MINOTAUR
Author: Phillip W. Simpson
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Publisher: Month9books
Summary:
“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur.
Ovid made an expansive gesture with both
hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.”
Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he
said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old
memories. And then he began.
So begins the story of Asterion, later
known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by
the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the
cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus,
and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra.And of course what really
happened in the labyrinth.
This is the true story of the Minotaur.
Guest Post: Researching Your Story
Generally speaking, it
doesn’t matter what genre you write in, there is always going to be an element
of research. But for historical (or ancient historical) fiction, it applies
doubly.
It helps that I
originally trained in ancient history and archaeology. I have a Masters (Hons)
in Archaeology and worked as a museum curator and archaeologist before becoming
a teacher. I have a knowledge base of my subject matter and know where to look,
what questions to ask and what answers I need.
Essentially, that saves me time—I don’t have to start from scratch.
Which is why my last
three YA novels have been based on ancient Greek myth. Many authors would agree
with the following point: write what you know. I know about Greek mythology and
I’m intrigued by it. It’s not essential but it certainly helps when you are
researching or even writing a book that you are fascinated by your content
matter. It makes the writing process more fun and less a chore.
When I’m reading about
ancient history or myths or even about latest archaeological finds, I’m always
thinking: ‘would that make a good story? Could I put a spin on that? Is that
what really happened?’ It’s the last bit that particularly intrigues me. There
is always an element of guesswork in archaeology. We can make informed guesses
based on evidence but there will always be some doubt. Why? Because we weren’t
there and what evidence we have is thousands of years old. In mythology, there
is often not even that which gives you a great deal of room to reinterpret.
So, I’ll find a
mythological or ancient historical figure whose story interests me. I’ll dig a
bit deeper and see what other fascinating tidbits I can unearth. Then, the real
work begins. I’ll use what is ‘commonly accepted’ as the truth (based on
evidence or oral history) as a guideline. I usually try to stick to the
original story but fill in all the gaps and speculation using creative license.
At the back of my mind, I’m always thinking about how this story could’ve been
diluted and modified over time. Is there another interpretation? Were the
supposed ‘eye witnesses’ reliable? If not, why? What was their motivation?
Point of view is
important. Whose story do you want to tell? I think it’s far more interesting
to tell the story from the point of view of an underdog or a minor/unusual
character. That’s when the story really takes on a life of its own.
When I was studying
twenty years ago, the research process was very different. Everything I learned
was from books—either my own or from the University library. These days, I do
most of my research on-line. I am also guilty of what is referred to in
teaching circles as ‘last minute learning.’ In other words, if I’m trying to
find out what types of fruit they would have sold in a Greek market place in
Athens two thousand years ago, I can just look it up. I can find what I need in
a matter of minutes as opposed to spending hours poring through books. Research
is a lot easier than it used to be.
Saying that, I still love
my books. Here’s a picture of some I use regularly!
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About the Author
Phillip W. Simpson is the author of many
novels, chapter books and other stories for children. His publishers include
Macmillan, Penguin, Pearson, Cengage, Raintree and Oxford University Press.
He received both his undergraduate degree
in Ancient History and Archaeology and his Masters (Hons) degree in Archaeology
from the University of Auckland.
Before embarking on his writing career, he
joined the army as an officer cadet, owned a comic shop and worked in
recruitment in both the UK and Australia.
His first young adult novel, Rapture
(Rapture Trilogy #1), was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for best
Youth novel in 2012.
He is represented by Vicki Marsdon at
Wordlink literary agency.
When not writing, he works as a school
teacher.
Phillip lives and writes in Auckland, New
Zealand with his wife Rose, their son, Jack and their two border terriers,
Whiskey and Raffles. He loves fishing, reading, movies, football (soccer) and
single malt Whiskeys.
Connect
with the Author:
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