KAREN MAITLAND
Welcome to the official web site of Karen Maitland, author of medieval thrillers Company of Liars, The Owl-Killers and The Gallows Curse.
My latest solo book is a medieval thriller, The Gallows Curse, in the bookshops now, and appearing in paperback early next year. You can listen to a podcast from the Reading Room in which I talk about The Gallows Curse (and why I grow thyme in my garden); or read my guest post at the History Girls blog (which will tell you some useful things to do with eels - and of course there's more about it on this website, too!
I have just signed another two-book contract with Michael Joseph/Penguin UK for two more medieval thrillers: The Vanishing Witch set in Whitby and Lincoln in 1381, and The Raven's Head set in France and England in 1224. So now that my next novel Falcons of Fire and Ice, which comes out in 2012, is safely at the publishers, I am hard at work creating the characters for The Vanishing Witch. The idea for the novel came from the life of a woman who really existed and believe me, you certainly wouldn't have wanted to have been married to her.
I am thrilled to announce that I have been invited to become a Patron of the Lincoln Literary Festival in 2012. The 2012 festival which runs from 9th May to the 13th May 2012, will focus on historical literature of all kinds including fiction, non-fiction and children's books. It will be staged right in historical heart of Lincoln in setting of the beautiful cathedral, medieval buildings and the castle. There will be a packed programme of events, stalls and activities for all ages. I hope you'll be able to come along and join in the fun and excitement of the festival. Be great to see you there!
I think its vital to do everything we can to keep public libraries open, so I was delighted to be invited to give an author talk at a little branch library at North Hykeham, Lincolnshire. Thanks to the enthusiasm of counter staff the turnout was amazing and the library was packed. Councillor John Bishop came along and afterwards wrote a lovely and very generous piece about the evening in the Lincolnshire Echo: "I went (with my wife) as a local town councillor to support the library as I am not an avid reader of fiction, except in the form of political speeches. We were both ready to look politely entertained while being bored. But from the moment Karen started to speak her passion for the subject swept like wild fire across the library, proving she was as good an orator as a writer...& Thank you, John! The other highlight of the evening for me was two local schoolgirls, Elizabeth and Hayley, who asked me if they could do an interview with me as members of the young journalist academy. I was so impressed by how thoroughly these young girls had researched my work before the interview and the insightful questions they asked about the process of writing. This is the piece that they wrote about it.
I am also very proud to have become Patron of Lindum Scribes, an active writing group that meets in Lincoln to encourage and support each other in their writing, with the help of a full programme of guest speakers. I have had a long standing association with the group and am so delighted to share in their success.
The Middle Ages was an amazing time of discovery and invention, but one in which monsters and magic, angels and demons, were as much part of everyday life as salt-fish and dung heaps. Life was a constant battle between light and darkness. Yet it was also an age very like our own, a time of drastic climate change, war and social revolution. The medieval period was an age of power and passion, mischief and murder. And I am so excited to be able to share some of its dark and wonderful secrets with you.
On this site you will find information about my books, both those already published and those still to come, the solo novels and the collaborative ones, written with my fellow Medieval Murderers. If you would like always to be up to date with my news, you can now sign up for my newsletter, which my publisher is helping me to organise: all you have to do is enter your e-mail address in the box, and click the button!
On my website, I will tell you how I came to write these particular books, and some of the things I learned in the process. I am fascinated by medieval myths and legends, as well as the details of daily life. I will share some of that background with you here on my web site, with a new snippet of information appearing on this page each week, gradually building up a glossary with its own section of the site. Some of these items first appeared in the Glossary of my published books and some have not (yet!) found a place in a book. This week, :
- Eena, deena, dina, das
- - The shepherd's counting. Many country people, right up to last century, counted in multiples of four or eight for livestock or produce. Some say it is because we have four fingers, other have suggested it is easy to pick out four sheep at a glance without counting them individually. Pebbles, beans or notches on a stick would be used to keep track of how many fours had been counted. There has been much speculation as to the origins of the names of the numbers, which vary widely from district to district, but they may be vestiges of older tribal languages which survived long after the language itself ceased to be used.
Previously: the history of a Christmas treat
"Karen Maitland has dug into some obscure corners of medieval history to produce an almost parallel universe; a place where myth, magic and superstition take over as the established order breaks down, but a world that nevertheless rings true. On top of that, she has fashioned a compelling mystery story that should appeal to a much wider readership than historical fiction fans; indeed, anyone looking for an engrossing, bulky fireside read."
John Harding, Daily Mail
Contact details:
You can contact me via my agent, Victoria Hobbs of A.M. Heath & Company Ltd. (web site).
Photograph © John C. Gibson, Lincoln, UK.
Web site designed and maintained by Cornwell Internet
With thanks to John Gray for permission to use elements of his cover designs.
Last update: 11th January 2012.
