In the latest issue of Historical Novels Review, Frances Spufford in an interview says, he tries to find details when writing his novels,
‘the kind that go straight to the reader’s senses. The ones that tell you what it was like being a body in a particular time and a place.’
Spufford’s alternative history novel Cahokia Jazz was one of my favourites reads last year. I’m taking his comment to heart in writing my current medieval murder mystery, which is set in the Pyrenees, and which will be published before Christmas. The medieval salt trade features large in the novel, and I’ve had fun thinking about what salt looks like, tastes like, smells like, sounds like, feels like.
Salt’s Wound is a historical fiction mystery, featuring the female sleuth and medieval troubadour, Beatriz de Farrera.
In 1093, Beatriz is on a journey into the Pyrenees mountains with her patron, Philippa, the heiress of Toulouse. Philippa is travelling towards an unwanted marriage in Aragon.
A murder occurs, a revenant is sighted, poison is suspected, and accusations fly. Superstitions and prejudices are fuelled by an ambitious abbot. As winter and mistrust close in on the travellers, Beatriz must follow the clues to get to the truth.
Coming soon. The publication date and preorder link will be announced in my next newsletter on 1 October. If you haven’t signed up to my quarterly newsletter yet, here’s the link:
https://justmeandering.substack.com
Salt mining locations in the Pyrenees, including Gerri-de-la-Sal and Cardona, feature in the novel. Post Photo: Interior of the Salt Mine in Cardona by EliziR, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Tracey Warr Writing 