INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my blogsite!

My goal here is not to instruct writers or would-be writers in arcane research methods, nor is it my intention to offer traditional book reviews of medieval resource books. It has been my experience that even the driest history may have worthwhile information buried in its depths, and therefore, may prove a book of great worth to a writer. On the other hand, slogging through hundreds of pages in search of the few “jewels” that might make your own story sparkle, is not always a writer’s best use of time, even presuming a writer has such necessary reading time to begin with. For many of us, shortchanging our limited writing time with reams of research reading is simply not an option.

That is not to say that research is unimportant. Indeed, it is absolutely necessary to tell an authentic story placed in a time period other than our own.

What I hope to do on this site is share with you some of the history sources I have found helpful in the writing of my medieval novels, along with some of the research shortcuts I have developed through the years. In doing so, I will occasionally be using examples from my own novels…beginning with LOYALTY’S WEB…since my only personal experience with intertwining research with story is, of course, through my own writing.

I hope you, my fellow writers of medieval fiction, will find these tips and resources helpful. Feel free to make comments, or to share your own tips and experiences with me, either through the “comment” feature of this blog, or by emailing me directly at jdipastena@yahoo.com.