All Things Moorehawke and Otherwise

I’ve been merrily filing all my Moorehawke editorial notes and e-mails into my brand new folders ( I prefer to do most of my editorial

An anachronism by any other name.

communications via e-mail. I think it’s a much clearer way of expressing oneself and it’s easier to keep track of things. So I end up with a sea of notes at the end of each book.)

It was an odd treat to find this particular note at the top of the pile marked ‘Notes to Editor on reading Poison Throne Galley’. Odd because I’d only just mentioned it in a conversation on Goodreads, where a reviewer called The Moorehawke Trilogy an ‘historical’ novel. This phrase made my stomach do a queasy flip, because, although I set Morehawke in a recognisable Europe and tried to keep the technology as accurate as possible for the 1500’s, I took many many liberties with history and it’s in no way an historical novel. I think my ed was absolutely right not to put this note into the novel, anyone read Moorehawke would be sensible enough to understand that this is fantasy - but still and all, I like where my head was at with this…

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14th July 2008

Hi (editor)

Here is the note I mentioned earlier (when (agent) and I were discussing galley-slaves, plays and recorders :0D) I would like, if possible, for it to be in the back of the book where the Merron translations will be? Do you think that would be ok? Do you think I should mention the spit-boy in this?

(personal note to agent removed)

all the best

Celine

Author’s Note

Although The Poison Throne is set in a fantasy Europe of the late 1400’s early 1500’s, I feel duty bound to point out some small things, least I lead you astray.

It’s very likely that the people of Jonathon’s kingdom would have had access to coffee, as by 1500 coffee shops were quite commen in Turkey and parts of the Arabic world. Tea, however, is another thing altogether, and though I have the people of court drinking tea, it’s a stretch to assume that even a people as integrated as the Southlanders would yet have encountered the magnificent beverage as we know it today.

As for the lovely yellow roses that Lorcan presents Wyn during their special breakfast.  They are completely impossible, I’m afraid. Such roses would not have existed until well into the 1700’s and even then, not in any form we would recognise.

I hope you forgive me these shameless flights of fancy.

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I didn’t mention it in this note, and had no intentions of, bt I suppose it’s worth noting now that Razi’s understanding and use of tinture of opium ( laudanum) would have been quite unusual in 1500. But then Razi is that kind of cutting edge guy - his use of ‘retractors’ and understanding of ’shock’ in the next book just goes to show it

Right, I’m just on the last legs of my tidy-up before getting back to the WIP ( still surrounded by mountains of torn up cardboard boxes which I must get rid of before settling down to work.) Need to get my butt in gear here!