Pre-contact America
has always fascinated me, ever since I was a child and I first came across accounts
of the Aztecs. It seemed somehow alien, so different to my experience growing
up in the north-west of England.
This fascination
has never left me. I watch anything about the Americas on television and have
over the years read many history books on the subject. It was then with some
interest that I encountered the work of Zoe Saadia. I was intrigued by her
tweets about her novels and this has led me into her richly imagined world.
As a historian what drew you from Ancient Rome
to Pre-Contact America in the first place?
Well,
pre-contact America was always the one who drew my interest in the way I could
not resist, although logically it should not have happened, as I was born on
the other side of the globe. So actually, ancient Rome was the one to draw my
attention away and not the other way around.
There
so little literature concerning Ancient Americas, that at some point one can’t
maintain one’s interest, and have to move on. Republican Rome offered me a very
nice diversion, with plenty of fiction and non-fiction, with non-stop action
and the most fascinating politics, this transition from a democracy (even if an
imperfect one) to the absolute monarchy.
Back to Americas I returned
only when I knew what I was planning to do with my life, which is to fill this
void, to deal with this lack of good historical fiction on its per-contact
history. Ten years of research presented to me a continent full of life, of
bubbling politics, shifting powers, empires and democracies, war and peace
treaties, all prior to the 15th century. To the contrary of the
popular belief, both Americas were mostly agricultural, therefore well settled,
with plenty of time to grow great cultures, political systems and interesting
clashes between some of them. It presented me with a rich field of cultures and
events to choose while looking for good stories
How did the idea for your first novel come
about?
Being
an avid reader of James Clavell, I wanted to create my own Shogun-of-the-ancient-Americas.
The situation of a strong, fairly open-minded man thrown into an absolutely
foreign society to him, discovering it slowly and painfully, drawing into it
against his will, fascinated me greatly. This way I could also present two
different cultures, making my point of the diverse pre-contact North America
stronger – shooting two birds in one shot
This is how the idea of
“The Cahokian” was born. The monarchist Mississippians against the fierce
democratic Iroquois of the Great Lakes. A somewhat ambitious undertaking and,
being the first novel, it definitely has its flows (this book is being
rewritten and proofread again through this month). But all in all, it did drive
the point home. 
In your "Pre-Aztec" series you write
about the Tepanec Empire, how much of this is based
on archaeology and how much have you had to use your imagination?
Oh,
the Tepanecs were more difficult to deal with than the Aztecs. I have to admit
I did use not a little imagination (but not as bad as with the Mississippians
of my first novel, whose research was based solely on archeology and nothing
else).
The
Tepanecs were the regional superpower that held the Mexican Valley and its
cities-states and provinces, Aztecs included, in its firm grip for a few
decades or more. But as soon as the scales tipped and the Aztecs and their
allies took power, a serious effort was made to re-write the history. Reportedly
the winners went as far as destroying many previous records and even burning
books. There were great libraries in Texcoco, the city-state that was never
subjected to the Aztecs, but those libraries were destroyed in the Spanish
conquest that came a century and a half later.
So,
while we have a fair amount of ancient records concerning the Aztecs, we don’t
have much on the preceding Tepanecs. Which forced me to guess some of the
customs and everyday’s life’s tidbits, basing my assumptions of the later-day Aztecs
and their neighbors.
How do you keep up to date with developments
in the field?
Luckily
I have great friends in Mexico-city to keep me updated on the important
lectures concerning latest discoveries that are sometimes held in Temple Mayor
museum. Also the internet helps a lot. There is not a day upon which I don’t bless
the internet and the wonderful possibilities of reaching all sorts of
information and connecting with all sorts of people it has opened to us.
What would you do differently if you had the
chance?
Nothing
that I can think of. Ok, maybe my location. I would love to be born in the
lands I’m fascinated and in love with. To live on the other side of the globe,
doing the research and interacting with friends and colleagues whose day is
when my night is, is a bit challenging.
If you could go back in time where would you
go?
Oh,
this is a tricky question. There are so many locations and time periods! If I’m
allowed to pick a few, then, of course, I’ll be off to 13th-14th
centuries Central and North Americas, to make sure I got my facts right.
After
wards I would detour by Caesar’s Rome, and then maybe take a quick tour through
Spain and Italy of Hannibal’s time.
What's in the pipeline?
Oh,
now that I officially finished with the rise of the Aztec Empire (the last book
was sent to the editor two day ago), I’m moving back to North America. The
Great League of the Iroquois with their unprecedented democracy and
constitution and the way it had been created, is definitely worth a thorough
representation in historical fiction.
If you were a colour what colour would you be?
Either
red or turquoise. It’s difficult to choose J
.jpg)
