An Earthly Knight is set in 12th century Scotland. It was released by HarperCollins Canada in March, 2003, and HarperCollins New York in the spring of 2004. The plot of the book was inspired by two very old ballads, "Tam Lin" and "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight." Ballads are songs that tell stories.

Because I had never written a book set in the Middle Ages, I spent about a year reading and researching before I started to write An Earthly Knight, and I visited the Borders in the south east of Scotland where the story is set.

I learned a lot about the Middle Ages. Here are some pages that explain more about aspects of the book:

Food in Twelfth Century Scotland                                            Medicine in Twelfth Century Scotland  

Setting: Where is Teviotdale?                                                   About the Ballads (Entertainment)

Castles in Twelfth Century Scotland                                         The Normans in Scotland

Read the Unpublished Prologue                                                Teachers' Resource Page

Religion in Twelfth Century Scotland                                        Clothing and Textiles

                                                                             

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These pages updated August, 2006