I’m a historical fiction author so it’s a safe bet that I love research. Unfortunately, historical research is like Netflix: Limit its consumption or you’ll never find time to write. So, today, let’s examine how to conduct research without overwhelming your main task—writing the book. For advice, I’ve enlisted my own research subject, the master… Read more »
[Author’s note: This is the first article in my new column series about LGBTQ+ writing called “LGBTQ+ Lit and Craft”. It addresses a diverse array of issues related to reading and writing LGBTQ+ literature across the genres.] Defining LGBTQ+ Literature LGBTQ+ literature, especially young adult fiction, has boomed in popularity. But what is LGBTQ+ literature?… Read more »
Full disclosure: the impetus for this article came from my own research about medicine. I was having fun because I was finally getting to use Bald’s eyesalve in my story – though I’m not so sure the character was enjoying it quite as much as I was. Bald’s eyesalve (from a 10th-century medical text) is… Read more »
During an interview for the promotion for my most recent book, it dawned on me we have never actually discussed, in this column, the relationships between “pure” historical fiction and the adjacencies that might be either sub-genres or just tangentially related. The interviewer asked how historical fantasy differs from historical fiction – and answering that… Read more »
Some may argue that fantasy offers the most wide-open landscape for storytelling. But with 5,000 years of recorded human history spanning many civilizations both extant and extinct, empires that have come and gone, innumerable people both famous and infamous, and seven continents (well, maybe Antarctica isn’t quite so rich a source), the worlds and characters… Read more »
