Research in Bratislava and Vienna

It is with much gratitude and humility that I can say I have come to the end of a short period of productive research in Slovakia and Austria. Why Austria - the novel is not set there, right? Well, that is indeed the case, but it's a much more convenient journey if you fly into Vienna and then take the train to Bratislava! I have to admit I had no idea how close the two cities were until I looked them up on a map, and Bratislava is only a one hour trip east by rail from the Austrian capital.

Of course, it does become all the more relevant when one looks at the history of the places, and this is a historical novel, after all. In the 18th century the two cities were still part of the same political mass, so checking out both does have some relevance historically and architecturally. Bratislava has more of a Gothic feel to its buildings, and Vienna more renaissance, and these styles very much reflect the personalities of the two main characters [Ružena and Marika] respectively. How? well... you'd just have to read it :)

So what did I actually DO when I was out there and was there any need to physically go? Though one could say with some accuracy that a lot of research can be done over the internet these days, it's still not the same as GOING to a place. The chances are, that when you do, your work will develop and be enhanced in ways which are both expected and unexpected. Things go right, things go wrong, you meet people, explore streets, hear music, see décor, watch wildlife, walk into taverns, eat food, get drunk, have conversations and feel things which you just wouldn't on the internet. And God only knows what else. The task, if you're there for 'work' purposes, is to make sure things are documented correctly and in a way which will make you want to revisit the data you've collected [note to those interested: open-ended, sprawling, two hour interviews are not that attractive to revisit!].

My time was split between four important locations when I was out there: Vienna, Bratislava, Modra and Častá - or, more accurately, Červený Kameň Castle near the villages of Častá and Píla in the northwest of Slovakia. Vienna was busy but beautiful [it's made all the better if you actually walk into places], Bratislava was NOT busy but beautiful [the old town is something of an unspoiled gem in the centre of Europe], and Modra was humble but fascinating, especially if you're into wine and/or ceramics [not to mention the impressive surrounding countryside].

The entirety of what I was able to accomplish in my time there is [thankfully!] too much to note here, but I can say with some confidence that making my way out to Hrad Červený Kameň; visiting the Bratislava City Museum and meeting one of my alpha readers in person were the highlights. Hrad Červený Kameň, for its part, is a beautiful but imposing castle nestled in the Lesser Carpathians, and things certainly came into context when I was out there. This castle is what Modransky Hrad - the main residence in the novel - is loosely based on, and the design, décor, furnishings and surrounding landscape were all highly relevant to the places I have been crafting. Sufficed to say it seems I chose the right locations by gut feeling alone. When one is traversing the winter landscape of the Malé Karpaty, so many elements of folklore come to life and I could see why the traditional legends of vicious vampires took root there in the first place [those indescribable sounds coming from the craggy mountain forests can play havoc with your imagination given time]. If only the tour guide hadn't been so miserable it would have been even better ;)

Vienna had its part to play too, especially the beer and the winehouses, which provided much-appreciated ambience and occasion from which to draw. This will make the transition from alpha to beta all the more rooted in reality, one would hope. With regard to the beta, I am now in the process of making pre-beta revisions [I adopt a 'less is more' approach to these] and I predict them to be finished by the end of April. Beta reads will then take place from May to August before more revisions happen and then the daunting prospect of the final draft!

I'll most likely update this blog towards the end of that period. In the meantime, I want to say a big thank you to the people who took the time to read the alpha so far [you know who you are, and yes, you will get mentioned in the final print :)] and I look forward to seeing what the next few months bring for Bunika. If you want to be there for the beta - i.e. to be involved in it - please head to the Contact page!