Christal
Cooper 2,966 Words (including excerpt)
M.E.
Hubbs
The
Archer’s Son
This past August of 2014 Bluewater
Publications published M.E. Hubbs’ second novel The Archer’s Son.
The Archer’s Son is about 12 year
old Hedyn who is thrilled to be chosen to join King Henry’s army as it advances
on Normandy. His excitement quickly
gives way to exhaustion in body and spirit as well as worry for the safety of
his newfound friends and comrades. He
meets a mysterious stranger by the name of William, who is also fighting in
King Henry’s army, but is holding a deep secret, but still manages to help Hedyn
in more ways than he’ll ever come to understand.
This is the second novel M.E. Hubbs has
written about historical time periods in our world. His first novel The Secret of Wattensaw
Bayou takes place in 1863 Arkansas and is told through the eyes of 13-year old
slave Ephraim.
The same process that Hubbs wrote The
Secret of Wattensaw Bayou is the same process he wrote The
Archer’s Son. Hubbs does not
write an outline, but rather lets the ideas for his stories percolate in his
brain; and then, when he has a beginning, middle, and an end, he is ready to
set at the laptop and write. His one philosophy in writing is to let the characters
lead the story, even if it means changing the beginning, middle, and the end he
originally had written in his brain.
“The
story and characters will usually carry ME through the process instead of the
other way around. Characters seem to
have a life of their own sometimes and even I am surprised at what they might
do! If a change in direction occurs, I
immediately go back to what I have done previously and make adjustments to
ensure that I leave no holes in the plot or create historical inaccuracies.”
During
those six months of writing the first draft Hubbs would go back over what he
had written the previous day to make sure he didn’t repeat scenes and to
edit. For the next 12 months he revised
his rough draft with the help of two different writer’s critique groups he
belonged to.
Below is the scripted interview of M.E.
Hubbs conducted this past September.
In your book you acknowledge Days of Knights and thank them for
their contribution in making your novel a realistic one. What are the Days of Knights?
Days of Knights is a
group of medieval living historians who gather once each year. The goal is to education the public on this
era of history that is often overlooked here in North America. These are the best of the best when it comes
to interpreting the weapons, armor and life ways of people of the Middle
Ages. Participation as a costumed
historian is by invitation only.
I have been involved in
living history programs and reenactments for over forty year in various
eras. I have always had a deep
interested in the medieval era, but did not develop a costumed impression until
I discovered Days of Knights back in 2012.
The Days of Knights
living history presentations range from the Viking era up to the early
1500s. Days of Knights 2014 was held at
Frankfort Kentucky and included over 250 historians from all over the United
States. For more information: http://www.daysofknightsfrankfort.com/
What specific types of research did you participate in order to
write The Archer’s Son effectively
and factually?
To write a convincing
historical novel, the author must fully understand not only written history of
an era, but the nuts and bolts of everyday life. Only then can he or she described the sights,
sounds, smells and feelings effectively.
Wearing the clothing, preparing/eating the food and performing the
everyday mundane tasks of a chosen era will help the author convey those senses
to the reader.
I made most of the
clothing and equipment that I wear as an English archer based on surviving
garments of the era. I learned to shoot
a long bow (quite well, I might add) and how to fletch arrows as they were done
600 years ago. I baked horsebread,
cooked pottage and taught myself the basics of making ale. All these things
helped me immerse myself into the story.
I think this is why The Archer’s Son does not tell a
glamorized version of medieval life as some novels do. Instead, it is gritty and dark. Death and
suffering are presented realistically. I
wanted the reader to feel that grit; the heavy mud on his feet; the hunger; the
smells in the air and be touched by Hedyn’s despair. But mostly I wanted the reader to see how our
ancestors still prevailed and lived life despite the hardships of the time.
What was something surprising you learned about history when
researching for this book?
I was relatively well
versed on the Battle of Agincourt, but did not know much about the siege of
Harfleur, which preceded it. I was
surprised at how long it took to take the city, the savageness of the battle
and the horrible losses that the English endured due to sickness during those
six weeks.
I felt the father was a secondary character compared to that of
William – so why the title “The Archer’s Son” instead of “The Archer’s Guide, a
title that encompasses Heydn and William?
“The Archer’s Son” was
what Hedyn would be called as he gained his freedom from serfdom. Early in the story, people call him
“villien’s son” as his father was a villien (a type of serf) and he has no last
name. As he matures in the story and
eventually gains his freedom, he transforms from a nameless serf to a free man
named “Hedyn Archerson.”
I felt that William’s story was just as individual if not more
individual and compelling than Heydn’s.
Why not more detail on William?
And do you have a novel planned jut for William?
William Whitwell of
Devon, sort of got away from me! Some
characters have a mind of their own.
Some, who the writer expects to be a major player, ends up in a
supporting role. Others who the writer
expects to be minor player, steals the show and develops into one of the most
important characters. This was the case
with William. I needed a person who would help Hedyn grow as a man, and as a
Christian. William ended up doing that
and much more to propel the story line.
I have considered a “prequel” with William in the lead as a youngster in
the priory. That may happen in the
future.
What character did you connect with the most and why?
Although he was a minor
character, I felt closest to Hedyn’s father, Jago. Like me, he was an old soldier who was left
behind due to age and old injuries. His
disappointment in staying behind and his pride in Hedyn, reflected my emotions
as I sent my son off to war in 2007.
What was the greatest challenge in writing this novel?
Time! Finding the time and motivation as I
concurrently worked a full time job with lots of travel, and taking care of
normal home and family duties.
Did you ever visit the actual places that you write about in the
novel?
Yes, Indeed! I had visited the United Kingdom several
times in the past, but made a special trip in 2012 to areas in Cornwall and
Devonshire that I portray in the novel.
Saint Nonna’s Church, which plays a part in the story, still stands in
Altarnon (now spelled Altarnun) although it was remodeled in the 16th century
using stone and timbers from the abandoned Trelawny manor house. The stone
packhorse bridge over Penpont Water that is mentioned in the story is as sturdy
now as when it was built seven hundred years ago. I drove the route that my
fictional company of archers would have traversed from Altarnon to Plymouth
during their march to the sea to take shipping. Seeing the village of Altarnon
and traveling the green countryside and ancient narrow lanes provided an
insight I could never have gained from maps or photographs. Although it will be after the fact, I plan on
visiting Normandy and Agincourt in 2015 during the 600th anniversary
of the battle.
In your own expertise, why were France (Charles) and England
(Henry) at war and was there such as things as the good guys versus the bad
guys?
There are whole books on
this subject! The relation between
England and France goes back much further to 1066 when the William, Duke of
Normandy invaded England to claim the throne.
The politics of the two countries were entwined from then until the mid
1400s. There were many disputes over the
rightful heir to the French or English thrones during those years. It finally came to open warfare with the
House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of
Valois for control of the Kingdom of France that became known as the Hundred
Years War. Of course, the Agincourt
Campaign was only one episode from a war that lasted 116 years. Personally, in the particular case of Henry
V, I feel that his claim to the French throne was rather weak! I allude to that in the novel.
Hedyn is only 12 – was this the norm age for boys to go to war?
Medieval armies were
almost always accompanied by large groups of women and children. Most were family members of men in the
ranks. They performed non-combatant
roles (cooking, cleaning, laboring ect) to free up the men for their roles as
soldiers. Hedyn went along as a non-combatant, but eventually that role became
blurred as the campaign went on.
When it comes to the fictional characters – did you model them
after someone – real or fiction?
The main characters such
as Hedyn and William are products of my imagination and I did not try to
pattern them off of real people.
Some of the characters
are based on real people, such as Sir John Trelawny. Altarnon Parish in Cornwall was the original
seat of the Trelawny family. Sir John
(born 1386) was the coroner for Cornwall and also represented the county in
Parliament. Sir John is my 15th
Great Grandfather.
I have tried to present
historical figures such as King Henry and Sir Thomas Erpingham as true to
history as possible. Although I have
created a few scenes involving Sir Thomas, I have written those scenes in a way
that does not contradict historical records about his role in the Agincourt
Campaign.
In your experiences, what are misconceptions people may have about
this aspect to of history?
There is much glamour and
romanticism applied to the medieval era and the “Age of Chivalry.” Fair maidens and knights in shining armor are
products of literature and Hollywood.
For the common person, there was little glamour. The class system allowed little or no upward
mobility. Life was very hard and short,
one had few rights or privileges.
Can you go into detail about the cover? It is of Hedyn and his father?
As you know, the main
job of a cover it to grab a reader’s attention!
At first glance, one might expect the taller figure to be the younger’s
father. Actually that is Hedyn and
William Whitwell at the dawning of a new day during the arduous march from
Harfleur to Agincourt. However, the
models actually ARE father and son and are participants in the Days of Knights
living history group. The youngster,
Patrick, was also the model for some of the drawings in the book.
"Keep your heads, lads, and nock a
bodkin," William called out.
"There is Lord Erpingham.
Now we will provoke the French into moving." The old knight strode quickly out in the
field in front of the line where all could see him. He tossed a baton high in the air to draw the
attention of all the archers.
"Now strike!" The old knight bellowed at the top of his
lungs.
In unison, five thousand archers muscled bow
cords to their ears and launched arrows high in the air toward the French
lines. It was a long shot, so the
high-arching arrows took several seconds to ascend before they started their
deadly fall to earth. Hedyn could see a
faint shadow that drifted across the wheat field created by the mass of five
thousand feathered missiles. Like a
great flock of starlings, he thought.
Before the first arrows began to thud into men
and horses and to clang against armor, the archers were sending more arrows on
their way, each man shooting at his own pace.
Within a minute, 60,000 arrows were in the air or scattered across the
battlefield. Some in dirt, some in men.
The arrow storm had its intended effect. Trumpets sounded, drums thumped, and the
French line finally came to life.
"We are in for it now, lads," William
said to no one in particular.
Mounted knights appeared on each side of the
French formation, as the main line of armored men on foot began to move
forward. The heavy armor and thick mud
made them seem slow and clumsy.
"Put your arrows on the cavalry,
lads. They will try to break our archers
on the flanks," the ventenar instructed.
"Help our mates on the flanks. Broadheads into horse flesh. If a horse goes down, the knight will go
too." Hedyn hated to see the horses
killed, but he knew that the highly trained animals were as much a weapon as
the lances and swords that each of the knights pointed at his comrades.
From where he stood near the center of the
line, Hedyn watched in awe as the French cavalry thundered toward the English
flanks on either side of him. The air
behind each of the big coursers filled with clods as pounding hoofs splattered
the black mud.
The archers did not falter behind their wooden
stakes but poured the bodkins and broadhead arrows into the mass of horses and
men. Some began to fall as arrows found
chinks in armor or were embedded in screaming horses. Some slowed and galloped back as it became
too perilous near the archers and their stakes.
A few stalwarts made it to the line of bowmen and discovered that the
horses slowed or stopped, refusing to gallop into the protective barricade of
stakes. These men were pulled from
their mounts and killed by swarms of angry archers.
One man, a great nobleman in the finest armor,
tumbled from his horse headlong as the animal impaled itself on a stake. Even from where Hedyn stood, the splash of
red blood stood out on the bleak, muddy field.
The man never had a chance to rise from his fall, killed where he lay.
"I knew these stakes were a good scheme
the minute King Henry had us cut 'em back in Corbie!" Denzel said, almost
as confidently as if he had devised the idea himself. The men rolled their eyes and laughed at
him. He smiled sheepishly.
Panicked war-horses, some rider-less, crashed
back through the oncoming French line, sending men-at-arms tumbling and
scattering to make way. The line slowed,
but regrouped and slogged on through the mud.
The French line began to change. It became bunched and irregular. The French knights instinctively crowded to
the center to avoid the deadly arrows streaming from the English flanks. The archers stood behind their stakes and
shot as fast as arrows could be nocked.
The visibility of King Henry's banners at the center of the line
reinforced this movement toward the center.
The French knights were not disciplined enough to remain where the
battle plan required. The line slowly
transformed into a blunt wedge, which only presented more targets to the busy
archers. The crowding made it much more
difficult to wield lances and swords.
"Shoot, shoot! Pour it on, lads! Pour it on!" William screamed in a voice
that Hedyn had never heard before. It
seemed a mixture of terror, excitement, and merriment, almost like the voice of
a boy involved in some risky prank. The
arrows at the men's feet were long gone, and now each man shot the arrows in
the extra bundles that Hedyn delivered before the fight. One hundred and twenty thousand arrows were
gone, and still the French came.
Excerpt from The
Archer’s Son
Pages 145 - 146 Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photograph
Description and Copyright Information
Photo
1
Mark
Hubbs
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
2
Jacket
cover of The Archer’s Son
Photo
3
Web logo for Bluewater Publications.
Photo
4
Hedyn
and William
Illustrated
by Tracy S. Lyndon
Cover
Designed by Ian LaSpina
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
5
King
Henry V
Attributor
unknown
Created
in 1923
Located
at the National Portrait Gallery in London
Public
Domain
Photo 6
Jacket
cover of The Secret of Wattensaw Bayou
Photo 7
Jacket cover of The Archer's Son
Photo 7
Jacket cover of The Archer's Son
Photo
8
M.E. Hubbs as an Agincourt Archer at a living history event, 599th anniversary of the battle.
Photo 9
M.E. Hubbs signing the contract with Bluewater Publications
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
M.E. Hubbs as an Agincourt Archer at a living history event, 599th anniversary of the battle.
Photo 9
M.E. Hubbs signing the contract with Bluewater Publications
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo 10
Days
of Knights web photo
Photo
11
Miniature
of Richard of Wallingford, Abbot of St. Albans, mathematician and inventor of a
mechanical astronomical
clock. He is shown seated at his desk measuring with a pair of
compasses.
•
Title
of the book: History of the abbots of St Albans.
•
Author:
Thomas of Walsingham
•
Date:
14th century
•
Language:
Latin
The
first version is a lossless adaptation from: [1]
The
current version was digitally changed for better visualization.
From
The British Library; Record Number - c3919-08; Shelfmark - Cotton Claudius E.
IV; Page Folio Number - f.201.
Photo 12
M.E.
Hubbs dressed as an English archer taken at Days of Knights 2013
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
13
Days
of Knights Web Photo
Photo
14
Ambrotype photo of M.E. Hubbs
Attributed to Claude Levet.
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Ambrotype photo of M.E. Hubbs
Attributed to Claude Levet.
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
15
Phyllis and M.E. Hubbs
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Phyllis and M.E. Hubbs
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
16
Hedyn’s
and the boiling water
Attributed
top Tracey S Lyndon
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
17
Battle
of Agincourt 25th October 1415
Sir
John Gilbert. 1817 -1897
Public
Domain
Photo
18
Harfleur
Object
theatre design
1859
Attributed
to Thomas Grieve
Pen,
ink, and watercolor
Public
Domain
Photo
19
The
Smithy and Hedyn
Attributed
to Tracey S Lyndon
Photo 20
William
releasing four arrows
Attributed
to Tracey S Lyndon
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
21
M.E. Hubbs with son in the military
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
M.E. Hubbs with son in the military
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
22
M.E. Hubbs with his grandchildren at a book singing last year at Goat Hill Book Shop in the Capitol Building, Montgomery, Alabama.
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
M.E. Hubbs with his grandchildren at a book singing last year at Goat Hill Book Shop in the Capitol Building, Montgomery, Alabama.
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
23
Alternun
with the Saint Nonna’s Church in the background.
Attributed
to M.E. Hubbs
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
24
Penpont
Horsebridge.
Attributed
to M.E. Hubbs
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
25
Parrish
Church of St. Nonna
Alternun
Cornwall England
CCASA
3.0 UL
Photo
26
Charles
VI of France by Master of Boucicaut
1412
Pubic
Domain
Photo
27
Henry
V of England
Painting
done in 1902
Public
Domain
Photo
28
Panel
from the Bayeux Tapestry - this one depicts Duke William lifting his helmet at
the Battle of Hastings to show that he still lives. Scanned from Lucien
Musset's The Bayeux Tapestry ISBN
9781843831631 pp 250-251.
12th
century
Photo
29
Agincout
Campaign
15th
Century
from
Chronique d”enguerrand de Monstrelet
Public
Domain
Photo
30
Hedyn
and William
Illustrated
by Tracy S. Lyndon
Cover
Designed by Ian LaSpina
Copyright
granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
31
M.E. Hubbs
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
M.E. Hubbs
Copyright granted by M.E. Hubbs
Photo
32
Sir Thomas Erpingham
Sir Thomas Erpingham
Pubic
Domain
