Brian Kenneth Swain

I am experimenting a bit with Chapter 3 in which the falcon Ain Fir reflects in first person about his life as a trained hunting falcon. I am trying to set up the relationship between the bird and the boy Rodrigo, as this will be an important relationship throughout the story to come.  I am after three distinct voices with this–the bird, the boy, Columbus. To further distinguish the changes, the boy’s chapters will be past tense, whereas Columbus’s will be present, to give them a bit more immediacy. We’ll have to see how this all works. I would really like though for Ain Fir to have a sense of superiority, almost as though he tolerates being with the boy, all the while knowing that he is free to take off whenever ...

Posted for the first time today the cast, glossary and bibliography on the web site for others to review. I also began getting some decent traction in Chapter 2, in which we begin to deal with Lope’s grief over Catalina’s conviction and impending execution. I remain undecided on whether or not to oblige Lope to attend this execution. Doubtless the officials of the inquisition would have required this of anyone who had been reconciled to the church, as a sign of their penitence, etc. Still, to have to watch your spouse burned at the stake? A bit much…. This chapter is where we will begin to get to know know Rodrigo better, important as he is our main character in this story once things get rolling in earnest. He will have ...

Cast of Characters Columbus, Christopher – Explorer who traveled to the New World four times in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Ferdinand II of Aragon (the Catholic) – King of Aragon and Castile, from 1479 to 1516. Fir, Ain – Rodrigo’s pet peregrine falcon. Isabella 1 (the Catholic) – Queen of Castile and Leon from 1474 to 1504. Morillo, Miguel de – Dominican friar and one of two original inquisitors of Castile, appointed in 1480, well prior to Torq’s appointment as IG. Torquemada, Tomas de –Inquisitor General of Spain (from 1483 to his death in 1498), Spanish Dominican friar. On Oct. 17, 1483, Thomas de Torquemada, ...

Bibliography Burman, Edward. The Inquisition: The Hammer of Heresy. Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing Ltd., 2004. Cohen, J. M. (Editor, Translator). Christopher Columbus: The Four Voyages. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1969. (in work) Dyson, John. Columbus: For Gold, God, and Glory. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. Edwards, John. Inquisition. Stroud, Gloucestershire, Tempus Publishing, 1999. (done) Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. Columbus and the Conquest of the Impossible. London, England: Phoenix Press, 1974. (done) Grant, George. The Last Crusader: The Untold Story of Christopher Columbus. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1992. (done) Granzotto, Gianni. Christopher Columbus: The Dream and the ...

Glossary of Terms Alhambra Decree. Document expelling all Jews from Spain, issued on 31 March 1492, taking effect 3 months later. Auto da fe’. Grand trial of faith. Ceremony in which conversos were tried and sentenced for their heresy. Bachiller. Term of address signifying a man with a basic university education. Capellar. Moorish clothing. Converso. Jew or Muslim who converted to Catholicism under pain of death or persecution. Convivencia. Centuries of shared Christian, Jewish and Muslim life on the Iberian peninsula Corozas. Conical hat worn by Convictees at trial. Crypto-Jew. Those who secretly continue to practice Judaism despite being converted Christians, or conversos. Ducat. Unit of currency Fuego revolto. Garment worn by ...

Completed drafting Chapter 1, in which Morillo spends a good deal of time interrogating Lope de Triana (Rodrigo’s uncle) and at the end of which he (Morillo) is informed of Torquemada’s appointment as IG, a position he very much coveted for himself. Morillo will be even more hacked when later in the novel Torquemada sends his butt after Rodrigo as a clandestine member of Columbus’s crew. One of the many goals here, character-wise, is to ensure that Morillo has the pissiest attitude possible since he is the personification “the devil” being outrun per the title.  We move ahead in Chapter 2 to some more important developmental character work, including meeting Rodrigo and his family, and the scene in which he ...

Introduction 1492 was such a surpassingly bountiful year in world history that it’s a bit surprising more fictional stories haven’t emerged from the period. In fact the original idea for this novel sprang from the idea that Columbus departing Spain for the New World at precisely the same time and place as Isabella and Ferdinand were expelling the Jews in the midst of the Inquisition seemed positively rife with dramatic opportunity. Consider some of the events taking place at this time around the world: January 2 — Spain recaptures Granada from the Moors January 23 — “Pentateuch” (Jewish holy book) 1st printed March 31 — Queen Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon ...

Spent best part of past few days reading in Homza and Kedourie anthologies (raw docs and essays respectively) with much good new material found re. the inquisition.  I have already begun working original source docs into the manuscript, including testimony from interrogations, verdicts, etc. Much more of this sort of thing as I proceed. Once we get into the Columbus bit of the story, the same will occur except using his log entries, correspondence with the queen, etc.  All is properly sourced, though I don’t know the exact rules concerning use of lengthy quotes from other essays and source docs, especially when the docs are >500 years old. Still drafting Chapter 1, the interrogation of Lope Triana, Rodrigo’s uncle and a ...