 5600-5300 BC.) I rest my case.
5.
I’m lucky enough to have read the first three chapters
of Lord of the Forest. I won’t ask
you to for spoilers, much as I want to, but tell me about writing historical
figures/legends. Is it hard to inhabit a character like Robin Hood, who’s
already played a role in so many stories? Or does that just make it more fun? Did
you feel any pressure to make your Robin fit with readers’ preconceived notions
of that figure?
And
thank you for reading :)
I
didn’t have as much trouble as I did with Herne (see above.) Knowing all those other stories about Robin made
it easy to concoct his past and understand his background and values. After
that, his character flowed relatively easily. To start off with, I was worried my
Robin was a bit angsty, but to an extent, that was unavoidable given the stage
of his life I decided to join him at. After over a decade as England’s outlaw
hero, my Robin has left Sherwood after the death of his friend Friar Tuck. He’s
not a damaged character as such (we’ve got Cal for that) but he’s somewhat
weighed down by the weight of his fame and legend, which was an interesting
element to play with. Plus, he’s never found his soul mate, of course…
 |
| Robin Hood's a total fox. |
Do
I feel pressure of people’s preconceptions? I’m bloody terrified! Maybe that’s
why my Robin openly acknowledges the pressures of being Robin Hood, the most
famous man in England. As I said before, I tried to make my story different
from the recent movies and TV, but I’m hoping my Robin is still recognizably
Robin. He’s involved in plenty of swashbuckling action. There’s castles,
dungeons, torturers, and nasty barons, as well as the stuff you’d expect if
you’ve read my other Greenwood books—fairies, kink, walking trees, more kink,
foliage kink, and folk on quests to find the truth of their mysterious origins.
I love all of those things. Especially
foliage kink.
Improve My Historical Accuracy
I am not a history major. You are. I use
vague terms when I’m talking about historical eras or events to cover my lack
of knowledge. I’m going to provide you with a list of terms I use and what I
mean by them. Will you please tell me why I’m wrong/what I could do better? Maybe
throw me some new terms I could use to impress people in future conversations?
Term: Old-timey. Example: Sex factored into a lot of old-timey rituals.
What I mean: Any point in
history prior to 1990.
How could I improve?
Old-timey
is a bit like the Greenwood, isn’t it? It evokes a fantastical image of ye olde
worlde, though trouble is, you can’t be sure that the person who you’re
communicating with has the same image. As long as you don’t mind that you might
be referring to Ancient Rome and the person you’re speaking to has images of
Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII in flagrante
delicto, ’tis all good. So, um, you could be a bit more specific, but it’s
all happy really.
Term: Victorian. Example: I love the elegant costumes and restrictive societal values of
the Victorian era.
What I mean: Any era where women wore
corsets and men had sideburns.
How could I improve?
So,
the reign of Victoria (1837-1901—no, I didn’t wiki it, because I’m sad like
that :P). Not to be confused with the splurge of decades before it, which
people describe as Regency. The Regency, strictly speaking, is the relatively
short period between 1811 and 1820, when George, the Prince Regent, ruled in
proxy to his father, George III, before becoming George IV, but in romance
terms seems to refer to books set between circa.1760 and the start of
Victoria’s reign.
To
be honest, you don’t really need to better this, just check up on dates and
details, and try not to confuse too much with Regency, or people will start to
slash Sherlock Holmes with Mr. Darcy.
Oh,
and this *all* only works for British (and possibly British Imperial) history…
Term: Ancient Greece. Example: Cicero was one of the most
important people in Ancient Greece.
What I mean: Ancient Greece or Rome. I
can’t tell the white drapey cloth societies apart.
How could I improve?
Hmmm,
I’m trying to think of a witty way to draw parallels between Regency/Victorian
and Greek/Rome. I’m somewhat failing, apart from those are two overlapping corset!worlds
and these are two overlapping white drapey cloth!worlds (Or, as I personally
prefer to think of the latter, men-in-leather-miniskirt!worlds.) So, the Greeks peaked a bit sooner, as it
were, and then the Roman’s nicked all their best stories, column designs, and
gods, and were a lot better at admin. And the Romans all copied Alexander the
Great’s hair. There’s a longer version of that answer, but I think that covers
the important tuff.
Term: Postmodern
I never use it; I just want you to tell
me what it means.
Hmmm.
Depends. Historically, it can mean the
current period, which is of course, after the “modern” period, which in some
timelines can from the end of the medieval period (fifteenth century-ish) onward. When the modern period became the postmodern
period, is also debatable. And it seems a shame nobody could think of a new
word. I mean, the medievals got medieval, right (which sounds vaguely kinky.
Hurrah!)
Postmodern
is also that deconstruction-y fun with texts, about arguing how nothing has a
fixed meaning, and pictures of floating blobs, and, err… I’ll shut up now.
Please don’t tell my school I had to ask
you that. They’re about to give me a Master’s in English.
6.
Are there any WIPs you want to tell us about? Maybe
any that involve librarian warriors training bratty palace slaves? (You are
going to rue the day you dropped a hint about that one. ’Cause I’m not going to
let it go.)
Haha,
oh yes, I have plenty. Before I forget,
I do have a free read coming out the week after next, Prisoner of the Mountain
Watch, which is my first foray into all out fantasy, though there’s quite a bit
of that on the WIP list..
Anyway,
I promised you a list, so here’s a quick overview.
1. Locking Horns – this is a Greenwood novella, and a
sequel to Bound to the Beast. It’s not like the other novels, in that the main
characters are not new. We’re revisiting Herne the Hunter, and his lover Tam.
Because it’s set in 1804 (Herne and Tam are immortal) it also serves as a
prequel to Bound for the Forest, and we get to meet some of the characters from
that book too. It’s a standalone little
story in its own right, and features, er, Maypole kink. This is likely to be the
next thing out.
2. Dark Towers – a working title I have for a
medieval-style fantasy story that I’m about to start finishing. Honest. This one’s quite dark—but it’s going
to end up fluffy.
3. Sci-fi prison shifter story. I’m quite excited about this…
4. Victorian theatre kink. With canes and corsets. I
started this two years ago now, so it’s been on the WIP pile for ages. But it
needs to come off. Soon.
5. The other, much sillier medieval-style fantasy, about
the warrior-come-librarian training the very crap sex slave. Also needs to be
finished. Soon!
6. Greenwood #4 – the fourth full-length Greenwood
novel. Will be set in the English Iron
Age (before the Roman invasion) and explain how all the spirits came to be bound
to the forest. There will be lots of ritual and blood sacrifice in this one.
Just because. Also, I have an idea for a
Greenwood Xmas story set in WW2.
These won’t all get finished this year, but will do
soon, I hope!
Ohhh my god, theater kink! Bad slaves! Sci
fi shifters! Are you sure you can’t finish it all this year?
Thank you so much for coming by, Kay. I feel significantly smarter now. Wishing you a huge
success with this book! It sounds wonderful.
Thank
you for having me! It’s been great fun, and sorry about all the waffle!!!!
I love waffles. One time in Spain I ate
one with chocolate sauce and when I was done I licked the container in front of
a bus full of people and they judged me.
Here's a li'l blurb for "Prisoner of the Mountain Watch," available for free April 15th:
Once a great warrior, Ivenhal now leads a lonely existence, banished by his people because he’s lain with other men. When he captures an enemy elf, his life takes an unexpected turn.
...and here are Kay's giveaway details!
