Author Interview: Emily Whitman + Giveaway! (US)

Please Welcome Emily Whitman!

Emily Whitman is the author of the historical fantasy Wildwing and the Hades/Persephone retelling Radiant Darkness. I am delighted to have Emily here today to share with us some pretty handy pieces of advice if you ever find yourself hurtling back in time!  

 There are NO spoilers here!

Website | Goodreads

Handy Tips for Looking Like You Belong in 1240
by Emily Whitman

So, you’re planning a trip back to the 13th century. I know you’ll have an amazing time…. if you survive. People in warrior societies aren’t very comfortable with outsiders. Medieval knights were always on the attack, carrying away loot and holding each other for ransom. How do you think they paid for all those castles, horses, and suits of armor? If you want to survive, you need to look like you belong. Here are a few pointers for looking like a natural when you go swirling back in time to a castle in England, c.1240.

When you sit down to eat in the castle’s great hall, you’ll find a slab of bread in front of you. Don’t eat it! It’s not bread, it’s your trencher—a disposable plate. Go ahead, pile your food on it. Let it sop up all the juices. When you’re done, someone will collect the trenchers and give them to the poor. Do you want yours to be the only one with a big hunk gnawed out of it?

Of course you’ll be sharing that trencher with your table partner. You share your goblet, too, so make sure you wipe the rim. It would be appallingly rude to forget.

Don’t go looking around for a fork. You don’t have one. You have your knife (you did bring your knife, didn’t you?) and a spoon. Who needs more than that? You have perfectly good fingers. Just be sure to wipe them on your napkin. It is not polite to use the tablecloth.

You’ll want a few medieval phrases to toss around, like mayhap and anon. Verily is a useful all-purpose word. Be sure to call the castle’s courtyard the bailey. Here’s a handy vocabulary list.

Frankly, that last pointer was cheating a bit. If you really want to belong, you’d better practice your French. That was the language of the nobility in 13th century England.

If you must curse, do it Medieval-style, referring to God’s body. You might exclaim, “God’s knees!” or “God’s bones!” or “By God’s breath!” You can get fairly creative here. (Ladies, you might want to tone it down.)

I trust you know how to ride a horse. And you do like hunting, don’t you? Everyone at the castle likes hunting, especially with falcons. If you’re lucky enough to go riding with a peregrine on your wrist, make sure you put on that big leather glove or you’ll be screaming in pain. Show you know what you’re doing by launching the falcon into the wind. And don’t look so shocked when it brings down a duck, crane, or heron—that’s the point of the expedition. Roasted heron for dinner. Yum.

Bedtime? Don’t expect privacy. Even if you’re the lady of the castle, you’ll be sharing your solar, or bedroom, with your ladies and female servants. Let’s hope they don’t snore too much.

If you must fall in love, try to fall for the man to whom you’re betrothed, especially if he’s the lord of the castle. Don’t pay any attention to that handsome young falconer, no matter how calm and strong he is with those brutal birds of prey, how free and fearless you feel when you’re with him. Are you listening to me? Stop it at once! This isn’t wise!

Have fun—and best of luck for making it back alive. If, that is, you decide to come back. Who knows what you’ll do once the falcons start flying.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Emily!

How do you think you'd fare in 13th century England? Which tip is your favorite? I, for one, will be practicing my medieval cursing. By God's pinky!

HarperCollins is generously providing a copy of Wildwing for giveaway!

Click here to enter!

Info for the giveaway:

• As always, you do NOT have to be a follower
• You must have a US mailing address
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• One entry per person
• Your address is not required, but including it will help with sending the book out to you sooner
• I will contact the winner through email and the winner will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen 
• This giveaway closes on December 7th

Emily is also stopping by Ruby's Reads today!

Check out our Historical Fantasy Jubilee full schedule of events and giveaways!

Have you entered to win our prize pack giveaways?

Tweet