Why write a Medieval Romance?

StellaMarieAlden posts about her first Medieval Romance and how she dreamed up the idea.

People often ask me, where did the idea for your first romance come from? Why Medieval?

I wasn’t yet published but had attempted a contemporary romance as well as a paranormal. This was my third novel.

I’d just finished reading a regency-era romance novel. It was excellent except for the one thing that made me mad. Our hero, a duke, moaned and groaned throughout the whole book. His internal dialog was completely feminine in nature. That was it. I would write a hero, who never, ever, ever whined. He would be all macho male, yet have a deep soft spot for his wife.

I woke up the next morning, with an interesting ‘what if’. What if my hero was born before the concept of romantic love was so deeply ingrained into the culture. How would the couple talk about their feelings? What language would they use to convey their growing attraction? How far back in time would I need to go?

I decided to place my story in the high Medieval ages, before the plague. With just a little research, and having just returned from my first trip to Italy, I knew there was a mini-renaisance in Europe, just before the plague. And lastly, I wanted a relative time of peace. I chose, the late thirteenth century, in England.

What about the heroine? Honestly? She’s a lot like me; damaged from previous life events, yet never willing to be victim to her past. She’s an eternal optomist with a bright spirit and faith that cannot be put out. At times, I wish I could be more like her.