Weaving History into Fantasy
Lia pushed the door open and slipped through it, into the outdoor air. She took a deep breath, trying not to smell anything. The stables smelled better than this part of the village, where scraps and trash filled every spare corner. Holding a hand to her nose, she walked away from Bioti’s wattle and daub cottage.
Let’s be honest. When we think of the medieval age, we tend to romanticize it. I mean, who else gets these images in mind? (credit: all images from Pixabay)
Sure, we think antiquated stone buildings, disheveled stoops, and poverty. But do we really get a glimpse of what it was like to live in this era?
Any historian knows that years have deadened reality. The dark ages were dark in more ways than one. While we like to think of Robin Hood heroes and fair maidens, it was an era of destitution and health ignorance. Trash. Stench. Filth. Disease. Poverty. Those are just a few adjectives that more accurately paint a picture of the “downtown” of medieval villages—even places within the castles would have sections infested with rodents.
One of the fun challenges I give myself as an author is to include as many historical details in a “fantasy” fiction series that I can—because I’ll be the first to admit that my “Tales of Faith” series is not much on the reality side of medievalism. But even so, with that stigma on my series, I slip in descriptions—such as the very historically accurate “wattle and daub” (Note: I found a really cool article that explains more of the process of how it’s done here).
What less-than-ideal historical tidbit do you know about the medieval ages? Do you like to be in a realm that is totally fantastical or that contains pieces of true history? Oh, and one thing I am curious about… do you think the peasants, like Lia, acknowledged the stench, or was it just a part of life?
About the Tour
Welcome to the second month of the Tales of Faith 3-Month tour! For the month of June, Amanda guest posted on a dozen blogs, featuring “Befriending the Beast.” This month, we’re getting a deeper look into book two of the Tales of Faith series: “The Secret Slipper.” Each post by Amanda is unique to the blog—an inspirational post, an article on the writing craft, an excerpt from one of the Tales of Faith books… you’ll just have to visit each blog to see what comes up. 😉 Amanda will link to each blog on With a Joyful Noise, so check in every week and see what blogs have a special Tales of Faith feature!
About Amanda
Amanda Tero began her love for words at a young age—reading anything she could get her hands on and penning short stories as young as age eight. Since graduation, she has honed her writing skills by dedicated practice and study of the writing craft. She began her journey of publication with a few short stories that she had written for her sisters and continued to add to her collection with other short stories, novellas, and novels. It is her utmost desire to write that which not only pleases her Lord and Savior, but also draws the reader into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Connect with Amanda
Email: amandaterobooks@gmail.com
Website: http://amandatero.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandateroauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandateroauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amandaruthtero/
Blog: www.withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmandaTero
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/amandatero
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and look forward to the next!
Abigail Kay Harris 
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