Get ready to learn more about the book Heart of Sherwood in this discussion with sapphic author Edale Lane.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Edale Lane about Heart of Sherwood, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Saving the World category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Heart of Sherwood?
In 2016 a novella of mine was published by a small lesbian press and I answered a call for another anthology for reimagined sapphic fairytales. However, as I began planning my story I realized it would be much longer than the wordcount restriction for the anthology. The publisher listened to my idea and greenlighted the project. When considering ideas for the story, I wondered, what if Robin Hood had been a woman, and real? The 2016 election year and Hilary Clinton’s campaign strongly influenced some of the themes I included. This was the year for a female hero. (It didn’t make it to publication until 2018, but I believe this story is as timeless as Robyn Hood herself.)
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Robyn is my favorite character because when she loses everything, rather than become a victim, she courageously re-invents herself, grabbing hold of her destiny despite her circumstances. She aspires to be more than society would ever allow and doesn’t let challenges or failures stand in her way. And she truly cares about the people under her charge and England as a whole. She is similar to me because I, too, believe that we can be, do, and achieve more than most of us ever imagine possible.
What part of Heart of Sherwood was the most fun to write?
Writing the ways Robyn outwitted the Sheriff was the most fun for me. I don’t want to list examples, lest I spoil the experience for those who haven’t read the book yet.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Heart of Sherwood has a dual meaning. A line near the beginning introduces a special tree that stands in “the heart of Sherwood” forest. That tree, now called the Major Oak, is the oldest in England and was a mature tree during Robin Hood’s time. The second meaning is more sentimental, and refers to Robin’s big heart – her love for Marian and her band of merry men.
How much research did you need to do for Heart of Sherwood?
While rewriting a legendary tale may not seem to require much research, I did a ton of it because I wished this to be the most historically correct Robin Hood telling ever written. I did exhaustive research on Eleanor of Aquitaine so I could represent her honorably and accurately. Now I feel like we’re old friends. I looked to primary sources for the names and descriptions of historical players and even some of King Richard and Prince John’s exact words. From musical instruments to Eleanor’s quest to collect Richard’s ransom, I strove to get every detail correct. And so the reader would know which parts here history and which were fiction, I included an author’s notes section at the end.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
While occasionally I take writing “day trips” to a coffee shop or library, typically you’ll find me in my living room recliner chair, tapping away on my laptop keys with forty browser windows open. There’s a little TV tray by my chair where my beverage rests and in July and August, a fan sits in front of me so I don’t melt.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
That would be Piper, my adorable – yet pesty – Havanese. She’s a year and half, climbs all over me, often settling behind my neck like an uncomfortable pillow. She loves licking noses and running zoomies.
What animal or object best represents you as an author or your writing style?
A wolf. Besides being intelligent, wolves will stay with their prey until they win, sometimes relentlessly stalking it for days without stopping. When I get into a writing zone, I can completely lose track of time and everything around me, pressing on to complete one more chapter.
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
Typically, I write a dual POV – although some of my longer historical fantasies, such as Heart of Sherwood, have multiple points of view. I try to give each character their unique voice. When I’m Queen Eleanor, I’m regal, calculating yet compassionate, and always in charge. When I’m Robyn, I have a lot of issues to work through, but am ultimately optimistic, pushing through doubts and concerns like a mule through a bog. When I’m Marian, I am kind, loving, mischievous, playful, and smart. She’s really the brains of the operation. When I’m the sheriff I am arrogant, demanding, entitled, and vicious, caring for nothing save my political advancement. When I’m the deputy, I’m conflicted. I like writing characters caught in a moral dilemma, and the deputy is the good man who is stuck working under the bad guy. I just look at the world from that character’s thought and emotional process and write the scene.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
Yes, on more than one occasion. There’s a chapter near the end of Heart of Sherwood that was inspired by “The Stag Scene” in Helen Mirren’s film “The Queen.” Robyn has been through a slew of emotional ups and downs and Friar Tuck sends her hunting. Spying this spectacular stag and knowing she has to kill it so everyone can eat adds to her emotional turmoil. It’s so big she can’t carry it or even drag it back to the camp. When she falls in the snow and can’t get back up, Little John appears to shoulder her burden. It’s more touching in the book.
Have you ever hated one of your characters?
In Heart of Sherwood, Prince John and the sheriff are the clear villains, and it’s intended that people dislike them. Still, I didn’t want to make them one note and imbued them with reasons for being like they are. Maybe I don’t hate them, but I wouldn’t cry any tears over them. Then there’s Vlad the Impaler, a main character in an early novel I published under the name Melodie Romeo – he is downright hateworthy.
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
I grew up with Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I can’t say if they inspired me to write, but they captured my imagination and then released it to run amuck. I loved the classic tales of adventure by Alexandre Dumas and Robert Louis Stevenson. As I grew older, I wanted to write such memorable stories with a woman in the leading role to win the girl’s heart at the end.
What books have you read more than once in your life?
There are books by major authors, such as Brandon Sanderson and Nora Roberts, that I’ve listened to multiple times to relive the adventure, to study their worldbuilding, the plot twists, and how they turn a phrase, strengthen a description, or build suspense so I can become a better writer. One of my favorite series is Mistborn and how Sanderson laid the foundation for the surprise ending, leaving clues that made the reader think one thing while they actually meant another, was masterful. And I love the main character, Vin – a little orphan girl, mistreated and overlooked, who turned out to wield extraordinary powers and courage. The only book I’ve “read” more than once would probably be the Bible.
Have you ever thought you’d hate a book, but ended up loving it?
I wasn’t sure I’d like Gideon the Ninth, because necromancers in space? Really? Our book club choose it, I got the audiobook, and absolutely freaking love it! It is so hilarious and witty and full of mysteries to solve. My hat is off to Tamsyn Muir.
