To celebrate today’s publication of my new novel, Salt’s Wound, I’ve posted on my research on French lavoirs (washing places): https://traceywarr.substack.com/p/the-lavoirs-of-france?r=1nlbpo&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web The cover image is a lavoir in Aujols in the Lot Valley, not far from where I live, from the book Christophe Lefébure (2003) La France des Lavoirs, Editions Privat. Heavy wet clothing and…
Tag: pyrenees
The White Toad
‘Anna noticed a huge, pale toad, its eyes bulging and swivelling towards them, its mouth pulsing as it croaked, white skin cladding its muscled limbs, making its body appear horribly naked.’ It is Hallow’s Eve 1093, and the trobairitz Beatriz and lady’s maid Anna are in the Pyrenees. On this night, the veil between the…
A deserted castle
It’s 1093 and the trobairitz Beatriz is in the Pyrenees where she encounters murder, a revenant, and some very bad weather. ‘As I rounded the next twist in the ridge path, I saw the castle on a hill to the right above the village. We ceased our conversation to urge on our exhausted horses as…
Winter is Coming
‘A kettle of black vultures soared above us. I tapped Anna’s arm again and pointed. Anna’s face lit with wonder. The birds’ huge wingspans made them look like dark angels. ‘Are they a good omen or a bad, Beatriz?’ Anna asked. I shrugged. ‘They are birds flying in the sky. That’s what they do. I…
New novel launching soon with a dance
Celebrating the completion of the manuscript for my next novel with a dance! Working on the rewrites and proofing now. The ebook is available for preorder and the paperback is coming soon – publication day 17 November. In the link below, you can see a video of an Occitan ronda dance from my village in…
Starting to write: Old and new beginnings
My new novel, Love’s Knife, a medieval murder mystery, was published last month. I started writing it 10 years ago during a month-long writing residency in the Pyrenees. It’s been a long time brewing. I just came across a series of blogposts from those weeks of having the initial idea for the novel and am…
Murder, lies and art
Currently researching for the medieval murder mystery I’m writing and discovering that the range of potential murderous motives at the end of the 11th century in the Toulouse/Pyrenees area are legion. The establishment of the lucrative pilgrim route to Compostela; the salt trade; papal policy over reform, reconquest in Spain and pressure on aristocratic consanguineous marriages,…
Writing in exile
In my interview published today on The Displaced Nation, author Harriet Springbett talks about being an English writer living in France: ‘When I go back to England and see bookshops stuffed with books, or blogs featuring new books every day, I feel intimidated. Writing stories suddenly seems rather pointless and I wonder what I can…
