To Wear a Heart so White
A cost for every action, and a price for every deed.
The Historical Writers’ Forum proudly presents seven stories of Crime and Punishment, from across the ages. From an anchoress to a war hero; from Italy to Missouri; this anthology has a story for everyone.
Included stories are:
The Ignoble Defence – Virginia Crow
Agatha’s Eyes – Rachel Aanstad
A Pact Fulfilled – Eleanor Swift-Hook
Carte de Viste – Ronan Beckman
A Dish Served Cold – Brenda W. Clough
Shadows of the Adriatic – Tessa Floreano
A Dangerous Road – D. Apple
Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TWAHSW
Rachel Aanstad gives us a glimpse into her world, and the inspiration for her contribution to the anthology: Agatha’s Eyes.
“I’m a historian and Shakespeare nerd and have always enjoyed cozy mysteries. I was intrigued by the idea of writing a cozy mystery as a break rom the non-fiction writing I usually do. I was watching one of my favorite YouTube channels Esoterica with Dr. Justin Sledge and he has a few videos posted about Medieval female mystics that I found very compelling.
There were two groups of these women that I found interesting. The Beguines were secular women who lived in all female communities (a Beguinage) run by a female Magistra. These women lived much like nuns but without the vows. They often worked in hospitals and provided the same services to their communities that nuns did but had no male overseeing them.
The other group were anchoresses These were women who became attached to a specific church and never left. They become a living anchor for their community that tied the physical world to the divine.
My current circumstances are such that I must remain home most of the time so I found it very easy to imagine myself in the lifestyle of an anchoress. I love cozy mysteries but all those amateur sleuths are very active. They scurry all over town to solve crimes. I wondered if it was possible to write a mystery where the sleuth must rely completely on what she can learn from the confines of her own room. Would it be possible to solve a mystery without ever leaving your home?
I wanted my character to have lived a full enough life that she could bring a more worldly view to her detective work and so Agatha, the ex Magistra of a busy beguinage who took on the role of an anchoress, was born.
The other characters are inspired by accounts of real medieval people, many of whom were not famous and whose names may be forgotten, but the stories of their lives thorough songs or legal records, come down to us still. The 14th century was a difficult time beset by plagues, wars, and famines but through it all ordinary people lived, worked, and loved and I enjoy being able to provide a brief glimpse into their world.
Rachel is a writer, artist, and historian. She lives in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by books, cats, and silly little dogs. She has a dollhouse kit company called Tilly Valley Miniatures and writes books about Shakespeare’s plays. She is currently writing Shakespeare’s Influences for Pen and Sword to be published in 2025.
