Today
Katherine Marsh, author of the upcoming JEPP, WHO DEFIED THE STARS, is guesting on the blog. She even provided a few interesting facts about herself that serve as a terrific introduction.
"A few interesting tidbits about me: I used to write for
Rolling Stone magazine, I’m a Scorpio, and I’m really claustrophobic so if you meet me in an elevator, for god sakes, gi
ve me space!"
Now here's Katherine!
--
Greetings!
One of the cool things about my new book, Jepp, Who Defied the Stars, is
that both the title character and many other characters in the book are
based on real historical figures. In Bed With Books has asked me to
share some of the weird bits I uncovered doing the research for the book
so the logical place to start is with one of these characters—a Danish
nobleman named Tycho Brahe. Brahe was a 16th century
astronomer. Before you start to yawn, consider this weird historical
tidbit: Brahe had no nose. And that’s just the beginning of his very
strange story.
But first, a little about my story: My book is not called Tycho Brahe, Who Defied the Stars. It’s called Jepp, Who Defied the Stars.
So who the heck is Jepp? Jepp was also a real person. He served in
Brahe’s court as his dwarf jester. Beyond that, not much is known about
him. He’s a footnote of history—he literally sat at his famous master’s
feet—which is why I set out to tell his story. Who was he and he did he
end up with Tycho? What happened to him there? Jepp became my vehicle
for an adventure story/ mystery about fate and free will, parents and
destiny.
Central
to Jepp’s own story is the eccentric figure of Tycho Brahe. The more I
learned about Brahe through biographies and histories, the more
intrigued I became. Back to the nose: Brahe lost it in a drunken duel
when he was a student (Mother’s Against Drunk Swordplay was apparently
not yet incorporated) and afterwards he wore a prosthetic nose—made of
copper though some say he also had a gold one he broke out for special
occasions. He attached it to his face with paste. In my book, Jepp is
forced to do a particularly strange job—pick up Tycho’s nose when the
paste loosens and the nose falls off.
Brahe
was one part Steve Jobs, one part Michael Jackson, and one part Willy
Wonka. He built his own futuristic castle and observatory on the island
of Hven (a gift to Brahe from his patron, the King of Denmark). The
castle even had running water, which no one else did at the time, and an
indoor fountain. Brahe personally designed many of his own astronomical
instruments and employed scholars from across Europe, creating one of
the first modern-day international research facilities. He was paranoid
about other astronomers stealing his ideas though and so, centuries
before this became common practice, made his employees sign written
contracts. Despite being a noble, he wasn’t a snob: he married a
non-noble woman even though such a marriage was technically against the
laws of the time and employed and nurtured scholars from more humble
backgrounds.
Brahe
was a serious astronomer—the data he compiled was so comprehensive and
accurate that the astronomer Johannes Kepler would later use it to prove
his groundbreaking laws of planetary motion--but he also knew how to
have a good time. He kept a collection of automata, or mechanized
statues, with which he liked to frighten guests. And, my favorite detail
of all, he had a beer-drinking moose as a pet.
The moose ultimately didn’t fare much better than Brahe’s nose but you’ll have to read Jepp, Who Defied the Stars to find out exactly what happened to it--as well as more strange but true historical tales.
Bio: I’m the author of the upcoming historical YA novel
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars (out October 9
th!), the
Edgar-award winning
The Night Tourist, and a sequel,
The Twilight Prisoner (read if you like ghosts, urban exploration and Greek myths).
Book One of the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy
