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Author Interview

What's the story behind Intrepid Dudettes of the Inca Empire?

Initially I was going to write a historical novel about Quispe Sisa, Atahualpa's sister, because although I had heard of Atahualpa and Francisco Pizarro countless times, I had only recently heard about her. The idea that the Inca emperor's sister was forced to marry a conquistador fascinated me. I couldn't believe that she wasn't super famous, considering what a life she must have led. Then a new idea came to me when I was reading 'The Incredible Incas' by Terry Deary. I just thought that while it's a very good book, where are the women? It was a very male-centric book and I decided that Inca women and goddesses deserved to have their stories told too.

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How did the book evolve?

Well, starting as a way to tell these women's stories, I also wanted to make the experience fun and interactive. So I added questions that people can respond to on my Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram pages and I added little hashtags as commentary on the stories e.g. #HenryVIIIEatYourHeartOut! I want the readers to feel involved in the process and to give their opinions.

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What is one thing that you think modern women could learn from the women in your book?

I think people will be surprised at how much respect women were given during Inca times. Women and men were seen as equal but different with distinct tasks assigned to each of them that were equally valued. Moreover, there were cults dedicated to goddesses that were fully operated by women. These were women-only hierarchies of power. And each queen consort in turn was seen as the leader of all women. In some ways, the emperor and his wife were co-rulers, with her leading worship of the moon goddess and acting as regent whenever he went off to conquer more land etc. Therefore, a lot of the machismo we now see in these Andean countries began with the Spanish Conquest.

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Do you have a favourite historical figure from your area of study?

Good question! I couldn't pick a favourite as such, but certainly there are women I've researched who only appear briefly in historical chronicles and others who are more prominent. And so I feel closer to the ones who I can find more out about. For 'Intrepid Dudettes of the Inca Empire Part 1', I could find out a lot about Pachamama (Mother Nature) and Mama Ocllo, who was an empress. She had to fight to ensure that her son inherited the Inca throne. There was a lot of fighting within the royal family, rather like the Wars of the Roses, except the Inca royal families were huge as each emperor could have as many secondary wives as he wanted. In a different way, I’ve seen the amazingly well-preserved Ice Maiden mummy in photos and so I feel an intimate connection with her on some levels.

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What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

For me, there are two things that are exciting, because my work is historical. One thing is finding new information about one of the women I'm researching that sheds a lot of light onto her life or is a really juicy piece of information. Another is when I come up with an interesting angle or insight about one of the women or the themes at large.

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Do you ever wish you lived in the past?

No, not at all! Reading historical books for me is partly in order to practise gratitude! I'm so grateful for modern medicine, modern commodities, birth control, social progress etc. etc. The women in my book had really difficult lives and most of them weren't impoverished. Imagine how worse it was for those who went hungry, did back-breaking work every day, had to go down mines and so on. No, I'm quite happy to live in 21st century, despite all its flaws!

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When did you first start writing?

I've been writing since I was really little, about 7 or 8. I wrote stories as a child, starting off with things about my teddies, then as a teenager I wrote science fiction for a while. Now I'm writing about history!

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When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

Mainly housework and looking after our 4 kids! I also do some freelance proofreading and translation work between Spanish and English.

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Describe your desk

I'd love to have a desk, haha! We don't have room in the house for me to have one, so I work on a laptop that moves around the place- dining table, sofa etc.

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Is there a particular time period from your area of study that draws you the most?

I would say the time of the Spanish Conquest is fascinating and since there are more details in historical records about that time than earlier Inca periods, it can be the most enlightening, as well as heartbreaking. In part 2 of 'Intrepid Dudettes of the Inca Empire', we will explore the lives of women who were young adults when the Spanish arrived. I call them the "Class of '32" (because the Conquest began in 1532) who graduated from the university of hard knocks and received a baptism of fire. They had to navigate a totally different society with new rules. Many had to marry Spaniards and become Catholic. Many lost custody of their children as they were deemed culturally inferior and therefore unfit to raise their mixed-race children.