What books do you have on your nightstand?
There are actually no books on the nightstand, just a clock, a lamp, and a photo of my daughter.but other than that It's a teetering pile of 21 books (I just counted them) and about the same number in a small tower. The tallest of the big mountains is Karl Ove Knausgaard's Eternal Wolf. Vintage Tattoo Art Book, History of the World in 500 Maps, Two Jack Reachers, History of Death Row Records, Norwegian Sagas, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Walter de la Mare Collection There are also ghost stories and books about negotiating with terrorists.
What book would people be surprised to have on your bookshelf?
That's who they're looking for.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
Every summer I rent a house in a village at the foot of the White Mountains on the island of Crete. One of his bougainvillea-shaded tavernas shares the village square with his small Byzantine chapel decorated with magnificent 14th-century frescoes. I go there during my lunch break with a book. Kostas, the owner of the taverna, will bring you the food he has prepared to accompany your beer. He makes me speak bad Greek. The cat takes a nap. The dog bursts into laughter. Local farmers come and discuss the price of watermelons. I'm in heaven.
What was the last great book you read?
Alice Wynn's debut novel “In Memoriam” came to Taverna with me last summer. I was shocked. To that end, I sent Alice some fan mail, and we ended up talking on the phone for an hour about medieval beards.
What is your favorite book that no one has heard of?
“The Wake” by Paul Kingsnorth. The story is set during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It features a grumpy outlaw called Buckmaster and is difficult to understand, as it is written in a hybrid of modern and old English. I keep giving this book to people and no one thanks me.
Who is your favorite historical fiction author?
Tolstoy, obviously. Mary Renaud. James Ellroy. I must have read “American Tabloid” eight or 10 times. Elroy takes history into the sewers and rolls with it until everything is filthy. I mine that dark energy.
Are there any historical writers who inspired you to try your hand at fiction?
In 2019, I had dinner with George R.R. Martin after interviewing him. we talked about history. George has read more history than most people alive. But he turns his love for this subject into something very wild and unbridled. I thought that might be fun.
What is the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?
According to Philippa Gregory's new history book, Ordinary Women, there are 93 penises depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, but only three of them are women. Patriarchy is rampant.
What subject would you like more writers to write about?
Medieval times are always welcome, folks.
What do you read when you're writing a book? And what kind of reading do you avoid while writing?
When writing a novel, I try to avoid other novels that are in the same patch. But I'm more into music and exercise. You have to be on a certain mental frequency. That means listening to a lot of deep house, techno, and drum and bass, plus doing Peloton and yoga every morning. That makes me sound like a terrible yuppie. Probably me too.
What do you like about promoting yourself and your work?
Meeting with readers. It's like human contact! But being interviewed can also be fascinating. Discussing a book you've written with a stranger on stage often reveals more than you understood while writing it. Maybe that's what therapy is all about.
What was it like working on it? “Sex: An Incredible History” For British TV?
It was a riot. Irresponsible fun from start to finish. A typical work day might be dressing up as a medieval monk and going to a fake Georgian sex party in the morning, and interviewing a drag queen impersonating a Roman emperor in the afternoon. And I got paid handsomely for it. Remember that my grandfather was blown up by the Nazis at sea as a teenager and then spent the next 40 years in a coal mine. You need to know when good things happen.
What do you write when signing books for your fans?
Usually it's just “I wish you all the best”, but I can barely read it anyway. You'll need to get a wax seal or get your stamp stamped on your parish's marriage register like peasants do. Write an X and leave it alone.
What advice would you give to authors who talk about their books on TV?
Be clear, direct, and to the point. Please flirt a little. Don't forget that there are 8,000 other TV channels and your viewers are probably texting him too.
You are planning a literary dinner party. Which three of her writers, living or dead, would you invite?
Of course we go to the Middle Ages. What about Christine de Pizan and Anna Komnene? I'm going on a double date with Geoffrey Chaucer. The real thing, or Paul Bettany's version of “The Knight's Tale.” I'm not picky.