Occupation Series by Chris Lloyd

Taken from the CRA Newsletter:

Layers of Research by Chris Lloyd

There is only one rabbit hole that is deeper and more relentless than researching for a novel. And that is asking a historical novelist about their research. Never, under any circumstances, do it. You may never escape.

I write the Occupation series, featuring Eddie Giral, a French police detective in Paris under the Nazi Occupation. To get the story right calls for a lot of research. This ranges from the general – the major events of the war – to the specific – the occupying authorities and the French police, rationing and criminality. To get the atmosphere and the setting right calls for much more targeted research into the day-to-day minutiae of people’s lives under Nazi rule. Where other writers have a social life, I have layers of research.

The bottom layer is immersive research. This is where I spend hours staring at photos of people of the period, what they’re wearing, where they work, how they move about the city. Films released at the time are a great source of getting a sense of the place and period. Eddie used to moonlight at jazz clubs, so I listen to the jazz he would have listened to.

The next layer up is general research. If my story takes place in autumn 1940, as in the case of Paris Requiem, I need to know what was happening in France and elsewhere and decide how much of it Eddie could have known, given censorship and restrictions.

Next up is specific research. As I set each book at a specific time during the Occupation, the bulk of the research goes into what was happening in Paris during that particular time. What laws were passed, what groups were being persecuted, which senior Nazis visited the city. I look for specific events and curiosities, such as French prisoners going missing from a Paris prison and interpret that through Eddie. His investigation turns up the same truth as the research gave to me but cast through his prism.

Finally comes the targeted research. This comes mainly from diaries and interviews. Recorded memories of people who lived through the Occupation are essential. This is what creates the atmosphere – what it was like to queue for bread, the silence of the streets without cars and buses, the sound of boots on cobbles.

Uniting all of the above, there is one underlying piece of research that is both extremely important and extremely enjoyable – walking Paris. If you want to bring all the strands of your research together, you need to walk the streets your characters walk. Just don’t ask me to talk about it. As I will. At length.

Read more about Chris and his books here.

New Viking Age Historical Fiction

New Viking Age historical fiction from a new author, Megan Formanek, who provides the reader with a powerful new series rich in historical detail and compelling characters, exploring the lives of people who lived during the early years of the Rurikid Dynasty.

Oath Undo Me

An oath made is a debt that must be paid.

Sweden 880: Astrid is free, widowed after two years in an unwanted marriage. She wants to reclaim her life and become the warrior she always wanted to be, just like her father. Horrified by her best friend’s unwelcome proposal, she flees everything she has ever known for a chance at life across the Baltic Sea, assuming a new identity in a land unknown.

Aldeigjuborg, in the land of the Rus’, is far different to her native homeland but, with the support of her new mentor, she is given the opportunity to create a life within the walls of a town she would have previously dreamed of raiding. Being a Viking is more than adventure and travel. Riches can be found in trade, through the learning of new languages and cultures.

Soon, Astrid realises everything has a price, and a promise made can have unintended consequences.

No-One's Viking

Raised on tales of glory, bound to question it all

882. Aldeigjuborg, Gardarike: Astrid has worked hard to become the well-respected textile merchant known as Signe. She wants to expand her business, support her daughter, and take full advantage of her new life. Her husband is long overdue from his trade mission and, with no word from him; Astrid turns to the gods for answers. As mysterious gifts begin appearing at her door, she questions if these are signs to guide her or a threat more sinister.

When someone Astrid swore to be free of forever reappears, dark omens plague her. Soon, Astrid finds herself tangled in the Norn’s weavings with agonising consequences.

In Aldeigjuborg, cultures clash and religion sparks trouble for the newly established empire of the Rus’. Word spreads of Grand Prince Oleg’s conquest of Kyiv and his capture of his brother’s heir. Rebellion threatens Astrid’s stable town, and the war horn calls her to embrace the Viking way.

But, as she prepares to defend her home, Astrid realises that in battle, all men are made monsters.

Dark Age Monarch - The Reign of King Arthur

Arthurian tradition has followed two distinct paths. Medieval romance depicts the spectacular capital of Camelot and a land of armored knights, jousts, and fantastical adventures. More recent researchers have focused on identifying the real King Arthur, if such a person existed, in the early days of the Dark Ages. Dark Age Monarch: The Reign of King Arthur blends the two strands together in an inventive re-telling that maintains elements of the traditional tale but set in a historical perspective—with a bit of magic thrown into the mix.

Following the Roman exodus in the early 5th Century, Britain was fractured into petty fiefdoms that left the island vulnerable to foreign invaders. At a point where it appeared the Angles and Saxons would erase the British heritage, Arthur emerged as both a King and the Leader of Battles. His reign unified the land and preserved the Britons' way of life long enough to be remembered throughout history.