Danièle Cybulskie

Q: WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A WRITER?

I never really decided - it happened by accident. When I was home with my first child, I really needed an outlet for all this love I had for the history I’d been studying, and that outlet became a blog. It was a way to share all those fun and fascinating bits of medieval history I enjoyed with the world and to keep myself sane! I never thought of myself as a writer, but more of a teacher or a friend sharing interesting stuff. Over time, my writing was picked up by Medievalists. net, and after a few years writing for them, I decided to compile those articles into a book, which became The Five-Minute Medievalist. When that came out, it was well-received, and that made me believe I could put together bigger projects. It might have been after that first book was published that I decided I was a writer.

Q: What inspired you to create your book, How to Live like A Monk?

reader of positive psychology books, so this seemed like a really fun idea. I got to learn more about monks, and explore all of the things that science has shown makes us happier people. It was a wonderful project to take on.

Q: How would describe your writing style?

Short! I started out as “The Five-Minute Medievalist” with articles only around a thousand words or so. In the longer book projects, I’ve still stuck to that style, giving people information in bite-sized chunks. I would also describe my style as “friendly”. I write history for non-specialists, and for people intimidated by big tomes. As a result, my writing is conversational and easygoing, meant to invite people in and give them a pleasant diversion while showing them just how interesting medieval history is.

The idea for How to Live Like a Monk was pitched to me by Lauren Orthey at Abbeville Press, who was familiar with my other work. I had wanted to learn more about monks for a long time because they’re both so interesting and so influential, and I was already an avid Q: What was the journey like for you as you were writing, editing, and publishing your works?

It’s a continuous learning process, that’s for sure. I think I experience a similar journey to other writers, where we struggle to squeeze in the time, write hard against deadline, and go through periods where we are unhappy and then happy with the result. My first book was self-published, so that process took quite a lot of learning, but it’s nice to look back and see what you’re able to accomplish, especially when there are so many moving pieces. I’ve been lucky with the publishers I’ve worked with since then, as everyone has been very kind to me. The team at Abbeville is stellar, and I know they are as invested in the book as I am, which makes the whole process both comfortable and energizing. The best part of the journey for How to Live Like a Monk has been the people who have written to me, telling me the book has helped them through difficult situations, or made their lives just a little bit better. As a historian, it’s rare to get to write a book that has that kind of impact on people. I’m very fortunate.

Q: When will this new book be released and where can readers buy it?

How to Live Like a Monk is out now, and it can be found at all the major bookstores. It’s also available on ebook, and audiobook, which I narrate, myself. Because it’s a fun history book, you can also find it popping up in places like museum gift shops.

Q: Did you have any difficulties in creating this latest book?

Yes! Bringing together modern science around wellness and medieval monasticism was tricker than I imagined it would be. While they both involve the same types of practices (meditation, minimalism, gratitude, etc.), the reasons why people do these things are very different. For strict medieval monks, humans were sinful, so these practices would sustain them while they prepared their souls for divine judgement. For modern people, these practices are good because they make us healthier and happier - valuable goals in and of themselves. It took some thinking to enmesh them, while still ensuring both points of view were represented with respect and care.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers in your genre?

I think that, in history, you can get bogged down in the research if you strive too hard for perfection. Don’t get me wrong - I am constantly checking and double-checking my facts, and I think that’s a responsible approach. But if you try to read absolutely everything ever written about each facet of your subject, you won’t get your own writing done. So, it’s better to look for the very best, most up-to-date information out there, and get to work. I would also say don’t be afraid to express your sense of humour. Most historians come (necessarily) from the academic tradition, where the writing is meant to be very serious. Writing for a general audience is very different, and in that arena, it’s best to allow your personality to shine through.

Q: Would you ever write books in any other genre?

I mean, never say never, but I have absolutely no plans to. While I admire fiction writers greatly, I don’t see myself ever writing fiction. It’s too hard! I don’t have the temperament for it. I’ve toyed with turning some of my work into a format for children, but I haven’t decided yet. I’m comfortable where I am.

Q: What were your favorite moments as a writer when working on your book?

My favourite moments always come when I get a look behind the historical curtain and really see the people who lived in the Middle Ages. When I read their words and hear what they have to say about their feelings, their experiences, and their thoughts on life, I always get a deep feeling of empathy and kinship, and then I get excited to try to bring this feeling to my readers. When I experience this rich empathy, and when I anticipate readers feeling it, too, that’s the very best part of the work.

Q: Where can readers find you and your book?

I’m pretty much everywhere in the medieval space! You can find me at my website (danielecybulskie.com), listen to my podcast (The Medieval Podcast), read one of the hundreds of articles I’ve written for Medievalists. net, or find my books online or in stores. I’m also on social media @5MinMedievalist.

ABOUT DANIÈLE

As a writer, professor, TEDx speaker, and podcaster, Danièle has been making the Middle Ages fun, entertaining, and accessible for over a decade. She is the author of How to Live Like a Monk: Medieval Wisdom for Modern Life, Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction, and The Five-Minute Medievalist, which debuted at the top of Amazon’s Canadian charts. Through her featured articles at Medievalists.net, as well as those she’s written for several international magazines, Danièle’s work has reached over a million readers worldwide.

Danièle is the creator and host of The Medieval Podcast, a weekly show on which she interviews experts on the Middle Ages about a wide variety of topics. Her writing, videos, and podcast have been used as resources in elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities across North America, including The Middle Ages and the Modern World: Facts and Fiction, a course she co-created for college students across Ontario via OntarioLearn.

In 2020, Danièle built The Medieval Masterclass for Creators, an online course designed to provide novelists, game developers, and other fiction creators with expert information in a visual format to help them bring their medieval worlds to life. Now, she’s turning her attention to creating digital resources to help creators build medieval worlds with ease.

Called a “tireless champion promoting medieval studies to both general and academic audiences”, Danièle is the winner of the 2019 Lone Medievalist Prize for Scholarly Outreach for her work on Medievalists.net and The Medieval Podcast.

When she’s not reading, writing, or recording, Danièle can be found drinking tea, doing Krav Maga, or sometimes building a backyard trebuchet.

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2. A registration packet will then be emailed to you which will include our registration form, W9 and Handbook. 3. Your books only need an ISBN and BAR Code which come standard on Books printed through Ingram, Publishers, and Amazon. 4. Fees: $75 annual Membership, one time fee of $25 per ISBN to register the books. If you have 5 or more the ISBN fee drops to $20. The program pays you 62% of your book sales 5. Once all information and fees are received, you will get a welcome letter. On the welcome letter you will have a test date which you will go to a participating store and see if your book scans. When your book does scan which takes 30 days for it to register in the store systems, you will then provide to us a schedule of the Dates, Store Numbers and Times you would like to go to the store. 6. This schedule is then registered and sent out to the division leaders who then send it to the managers. 7. On the day of your signing, you will bring a 2 by 4 table, a tablecloth, your books, a sign “Meet the author get your book signed today” along with your o cial schedule which will be provided to you 2 weeks before your book signing. On the day of, please check in at the Customer Service Desk and then set up by either the Entrance or by the registers. 8. When customers come up to you and want a book, you sign it, give it to the customer and instruct them to pay for it at the register. 9. At the end of your signing, submit your sales to the program coordinator and a check will be cut to you in two weeks for your sales.

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