Interview with C.W. Gortner, Author of The Last Queen - Page 2

It took six years to research and write The Last Queen, including several trips to Spain and scrabbling in dusty archives. The challenge after the research was to sort through it all and decide what I wanted to write about. Fortunately, it quickly became clear that I wanted to focus on the woman herself— the fallible, humane, courageous and often lonely woman, whose experiences, while different from ours, certainly, are universal in the struggle to balance life and duty, betrayal and love. Juana has been dismissed, ignored and maligned by history but I discovered that she was an extraordinary figure for her time, and I felt she deserved a chance to tell her side of the story.

What will the reader learn after reading your book?

Hopefully, the reader will come away with a sensory experience of Juana and her world. I write fiction, so my primary object is to take my reader on an emotional journey. That said, I strive for historical accuracy within the confines of fiction and hope readers will learn more about this queen who’s been forgotten by most of the world, as well as life in Spain during this time. The 16th century was a brutal, quixotic era; I’m enthralled by its beauty and contradictions, but I don’t share many of its beliefs. I also hope readers will realize that sometimes what we learn from history books, what is presented to us as ‘fact’, can be a matter of interpretation. It all depends on whose view point we’re shown.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?

My muse is fickle; she tends to tease me with ideas, get me fired up and then desert me when I need her the most. Infuriating little sprite! However, over the years I’ve learned to accept the gifts she bestows and rely on finger-grease to do the rest. I’m zealous about writing every day. Even if I only get ten words out, I write them. I write at odd hours, mostly in the early evening and sometimes late at night. I need quiet and have arranged my work space in a parlor of my house. My dog lies at my feet and occasionally licks my ankles to remind me that writing, as much else in life, mustn’t be taken too seriously. I’m surrounded by book cases with all the books I’ve compiled for research. When the muse fails me, I grab a book and read. I just open it at random to seek a word, a sentence, something to re-inspire me. I’ll look at an illustration or portrait from the period. If all else fails, I can always write about the weather or a gown my character is wearing. The mere act of putting fingers to the keys is often enough to get me going. It might not be a stellar night’s work but, for me, the magic of writing comes with re-writing. I never pop champagne when the first draft is done. I revel in the fact that I actually finished something, then dig into the really hard stuff: the shaping of that mass of wobbly prose into a coherent whole.

Article Author: Mayra Calvani

Mayra Calvani is the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com.

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