The fourth draft of Kings And Crusaders (the first novel) has kept me closely engaged with research. I have been meticulous in keeping the novel accurate to history. So far, the fourth draft is a better transcript than the previous attempts. It has kept the story of Richard the Lionheart, the Plantagenets, and the Angevin Empire centralized in its narrative. Lately, I've been returning to biographies on the key characters by reading biographies and the works of modern historians.
When telling a story, especially if it is a novel, it is always vital for it to read like good literature. That has been part of my attempt here. At the same time, however, I am also strongly concerned with keeping my novel historically accurate.
