What was it about Sofonisba Anguissola and Juana the Mad that caught this author’s attention? What did she do to learn more about these two fascinating women? How old was this author when she began to write? How supportive is her family of her writing? What advice does she have for aspiring authors?
Sofonisba Anguissola had an amazing life. What part of her life caught your attention intensely enough to make you want to write a story about her?
I first became aware of Sofonisba Anguissola in a biography about Philip II. There I saw the painting, “Lady in a Fur Wrap”, attributed to her. I fell in love with the painting and wanted to write a story around it–which turned out to be The Creation of Eve. But the achievement that turned my head was that Michelangelo invited her to study with him. He was a pretty cranky guy and invited few men to study with him, let alone a young woman. It was unimaginable that one would travel across the country to study with the most famous painter in the world!
Was Sofonisba the only active female painter during the Renaissance period? Were there any other females who studied painting under one of the great masters during that time period that you read about?
Sofonisba was the first. Artemisia Gentileschi came later in the century. Judith Leyster, whom I am writing about now, was a Dutch painter in the early 1600’s.
Michelangelo played a pretty important role in Sofonisba’s life. I had no idea that he as rumored to have been a homosexual. Did you find historical evidence of this or was it all made up for the story?
Michelangelo’s sexual orientation was questioned during his lifetime. The heat he got for it from the Pope and the Inquisition is accurately portrayed in The Creation of Eve. They really did have loincloths painted on his nudes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and made a lot of noise about his zest for portraying naked men. After he died, his love poetry written for male lovers was changed by sympathizers so that all the references to “him” were changed to “her.”
Wow! I never would have guessed. Now about Reign of Madness. What made you want to write about Juana the Mad?
As soon as I read that she was called insane and then locked up by those who ended up taking her throne, I thought the legend sounded very fishy. I wanted to find out the truth about her. I was also intrigued that her mother was the most powerful ruler in the world. I wondered what it would have been like to be her daughter. I have three daughters, so the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships fascinates me.
At first, Philippe was so sweet and loving with Juana, as opposed to how he treated her later on. Do you believe that was Philippe’s true nature or do you believe that the lust for power corrupted him and made him turn against his wife?
I imagined him to be very spoiled and immature. Juana was forced to grow up when she became a mother, but his life went on unchanged. He never had to learn to temper his desires, so he became, as his grandmother, Margaret of York, called him, “a man whose appetite grows with the eating.” I do picture him as corrupted by power. To compound matters, I think of him as narcissistic; he wasn’t good at empathizing with others. I don’t think he gave Juana’s feelings much consideration, if any. It just didn’t occur to him to put himself in her shoes, or to care how she felt.
Juana grew up during a very interesting time and had some fascinating parents. What did you find that led you to believe that Juana may have been in love with Diego, the son of Christopher Columbus?
The opportunity was there. Diego was close to her age and served first in her brother’s court and then in her mother’s until she died in 1504. Juana and he would have had plenty of contact. He was there, by the way, when his father first came to court after his initial voyage of discovery, as I depict in the book. And I read that one of Queen Isabel’s pages saved Juana when she and her mule were carried downstream near Aranjuez. I thought–that could have been Diego! And hence the scene in Reign of Madness. I also read that Diego spent most of his life trying to recover the titles and privileges the Queen granted Columbus and his family. I thought it would be interesting to get the two together–the girl who inherited the richest throne in the world, and the boy who spent his life trying to clear the family name.
Do you think things would have worked out differently for Juana if she had just done what her husband wanted her to do? In other words, could she have changed her own fate by cooperating with him?
Interesting point! But it wasn’t that easy. Kings and queens were crowned by the body of Spanish lords called the Cortes. They didn’t like Philippe and never would have agreed to him being king, even if Juana told them he should rule. She, and only she, could legally rule. So that’s why Philippe had to come up with a way of getting around it by claiming she was unfit to rule. Notice that she never lost the title of Queen. For the 46 years she was imprisoned, her captors brought legislation before her to sign, to keep up the elaborate pretense that she was queen. What this boils down to is that she was doomed unless she fought back against him in the beginning. She let his lie of calling her mad get out of hand.
Did you travel to Spain and view the places where Juana lived and was held prisoner as part of your research? Do the citizens of Spain believe that Juana was insane?
Yes on both counts. I made a point of going to the places where all my scenes were set in both Spain and Belgium. I’m kind of a fanatic about that. Thank goodness I traveled with people who humored me. We stumbled across some cool places that way, though. The convent in Tortoles de Esgueva where Fernando caught up with Juana is now a B & B to die for. Had the best meal in my life there! But I digress. As for the citizens of Spain believing she is insane, I believe in most areas the legend of her going mad for love is still strong. But in Tordesillas, where she was imprisoned for 46 years, they think, as my dad would say, that it’s bunk.
How do you see Juana de Castile? Do you see her as a woman who was mad and insane, a woman who allowed men to control her every action? Or do you see her as a woman who willingly gave up everything for love?
I see her as completely lucid, intelligent, and strong. I love to think of her as a good mother, protecting her children, sacrificing for them, wanting to give her son the throne so that others wouldn’t think of him as weak since he had a disability. I picture her as wanting to give the throne to her son who needed it, but not wanting it for herself when it kept her from being with the man she loved.
How do you think Juana would do in today’s world? She could actually decide who she wanted to marry. Do you think she would allow herself to be controlled by the men in her life?
I think if she were born into a royal family, she would still have restrictions. Think Princess Di. There are plenty of cultures today in the world where even commoners aren’t allowed to decide who they marry. But if she were a middle-class twenty-first century American girl, she wouldn’t have had her particular dilemma. However I think she would have considered her children when making decisions about her own life. She wouldn’t just chuck them and go after Diego.
Does writing historical fiction make you feel like a detective? Do you find it exciting to dig deep into history and fine out answers to possible mysteries?
Yes, sometimes, I do feel like a detective! I take all the facts and examine them to see if a legend is actually true. That’s why it’s really important to go to the places where scenes are set, to talk to the local people. I was so happy to find Carlos Adeva, an artist who has a shop filled with Juana-centered work in Tordesillas. It was early on in my Juana research, and I was so happy when he confirmed my theory that Juana was definitely not insane but smart and strong. He told me another, good legend about her–that she went into labor for her son Carlos while dancing at a party, and gave birth to him in the palace privy. Carlos had to pantomime this story as I don’t speak Spanish well and he doesn’t speak English. You can imagine how that looked. Good thing he got his English-speaking wife on the phone!
I can’t imagine giving birth in a privy. That would be wild. About how long does it take you to write one of your historical novels, including time spent on research, rough drafts, rewriting, etc.?
I wrote Reign of Madness over the course of about three years, with breaks to travel or to work on my previous novel, or to work on the next one. I’m always having to start and stop, which I hate. I spent much of last summer and fall working on a revision, during which I was mostly blissfully uninterrupted. You’ll note that there are a lot of birds in Reign of Madness–that’s because I sat outside with my laptop during much of that time!
How old were you when you first began to write? How many books have you written and how many of them were historical fiction? Have you ever written anything that wasn’t historical fiction? If so, what was it? By the way, you write some fantastic historical fiction.
Thank you. I love to write it. I can’t remember when I wasn’t writing. I always knew that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, I just didn’t know what kind. I stumbled into writing children’s books when my kids were young. I read the middle-grade novels in their school library where I volunteered and decided that they would be fun to write. I ended up writing fourteen children’s books, from picture books to young adult. But even most of my children’s books had a historical aspect to them. Not that I think of my books as fictionalized biographies. I think of them as novels set in history. The history, as much as I love it, isn’t my main focus. My characters and how they struggle with the human condition are what interest me most.
You do a great job. Are you currently working on another novel? Earlier you mentioned Judith Leyster, a Dutch painter who lived in the 1600s. Could that be who your next novel is going to focus on?
I’m working on a book about Judith Leyster and her relationship with Rembrandt. She was the first woman in the world to have her own painting workshop. She gave up painting soon after she married. I want to know why! I’m also enchanted with the excesses of the House of Burgundy, of which Philippe was the son of the last duchess. I’ll work on both and see which wins!
Has your family always been supportive of your writing?
My family has been great, always supportive. I’ve been at this for over twenty years, so they’re very patient, too.
Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
You have to be persistent and always open to ways of bettering yourself, always open to learning and improving. Publishing is not usually a get-rich quick scheme. It takes years to learn your craft. But if it’s in your blood, don’t give up.
Lisa, fantastic questions! Thank you for this opportunity to discuss shop with you.
Note: This interview was first published in 2011 by me on BellaOnline while I was their Fiction Writing Editor.
Recommended Articles:
The Creation of Eve – a Review
Reign of Madness – a Review
Amazon links:
The Creation of Eve
Reign of Madness
