#AuthorInterview with Helena P. Schrader
Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr. is talking with Helena P. Schrader, author of The Tale of the English Templar.
FQ: Dr. Schrader, you seem to be multi-faceted in your historical interests, this based on me reading some of your prior work, as well as what I can gather from the auto-biographical information on your website. What led you to be so interdisciplinary in your studies?
SCHRADER: Probably a gypsy life. My father, a professor at the University of Michigan, was sent to Japan, Brazil and the UK on academic exchange programs while I was a child. We went to Japan when I was only two years old, and I was four when the family returned via Hong Kong, Bangkok, Karachi, New Delhi, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark and England. I don’t remember many specifics but my imagination and excitement for the whole wide world in all its complexity, diversity and historical depth was awoken. The historical aspect was innate in this experience because we so saw many exciting and evocative historical sites during this first travel experience from the Coliseum in Rome to the Tower of London.
FQ: As a follow-up to the question about your academic background in history, you are also a very strong creative writer and novelist. Oftentimes writers cannot master both worlds. How have you been able to be so successful in managing both sides of that particular figurative coin?
SCHRADER: History was what inspired me to write creatively. An incident, a character, a place — would ignite my imagination and make me wonder what it had been like “back then,” living through x event or struggling with y problems? I would start to imagine things and characters would take shape, yet I also wanted to know the truth — what really happened. I suppose I rapidly realized that the key to understanding ourselves as human beings is to understand where we’ve come from, i.e. to understand our history. For me, fiction is not an end in itself, but rather a tool for our historical past more comprehensible and accessible.
In terms of writing style, I started writing creatively as a child and just continued to develop those skills throughout my life. Even now I’m trying to improve. Learning to write non-fiction, on the other hand, was simply part of my academic training culminating in a PhD in history. It is much easier to write non-fiction, by the way. It’s very straight-forward. You define the topic, do the research, and summarize your findings in written form. Done.
FQ: What are some of the fundamental similarities you see in the several different timeframes in history that you are focused on in your writing? I assume there are connections. Which of these connections do you see yourself gravitating to when constructing the fictionalized narrative?
SCHRADER: I’m not so sure about connections. I’m personally always surprised by what topic suddenly inspires me. I can’t explain it, let alone predict it. I do, however, have a tendency to get passionate about ‘setting the record straight’ or correcting misperceptions. Sparta is a case in point. When I learned that the historical and archaeological Sparta is almost a mirror image of the popular view of Sparta, I became obsessed with writing books that would show Sparta as it really was based on ancient sources instead of modern political agendas. The same is true of the Crusader States. The popular view of the crusades as genocide or the Crusader States as proto-colonial, apartheid states is pure rubbish and made me want to ‘break a lance’ for the truth. Even more work on the German Resistance to Hitler has some of this missionary quality since most Anglo-Saxon readers have never heard of the German Resistance and have no appreciation of their moral integrity and courage. The exceptions to this pattern are my books on WWII and the Berlin Airlift. My novels set in both periods align with the common understanding of these historical episodes.
FQ: What fascinated you specifically about the Knights of Templar? What about their story did you connect with or were you drawn to?
SCHRADER: Oh, I suppose, it’s the same old thing about being outraged by stupid conspiracy stories and fantasies. I got so tired of reading nonsense about them that I wanted to tell a story that showed them as they really were.
You might well ask: But why the horrible, brutal destruction of the Order rather than their days of power and influence?
The answer may distress some readers: I felt inspired to write this story by some force beyond me. This tale was born with the scene on the road — the opening seen of the book — and it was so overpowering that I sat down and wrote the whole book in a relatively short space of time.
FQ: When writing historical fiction, do you think there needs to be a prescribed balance between what is fictional and what is non-fictional? How do you go about structuring your work from introduction to conclusion?
SCHRADER: I don’t believe in writing in accordance with formulas. I believe each author should express themself as effectively as possible with the skills they have regardless of how other write. So no, I don’t think there is any magic formula for balancing fact with fiction. I’ve written biographical fiction in which nearly every character is historical and the plot is pre-determined, and I’ve also written fiction in which historical figures are only in the background or have cameo roles. They are different kinds of books with very different combinations of fact and fiction, but both can be wonderful reads.
Structure is critical. Otherwise, it’s easy to get swept away on all kinds of extraneous adventures. Yet, since write only what I’m inspired to write, I also have to give free rein to whoever or whatever is using me as a medium for telling their story.
What I’ve found works best for me personally is to develop a detailed historical chronology of the period/events in which the story is set so that I don’t lose track of key events, dates, etc. Then I start developing a story outline with only a one-line description of what the character is doing/learning in a specific chapter. Once I start writing that outline is subject to constant modification and revision. As I write each scene, I learn more about the characters, and since I’m constantly researching, I may also discover facts that influence the plot or the characters causing changes in the original outline. In short, the outline is only a tool for keep track of what the characters are doing, and the historical facts remain paramount as the overall framework in which I am confined.
That doesn’t mean I don’t make some minor changes to history. I’m perfectly willing to sacrifice irrelevant trivia to keep a story flowing and enhance its pace or impact. E.g. it doesn’t matter what the phase of the moon was on 13 October 1307, or what date Easter was in 1308. But the Templars must remain human beings, not angels or supernatural aliens, and the fate they suffer must be historical fact.
FQ: I remember once I went to see Richard Dreyfuss in-person and, as an audience, we were told we were not allowed to ask the question: “How do you memorize your lines?” I am always quite shocked by how historians are capable of keeping the facts straight. So, if you don’t mind me asking: How do you memorize or keep straight all of the information about one timeframe, and how do you that with as much knowledge as you have about multiple times in history?
SCHRADER: I don’t have any tricks. If I’m interested in something, I remember the salient facts automatically. I haven’t a clue what I pay for groceries. I don’t know the names of football teams or players. I can’t keep track of actors and actresses. There are all kinds of things that others remember, that I don’t. Yet I can remember historical events and characters that interest me. It’s just the way my mind works. That said, I also have a large library of reference books and I’m always checking things on the internet as I write, so I keep reinforcing my memory.
FQ: How did you come up with the tale for The Tale of the English Templar, and why decide to publish it now? I know about some of your decision based on the “Foreword” you provided in the book, but if you can elaborate a bit more, that would be wonderful for both me and your readers.
SCHRADER: This tale was entirely ‘inspirational.’ It came to me, almost like a vision. I saw Percy in the snowy ditch and the riders approaching, and I felt the whole, terrifying weight of facing destiny, knowing that one’s life depended on the charity and courage of an approaching stranger. The book unfolded from there, each step of Percy’s journey from that encounter coming clearly to me as I wrote — yet without me knowing exactly where it was all going to end.
The backstory about how Percy ended up on that road and the story of Geoffrey and Felice’s background were woven in more academically, if you wish. I knew I had to explain who they were etc. and so I wrote that to help me get started and to help me get to know my characters. Yet the real story starts on the side of the road — which is why in the new edition I moved that encounter to the first chapter. The original version was completely chronological and started with Felice as a child.
As to why I decided to re-release it, it was sheer chance. I went back to look up something specific and got hooked re-reading it. I had forgotten so much of what I’d written! When I finished re-reading it, I wondered if I was crazy or if others might also find the story compelling. So, I sent the book to some ‘test readers.’ One grumbled about how long it was and warned he might need weeks to get through it. Three days later he wrote back to say he couldn’t put it down. I decided it deserved a second chance, but I was still thinking — ebook, POD, no publicity, just make it available. My editor protested: “This is as good as anything you’ve ever written! Why are you selling it short?” Yeah, well, because I can’t afford to market two books at once. But he convinced me that I should invest something. So here I am.
FQ: Do you see any connects to the contemporary world and what went on against the Knights of Templar? Just as a cursory example, I am seeing a bit of that in the commentaries associated with essential and non-essential workers in the government…what makes for an essential worker and what do we do with those that are not considered essential anymore. How does The Tale of the English Templar resonate with the 21st century audience?
SCHRADER: Defying tyranny isn’t easy — but it’s necessary. Philip IV of France was a tyrant. He wanted the Templar’s fortune, and he didn’t care who he harmed — tortured, killed, burned alive — or what damage he did to anyone or anything just so long as he got what he wanted. His power was so great that he intimidated everyone one around him into ignoring the law, the teachings of Christ and everything else just to keep his favour. In short, the king was consumed with greed and surrounded by sycophants. Sound familiar?
Otherwise, the theme of finding (or losing) faith when evil is victorious, the struggle of good and evil in our hearts, the issue of what we owe people who rescue us from death or destruction, the corrupting power of ambition, the allure of power and greed — they are all universal themes that resonate in any age and century.
FQ: Can you provide readers with some insight about what your process is like, and how you are capable of being as prolific as you are? You have written almost 25 books. How do you keep those creative juices flowing?
SCHRADER: The answer is simple: I can’t stop. If I have a story in my mind or heart, I have to write it. When I don’t have a story I want to write, I’ll be dead, or at least brain-dead.
However, keep in mind that for the first thirty or more years of my life, before print-on-demand made self-publishing possible, I wrote many books that I did not try to sell. I didn’t have time to market my books. I barely had time to write them on weekends and holidays after my ‘day job.’ So, when it became possible to self-publish, I had a backlog of titles waiting to be published. My early Sparta books and The Tale of the English Templar were written a long, long time ago.
FQ: What is next for you as it pertains to your writing? Can you provide us with some understanding as to what your future writing endeavors are?
SCHRADER: I’m working with great pleasure and enthusiasm on a book(s) set in Malta during the Second World War. They will cover the Second Malta Blitz in the spring of 1942, when the island sustained more intensive bombing than London did in 1940/1941. It is also the period in which Malta came very close to surrender and was under invasion threat. The book(s) will include the dramatic story of “Pedastal,” a relief convoy that cost the British nine out of fourteen merchant men, one aircraft carrier, two cruisers and a destroyer as well as serious damage to another carrier, two cruisers and a destroyer.
The four main plotlines will follow a merchant navy officer destined to take part in Pedastal, a torpedo bomber pilot engaged in attacking Rommel’s supply lines, a Battle of Britain fighter ace now a Wing Commander in an intelligence role, and a WAAF officer, also engaged in the vital intelligence activities carried out from Malta.
The working title is “Voices on the Wind.” However, it’s a complex story, and I doubt I can cover it in a single volume. It will probably end up being two books, in which case “Voices on the Wind” will be the series title. We’ll see. Thank you for your interest — and thank you for these thought-provoking questions! You made me think about what I do and why. I hope other people will enjoy reading my answers as much as I enjoyed sharing a little about what motivates me and how I write.
