Maren begins a new story – Fairly A Maiden – which she wrote while working at the Renaissance Faire. “The Renaissance Faire,” you say? “But…I thought you were an opera singer?” Yes, I am multi-faceted. It’s fun. You get to hear how nerdy I really am.
The music played during this episode:
- Guitar arrangements of “Si la noche” (Anonymous); Saltarello (Anonymous); Kyrie from Missa de Beata Maria (Tomàs Luis Victoria) performed with permission by Jon Sayles
- 6 Dances from Terpsichore Musarum (Michael Praetorius) found on Musopen
- “Vray Dieu d’amours” (Antoine Brumel) performed with permission by Trio Eos
Follow Maren on Instagram: @supermaren
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maren.montalbano
Tickets for the livestream Bodice Ripper Project show (October 2, 3 & 4, 2020) are available for purchase: https://fringearts.com/event/the-bodice-ripper-project/
Sign up for the Bodice Ripper Project newsletter and get exclusive behind-the-scenes photos: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/
Purchase Maren’s debut book, Pandemic Passion: A COVID-19 novella on Kindle
Transcript
(orchestra tuning)
Hello and welcome to The Bodice Ripper Project, an exploration of sexuality, feminism, and the journey to self-empowerment through the lens of romance novels.
I’m Maren Montalbano, opera singer, coach, and writer.
In this episode, you’ll hear the beginning of Fairly A Maiden, a story I wrote while at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. And I’ll talk a bit about my connection with Renaissance faires and romance.
So make yourself comfortable, loosen your bodice, and let’s begin!
(intro music plays)
Welcome back. I’m so glad you pressed play. It has been so wonderful to have this podcast and have you guys tune in every week. I love hearing from you. It just makes me so happy to connect with you right now.
For this week, we are leaving the world of opera and we’re going into the world of the Renaissance Faire. Those of you who know me personally probably know that I have many connections with the Renaissance Faire. Certainly I hinted at that at the end of the last episode, but for those of you who don’t know me, you might be thinking, “But Maren, why? You just spent the last five weeks helping us get to know you in the opera world. Why are you taking us to the Ren Faire?”
There is a method to my madness. I promise.
The Renaissance Faire and I do have a history, especially when it comes to romance. I’ve always been drawn to the fantasy scifi world and definitely Renaissance faires live very much in that world. You’ve got your princesses and pirates and knights, all of which can also be found in romance novels.
But generally Renaissance faires, even though they have the word “Renaissance” in them, and you might think that they’re historical, they’re very rarely historically accurate.
I was the music director for three years at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, and that really bothered the music nerd in me. I wanted to program and teach music that was really written in the Renaissance, historically accurate, and I think it was just a little bit – it wasn’t quite cheesy enough for the vibe of the Renaissance Faire, which is really mostly fantasy cosplay.
And the funny thing is, I love that so much. I love it so much.
So you’re going to get to know a little bit of that nerdy, Ren faire Maren today.
I’ve worked at and attended Renaissance faires on and off ever since high school. So certainly I’ve had my own romantic encounters at these faires over the years.
I actually met my husband at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. So that one definitely worked out.
And one of my very first romances that I ever wrote, I don’t think I even thought about it as a romance, but now sort of looking back at it, I realized it totally was, it was a creative writing assignment in high school, and it was set during the Renaissance and drew heavily on my experience working there, for sure.
Several years ago, I was the music director of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. And I was in that role for three years.
And my first year there, I shared with the cast that I had been writing these stories, these romance stories backstage at the opera. And they asked me to write one for the faire. So I did. That’s Fairly A Maiden, which is what I’m going to be reading to you.
I hope you understand how incredibly punny that title is. That is very on brand for the Renaissance faire. There are lots and lots of puns everywhere. It’s completely cheesy and I love it.
But this was the first time that people actually asked me to write them into the story. People wanted to be written in as characters. And actually ever since that’s happened, I have had other requests, and I do take commissions now.
So, if you want me to write a story specifically for you and the love in your life, let me know. I have had much success with couples and commissioned stories in the past. So hit me up. We can make it work.
But this was the first time it had happened. And it kind of made me feel a little bit uncomfortable, because the people who were asking me, I had a very sisterly relationship with. So it was kind of uncomfortable to think about them in a sex story.
So I kind of did a workaround and made them supporting characters, rather than the main romantic characters.
For those of you listening, who are a part of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire family, and who might recognize some things, I did write this story in 2013. The characters in question, I’m going to have you figure that one out, but it’s probably not that difficult. I had actually written a romance for these characters into a Rogues and Sirens show that year. I had already written that romance for those characters before I even met the people who were going to play the characters.
I’m giving you those hints so you can find that Easter egg, as a fun game for me to play with you. I hope you find it.
I wrote this story at the annual beach trip to Ocean City, Maryland, which was always the full week following Labor Day weekend. So that would have been this week, if it weren’t for COVID.
In fact, I think there are some Ren Faire cast members that are down there right now, paying homage to the Monkey Butt. And I’m not going to explain what that is. If you really want to know you can DM me.
But I’ve had so many wonderful memories of that place and those people. And I miss them very much, just as much as I miss the opera choristers that I read those other stories to, that I felt it was fitting to read this story during this week.
And next week, it’s actually a two parter.
I am really, really proud of all of the cast members that I worked with during my time there. Especially those of you who were a little resistant to learning Renaissance music, and who did it anyway. I love that.
Looking back on the story of how Fairly A Maiden was written, and how uncomfortable I was writing my friends into a sex story, I realize that this is just how it works when you are asked or pushed or want to try to stretch or change or grow, you have to go through a period of being uncomfortable for a while.
And that’s just a part of the process. So I was uncomfortable and I made a little workaround. And so I kind of like, dipped my toe in a little bit further, and a little bit later, some friends asked me to write hotter scenes. And so I was uncomfortable at first, and then I wrote hotter scenes and then they got hotter, and then they got hotter, and then there was penetration. So there’s a lot of stuff for you to look forward to, as we go along and I read these stories aloud to you on this podcast.
And I, for one, think it’s important to lean into that feeling of discomfort, knowing that on the other side of it is growth.
I wonder what makes you feel uncomfortable right now? Think about that. Is it helping you grow?
Anyway, that is a little peek into my personal life. I hope that helps connect us a little bit more and give you some insight into who I am.
As a tribute to my music nerd side of me, I have spent a lot of time trying to find some good background music for this particular story. It’s all music that was written in the Renaissance. In some of it, you will actually hear my voice singing. I tried not to make it too obvious though, because I want you to pay attention to the story.
I think we can get on with the story.
Fairly A Maiden
CHAPTER 1
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
The confessional was dark. Darker than the dimly-lit church that housed it, darker than the moonless night outside. To the man giving his confession, the inky blackness seemed to envelop him and match the color of his soul.
Don Esteban de Jesùs Sanchez y Barajas was not a man who went to confession regularly. In fact, he would often say that there was no point in repenting for a sin if you didn’t actually feel sorry for it…and he had too much fun sinning to spend any time repenting. But tonight – this night when he had met the woman of his dreams only to find out that she is meant for another – tonight he needed divine forgiveness and intercession.
The priest listened to Esteban’s confession, quietly gave absolution, and suggested that he take some time at the altar of the Holy Mother to pray and reflect on the night’s happenings.
Prayer was not something Esteban was very good at, but he complied, exiting the confessional in one lithe, graceful movement and somberly made his way over to the altar.
Suddenly, he stopped, gazing at the vision before him. She was there, kneeling at the altar, eyes gazing down in meditation. Her long raven locks were piled high in a bun at the top of her head, but some wisps had escaped and were caressing the long nape of her neck. Her ample bosom spilled out over the top of her bodice, heaving with each breath she took, and that was when he noticed she was crying. White-knuckled, she clutched her rosary beads as if her life depended on it, and she whispered the Ave Maria as crystal tears rolled down her cheeks, glistening in the candlelight.
He could not help himself. He knew she was forbidden to him, but something pulled him towards her. “Do not cry, señorita,” he murmured as he kneeled at the altar beside her.
She gasped in surprise, and their eyes locked. Her eyes were blue, so blue he felt he was lost at sea. Her ruby lips parted, and it took everything in him not to take her into his arms right there in front of the Mother of God herself.
CHAPTER 2
Rosemary Fairfield froze. This stranger, who gazed at her with such intensity did not frighten her, but her heart was pumping with such ferocity that she thought she would certainly burst.
She had come into the church to seek respite from the pre-wedding festivities. Her father, Squire Harold Fairfield, was going to marry her off to an Irishman named Rory McDowell in return for a partnership in some sort of shady smuggling deal. Their little town of Longrock-by-the-Sea had long been a haven for smugglers, but this was the first time a county squire was throwing his hat into the ring. The whole thing had been arranged through Rory’s captain, Grace O’Malley, and the family stood to gain quite a bit of money and power from the deal.
Rory had come in, all bluster and muscle, his sandy curls blowing in the breeze. He was a catch, to be sure, with gray-green eyes the color of the sea before a storm, and all the village girls were insanely jealous of Rosemary, but somehow she felt nothing at all for him, and the last thing she wanted was to marry him. She knew it was her duty, but for some reason, she could not get the thought out of her head of a single glimpse she had of a dark, handsome stranger who had just arrived at the inn that day. It confused and terrified her, which is why she had sought refuge at the church.
She had no idea that the very same stranger would be in that same church. This stranger, whose dark eyes were now watching her with some strange purpose, whose strong hands were reaching out to wipe away her tears…she knew she should shy away, but she stayed perfectly still, waiting for the electricity between them to subside. Instead, the minute his calloused hands touched her smooth cheek, she felt her body begin to tingle, radiating from her cheek to her breast, and much lower. She began to take shallow breaths.
He leaned forward, and his lips were mere inches from hers. “Madre de Dios, forgive me,” he whispered as he swooped in to plunder her mouth with his tongue.
CHAPTER 3
They clung to each other in the darkness, the smell of incense intermingling with Rosemary’s perfume and Esteban’s manly musk. They did not know each other’s names, but all formality was dispensed as Esteban dragged his mouth from her lips and down her neck to her heaving bosom.
Every sensation was new to Rosemary, but each touch of Esteban’s fingers and mouth made her want more. He reached down into the front of her bodice to find a rosebud and flicked it with his finger. She gasped and bit her lower lip.
He pulled her closer, and she could feel his manhood pushing against her thighs through her skirts. Even though it was against everything she had been taught, she had the urge to wrap her legs around his waist.
He began to feel around for the ties to her bodice when a clatter of metal on the marble floor of the church brought them back to reality. A goblet rolled out of the confessional towards the altar.
“Damn Benedictines,” mumbled the priest as he wobbily emerged from the confessional and began to mop up the spilled beverage with his robe. “I’ll figure out that recipe if I have to drink a hundred bottles trying.”
At the first sound, Esteban had instantly let go of Rosemary and clasped his hands together as if praying. He assumed that Rosemary would do the same, but when he looked to his right, she was no longer there, and only her lingering perfume on the air betrayed the fact that it had not just been a dream.
And I will leave it there.
Join me next episode, in which we meet Rosemary’s fiancé.
She felt warmth spreading from her head down to her toes, and centering on the nexus between her legs.
I have a few more updates on my one-woman show, The Bodice Ripper Project. I’m now working on memorizing lines for the livestream and learning about the tech that goes into live streaming. It’s such a weird experience, because I’m not only performing the show, but I’m also acting as my own set crew and lighting crew, because it’s going to be live-streamed from my house. I’ve got a green screen that I just set up in my office.
This is the new paradigm, I suppose, and I’m figuring out how to make that work. It’s exciting, but it’s also super strange. I do want to shout out to my amazing crew who are making all of this whole live-stream process possible, all remotely.
I have to say, if you are thinking about creating your own performance project, number one piece of advice that I could give you would be to assemble a kick ass team. Surround yourself with people who you admire and who have set the bar even higher than you have. It’s so rewarding and inspiring.
And as a reminder, this show is October 2nd, third, and fourth. It will be live streamed. There are many interactive components to the show. So if you show up live, you can chat with me. You will actually get a chance to affect the outcome of the show.
And I do hope to see you there. I’ve been working so hard to make this show amazing, and it is amazing. And I’m really excited to share it with you.
Tickets are available. You can go to fringearts.com and search for Bodice Ripper Project.
Alternatively, you can go to bodiceripperproject.com and click on the “purchase tickets” link about halfway down the page.
While you’re there, sign up for my newsletter. I have photos, little snippets of film, that I’m sharing only with my newsletter subscribers. So go ahead and hit that subscribe button.
So when is it again? Just in case you weren’t paying attention, October 2nd, 3rd and 4th. So that’s Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd, both at 8:00 PM Eastern and Sunday, October 4th at 1:00 PM. Eastern.
As always, I love hearing from you. If there was something that particularly struck you about this episode or any other episode, go ahead and reach out to me. The easiest way to contact me is through Instagram. I’m @supermaren.
The Bodice Ripper Project is a production of Compassionate Creative, and was conceived, written, and edited by me, Maren Montalbano. The background music during the story was all music written during the Renaissance and either public domain or performed with permission by Jon Sayles or Trio Eos (that’s my trio) – the theme music was also written by yours truly. If you liked what you heard, I invite you to give this podcast a 5-star rating – it sends me to a happy place when I see those ratings! – and I’ll see you next time.