WELCOME!
Elsie Park stopped by today to talk
about her new novel. SHADOWS OF VALOR, recently
released by Jolly Fish Press. Action, intrigue, romance, and mystery are
intertwined in her book, keeping you reading because you not only have to know what
will happen next but also the identify of THE SHADOW and what plots are afoot
endangering Elsbeth and those she cares about.
SHADOWS
OF VALOR is a medieval fiction novel that immerses you in the time period so
well, you start looking around for your own sword and lance.
We
were intrigued by the 1300 AD English world that Elsie Park created and asked her to answer
a question for us. Take it away Elsie!
"Why were you
drawn to write historical, specifically medieval, fiction, and what is its lure
for readers today?"
I
have loved stories (real and fictional) about princesses, knights, ladies,
heroes, heroines, pirates, Vikings, wizards, dragons . . . anything adventurous
in another time. Beloved classics such as Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and
the Beast take place in or around a castle with a prince of some sort and have
the unified themes of adventure and love driving them forward. I’m drawn to
these tales because they are magical to me, even the ones without actual magic written
into them.
These
aspects lure a modern reader to these stories as well. Anything that’s not our
own time period is fascinating to us. We’re already living a contemporary life,
so we often want to read about times and places far from our own. We like to
get lost in unknown worlds . . . places we don’t experience every day. I chose
1300 A.D. England because I like the clothing, the stone strongholds housing
lords and ladies, this period of knights, courtly love and respect (not that
everyone held to these things high morals - LOL) and that King Edward’s wool
tax (an actual event in history) caused people to smuggle their goods, creating
a great backdrop for an exciting story.
But
historical characters must also connect to the contemporary reader somehow. Modern
readers don’t wear kirtles, wimples, hauberks or knights’ armor (unless they’re
actors or frequent medieval fairs, of course – lucky devils *smile*). But even
though people back then dressed and talked differently than we do today, the
basic themes of life generally remain the same: To overcome our weaknesses, to
become a better person today than we were yesterday, good versus evil
(especially in the choices we make), implementing humanity and kindness, love versus
hate, virtue against vice. These are topics that can be written about over and
over again with new plots and characters for they never get old. They are
issues the human race has dealt and struggled with since the beginning of time
and which we continue to face today. This being said, however, it’s still
helpful to put a little modern twist on the medieval characters, allowing a
greater connection with the contemporary reader. Writing FICTION allows me that
freedom.
On
another note, music and poetry played a huge role in the past, not just as
entertainment, but in the sharing of real events that took place. They were a
way for people to learn and remember their history. So I wrote ballads into my
story as well. Being a student of piano, I composed the written music for them,
and at least one of the songs in sheet music form will appear as an addendum in
SHADOWS OF VALOR. I’m excited for that. The complete collection can be found on
my blog at: Shadows of Valor Piano Sheet Music (thanks for letting me slip that in, Berk and Andy *smile*)
I
hope contemporary booklovers will appreciate reading about the same struggles
we face today, but enjoy the medieval setting. I loved writing SHADOWS OF VALOR
and hope readers adore the tale of Sir Calan and Elsbeth as much as I do.
ELSIE PARK
Thanks Elsie!
If you haven't read this book, you're in for a treat.
About SHADOWS
OF VALOR:
Taking place in 1300 A.D. England,
The Shadow (aka Sir Calan), a knight-spy working under the direction of King
Edward I, hunts down and arrests smugglers who defy the law and evade paying
their taxes. The Shadow’s duty is fueled by vengeance from a childhood
experience against smugglers. Dealing with society at its worst, The Shadow becomes
cynical and struggles to rein in his desire to execute lethal justice before
turning the perpetrators over to local authorities. He feels his soul turning
black with hate in his continual fight against evil. A childhood acquaintance,
Lady Elsbeth, enters his life years later, bringing light to his soul once
again, but she has a story of her own, accompanied by physical and emotional
scars. Calan feel he needs Elsbeth in his life, but in an effort to keep his
identity and duty secret, he must deceive her. This creates distrust and
uncertainty between them, as she accepts another man as her suitor. But Calan
must ask the question: What’s worth fighting for more? His long-standing desire
to avenge a childhood friend or the woman who may be his salvation? What
entails is a glorious tale full of deceit, greed, inner struggles, betrayal,
and most of all—love.
About
Elsie Park:
Growing
up in a small mountain town outside of Yosemite
National Park, California, U.S.A., Elsie Park enjoyed playing
soccer, playing piano, reading, writing, art and spending time with family and
friends. Years ago she spent 18 months in Italy teaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Seeing the castles and old Roman cities only added to her fascination
for ancient and medieval culture. In college she studied zoology, botany and
criminal justice. She’s worked as a wildland firefighter, security guard and a
police officer, but she is currently a stay-at-home mom, spending time with her
children and husband. She loves thinking up new ideas for interesting stories
and musical compositions to go with them.
Elsie is a fantastic person. Get to know her. You can find her here:
Twitter:
@elsiepark1
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