Blog Tour Interview: The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton

Please join me in welcoming author Stephanie Thornton to Let Them Read Books! Stephanie is touring the blogosphere with her debut novel, The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora. I read it over the weekend and really enjoyed it-- check out my review! Stephanie was kind enough to sit down and answer a few of my questions about crafting a novel around such an amazing woman, and she's got some advice for aspiring historical fiction authors too! Read on, and enter for a chance to win your own copy of this scintillating novel!

Welcome, Stephanie! When did you first encounter Theodora, and what inspired you to write a novel about her?

I’m a writer by night, and a history teacher by day. My first serious encounter with Theodora came about five years ago when I was teaching World History. The textbook I was using had one measly section on the Byzantine Empire and briefly mentioned an actress-turned-empress who just happened to save her husband’s throne during the Nika riots. It was only a sentence, but it was enough for me to wonder what else was behind this woman’s story. Later, I learned that Theodora’s father was a bear-keeper who died when she was young—her entire life was basically a novel just begging to be told.


Can you tell us how you shaped Theodora's character? How much of her is based on fact and how much on your imagination?

My version of Theodora is intelligent, scrappy, and somewhat manipulative. Based on her rags-to-riches history, I knew this woman had to be fierce to survive her difficult early years, but she also had to be a sort of diamond in the rough in order to later attract Justinian’s attentions. The major events in The Secret History—the death of her father, her taking to the stage and traveling across the empire, and finally meeting Justinian are all based on historical sources from the time. I’ve tried to be faithful to known history, but I’ve taken some liberties to fill in the blanks that history doesn’t tell us.

Did you face any particular challenges in writing a novel about Theodora?

Yes—sex and religion! (Not common bed fellows, eh?) The fact that Theodora was an actress meant she was also a prostitute, and according to the historical sources, she didn’t mind flaunting her body. (You’ll have to read the Leda and the Swan scene to know what I mean—that’s all accurate!) Yet, as time went on, she also became a Monophysite, one of the Christian minorities at the time. She gave me more than a little grief reconciling how this very sensual woman also came to regard her faith as something very important in her life.

Can you tell us a bit about your research for this novel?  Did you come across anything that surprised you?

I focused mainly on Procopius’ The Secret History (I also borrowed his title) to learn about the main events of Theodora’s life. However, Procopius’ version is a nasty bit of propaganda that slanders both Theodora and Justinian (the historian was thoroughly convinced they were both demons) so while I kept the events accurate, I did tweak the supposed motivations for some of those events.

The thing that really surprised me when researching was the casual way in which Christianity worked alongside paganism during Theodora’s time. This was the 6th century BCE, and paganism was on its way out, but there’s plenty of evidence of blending the two worldviews, especially when it came to art in churches. I came across countless examples of Greek gods depicted in mosaics on the floors of Christian basilicas, and managed to weave them into the story to point out that this was a society in transition.

If you were able to sit down and have a conversation with Theodora today, what would you ask her?

This is assuming I haven’t gone all fan girl on her, right? I’d want to know what she felt her greatest achievement was, and if she had any regrets. (My version of Theodora has several regrets—I hope that in reality she got off easier.)

As a debut author, can you share any words of wisdom for aspiring historical fiction writers about the path to publication?

Write about someone (or something) you love! I can’t count how many times I heard from editors and agents that the women I was writing about—Theodora and Pharaoh Hatshepsut—were too obscure for readers to want to learn about. But I felt passionate about letting the world know how amazing these “forgotten” women were, and because I loved them so much, I was willing to keep writing and querying. I don’t know if I could have stuck with it if I’d chosen someone trendy like Henry VIII. (Who is also cool, but not necessarily someone I want to spend years working with.)

What are you working on now?

I just finished the edits on my next novel, Daughter of the Gods, about Pharaoh Hatshepsut, and am currently tearing across the Mongolian steppes for The Tiger Queens, a novel about the wife and daughters of Genghis Khan.

Thanks, Stephanie!

Doesn't she have some great answers? I know I'm glad she finally found a publisher who thought these women's lives were worth writing about!

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!!!

Enter to win your very own copy of The Secret History and a Byzantine coin by leaving a comment or question for Stephanie on this post! Don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you win!

This giveaway is open internationally (yay!) and ends at 11:59pm Monday, July 15, 2013. Winner will be selected at random.

This giveaway is closed and the winner has been selected!
Check out my sidebar for current giveaways!

The Secret History is on a blog tour!

Click here to view the full tour schedule of reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways! Click here to visit Stephanie's website!