I emailed Mrs. Turner!

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

 
So, many of us have long been puzzled by the Empress Irene of Athens question. The powerful women who ruthlessly and efficiently controlled Byzantine from 797-802 AD before she was dethroned and banished to live in dignified exile.

Ruthless and ambitious, she is widely suspected of having poisoned her husband...

Irene of Athens was one of the most ruthless, ambitious, and forceful women ever to hold a throne... 

-From Answers.com

If that wasn't coincidence enough, she was also known by the familiar term baselius. No joke. 

In order to bring all matters to light, I finally worked up the nerve to ask our dear authoress if her character was inspired by this remarkably similar women. After all, what's the worse she could do? Call me a nosy parker and banish me from Sounis? Okay, that's probably just my imagination.


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I wrote---

Hi Mrs. Turner,

 
You'd probably recognize me as a member of Sounis (ninedaysaqueen), and I'm emailing to first congratulate you on winning the LA Times Award (yay!), and second because I have a quick historical question about the series. Is Attolia, in anyway, based on Irene of Athens who ruled Byzantine from 797-802, or at the very least, named after her? They just seem so similar, it's hard to believe it's a coincidence.

 

 I'd really appreciate your response. Thank you so much!

 

 -ninedaysaqueen

She responded---

Whoa.  I'm sorry it has taken so long to answer your message.  I usually go through the e-mail

in batches and it has been more than usually hectic around here.  And do you know what's worse?

I am totally not answering your question.  Except maybe to say that the character is not named

after Irene of Athens.  She's named after a boat.  And a landlady in Greece.

 

Thanks for the Congrats and for putting up with me,

most uncooperative author ever,

Megan


I wrote---

A boat? Really? *is quite surprised* Mind if I tell Sounis? Several of us have been curious about the Empress Irene question.

 

Your very welcome! And thank you for answering my question!

 

 -ninedaysaqueen

She responded---

Go ahead and puzzle the heck out of those poor people in Sounis with my best wishes!

Megan

ps.  It was a rowboat.

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A boat? I should be surprised, but I'm really not. Keh... Now we know, Irene's namesake is a boat. A row boat to be specific. I'm sure Irene would be thrilled.

Gen: See? Look how well I planned our first date. I was only thinking of you, my dear.

Irene: ... We will never speak of this again. Understood?

Gen: Oh, of course. *snicker*

Irene: *sigh*