During the time I’ve been writing the series of back stories about Sarah, Harriet, Caroline and Philippa, Alex and now Anthony, I’ve been asked various questions by readers about how I came to write the stories, the difficulties involved etc. So as Anthony I is published and I prepare to have a few days off before diving into Anthony II (which will probably be the last back story, for now at least), I thought I’d take time to write a blog which will hopefully answer some of the questions I’ve been asked.
When I wrote the Jacobite Chronicles, I had no thought of writing the back stories of any of the characters. After I finished the main series I wanted to go back in time to the start of the whole Jacobite movement, which began at the end of 1688 when James VII/II was pushed off the throne and replaced by William and Mary. During that series I’ll write about Beth’s grandmother Ealasaid, her daughter Ann, Graeme, and maybe a few other characters who feature in the Chronicles.
The Main Series
After Tides I started researching for the new series, Road to Rebellion, which covers a much longer period of time than the Chronicles do, and soon realised that if I was going to make a good job of it, I first had to do a lot of background research. But I couldn’t just leave my loyal readers with no books for a couple of years!
So I put a competition up on Facebook, asking people to tell me which characters they’d like to know more about, and the prize was to feature as a character in one of the books, if I wrote them. The response was incredible, and it was that that led me to draw up a list of potential characters and to start thinking about their backgrounds, with a view to writing a book about each in between researching.
Just a few of my research books!
Once I had the list I realised that I had to re-read the Chronicles and pick out any places where those characters had mentioned events from their past, because their back stories had to match with whatever they’d already revealed. And this was where I hit my major problem. Because, as I said, I had never thought to write back stories, so the things that Sarah, Alex and Anthony had revealed didn’t always fit in with my shiny new ideas for their back stories, and sometimes there was a considerable amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth as I tried to work out how to incorporate a throwaway comment from the main series into their now increasingly detailed past stories.
It was a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle in which you have to incorporate pieces from a different puzzle and somehow make them fit. Sometimes it was fun, sometimes it was challenging, and sometimes I spent days miserably throwing away great ideas and wishing my character in Hell for saying such a stupid thing in book three. I initially thought Harriet’s book would be easier, because she only has two tiny scenes in the Chronicles, and apart from being Caroline’s aunt, her past is hardly mentioned. But when I decided to incorporate Highbury’s story into Harriet’s, and continue it into Caroline and Philippa’s, all that changed, and those books suddenly became incredibly complicated.
Although writing the back stories was comforting in a way, because some of the characters were already old friends, I also had to invent a whole load of new characters, some major, some minor, and also incorporate the competition winners, giving them cameo scenes in the books. At first I was a bit worried about this, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of writing the books! I decided to contact each winner and ask them to tell me a little about themselves, their appearance, likes and dislikes, hobbies, professions, dreams etc, which I would then weave into the book versions of them as I wrote. This was great fun, as I got to know a lot more about some readers who I’d not known at all before then, and establish relationships with them!
It was also fun exploring places and relationships between all social classes of people in some depth, from the very poor to the wealthy. This involved a lot more research, but was great fun. In the Chronicles I tend to focus more on the Scottish Highlanders and the English nobility, with a few scattered characters outside those spheres, but the back stories take me all over the place, which has been fascinating.
The Jacobite Chronicles Stories covers (plus novella)
I just wanted to add a little about my covers. Because I’m self-published I’m responsible for designing my own covers. Which is wonderful in one respect, as I can make them relevant to the actual book content, and absolutely terrifying in another respect, as I have the artistic skills of a five-year-old. I can often see what I want in my head, but am completely incapable of drawing it. Luckily I have a phenomenal cover artist who is fully capable of taking my stick-figure sketches and written descriptions and turning them into my dream covers!
Having said that, it still involves a lot of work for me, and sometimes a lot of messing about for both of us, to get it just right. In the Chronicles the basic layout for the series is people at the top blending into scenery of some relevant sort below. In the Stories I decided I wanted the character to the left in the foreground, with relevant scenery behind. Every book in the series would have this basic pattern.
The background is the river view near my house.
Then I came to Alex and Anthony, which were both challenging! The main figure of Alex is Jason Tobias, the model and actor who posed for the Chronicles pictures, but I just couldn’t find the right background! So it ended up as a mix of a Scottish scene with added heather, a photo I took of a Highland cottage from the Highland Folk Museum (well worth a visit), and two little boys at the beach dramatically altered by my cover artist to become the young Alex and Duncan. I love that cover now it’s finished, but it was a nightmare to construct.
Multiple aspects to this cover!
Not as much of a nightmare as Anthony though. Initially I thought Anthony would be one book, so managed to find the perfect background, and have Najla (cover artist) drop a few figures into it. Lots of time spent researching, but worth it. However, I couldn’t find any pictures that were even vaguely like Anthony! In despair I managed to get a friend of a friend, Richard, to agree to pose for it on a visit from Wales, and then bought a wig, gloves etc, and paid for a local seamstress to make a basic 18th century frockcoat for me. The end result was fabulous.
But then I realised Anthony would have to be two books, so all of a sudden I had another cover to do, in which Alex would be somewhere between the Highlander and the baronet. I found a lovely background picture which would fit in with him as a student (after a little tinkering to remove modern accessories), but my previous model was no longer available. Luckily my electrician Tim, who is a great sport and now a friend, and also the right height and build, agreed to have a break from doing electrics for me and instead don a frockcoat and wig and adopt assorted silly poses in the garden, with much laughter. The result is Anthony Part I’s cover, which is one of my favourites!
My latest cover, and now one of my favourites.
As the books have come out and my readers have finished them, I’ve had a lot of feedback saying that the back stories made them feel much closer to my characters, and many of you have re-read the main series with new eyes. While I haven’t re-read the main series in that way, it’s certainly brought me a lot closer to my characters as well, and, although I’m really looking forward to starting my new series once Anthony II is written, (I have done a lot of the research for it now, although I’ll have to refresh myself on it), I’m also dreading it, because these characters have lived with me almost constantly for over ten years, and I’ll miss them dreadfully when I finally have to say goodbye to them and move on to new pastures, as it were.
So there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to finish Anthony II, as I think I’m going to find it very difficult to let everyone go, some characters more than others. When I started writing years ago I never imagined being as involved with my characters as I’ve become. It’s a heady, wonderful feeling! But also a sad one, as the series starts to come to an end. I may at some point write more back stories – Iain and Maggie, and possibly Gabriel’s stories are possibilities, but not immediately. I’m sure the new characters will become friends too, but there will always be a place in my heart for the MacGregors, and all the other characters I’ve grown to love dearly. I hope that’ll be the case for you, too, as my readers!
44 Comments
What a lovely insight to being an author of the best set of books I have ever read, I am soon to be 63, so have read a lot of books!!
Thank you! What a lovely compliment!
I have read all the Jacobite Chronicles and absolutely loved them all. I have just finished The Baronet’s Tale and assumed there world be a book continuing the story when Alex returns to Scotland but I can’t fine it! Is there one and what is its title?
Thank you! I’m so glad you loved them all! The next book will be The Baronet’s Tale; Anthony Part II. I’m writing it at the moment, which is why you can’t find it! Hoping you’ll be patient…it’s coming along well.
Hi Julia,
Thank you so much for The Jacobite Chronicles and subsequent books!. I thoroughly enjoy them. I just finished A Whore’s Tail and was wondering if you’d have thoughts about expanding on Sarah’s and Duncan’s story. Sorry if that is a repeat question.
Hello,
Thanks, I’m so glad you’re enjoyng my books. I’m not planning on expanding Sarah and Duncan’s story at the moment, but may do so in the future. I’m not sure yet!
Hello Ms Brannan.
I enjoy most of the details and becoming immersed in your sagas. I appreciate that you mist have put tremendous effort into research. I love learning the history that you weave into your tales.
My favorite Character so far has been Harriet.
I wonder though, why does every character have to suffer so much ? Does no one get to be happy?
I feel so bad for all of them.
Lots of people get to be happy in the end! But I know what you mean. I think suffering is part of life. Almost everyone has things that go wrong in life, and often things don’t work out as planned. It’s always been that way, and if you’re involved in huge historical events as many of my characters are, suffering is even more likely. I think life isn’t about avoiding suffering – if you live a full life that’s going to happen, but how you deal with it, learn from it and move on to be happy. Many of my characters do that, in time.
Also nearly all novels deal with adversity and how people deal with it. A novel where everything is perfect from start to finish would probably not be very interesting!
Wonderful reading Julia! I haven’t read all the back stories yet, but I am really enjoying finding new depths to the characters. Thank you! xx
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying the books! Read Alex before Anthony.
Thank you for sharing this with us. The series itself is beyond wonderful but adding the back stories has taken it to another level. Can’t wait to re-read Alex and then Anthony 1 (have to finish the book I just started) and after that I’ll have to re-read the whole series. Absolutely love your writing style and can’t wait for the Road to Rebellion.
Oh thank you! I’m so glad you love the series, and my way of writing!
Just wanted to thank you Julia, for creating these wonderful books. My mum gave me The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer to read over fifty years ago and I have been hooked on historical fiction ever since. We loved sharing authors and books. Sadly she passed away before you wrote The Mask of Duplicity but how she would have adored these stories about our favourite period in history. I am so looking forward to reading Anthony 2 and the next series you have planned, and keeping my fingers crossed that we hear more of Alex and Beth. You are such a talented writer.
What a lovely comment! Thank you so much! I’m sorry you lost your mum, but glad she shared such wonderful things with you! You’ve just made my day!
Actually reading your blogs and newsletters is like having her back! Although I was born in Scotland and our whole family had been there for generations, we lived in London. My mum made sure I never forgot that I was Scottish as English history classes are a bit different to Scottish ones! I enjoy every instalment!
Oh, that’s lovely to read. I’m so glad they bring back great memories of your mum!
Your blogs are always so interesting and fun to read. I always feel like we’ve had a sit-down chat and that you’ve answered many of the questions and curiosities I’ve had about you and your work. Girl, you are a workhorse! So much goes into writing even one novel, but to create an entire series like the Chronicles and the Tales as you have, is beyond amazing. You must roll your eyes and growl when all your fans poke and prod you to ‘hurry up’ with your next book. Lastly, imagine my surprise to find my name in one of the headlines in this one, and boy, did you answer my initial question in depth. Thank you so much. You’re wonderful, Julia!
Thank you for writing this lovely series. I’ve finished the entire series and as I was reading book 6 I was listening to book 3. We are so fortunate to have such good readers on the audiobooks. I love the characters I didn’t want to part with them, I didn’t want to leave the book..
I wanted to ask if you had any authors that it inspired you to write this series. I had read a series in the 70s about (may be Charles Ii)trying to escape and return to France and it was a series of six books which I cannot find anywhere, but while I was looking for that, I found a series written in the 1920s by D.K. Broster. I’m partway into the first book but it seems.a high quality version.
Thank you so much! Have you read the five back stories as well, and the novella?
No authors inspired me to write the Chronicles. In fact once I knew that I was going to write about the ’45 I avoided all fiction set in that time until I’d finished the series (although I’ve read some, including Diana Gabaldon, Maggie Craig and CC Humphreys, since).
What inspired me was family history research, as I was trying to find out why my Gordon ancestors suddenly emigrated to Ireland, at a time when Ireland was not a good place for Catholics to prosper!
Ms Brannan, Thankyou for your Jacobite Chronicles and Tales. The characters are drawn to perfection and all situations described give such a clear picture of what is going on it really feels like standing on the sideline and being present, I find it difficult to stop reading, constantly checking how far I’ve got and dreading the end of each book and now I have consumed Anthony 1 I am bereft. There is nothing for it but to reread of the whole wonderful series however many times until your remarkable imagination has released Anthony 11.
Oh, thank you! That’s a wonderful compliment. That’s exactly how I hope my readers will feel, so it’s fabulous to know I’ve achieved what I set out to do! There are loads of other wonderful books out there for you to pass happy time away with though! I hope you find some!
Oh god Shirley I concur. Having lived with these characters all of whom have such heart I am bereft and can’t wait for Anthony part 11. I have read many books set in the same time period but none so enchanting. The books about Alex growing up we’re so sweet they make you love him even more. What a wonderful man! And I so loved Harriet, Phillippa and Caroline socking it to all in their century. My utmost thanks go to Julia Brannan for occupying almost all of the Australian summer.
Aww, thank you Allison! I know you’ve had a really hot summer in Australia, so I’m glad my books were able to occupy you! Hopefully Anthony II will occupy next summer!
Thank you, Ms Brannan, for the enchanting and marvelous experience you’ve given me and thousands of others, in reading all your books. They’re all so well researched and the characters so beautifully drawn, that I always feel, while reading, that I am there with them.
I can hardly wait for Anthony II!
All the best to you!
Oh that’s so lovely, thank you! I love that you feel you’re there with them. So do I when I’m writing the books!
Thank you for another wonderful newsletter. Congratulations on being added to Diana’s list. You certainly do belong there.
Your blogs entries are so informative and I learn something new everytime I read them. The research and detail you put in your books is so impressive.
Happy birthday and I hope the year ahead continues to be filled with success and happy days!
Thank you so much! That’s lovely to hear!
Thank you Julia. I finally found your newsletter. It had gone into my junk folder! It’s a great read. I’m totally addicted to listening to all your books over and over. Partly because of Wiil. I really liked Rosalind Landor too. But found the female narrator in books 5 and 6 very irritating with her breathy speech. Horrible. I have now listened to all the back stories too and love them. As a big fan of Diana I’m so glad she recommended you. I find your details of Culloden and Falkirk fascinating and much more inclusive than Diana’s. Eventually I will go back to listening to her books with new knowledge. But at the moment I can’t leave your characters!! Ready to start a listening again to the back stories. I listened to Harriet and the Ladies Tale on holiday. Perfect while lying in the sun. Made my holiday! Thank you so much.
Oh, thank you! That’s lovely to hear. My current female narrator Mary is wonderful. I’m hoping to keep her and Will for all my books. It was lovely of Diana to put me on her Methadone List. I’m overjoyed about that!
Your books have more than filled the hole left in my life after finishing the 9th outlander book. I absolutely love your books. I have finished the chronicles and all the back stories and await Anthony part 2 with great anticipation. My favourite character is Harriet but I adored Duncan. Thank you so much for so many happy (and sad!) hours in such brilliant company. My new obsession.
Oh thank you! That’s wonderful to know. More books are on the way!
Thank you so much for these stories. I just finished the Chronicles and now am embarking on the backstories. I love the idea of the back story as I tend to become immersed in the narrative, often to the detriment of my accomplishing the other tasks I should be doing. I would be interested if you have run into any Hamiltons in your research. My name implies a Scots origin somewhere in the line, but it isn’t known where.
I’m really glad you enjoyed the Chronicles main series. I hope you enjoy the back stories as much.
I honesstly haven’t come across any Hamiltons in my research, but in truth I have to remain focussed on the research necessary for my books, as the period is so rich I’d never write anything if I allowed myself to get too sucked into the events (although it does happen from time to time). I have cousins who live in Hamilton, which is near Glasgow, but that’s all I know, and not helpful to you! Good luck in finding out more.
Like everyone else who has commented here I want to thank you for these wonderful books, Julia – I have spent quite a few late nights getting to a certain point in many of them before I could sleep!
Alex (closely followed by Duncan) is my favorite character, and I’m glad you wrote his back story so we could understand just what a leap it was and all the work involved for him to move from the Highlands into London Society, and the evolution of the relationship between him and the Earl of Highbury, which was wonderful to read of, knowing that the Earl’s son was a villain and that Alex’s father was dead by the time of the first novel. I am hoping that Alex and Beth and their child or children and the Earl have a postscript one day. And, like another commenter, I hope there is a backstory of the relationship between Duncan and Sarah, and the wee spider. 🙂
You surprised me with the main character’s next step in each book, and when your characters were loving they were wonderful, and when they were evil, they were fearful. What wonderful tales!!
Thank you so much for sharing this rich world with us!
Oh, thank you! What a lovely post! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my books so much. I love writing them, but it is a LOT of work, between the vast amount of research I have to do and actually writing the books (as well as having a life), so wonderful posts like yours really keep me going on days when my creative juices aren’t flowing so well.
Thank you for buying them, and for taking the time to write and send such a great compliment!
I was interested to learn that you had not gone back to read the chronicles after writing the tales. I read the Chronicles first, and after I finished the tales, I was compelled to go back and read the Chronicles immediately, so I have Read them all twice since September 1 this year. it’s now October 7. Double the enjoyment with the additional knowledge from the back stories. Thank you so much for the series and I’m looking forward to the next publications.
Thank you! I’m glad you got double enjoyment from the books! I think I haven’t re-read the Chronicles after writing the back stories because I think of them in a different way to readers, having written them and had all the characters living in my head for many years. I may at some point, but at the moment I’m finishing Anthony II and then looking to the next series.
Can you please, even as a short blog post, tell me the story of Sarah and Duncan and the spider. It honestly drives me mad! Love the Chronicles and backstories, I’ve re read all the books 5 times now and I just need to know about the spider!
Absolutely loved the main series and the background novels too! Can’t wait to read more of your books!!!
Thank you so much! It’s so kind of you to let me know. More books on the way!
Hi, Is the Barronets tale Part 2 going to be released as an audio book on Audiable?
I’m just finishing part 1 and I’ve listened to all of the others in the series.
Hello, yes, it will be released as an audio book, but not until later in the year. Will and Mary start recording in July. They’re fully booked until then.
I’ve just binge read the chronicles and back stories. I threw in A 75% Solution in between. I can’t express how much I loved reading all these. Everyone became so real to me. You made it feel like I was physically living in each scenario.
I can’t wait to see what you write next. Thank you.
Oh that’s lovely! Thank you so much!