Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! In the spirit of the day, I’ve decided to finish off the Seagram’s Escapes I bought for my birthday back in December (you can tell I’m a heavy drinker) and just one drink is enough to get my scrawny self tipsy. So bear with me. And yes, I’m twenty-two years old, I can legally drink.
(On a side note, I’ve heard a lot of authors talk about writing while drunk. I don’t get it. I like being able to think.)
You know what, that’s something I’ve never actually talked about on the internet. Alcohol. And it’s something that I’ve largely left out of my books as well, especially considering that I write historical fiction. As a nerd, I never know what normal people know and don’t know. It might be common knowledge that most water in the Middle Ages was contaminated with nasty germs like typhoid, so most people drank beer on a regular basis. It was pretty weak bear, sometimes less than one percent alcohol by volume, but still.
(Oh, and did you know that “Bitter Water” by The Oh Hellos is a lot of fun to sing along to while tipsy? It’s upbeat and also has lines like “Even now you mark my steps, lovely bitter water, and all the days of our delights are poison in my veins. I know I shouldn’t love you, but I do.” Which is just about the perfect drinking song.)
Anywho. (Oh, this is why people write drunk. My inhibitions are gone. This could end poorly.) Anyway, alcohol was very much A Thing back when the Clouds Aflame books take place. And I mention alcohol a couple of times. I even show characters drinking in the second and third books. Alynn never drinks, though, even though it would have been perfectly normal for her. I suppose my modern sensibilities got in the way of actually historically accurate writing in this case. Oh well. I don’t regret anything.
One character who never drinks, though, is Rowan. I even make a point of showing him refusing alcohol in a couple different places–I think in all three books, but I could be wrong. And there’s a story behind that, which I’m going to tell you.
See, everyone needs a Scottish best friend who’s a bad influence on them, but still a good person deep down. Rowan has Captain Tamlane McMahon, Alynn has Maggie McKenzie, I’ve got…no one. (Typical. I should get out more.) And one day, back when the McNeils still lived in Ireland, Captain McMahon treated Rowan to a night at the bar. Alynn was probably ten or eleven at this point, and when her father didn’t come home from work, she decided to wait up for him.
Well, Rowan came back home drunk, and Alynn got into a bit of a scuff with him. She’d had it, taking care of Tarin and the house and everything, and where was Rowan? Didn’t even have the decency to come home after work, she’d left dinner hot and waiting for him. She was miffed. Anyway, Rowan wasn’t in the best of moods, and definitely not thinking clearly, and he smacked Alynn in the face once or twice. Depends on who’s telling the story.
The next morning, Rowan woke up with a hangover and Alynn woke up with a bruise on her face. (Oh shoot I’ve got a casserole that’s probably cool enough to put in the fridge, hang on guys, I’ll be right back.) (I’m back. I brought fruit snacks.) Anyway, Rowan of course felt awful about what he’d done, and he promised Alynn that he’d never get drunk again. I’m pretty sure he also stole a chicken for dinner that night, but again, that detail isn’t always there. Depends on who’s telling the story.
And that, dear readers, is why Rowan McNeil doesn’t drink. He might have problems, but he’s a man of his word, and he loves Alynn very much. What piece of backstory would you like to hear next? (Trust me, I know everything about my characters.) Let me know in the comments below, or tell me on my social media! I’m on Twitter (@MJPiazza2), Facebook, and Instagram (M.J. Piazza). See you there!