Reads, Writes, Reviews: Interview with author Amy Maroney

Amy Maroney, author of the wonderful Miramonde Series, has a new release, Island of Gold, and it's a slightly new departure for her. I'm delighted to welcome her to the blog today to talk about it.

AM: Hello Annie, and thanks for having me on the blog today!

AW: You are most welcome Amy. I’ve read and enjoyed all the Miramonde Series. Island of Gold is going to take readers not so far away from Mira’s world in terms of period, but it’s certainly a new location. What inspired you to write this new story set in Rhodes?

AM: Island of Gold, the story of a noble French falconer and a spirited merchant’s daughter who seek their fortunes in Rhodes during the rule of the Knights Hospitaller, was inspired by a 2012 visit to the island with my family. We were lucky enough to spend three weeks getting to know the island and its people. Greece is full of lovely islands, but Rhodes is blessed with an abundance of beauty. The sun-baked beaches and limestone cliffs are cooled by afternoon winds that skim over the sea. White-washed villages cling to hillsides overlooking sparkling bays. The forested, hilly interior is a world unto itself, clothed in pine and cypress forests. What makes it truly magical for me, though, are all the layers of history. Ancient temples and toppled statues of Greek goddesses exist alongside crumbling walls and forts built by medieval knights. Ever since that experience, the storyteller in me has longed to go back to Rhodes. And now I have…using my imagination and a tremendous amount of research.

The sea and cliffs Rhodes [Unsplash]

AW: I have holidayed on Rhodes and seen the sites associated with the Knights Hospitaller and now I'm longing to go back! Your Miramonde Series is set in the Pyrenees and features the route the pilgrims took along Camino de Santiago. Were you also able to travel to the Pyrenees and if so can you tell us a little of your experiences there and more about Rhodes?

AM: I was inspired to write the Miramonde Series—the story of a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail—after spending time in the Pyrenees ten years ago. I stumbled upon many trail markers with the distinctive yellow arrow of the Camino de Santiago before I knew anything about the ancient pilgrimage routes. I eventually visited Compostela and the monastery of San Juan de la Peña and walked bits of the trail during dayhikes, but I’ve yet to complete a true Camino experience with backpack and hiking poles. The Pyrenees exerted a magical hold upon me, though—so powerful that it didn’t let me go until I’d written a trilogy set there! It was much like the feeling I got when I explored Rhodes Town that same year.

Street of the Knights, Rhodes [Unsplash]

No place on Rhodes fascinated me as much as Rhodes Town. The largest community on the island, Rhodes Town has been a thriving port for millennia. In the medieval era, the Knights Hospitaller ruled Rhodes and the surrounding islands from a palace overlooking the bustling harbor. In Rhodes Town as in the Pyrenees, I followed traces of medieval travelers along cobblestone streets and into the ruins of churches. Echoes of their voices lingered in the vaulted corridors of the hospital and the inns that once housed knights and pilgrims.

I was struck with a desire to dig deeper when I visited the reconstructed palace of the Order of St. John. Wandering through vast, formal chambers, I peeked into a dim corridor where stone tablets carved with European knights’ coats-of-arms leaned against the walls. Staring at those dusty slabs of stone, I wondered who the knights had been. Where had they come from? How did they die? My imagination started a wild spiral. What had it been like for ordinary people living in the knights’ shadow? For women, especially? Who benefited from the Order’s presence? Who suffered? One day, I resolved, I would learn the answers to those questions and more.

Medieval Hospital, Rhodes Town [Unsplash]

AW: I understand that feeling of wanting to know more, something that your modern-day character in the Miramonde books shares! Though the time periods for the two series are similar, I see that there is one major difference in that Island of Gold doesn’t have a dual timeline. Can you talk us through the thought processes that led to one series being dual timeline and one being single timeline?

AM: The Miramonde Series, an art history mystery trilogy, has a dual timeline because I wanted to show how modern art conservation techniques can reveal secrets within paintings that are hundreds of years old. I said to myself, “Imagine a young, female researcher stumbling upon evidence that a five-hundred-year-old painting was created by an unknown woman artist. Imagine her challenging elite art historians who assert that the work was made by a famous man. And imagine taking readers on a journey through time so they learn the story of that unsung artist’s life as it played out centuries ago.”

As much as I loved researching and writing the series, I was ready to take a break from the dual timeline format when I began planning the Sea and Stone Chronicles (Island of Gold is Book 1 in this new series). I have always enjoyed historical adventure, seafaring, and swashbuckling. The historical action/adventure category of publishing is marketed to men and tends to be heavy on battle scenes and light on strong or interesting female characters. The historical romance category often leaves me wanting more than just romance. I love a great romance, and I enjoy an epic battle scene or swordfight, but I’m more interested in the lives of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

With this new series, I wanted to combine my favorite aspects of adventure and romance with a sturdy foundation of history. Instead of jumping around in time, I had a strong desire to drop anchor in the fifteenth century and stay awhile.

How women managed to survive and even prosper during the fifteenth century is a question I think about all the time. I’ve been intrigued with that era since I began the research for the Miramonde Series. It’s the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the Renaissance. The ripple effects of the fourteenth-century plague are still being felt all over Europe. The printing press means more people have access to books and learning than ever before. The merchant class is on the rise. Nobles are running out of money. Shipping empires are rising and falling at sea, and the loss of Constantinople to Sultan Mehmed II of Turkey spells doom for the easternmost outposts of Christendom, including Rhodes and Cyprus. That’s rich material to mine for historical fiction.

Rhodes Town Harbour [Unsplash]

AW: You're right that it's such an interesting period and setting. With one series under your belt and now a new one beginning its journey into the world, I’m interested to know how much of each volume’s story is already in your head when you are writing a series?

AM: I wish I could say I had a concrete plan for each series that I actually stick to when writing, but that’s far from the truth. I usually start with an idea sparked by travel, or “What if…?” questions that fire my imagination. Setting, characters, and plot begin to unfold as I do more research. The historical nuggets I discover usually make the best plot twists. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

With this series, I originally envisioned several thriller/mysteries starring one female protagonist, but I changed course during my research. The Sea and Stone Chronicles are historical adventure/romances, and while some characters appear in all the books, each novel stars a different set of protagonists. Rhodes is the primary setting for the first two books, and Cyprus is the main setting for the third book. After these three novels launch, I may return to my plan for the thriller/mystery series, featuring offspring of my Sea and Stone Chronicles characters. As long as fifteenth-century Europe continues to fascinate me, I’ll keep journeying back there for my historical fiction.

AW: That's good to know, as we want to keep reading the books!

AM: Thanks so much for hosting me on the blog today, Annie!

AW: Thank you for chatting today Amy and good luck with the new release.

About the Author:

Amy Maroney studied English Literature at Boston University and worked for many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. She lives in Oregon, U.S.A. with her family. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of The Miramonde Series, an award-winning historical fiction trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Her new historical adventure/romance series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, is set in medieval Rhodes and Cyprus.

Readers can connect with Amy:

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