When A Story Just Won’t Let Go Of You

Or how I claimed a place for a story no one thought would ever sell

I’m not entirely certain where the stories I write come from. I know they’re often inspired by research I’ve done long ago or more recently—something I’ve read, a historical figure I’ve never known about, a chance encounter with an image on the Web. But I do know where the origin of the story for my recently published historical novel Listen to the Wind. I know because it’s been with me since I first started writing historical fiction, about fifteen years ago.

I was fortunate to have my first novel, Émilie’s Voice, published by Touchstone Books of Simon & Schuster in 2005. As often happens, they had the option for the next book I wrote. Since the first book had arisen out of my research as a musicologist, I decided that was my “brand,” and I researched and wrote and enthusiastically presented my editor with a very long manuscript called The Heretic’s Song in 2004, before Émilie’s Voice came out.

The Heretic’s Song grew out of my utter fascination with the women troubadours of southern France in the thirteenth century, and the equally fascinating and mysterious religious sect of the Cathars. Members of the sect considered themselves true Christians, but the Catholic Church thought otherwise and launched the only crusades ever fought against Christian lands: the Albigensian Crusades.

I traveled to the region, I clambered up rocky paths to the ruined Cathar castles and explored medieval walled cities. I tasted the glorious wines from vineyards that clung to the sides of hills and drove on treacherous roads through the foothills of the Pyrenees. I visited an ancient monastery, the Abbey of Fontfroide, and the museum of torture in Carcassonne. And through all this, the characters began to form and the story started staking its claim on my imagination.

Certain that this exciting tale of adventure, danger, loss, heretics, knights, and monks would find an eager readership, I presented it to my editor. Her response? “I love it, but I can’t sell it. No one’s ever heard of the Albigensian Crusades. There are no marquee names.”

Deeply disappointed, I dusted myself off and wrote a proposal for another novel that became my second, Liszt’s Kiss.

I went on after that to write young adult historical novels, the first one based on music history, the others taking me further afield. I loved every subject, character, and time period I tackled, but in the back of my mind the book of my heart clung on. I even wrote a prequel to it, so in love was I with the period, place, and stories of the time. Every once in a while over the years I’d bring the idea up with my agent. And every time he’d discourage me, say it wasn’t marketable. He was probably right, but we’ve since parted ways with good grace, and I will always be grateful for the hard work he put into my contracts.

About a year ago, agentless and wondering what would be next, with three completed manuscripts on my hard drive and starting work on another, I suddenly realized that I could do whatever I wanted with my career as an author. I could finally dust off the long manuscript and see what was there. Tools were available to self-publish, and I divided up the book into more manageable chunks and, with the prequel, discovered I had a trilogy. With the encouragement and support of the community of historical novelists—and a glorious cover designed by the one and only Christopher W. Gortner—I began exploring options for self-publishing.

And then, I met a publisher at a small press. She read the first book and was hooked. Bellastoria Press would publish the whole trilogy.

So, fifteen years after I wrote the first version of this story, it’s finally being published. Of course, I worried that maybe my agent and editor were right, it would never find readers. But so far, the book is proving them wrong. I’ve had more enthusiastic response to Listen to the Wind than I ever recall having for any of my other books.

Maybe it’s the times we live in, where escaping to a world where good and evil are clearly defined and people act in accordance with their heartfelt beliefs feels not just like a luxury but a necessity. Maybe it’s the lavishly filmed, medieval-inspired Game of Thrones that has popularized the period. Whatever it is, Azalaïs, Azemar, Jordane, Johana, and all the other fictional characters in Listen to the Wind have now got voices and are talking to the world.

The moral of the story is don’t give up on something that really matters to you. My characters, the world they lived in, stuck to me through thick and thin. Now, I hope they’ll work their magic on readers everywhere.

Susanne Dunlap

—

About Susanne Dunlap

Susanne is the author of seven historical novels for adults and teens. Her young adult novel The Musician’s Daughter was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Bankstreet Children’s Book of the Year, and it was nominated for the Missouri Gateway Readers Prize and the Utah Book Award. In the Shadow of the Lamp was an Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award nominee. Her latest novel, Listen to the Wind, is the first volume of a medieval trilogy for adults, The Orphans of Tolosa. Susanne earned her PhD in music history from Yale, is a Smith College graduate, and lives and writes in Northampton, Massachusetts with her partner Charles and her beloved dog Betty.

Find out more about her on her website https://www.susanne.susanne-dunlap.com/

Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/susanne_dunlap

Follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SusanneDunlapAuthor/

LISTEN TO THE WIND

Sent away for their own protection when they were very young, Azemar and Azalaïs become separated when they flee from the band of outlaws who served as their supposed protectors. Armed only with fleeting memories, their names, and the wits and intelligence that have helped them survive brutal conditions, they struggle to find each other again and discover the mysterious past that links them across distance and time.

Who are they? And do they hold the secret of the legendary Cathar treasure? All they know is that knights and priests spell danger, and they must survive at all costs if they are to fulfill their destiny.

 

Tags: featured, women wrters

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips