What ideas or circumstances have strongly influenced you to write?
I was influenced by Arthurian Legend. Gawain and the Green Knight is a particular favourite tale amongst those of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere.
My interest in Chivalry led me to: Greek Mythology, Homer, The Illiad and The Odyssesy. Chaucer, A Knights Tale. Tennyson, The Idylls of the King.
The Romans, Hannibal, The Spartans, and Alexander the Great were also of much interest.
Arthur King of The Britons, by Michael Morpurgo had a profound affect.
You can guess what my first as yet unpublished novel is about. Historical fact combined with historical fiction with a touch of Merlin fantasy in a surprise form. This includes a Prophecy.
After I have finished editing my novel, I will start book two. I intend to write a series of books based on my main character. I have roughly outlined three more books in the series.
I was influenced by...my wedding anniversary. 23rd, to be exact.
Having been subject to the usual complaints of a long-married spouse - no longer romantic, never buy flowers, etc etc - I thought I'd sort it. Deliver flowers, but as a 19th century hussar on horseback. That must be worth a few brownie points!
The main problem was I had to make a full set of period horse harness and there are no existing patterns. I was forced to read historical non-fiction (ugh!) to tease out the necessary information and was amazed at the amount of bad press the cavalry received. That wasn't fair, I thought, and as I read more and more, and between the lines, a quite different picture began to emerge.
Historians dismissed the British cavalry who fought against Napoleon as bunglers and I thought someone ought to put the record straight. But I'm no historian, so I started a novel instead and six years later I'm still writing about cavalry.
The anniversary surprise worked beautifully, by the way!