I love knowing where writers get their inspiration for their books. Here’s a little peek at what inspired me.
I am two things. (Ok, so obviously I am more than two things, but for purposes of this post, let’s pretend I am only two things). I am an Anglophile, and I am a history buff. Put these together, and it should come as no surprise that I love castles. I have books upon books about castles. You write a novel based in a castle, and I will read it. And then pretend I live there. If you and I were to take a trip to Europe together, you’d better believe there will be a castle-a-day itinerary. But don’t get bored — we could go drink beer afterward (and talk about castles).
Naturally, my current project is set in a castle. My castle is fictional but is based loosely on this real one.
Gorgeous, no? That’s Orford Castle, in Surrey. It was built by Henry II and dates from the 12th Century, which just blows my mind. I grew up in a town that was founded all the way in 1971 and often wondered what it must be like to live in a place where you are surrounded by history. Growing up, the only historical questions I could ask myself were “Remember when that was just an empty tract of land? Now there’s a Barnes & Noble there. Crazy!” I decided to find out what it was like to live in history in the fall of 2000 and moved to Boston. I got my answer in a few short months: cold. I hightailed it back to Florida.
Anyhow, let’s look at Orford a little more, shall we? Can you imagine having to navigate these dim stairs while wearing a long dress? This is way before safety councils mandated handrails, of course.
Or what it must have been like to see this for the first time?
Isn’t this guy creepy? Don’t you just love it?
Any other castlephiles out there? And in case you’re wondering, yes, I Googled “person who loves castles” to see if there is a more technical name than “castlephile.” I came up empty.
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