Tag: historical fiction
Writing and Research: Tips
Eleanor’s Secret is my second novel inspired by real events from the Second World War and it required thorough research for background, for inspiration, and to help create an authentic setting for the story. The idea evolved after reading about the War Artists’ Advisory Committee that was set up to produce an artistic and documentary […]
Emotions and Creativity – the Rollercoaster of the Writing Life
Eight years ago I went down a hole called ‘my writing life’ and never came out. I’ve always been an emotional person, and the mediums of painting and writing have brought me joy and understanding in equal measure. Yet, whilst painting is an outlet that leaves me calm, writing can play havoc with my moods. […]
When the Hero’s Journey Doesn’t Pan Out The Way You Thought it Should
The main character in my historical novels—William—was a real person. He cheated on his wife, swindled his sister out of her inheritance, and left his family bankrupt. Yet somehow, after filling 900 pages of a saga about him and his family, I managed to make him likeable. So I can’t figure out why it is, […]
Past Imperfect: the Complications of Historical Authenticity
People who don’t usually read historical fiction are often surprised to find out how much research goes into a historical novel. Yes, novelists use their imaginations to flesh out the details, but we also do extensive research to make the setting of our novels feel authentic to the reader. All good novels incorporate sensory details, […]
Ten Reasons Why You Need an Editor
No writer on the planet will find every single error in his or her writing. That’s a given. So yes, of course you need an editor to catch your mistakes. But you also need an editor – a team of them, actually – to help you become the very best writer you can be. Editors […]
Behind the Scenes of Daughters of the Night Sky
I begin the author’s note of Daughters of the Night Sky by admitting I am not a pilot, am not an expert on Russia, and had never really had more than the passing interest in World War Two than most history buffs share. Even with these challenges, it was a story I was compelled to […]
The Inspiration for The Chalky Sea
I live in Eastbourne, on the English Sussex coast. My family lived here when I was a schoolgirl and I decided to move back recently after twenty years in London. I have always had a hankering to move back to the sea. What I hadn’t expected was that the town had a secret wartime history. […]
Rebuilding Bodies & Souls
Since the release of my novel, The Beauty Shop, a few readers have queried why I wrote a story about a beauty salon in WW2. It’s a topic of conversation that has raised many smiles amid an air of confusion. You see, the ‘Beauty Shop’ was the name given to the ward at the Queen […]
Walk a Mile In Your Characters’ Shoes
“Write what you know.” Apparently, it was Mark Twain who gave this famous bit of advice, with which, to be honest, I don’t always agree. As a writer of historical fiction set hundreds and thousands of years past, it’s impossible to truly know what happened in those times. I don’t really know if all the […]
The Challenges and Joys of Writing Historical Fiction for Teenagers
Flying through Clouds is my new historical novel for young adults, and follows on from my first novel, Racing the Moon, which was published in Australia in 2014. Although both novels share the same main character and are set mostly in Sydney in the 1930s, the stories are quite different, and so were my […]
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