Help us, Seinte Frideswyde!
A man woot litel what him shal bityde.

The Miller’s Tale – Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer

Mid-September in the year of Our Lord’s grace 1431 had perfect weather, warm and dry. There was a drowse of autumn to the air, and in the fields beyond St. Frideswide’s priory walls the harvest went its steady pace under the clear sky. There had been rain enough and sun enough since mid-July to bring the grain to full ripeness. Now most of it lay in golden swaths behind the reapers or was already gathered into shocks to dry.

All month long the days had become familiar with the calling of the men and women back and forth at their work, the cries of children scouting birds away, and the creak of carts along the tracks to bring the harvest home.

Inside St. Frideswide’s walls there was awareness of the harvest but none of its haste or noise; only, as nearly always, a settled quiet. A sway of skirts along stone floors, the muted scuff of soft leather soles on the stair; rarely a voice, and then only briefly and in whispers since the rule of silence held here except for the hour of recreation and the proper, bell-regulated hours of prayer sung and chanted in the church.

A Benedictine peace ruled there, Thomasine thought as she paused to gaze out the narrow window on the stairs to the prioress’s parlor, a plate of honey cakes in her hands, still warm from the oven. She had been told to hurry with the cakes, that they were meant for an important guest, but she could not bear to pass this view over the nunnery’s cream-pale stone walls. Framed in the narrow window was a scene of stubbled fields scattered with shocks of grain and small-with-distance figures bent to their work. Beyond them was the green edge of the forest and, over all, the Virgin-blue of sky, all of it as finely detailed and remote as a miniature painted for a lady’s prayer book, precise and wonderful to look at.

And soon to be far beyond her reach. (more…)

An all-too-common motif in novels purportedly set in medieval England is the ubiquitous presence of violence. According to these novels, medieval England was full of scoff-law lords raiding and raping as they would with nary a law officer to thwart them, and with the only decent people willing to stand out against them The Hero and possibly his favored companions. All other people are merely hapless victims who must endure the lawless times, with one or (preferably) more of them getting killed outright in the first chapter, just to show the reader he’s really in medieval England. This is “medieval on the cheap” – an author using “medieval” as synonymous with “nasty and vicious” because he or she doesn’t want the bother of being accurate about the time, only a setting in which to set scenes of brutality to titillate readers.

In writing The Prioress’ Tale, I played very consciously against this cliché.  When Domina Alys hears her cousin has killed a man, she wastes no time on handwringing over the wrong he has done or the morality of the matter. Instead, her first thought and her immediate protest are how the man’s murder will bring the sheriff down on them. She knows the law well enough to know no one simply gets away with murder and theft just because he has the power to commit them and an armed force to back him. In the reality of the time, she knows there will be legal consequences and they will likely come quickly. Reynold may not have sense enough to realize it, but other people in the story not only know it – they depend on it.

Admittedly, at certain times and places, law and the structure of society did break down spectacularly. King Stephen’s reign in the 1100s was a disaster of violence and lawlessness. Any book set then cannot avoid dealing with a time so horrible that a chronicler wrote, “Christ and his saints slept” (the title of an excellent, harrowing novel by Sharon Kay Penman, set in that bleakened century). Nor do the Scottish borders seem to have been a good place to find a peaceful life at any time. There were also occasional outbreaks of violent opposition to a king, and feuds, with sometimes a pair of powerful men having an armed go at each other. But these were exceptions, not the day-to-day way of things, because through the centuries people had worked at creating a strong legal structure in English society and making it work. From village level onward to the royal courts themselves, there was a complex of officers great and small charged with keeping the peace and a complicated bureaucracy to support them. Through the medieval centuries in England there was a steady increase in curbing societal violence at all levels, and despite such aberrations as an outbreak of criminal gangs in the northern Midlands around 1300 and occasional lords or powerful commoners who threw their weight around and caused trouble in their area, these affected only limited places and only for limited times.

That is something for anyone looking in detail at medieval English criminal activity and the legal system set up to deal with it to keep in mind, especially while reading scholarly studies, because the same examples of medieval violence tend to be cited over and over. The Folvilles and Coterels gangs, for example, are perennially popular, not least because extensive scholarly study has been done on the legal documents concerning them.  (For a fine example: John Bellamy, “The Coterel Gang: an Anatomy of a Band of Fourteenth-century Criminals,” English Historical Review, vol. LXXIX, pp. 698-717, 1964.) But take note that individual examples like this are limited in scope and scattered over a wide number of years. They reveal that there were criminals in medieval England and that they did criminal things, but to extrapolate from these cases that uncurbed violence was a constant in medieval life everywhere and all the time is the equivalent of using the violence in Prohibition-era Chicago to characterize the whole of American society’s behavior through all the centuries. (And, come to it, the violence in Chicago went on far longer than the Coterels  and Folvilles ever managed.)

It is perfectly possible – by choosing the right time and place – to write an accurate novel set in medieval England replete to overflowing with violence if that is what the author chooses to dwell on. For Dame Frevisse, however, I deliberately chose a time and place where violence was not a way of life in England – and, not incidentally, the great plague was in abeyance for a while. Depriving myself of these two ever-popular means of instant drama, I’ve been left free to explore other aspects of medieval life and people: Their ordinary days before violence comes out of seeming nowhere making the shock of it the more wrenching – both for them and hopefully for the reader – because it is set against the usual tenor of their world, with afterward their effort set not only to finding out and dealing with the criminal but starting the hard striving toward restoring to their lives their lost balance, to putting together a new peace in place of the one so unreasonably and unexpectedly stolen from them. I find it a very satisfying quest to write of.

– Margaret

Kindle Edition / Nook Edition
Other Editions

The Prioress’ Tale has been released for both the Kindle and the Nook. It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using either the free Kindle Reading Apps or the free Nook Apps for those platforms. It will also be available through the iBookstore shortly, but Apple takes much longer to process new e-books than Amazon or B&N.

DARK CORRUPTION AND THE PENITENCE OF DEATH…

Under the harsh hand of its newly elected prioress, St. Frideswide’s has become a place of deadly sin. The corruption has grown subtly and slowly, but it has found fertile soil in the rage and greed of Domina Alys, who has turned the priory into a boarding house for her relatives, the Godfreys. Dame Frevisse is horrified to discover that the modest stores of the priory – desperately needed if the nuns are to survive the coming winter – are being completely consumed by the rapacious Godfrey clan.

But the Godfreys bring with them more immediate terrors: Torture. Madness. Kidnapping. Murder. The sanctuary of the cloister has been violated and even the holy rites of the nuns have been ripped apart.

Despite the growing crisis, Frevisse’s best efforts to save the nunnery from itself are met with scorn and torment as bitter hatreds and old rivalries turn nun against nun. Suspicion, paranoia, and despair clutch the cloister’s heart. If Frevisse cannot unlock the riddles of penitence for her prioress and for herself, then St. Frideswide’s may be no more…

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PRAISE FOR THE PRIORESS’S TALE

“When this series debuted, its publisher hailed Frazer as the logical successor to Ellis Peters… With a number of strong books already under her belt, Frazer may actually make her publisher’s dream come true.” – Star Tribune

“Often chastised for her disobedience and made to do penance, Sister Frevisse’s curious nature still wins out as she uses logic and her intelligence to sleuth with the best of them.” – Rendezvous

“Frazer is writing one of the most consistently excellent historical series in print today.” – Murder Ink

“Clearly, the setting is the star here, and Frazer is generous with her details of abbey life.” – Publishers Weekly

“Margaret Frazer continues her splendid series of medieval mysteries… She has a sure grasp of the realities of medieval life: Its careless cruelty, effortless hypocrisy – particularly in matters of religion – and its disregard for women who could wield influence only in the most indirect ways.” – MLB News

The Prioress’ Tale was the the first of the Dame Frevisse books that I wrote alone. My co-author and I had discussed rough ideas for the story, and I had shaped the plot and written a first draft of the first three or four chapters when she decided she was tired of medieval England and bowed out of the series, leaving the book (and the series) to me.

Since I always wrote the first draft of all our books by myself, there was no trouble in simply continuing onward. Or not much trouble, except the small one that through writing six books together, my co-author and I had developed not only a smooth modus operandi but a deep familiarity with what each of us preferred in a story. I knew what she would object to and want changed, and she knew the same about me. Now there was just me, with no one to change how I chose to tell the story and deal with the characters. It was all mine! But did I take that heady breath of freedom and run with it? Not quite. Not immediately.

I’m still amused to remember how, instead, I found myself all through the first draft continuously “looking over my shoulder,” second-guessing myself on what my co-author would have had to say about this or that or the other thing that I was doing. But of course she was not there, and I confess I eventually settled happily to entirely following my own desires regarding characters and plot, both in The Prioress’ Tale and all the books that follow it.

– Margaret

I’m among those readers who need to know how a name is said when I am reading a book.  Since I’m often asked about how to say Frevisse’s name, and sometimes about Joliffe, I thought a small note here may be welcome.

The trick with “Frevisse” is that it is the French version of “Frideswide”.  Being French, it should probably be pronounced “fray-VEES”.  But since she is in England and the English are infamous for what they do to French names, I say it as “FRAY-viss”.

I hasten to add that I have absolutely no objection to a reader pronouncing it the way they prefer.  After all, England is a place of many dialects (and was in the 1400s, too), and there’s no reason you can’t claim “local usage” if your pronunciation differs from mine!

As for “Frideswide”, it is now pronounced “Fryswide” (with a long i in “wide”), but the spelling suggests that at some point the pronunciation was markedly different.  (I say that any language that takes “Belvoir” and pronounces it “Beaver” can’t be trusted in any of its pronunciations.)  So I pronounce it “Frid-es-wid” (with short i’s ), but equally possible in a medieval context it could be “Frid-es-WEEdah”.  I suppose it depends on which side of the Great Vowel Shift you want to be on?

Then there’s Joliffe.  For once, he is less trouble than usual.  I pronounce his name with a short o and no final e.  But if you prefer, it can be said with a long o.  And even with the final e, I suppose.

As you can see, I am not strict about any of this.  I suspect it’s all the reading I do in Middle English that has made my attitude toward pronunciation far more free-form than it once was.  (Not to mention what havoc medieval spelling has made to my spelling.)  So feel free to choose whatever slides easiest through your mind while you are reading and enjoy!

– Margaret

For a limited time only, the international Kindle editions of The Novice’s Tale and The Servant’s Tale are on sale for an insanely low price! You can purchase them for just £0.77 (UK) or 0,89€ (French, German, Italian).

My understanding is that you don’t actually need to live in the UK, France, Germany, or Italy in order to purchase the books from those sites. However, since I don’t control the e-book rights for these titles in America or Canada, you can’t purchase them there. (I wish that wasn’t the case, but it’s out of my control.)

So if you’re a Joliffe fan who’s wondering what the fuss is — or if you know anyone who loves historical fiction or a good mystery — now’s a great time to make Dame Frevisse’s acquaintance.

– Margaret

If you’ve living in the UK, Germany, France, or anywhere outside of the United States or Canada, The Servant’s Tale is now available for the Kindle! It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using the free Kindle Reading Apps for those platforms.

As with The Novice’s Tale, I don’t know when an e-book for The Servant’s Tale will be made available in the United States or Canada because I don’t control those rights. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the publisher will make it happen soon, though. Unfortunately, this also prevents me from offering The Servant’s Tale through other booksellers like Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. But The Servant’s Tale — like the other novels and short stories I control the rights to — is offered through Amazon without DRM, making it easy to convert to whatever formats you like best.

THE PLAY’S THE THING, TO CATCH THE CONSCIENCE OF A KILLER…

The Christmas season brings strange guests to the medieval nunnery of St. Frideswide’s when a troupe of penniless players comes knocking at the gate. They bear with them the badly mangled body of a villager, swearing they found the drunken fool lying in a ditch. But Meg, the victim’s wife and a scullery maid of the cloister, thinks there are far fouler deeds afoot.

As the players rehearse for the nativity, ancient scandals lick at their heels and dark desperation haunts Meg’s steps as she finds cruel feudal laws threatening to strip away the lands that would support both her and her sons in the wake of her husband’s death.

Dame Frevisse must thrust herself between these violent feuds, awakening dreams of her youth that she had believed long buried. Her very faith may be threatened, but Frevisse knows she must unravel a path to true salvation… before false raptures of lust bring ruination upon them all.

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PRAISE FOR THE SERVANT’S TALE

“Period detail, adroit characterizations, and lively dialogue add to the pleasure of this labyrinthine tale.” – Publishers Weekly

“This mystery is so rich with place and time that they become characters in the story. Dame Frevisse is a stalwart, appealing sleuth and the cold, dark priory and the squalor of Medieval England are fascinating backdrops.” – New Orleans Times-Picayune

“The writing is seamless… The atmosphere of the book is cold and blustery, danger afield. A well-steeped sense of history prevails… They make this novel more than a mystery, but a wonderful historical dark tapestry. We are transported back to the 14th century. One of the 10 best mystery novels of 1993.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune

“I look forward to more murders at St. Frideswide.” – The Mystery Review

“Frazer never falters in this magnificent historical… This is a perfect mystery: It’s flawless.” – Drood Review of Mystery

NOMINATED FOR THE 1994 EDGAR AWARD

As most of you probably already know, The Servant’s Tale is also the first appearance of Joliffe! The story takes place six months before the events of A Play of Isaac. (For a more detailed view of how the two series weave together — including the short stories! — check out the master chronology.)

– Margaret

If you’ve living in the UK, Germany, France, or anywhere outside of the United States or Canada, The Novice’s Tale is now available for the Kindle! It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using the free Kindle Reading Apps for those platforms.

Unfortunately, I don’t know when an e-book of The Novice’s Tale will be made available in the United States or Canada. I don’t control those rights, so it’s up to the publisher to make those decisions. This will also, unfortunately, limit your ability to buy the e-book from other booksellers. But The Novice’s Tale — like all the novels and short stories I control the rights to — is offered without DRM, making it very easy to convert to whatever formats you like best.

UNHOLY PASSIONS AND DEMONIC DEATH…

In the fair autumn of Our Lord’s grace 1431, the nuns of England’s St. Frideswide’s prepare for the simply ceremonies in which the saintly novice Thomasine will take her holy vows. But their quiet lives of beauty and prayer are thrown into chaos by the merciless arrival of Lady Ermentrude Fenner and her retinue of lusty men, sinful women, and baying hounds. The hard-drinking dowager even keeps a pet monkey for her amusement. She demands wine, a feast…

And her niece, the angelic Thomasine.

The lady desires to enrich herself and her reputation by arranging a marriage for the devout novice. She cares nothing for the panic and despair she leaves behind her.

But all her cruel and cunning schemes are brought to a sudden end with strange and most unnatural murder.

As suspicious eyes turn on the pious Thomasine, it falls to Sister Frevisse, hosteler of the priory and amateur detective, to unravel the webs of unholy passion and dark intrigue that entangle the novice and prove her innocence… or condemn her.

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PRAISE FOR THE NOVICE’S TALE

“Frazer uses her extensive knowledge of the period to create an unusual plot … appealing characters and crisp writing.” – Los Angeles Times

“A fast-paced and seamless story.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press

In helping to ready The Novice’s Tale for release as an e-book in the UK, I had to read it for the first time in almost twenty years.  I last read it in galley proofs not long before it was published.  My very first galley proofs!  For my very first published novel!  Sixteen more Dame Frevisse books have followed, as well as Joliffe’s series and a number of short stories – keeping me busy going forward rather than looking back. So reading The Novice’s Tale now, after so long, was a strange experience.  Here, when all those other books and stories were not even a glimmer in the back of my mind, was where all of them had begun.  It’s good to know that reviewers have declared the series started well but grew stronger and better as it went on, but that is not the same as going back myself to where it began – to find so much I had forgotten from a story not read in almost two decades, and how much was familiar from the days I had afterward spent with Dame Frevisse and in St. Frideswide’s.

If you are making Frevisse’s acquaintance for the first time, welcome.  If you have kept company with her for a long while and are now revisiting the beginning with me, welcome indeed.

– Margaret

LaVonne Neff, a very nice woman who also wrote Dame Frevisse: Someone You Should Know, has written a very charming review of Winter Heart.

This was originally meant to be part of the Winter Heart Blog Tour, but technical difficulties delayed things considerably. (Sorry about that, LaVonne!) So this can be thought of as a somewhat belated epilogue to the tour.

This audio book of Die Novizin (the German translation of The Novice’s Tale) has actually be available for awhile now, but I’ve only recently sorted out my author’s copy of it. With that in hand, however, I’m able to offer this sample from the beginning of the book courtesy of Youtube:

Most of The Murderer’s Tale takes place at Minster Lovel, the church and manor house of the Lovell family. As I mentioned in my author’s note for the book, this is a real place. You can still visit the ruins, which are both beautiful and haunting:

It was strange to so recently revisit a place filled with such life and hope in The Murderer’s Tale and then see these beautiful but utterly different photographs from centuries far-removed.

– Margaret