The Obsessed Historical Fiction Writer

My history professor was agog that fact checkers looked over my manuscript before it was published. 

His arms flailed about in frustration as he spoke. “It’s fiction. You’re making it all up. Why do you need fact checkers?” Rather than push him out the second story window, which would be unkind, I explained the three kinds of historical fiction writers. 

The Flavor Writer 

This historical fiction writer wants the flavor of the past without being burdened by accuracy. In other words, this writer drives up to the fast food window and says, “I’ll take the swords, armor, countries, political structures, generalized living conditions, but leave out the historical facts. And a small diet Coke to go, please.” 

Practicing History Without a License

Your dream to write historical fiction isn’t simply a someday choice. The passion is too strong to ignore. Give in. Don’t let it fade. Because the dream includes the following images: 

—library studies with ancient texts

Trinity College Library, Dublin photo dune

—discovering lost and untold stories 

—late nights wrestling with historians’ opinions 

—making the past come alive through your writing 

—taking a picture as you sign a contract and posting the photo on social media 

—opening the box of books and holding your baby for the first time 

—the cover…a picture of the character you created 

—book signings where people pay money to read your creation 

—speaking gigs 

The work doesn’t scare you. Okay, yes, it's terrifying. But there's more. What’s holding you back? One hesitation might be the following question: are you qualified? 

A Veteran's Spirit in Historical Fiction

by Peter Leavell @PeterLeavell

Historical Fiction is a powerful tool to bring the past alive.

How we see the past, how we portray events forever stays with the reader. The responsibility is heavy.

On Veteran’s Day, the celebration is about the soldiers who come home to a hero’s welcome, or return to castigation, or those at duty’s end is filled with a loneliness that cannot be filled and such despair that only a brother or sister in arms can understand. The horrors are forgotten by a nation but live on in the minds of the soldier.

Photodune

And what will history say of these men and women who sacrificed time and well-being so that we might stand in fancy suits and long gold chained watches, adjust our glasses and shake our heads and proclaim that, now we see through the lens of history, their cause wasn’t worth the sacrifice?

If only politicians had done…

If these soldiers had been more kind…

If a repressed people had more rights….

And the soldiers march on. And the veteran’s boots gather house dust while he or she agrees,

Photodune

disagrees, and screams for understanding.

And still, the veteran glances at the world, closes eyes and sighs and dreams the unholy nightmares of battle, longs for the tedium of the military work, the friendships of the mechanic bay, the base patrol buddies, the well-deserved R & R after truly important slog. Civilian mundane, hourly wages without repercussions for lazy or whining or doomed fellow workers filled with poor choices are no replacement for a tight ship, a clean bunk, a swift justice to the slacker.

Photodune

Historical Fiction authors research without end because a veteran’s story deserves to be told. We endlessly explore because our lens through which we see them is distorted, listing to the side by our experiences—our overarching patriotism or unending hatred of war and those who take part.

Historical Fiction authors write perspective. Our ship of characters does not focus unendingly on love, violence, hatred, compassion. To tilt the past with one focus is to drown all the passengers of the past in untruths. So, we focus on one thought.

The spirit of the age.

What was it like to live in the past, why did they live as they did, who were these men and women, when did they find time for romance and families and dreams, where did they serve. How are they doing after service?

And in this, we civilians salute the men and women who offered their time in service to our country. Thank you.

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Saluting the men and women who offered their time in service to our country! 

Honor veterans in your historical fiction novel by capturing the spirit of the age.

          ~~~~~

Peter Leavell, a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history and currently enrolled in the University's English Lit Graduate program, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing's Best award for First-Time Author. A novelist, blogger, teacher, ghostwriter, jogger, biker, husband and father, Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Learn more about Peter's books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com.

     ~~~~~~

What is Historical Fiction?

By Peter Leavell @peterleavell

Before you dip your feather quill into ink and press the tip against the parchment, know the definition of Historical Fiction.

Why?

If you don’t, you’ve no mission statement to give shape to the entire work. For example, if you’re writing an epic that takes place in ancient Rome and a time traveler pulls out his cell phone to record the murder of Julius Caesar, you can unroll the scroll that contains the definition and see if the time traveler belongs there.

So, what is Historical Fiction? Geoffrey Trease, who wrote 113 novels about a century ago, claimed HF is a subject written ‘outside the time of living memory.’

Historic Novel Society tries to keep it simple—written “in the past, before the author’s lifetime and experience.” Or, more definitive, any novel written at least fifty years after the events described (which is 1968—yowza), or by an individualwho was not alive at the time of those events, writing from a research perspective. Alternate histories, time-slip novels, historical fantasies, and multiple-period novels are all accepted by HNS.

Still others maintain that HF is a label of incredible distinction and should be used with great dignity. The tag Historical Fiction should be applied to those books where a deliberate attempt has been made to recreate the past.

What does this mean for you? You are not answerable to anyone but your conscience. Why? Because HF itself is the embodiment of disagreement. The term Historical Fiction is a contradiction. Historical. Fiction. HF Seeks accuracy and illusion.

Seriously? Yes.

So, how do I approach HF? What is my definition when I start penning a work of genius? Here’s what I tell myself.

Peter, cut through the fog of perception and come as close to the historic truth as possible. If you deviate, deviate with a purpose in mind. Because historians ask what happened and why did it happen that way? You ask, what was it like?

Your definition of HF will determine the kind of HF you write, and thus produce a work that will help us not learn history, but live it. Take great pains to confirm your definition of HF in your mind as you work, and you’ll help solidify the past in your reader’s mind.

                                                                  ~~~~~

Peter Leavell, a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history and currently enrolled in the University's English Lit Graduate program, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing's Best award for First-Time Author. A novelist, blogger, teacher, ghostwriter, jogger, biker, husband and father, Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Learn more about Peter's books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com.

~~~~~

Experiencing Research by A. M. Heath

"Write what you know." We hear it all the time. Today, author A. M. Heath gives writers tips on ways in which we can transform our knowledge into first-hand experience. -- Sandy

Anita: Research is more than just a weekend trip to the library. Research is a way of life.

 

Most fiction authors are used to taking everyday experiences and filing them away for their writing. A walk in the rain would give you valuable insight into the life of a soldier. A bad case of strep gives you insight into the deathbed of a character. 

But I want to encourage you to find new ways to gain valuable experience. For contemporary authors, this would mean experiencing your character's job or hobby. There are certain details that only experience can teach. For example, you might not know that one of the greatest challenges to photography is lighting and interference in the background, or that a hardship would be the workout your legs get from squatting and standing all afternoon.

A baker's greatest challenge is getting interrupted and forgetting whether or not they've added in the salt. While the hardship might be the heat in the kitchen or the dishes.

Whatever your character is involved in, take the time to experience it first hand so you can bring a deeper understanding to it.

As a historical author, I want to give you a list of suggestions for bring history to life and experiencing new things aside from visiting historic homes and landmarks.

Transportation:

• Ride a horse
• Train
• Carriage
• Wagon
• Ride sidesaddle

In the kitchen:

• Cook recipes from your era, especially if you work with a war era. There were so many shortages so try working with what they had on hand. 
• Pluck a chicken
• Grind coffee beans by hand
• Use tea leaves
• Cook over an open fire
• Drink tea or coffee without sugar
• Bake pies or bread from scratch

Household:

• Turn your lights off and only use a candle for the night 
• Turn off the tv and listen to the radio (use audio books in place of radio programs) 
• Candle or soap making 
• Sew by hand
• Knitting
• Canning
• Write with a quill
• Handwash your dishes or laundry (Don't forget to towel dry or hang your clothes on a line)
• Sew and stuff a tick (mattress)

Outdoors:

• Shoot a rifle
• Chop and stack firewood
• Start a fire

General life:

• Play old games
• Try on reenactment clothing
• Tour a fabric store and feel and compare common materials worn during your era
• Folk dancing 

I'd love to hear the ways you've taken your research to the next level! In what ways are you now planning to?

~~~~~~

Being raised in a small Tennessee town, A.M. Heath grew up with a love for southern history and nostalgia. She lives with her husband and four children in Southern Tennessee where they embrace the small town lifestyle.

Connect with A.M. Heath online on her blog, Facebook page, or website.


Devastation sweeps across the land, and the families of Maple Grove cannot escape when war arrives at their front doors. They must learn how to survive the uncertainty of war and a country split in two. While the war in the nation rages on, the battle within grows stronger. Will they learn that the only safe place to hide is in the shadow of Thy Wings?
*The Ancient Words Series is best read in order.

Remembering Our Veterans by Writing By Rick Barry

We all love to honor our veterans, and author Rick Barry does it in a unique way. A mighty "thank you" to all like my dad, father-in-law, and husband who served! -- Sandy

Rick: Is Veterans Day just another day on the calendar to you? Or does that holiday evoke the emotions it deserves?

Of course, not every person who enlists in the armed forces of the United States ends up fighting a war. However, each person who has either enlisted or responded to a draft notice understands there is always the chance he or she will become a target. Those who accepted that danger and put on the uniform deserve to be remembered and honored.

One way to honor vets is to ask permission to shake their hand and thank them for serving their country. Other ways include beautifying a deceased vet’s grave, or anonymously paying the tab for a vet eating in a restaurant.

Personally, I like to remember veterans with my keyboard. Ever since 7th grade when I happened to watch the World War II movie The Great Escape, I have read countless true accounts of men and women who found themselves caught up in the conflict. Some stories have happy endings. Many don’t.

When I began writing for publication, I naturally gravitated to events connected to WWII. With the aid of research and imagination, I enjoy cracking open the pages of history and writing articles, short stories, and now novels to keep the sacrifices of “the Greatest Generation” in modern readers’ minds.

My first WWII novel, Gunner’s Run, stars a 19-year-old who accidentally tumbles out the open bomb bay

of a B-24 while on a mission. Thanks to his chest parachute, Jim Yoder survives. But there he is, alone and on foot in the last place he wants to be—Nazi Germany. (Odd events really happened.) That book was first released in 2007, and recently JourneyForth Books reprinted it a third time. I’m thankful for its role in “bringing alive” the dangers of that bygone era for modern readers. (One school teacher told me she reads a chapter of Gunner’s Run a day to her classes to help them picture those events of 70 years ago.)

On September 27 of this year, Kregel released my latest novel, The Methuselah Project, a suspense story about a captured P-47 pilot. Instead of taking Captain Roger Greene to a regular POW camp, his captors use him as a guinea pig in a hush-hush German experiment meant to outlast the war. The story is highly imaginative, the result of my combining genuine history with a huge “What if?” One Amazon reviewer calls it the “ultimate Past Meets Present story.” (Speaking of reviews, I praise God that 95% of reviews for The Methuselah Project fairly glow. Its combination of history, suspense, romance, plus a tinge of speculative truly appeals to a wide range of readers. Hallelujah!)

So, no matter how you personally do it, please pause to remember our nation’s veterans. As the old cliché states, freedom isn’t free. Veterans past and present paid the price for the freedom you and I enjoy today.

Do you have a veteran you'd like to honor today?

~~~~~

Rick Barry holds a degree in teaching foreign languages, speaks Russian, and has visited Europe more than 50 times in connection with Christian ministries. He has authored over 200 published articles and short stories, plus three novels. A writer with an adventurous spirit, Rick has jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, visited WWII battlefields and cemeteries in France, climbed mountains in Colorado, and explored evacuated buildings in Chernobyl, Ukraine, among other personal adventures. Visit him at...

www.rickcbarry.com
Or at facebook.com/AuthorRickBarry
Or on Twitter (@WriterRickBarry)

Epic Historical Fiction, Christian Style by Peter Leavell

Peter Leavell

Epic historical fiction comes in many shapes, but usually the same size—long. They’re difficult to write, and many readers find they are an acquired taste. But what sets aside these tomes of sagacity from other genres? And can you find them in the Christian market?

Epic historical fiction is about crisis. Society cannot tolerate disorder, so we give power to certain group of people hoping order can be reached and maintained. Security, both for our lives and our consumables, is our goal.

Every point in history, society is at one stage of order or disorder, and it is constantly shifting. Sometimes (or usually) people in power misuse their role.

Any writer would think that men and women chosen to lead a nation would show reason. But just the opposite. It seems the job only fills their minds with an obstinate preordained notion of how things must be proceed, and no matter the circumstance, the path laid before them marches towards failure so clearly that one hundred or one thousand years later, even grade school children understand the historical implications. For example, why does a perfectly self-contained society make war on another with assured resource loss it can never hope to regain through conquest? Why, when sciences and arts create such beauty, do governments make war and other perverse decisions? It makes no sense.

Reflecting any civilization’s state of rise or decline demands massive study. The finds, though, can be disheartening. Historians have long argued that locked inside humans’ genes is a need for failure. Many times we read that, when forced with a decision, ‘he did the worst thing he could have under the circumstances.’ These effects are profound when a nation’s sovereignty is locked in a single individual, like a monarchy or dictatorship.

An epic historical fiction writer’s job is to show (not tell) this idiocy in hopes someone might follow Plato’s cry for reason amongst those who make decisions in governments. For an epic historical in the Christian market, it is the job of the writer to coax Christ’s mercy and redemption from the hopelessness that is civilization. We can show that despite the madness of mankind, beauty and hope can be obtained through Christ. It was humans, after all, who ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, a deed that was incredibly unintelligent and something every person would do.

No historical epic has a perfectly happy ending, nor does it waste time condemning society as a whole for its actions (the story itself does just fine). A well-researched historical epic is simply people doing the best they can against the changes in society. A Christian historical epic points to redemption and hope, despite societies failures. How to write one? All it takes is epic historical research.

A few of my favorite epic historical novels come from the Christian and general market. Some include violence, language, and sex. Ironically, so does history. Ben Hur by Lew Wallace, Shōgun by  James Clavell, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet, Roots by Alex Haley, Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, Iscariot by Tosca Lee, and I’m running out of word space. There are five hundred more.

What are your favorite historical epics?

~~~~~

Peter Leavell is an award winning historical fiction author. He and his family research together, creating magnificent adventures. Catch up with him on his website at www.peterleavell.com, or friend him on Facebook: Peter R. Leavell. 

~~~~~

Gideon's Call

Based on true events from the Civil War, Tad longs to better himself, but is hindered by his skin color. When his plantation owners evacuate, they leave their slaves without any money, education, or leadership. Can Tad overcome unimaginable prejudice and family secrets to become the deliverer of thousands? Gideon's Call is winner of Operation First Novel 2011 and Christian Retailing's Best First Novel 2013.

Grace in Saint Louis by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

As I unpack my suitcase and mull over the events of the 2014 ACFW Conference, I am in awe—again—of God’s ever-present grace.

Where God’s grace found me:

Saturday

12:30PM, Baggage Claims, St. Louis Airport—As I watch the carrousel come to a stop…without spitting out my luggage.

12:35PM, Baggage Claims Desk—As tears flow, I explain to the Delta clerk I have an appointment with an editor in two hours. I CANNOT wear jeans and sneakers. Neither would jeans do for the Gala that night.

No makeup. No hair products. No dress. And certainly no spanx. More tears.

1:00PM, Shuttle To Hyatt—Via cell, I pour out baggage woes to hubby and parents. Weird, but a strange peace fills me. I vow to fashion skirt out of hotel curtains if need be.

2:15PM, Hyatt—I spot my friend, Melissa, who offers khakis and a shirt for my appointment. I borrow her MIL’s Birkenstocks, three sizes too big, but better than sneakers.

3:00PM, Appointment—Gracious editor doesn’t seem offended by unruly hair, imperfect makeup, and too-big Birkenstocks.

3:25PM—Melissa issues Facebook plea for dress.

4:20PM—No Facebook bites. Drastic measures must ensue. Melissa and amazing friend, Karin, and I power walk through St. Louis. These friends must prepare for Gala, but they accompany me on quest for cheap perfect dress.

4:38PM, Can’t-Remember-The-Name-Dress-Store—Amidst pricy dresses, I settle for a dress in clearance section.

5:01PM—Check with guest services. Luggage still not here.

5:15PM—Put on dress and realize all undergarments can be seen through dress.

5:30PM, Melissa’s Room—Don black pants and Birkenstocks and assure myself it’s not that bad. (Oh, but it is!)

5:40PM—Step into elevator with ladies in stunning gowns and perfect curls, my own frizzy hair and makeup pitiable in comparison.

5:43PM—Elevator doors open on fourth floor. Tear off Birkenstocks and run downstairs to lobby to inquire of luggage one more time. In a small miracle I still can’t fathom, I am told my luggage has arrived. I do happy dance. Clerk refuses to get luggage until I repeat happy dance.

5:45PM—Late for Gala. I ask Happy Dance Clerk to break the lock on my suitcase. He is excited to do this.

5:48PM—I drag my luggage to the nearest bathroom where I change and thank God the entire time.

8:30PM—I accept the Genesis award for Historical Fiction and make my speech. My appearance is far from perfect, but I have a dress. God has supplied me what I need.

Through all this, I felt a sense of undeserved caring—through friends and attendees, through the Hyatt staff, and mostly through God. On the plane ride home I wondered what He was trying to teach me through this. Then it hit me. He wasn’t trying to teach me anything.

He was trying to show me. Himself. His amazing grace.

Extravagant enough to send His only Son to die for me, simple enough to send a dress three minutes before a Gala.

****

Heidi Chiavaroli writes History Woven in Grace. She is a wife, mother, disciple, and grace-clinger. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has finaled in the Genesis contest and My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest.

Cast a Wide Net by Sandra Merville Hart

Sandra Merville Hart

I had the privilege to meet Sandra Merville Hart at ACFW last year and was so blessed by her humble spirit. I was so thrilled to hear that she'd sold her first book and asked her to share a some of the things she'd learned along the way. Here's some wise words from a sweet friend. ~ Angie

Someone once told me, "You're not a writer until you've been rejected." Though this author obviously meant to encourage me, it did not remove the sting of a rejection recently received -- the first of many.

If you're a writer, your thoughts likely already traveled back to that first painful rejection. Perhaps the most recent one sprang to mind. Receiving refusals doesn't seem to grow easier.

A seasoned author gave me a bit of advice when I began writing. These words of wisdom probably saved my sanity in the past few years. What was this sage advice? Cast a wide net.

Those weren't her exact words, but that's what it has come to mean to me.

When I first began writing, I wrote a short story, devotion, or an article. After researching for magazines looking for this type of writing on the Internet and my trusty writers guides, I submitted it to one editor at a time. Waiting to hear from that one publisher agonized me. Once the rejection letter arrived, it took weeks to summon the courage to send it to the next name on the list.

My friend encouraged me to submit to several publishers at a time, at least to all who accept simultaneous submissions. There's always a feeling of hope and possibilities when submitting. Once it has been sent, she advised me not to wait idly. Write something else. Revise it. Polish it. Make it the best you know how to do. Whenever that work is ready, send it out after researching potential editors. Then begin the next writing project.

The rejections that come in typically don't hurt as much when other possibilities exist. In the meantime writing skills improve with each task, increasing our chances of publication. It's like the basketball player who practices throwing hoops day after day. Continuous practice adds finesse and polish to already familiar tasks.

Will rejection always hurt? Unfortunately, it probably will. Some have crushed me. Shifting focus to learning to be the best writer you can be may be the key.

If you are continuously applying all you've learned thus far to each new writing project, you will improve. You'll be submitting your best work each time because you're not the same writer as a year ago or even six months ago.

And someday your best will be good enough.

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About the Author

Sandra Merville Hart loves to find unusual facts in her historical research to use in her stories. She and her husband enjoy traveling to many of the sites in her books to explore the history. She serves as Assistant Editor for DevoKids.com where she contributes articles about history and holidays. She has written for several publications and websites including The Secret Place, Harpstring, Splickety Magazine, Pockets Magazine, Common Ground, Afictionado, and ChristianDevotions.us. Her inspirational Civil War novella, A Stranger on My Land, released on August 21, 2014. Her book is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-My-Land-Sandra-Hart/dp/1941103278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405606746&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Stranger+on+my+land.

A Stranger On My Land

Carrie and her little brother, Jay, find a wounded soldier on their land after a battle which later became known as "The Battle Above the Clouds." Adam, a Union soldier, has been shot twice in the arm. Though Carrie is reluctant to take Adam to their cave where her family hides their livestock from both armies, she cannot turn her back on him.

A Stranger On My Land
by Sandra Merville Hart

 
But her Aunt Lavinia, bitter over what Yankees have done to their land, urges Carrie to allow Adam to die. Carrie refuses, but cannot remove the bullets. Adam's friendship with Jay softens her heart toward him. It's not long until his gratitude and teasing manner spark a friendship between the young couple. Even though Carrie's father fights for the Confederacy in far-off Virginia, her feelings for the handsome young soldier begin to blossom into love.

When Adam's condition worsens, Carrie knows a Union surgeon is needed to save his life. How can she accomplish this and keep her family's hiding place a secret?

Avoiding the Pitfalls Historical Fiction – Part Two by Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Two weeks ago, Amanda Cabot offered pitfalls in writing historical fiction. If you missed it, you can catch it here. This week, she's back with part 2. Enjoy!
~Dora

Welcome back! I’m delighted that you’re here for the second (and last) part of the historical fiction pitfall discussion. There’s no quiz today, because I’m certain that when you read the next selection, you’ll know immediately what’s wrong. This is the more than slightly modified opening scene of Paper Roses, the first of my Texas Dreams books.

March 1856

“It’ll be all right.” Sarah Dobbs wrapped her arms around the child, wishing with all her heart that she could believe the words she’d uttered so often. The truth was, it didn’t matter what she believed. All that mattered was keeping Thea safe. And so Sarah knelt on the hard-packed dirt of San Antonio’s main street to wipe the tears from her sister’s cheeks. The child was hot, tired and excited by the unusual sights, a combination that turned normally sweet-tempered Thea querulous.

Thea was too young to appreciate San Antonio’s rich history. The original Spanish settlement of San Antonio de Valero, named for the Viceroy, was founded in the same year as the French began New Orleans. Located just below the Balcones Escarpment, it had the advantage of a mild, dry, healthful climate; plentiful water and an abundance of limestone for building. In 1721 Valero himself sent a force of 54 soldiers to build a strong fort, what many would call a presidio, nearby. They named the fort San Antonio de Bejar, in memory of Valero’s brother, and by 1726 more than 200 men, women and children inhabited the area. Indians, of course, were not included in that count, although by the middle of the century, each of the five missions in the San Antonio region had more than 200 Indians.

The dominant tribes in Texas were the Apaches and the Comanches. The Spaniards were never able to conquer the first, and the second gave them the greatest defeat they ever suffered at the hands of natives in the New World. But all that had occurred over a hundred years ago. Now the city was part of the great state of Texas, the state that would soon be her home and Thea’s.

Are you yawning? Or did you decide that this was what a friend calls a wallbanger, a book that’s so bad that you hurl it against the wall rather than read it? I’ll admit that I’ve exaggerated the problem, but I’ve judged enough contests to know that including too much history is a common problem.

It’s easy to understand why it happens. We do extensive research and we find so many fascinating details that we want to share them with readers. Unfortunately, heavy-handed infusion of history has the effect of boring readers, including those critical first readers: agents and editors.

So, how do you know what details to include and when? There are undoubtedly other ways to make that decision, but I suggest following three rules.

1. Remember that less is more. When you include historical facts, select the ones that are most critical. In many cases, these will be little-known facts that you’ve chosen to weave into your plot. If one of Sarah’s ancestors was one of the 54 soldiers who’d built the original fort, that would be the fact that I would have included, but rather than simply inserting the fact, I would have followed rule #2.

2. Ensure that each piece of history affects the character in some way. One of the problems with the passage above is that the paragraphs of historical facts have no tie to either Sarah or Thea. Consider the difference if I’d said, “Thea was too young to appreciate San Antonio’s rich history, but Sarah couldn’t dismiss the thrill that ran up her spine at the realization that she was only yards away from the fort her great-grandfather had helped build. Mother had raised her with tales of how Great Grandpa was one of the 54 soldiers the Viceroy had sent to build the presidio.” In this case, there was a reason to have included that particular detail, and so the reader doesn’t feel as if she’s being force-fed history.

3. And, most importantly, remember that you’re writing a novel. Your primary goal is to entertain. Readers do not expect a history lesson. As you edit your manuscript, look at each piece of research you’ve included and ask yourself, “Will the story make sense without this?” If the answer is “yes,” delete it.

There’s no doubt that there are challenges involved in writing historical fiction and pitfalls to be avoided, but from my perspective there’s nothing quite so enjoyable as being transported to a different time and place. If you’ve always dreamt of telling stories about times gone by, I encourage you to make that dream come true. I’m looking forward to seeing your books on the shelves!

With Autumn's Return
Purchase Link

She’s planning on instant success. What she didn’t plan on was love.

When Elizabeth Harding arrives in Cheyenne to open a medical practice, she is confident that the future is as bright as the warm Wyoming sun. Certain she’ll have a line of patients eager for her services, she soon discovers the town may not welcome a new physician—especially a female one. Even Jason Nordling, the handsome young attorney next door, seems to disapprove of her chosen profession.

When a web of deceit among Cheyenne’s wealthiest residents threatens to catch Elizabeth and Jason in its snare, they must risk working together to save one of Elizabeth’s patients, even if it means falling in love.

From the time that she was seven, Amanda Cabot dreamed of becoming a published author, but it was only when she set herself the goal of selling a book by her thirtieth birthday that the dream came true.  A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian historical romances.  Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim; Christmas Roses was a CBA bestseller; and a number of her books have been finalists for national awards, including ACFW’s Carol award. 

www.amandacabot.com

http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-Cabot/110238182354449?v=wall

Avoiding the Pitfalls Historical Fiction – Part One by Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

I was delighted when Dora invited me to visit Seriously Write. Then came the hard part: deciding which aspect of writing we should discuss. Since I write historical fiction, I decided to talk about some potential pitfalls, but rather than give you a dissertation that will make your eyes glaze over, I thought we’d have some fun. My version of fun, anyway. It’s a little quiz. The object is to see what’s wrong with each of the following selections.

The first one is from a book set in 1170. Yes, the Middle Ages.

“Can you not settle this peacefully?” Marguerite asked Alain. Surely he must see how conflicted she was by the situation.

“Perhaps I was mistaken,” Alain said, not bothering to hide his scorn, “but I thought it was a knight’s duty to protect his lady.”

Marguerite sighed. She wouldn’t go there. Instead, she nodded stiffly, then took her seat next to Louise. The teenager’s enthusiasm for the fight stood in marked contrast to her own reluctance to see blood shed. But the fight was over almost before it began. With one deft stroke, Alain sent Henri’s sword ricocheting against the wall.

If you guessed that there were anachronisms in it, you’re right. There are at least four. “Conflicted” came into general use in 1967. “Wouldn’t go there” is a phrase from the 1990s. “Teenager’s” first usage was 1921, and – this one surprised me – “ricocheting” wasn’t commonly used until 1828.

Why worry about anachronisms?

The first reason is that they brand you as a sloppy writer. You spend weeks, months, possibly years researching a book. The details of daily life are accurate; the speech patterns are authentic; you’ve even ensured that your characters eat common foods from the era. Why spoil the effect with an inappropriate term? Consider this: checking a word’s first usage is simply another form of research.

The second reason is that at least some of your readers will notice the anachronistic terms. For some it may be a mild annoyance. Others may find the errors so jarring that they stop reading. In either case, the suspension of disbelief that we strive so hard to create is broken, if only for a second. Don’t do it. Don’t risk losing readers.

Okay, are you ready for quiz number two?

At least it wasn’t raining. Normally he wouldn’t mind it. In fact, he preferred rain when going into battle. Unfortunately, today he wasn’t waging war, nor was he facing an opponent at the other end of a lance. It would have been easier if he were. Even a few hours at the quintain would have been preferable to the fate which was now mere minutes away.

The knight on the silver gray destrier let the reins slacken as he looked around him. Though the wheat field could not compare to the raw magnificence of Outremer, there was no denying its beauty. It spoke of fertile ground, of centuries of tradition, of home. This morn it also reminded Alain de Jarnac of the obligation awaiting him.

This is another selection from the same medieval. While there are no anachronisms in this passage, I would venture that some of the vocabulary made you pause. Admittedly, devotees of medievals are familiar with quintains (a post with a revolving crosspiece that knights used for training) and know that a destrier is a war horse. They’d also know that Outremer meant overseas and was a term used during the Crusades.

But – and this is an important “but” – many readers won’t recognize those terms. If a potential reader picked up the book and glanced at this passage, the chances are she wouldn’t buy the book, simply because of the unfamiliar words. You don’t want that to happen, and so I urge you not to fall into this potential pit.

Either use common words or include an explanation. For example, if the author had replaced the simple reference to a quintain with “a few hours of jousting against the revolving arms of the quintain post,” the reader would have understood what a quintain was and might have smiled over the fact that he’d learned something new. The key is never to make a reader feel stupid.

That’s all for today, but I’ll be back in two weeks for part two of the pitfall discussion. I hope to see you then.

Dora here. Did you pick up on the errors in these passages?

As a reader, what pitfalls throw you out of a scene?

As a writer, do you research word usages?

With Autumn's Return
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She’s planning on instant success. What she didn’t plan on was love.

When Elizabeth Harding arrives in Cheyenne to open a medical practice, she is confident that the future is as bright as the warm Wyoming sun. Certain she’ll have a line of patients eager for her services, she soon discovers the town may not welcome a new physician—especially a female one. Even Jason Nordling, the handsome young attorney next door, seems to disapprove of her chosen profession.

When a web of deceit among Cheyenne’s wealthiest residents threatens to catch Elizabeth and Jason in its snare, they must risk working together to save one of Elizabeth’s patients, even if it means falling in love.

From the time that she was seven, Amanda Cabot dreamed of becoming a published author, but it was only when she set herself the goal of selling a book by her thirtieth birthday that the dream came true.  A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian historical romances.  Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim; Christmas Roses was a CBA bestseller; and a number of her books have been finalists for national awards, including ACFW’s Carol award. 

www.amandacabot.com

http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-Cabot/110238182354449?v=wall

Researching for Historicals: Part Two by Pamela S. Meyers

Pamela S. Meyers

Hey, everyone! Annette here. Pamela Meyers is back today to share more on researching for historicals. Enjoy!

Using Local Newspapers to Make Your 

Historical Setting Come Alive, Part 2 
By Pamela S. Meyers

Last week I discussed using newspapers from your historical setting to catch the passion of the town. Today, I want to talk about how using the store ads can help make your story authentic to your time period.

Even though Lake Geneva, WI, my story setting, is small, I was amazed at how many ads filled each week’s edition of the paper. I found those advertisements to be a good reflection of the town’s climate, as far as the Great Depression was concerned. Nothing indicated the presence of breadlines, but that didn’t mean people weren’t struggling to make ends meet. The grocery ads contained numerous items at prices we’d consider dirt-cheap. But to a struggling family, even a fifteen-cent can of soup may be out of reach if they needed something else more.

My main concern was naming a store that didn’t come into business until after 1933. I took copious lists of all the stores who advertised in the paper and even scanned articles for mentions of others. If I wasn’t sure of the date a store opened for business, I didn’t use it.

Later when writing my story I worked from the list of retail stores, dropping in their names as organically as possible. My characters had lunch at a drug store soda fountain at least once. Another time I mentioned the name of the hardware store as they walked past it. My heroine’s father’s law office was in a suite of rooms above the local men’s clothing store. For example, I originally had my characters go to an ice cream store for sodas that I remembered being there when I was a child. I presumed it had been there for years like the drug stores. I mentioned the establishment to the town historian, and he stated he didn’t think the store had been there in the thirties. I changed the name of the place to a fictitious name.

If your setting is a large city, you will probably have a lot more to work with than I did, but the important thing is to work within the framework of what you have, utilizing authentic businesses where you can, and where you can’t create your own.

Next time, I’ll discuss getting the facts as right as possible down to the nth detail.

~~~~~

LFY in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin by Pamela S. Meyers

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago. She served on the ACFW Operating Board for five years and has also served her local ACFW chapter in leadership roles. Her historical romance, which is set in her hometown, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, released in April 2013. You can find more information on Pam at www.pamelasmeyers.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pamela.meyers.

(e-book)       (print)

Creating Catchy Titles by Karen Witemeyer

Karen Witemeyer

With jazzy titles like Stealing the Preacher and Short Straw Bride, how could I not ask Author Karen Witemeyer for her tips to share with you? Be prepared to take notes! Enjoy, and I'll see you on the other side!!  ~Dora

Whether you are hoping to catch an editor's eye with an unpublished manuscript or a reader's eye as she browses for a new book, the first impression you make is with your title. 

The split-second it takes a potential reader to scan your title can be the determining factor in their decision to pick up your book and examine it more closely or to move on to something else. A strong, catchy title can make the difference between a sale and a pass.

A successful title reflects a manuscript's genre, tone, and possibly a key story element. For example: romance titles often include words like bride, love, and heart; suspense titles, on the other hand, favor words like dark, danger, and death. These words create an expectation in the reader. They create a mood.

Don't follow the formula too closely, though. Your title still needs a unique twist to set it apart from all the others. Since I write light-hearted historical romance, I try to create titles that reflect that humorous/romantic feel. With my debut novel, I came up with a title that played on words. In Tailor-Made Bride, my heroine is a seamstress or tailor yet despite the hero's resistance, he eventually realizes she is tailor-made for him.

Titles should intrigue the reader and make them want to find out more about your story. My most recent two titles play on this idea. Short-Straw Bride and Stealing the Preacher leave questions in the reader's mind. What is a short-straw bride? Did men really draw straws to see who would marry her? Why would someone steal a preacher? How does that even happen? Both titles also hint at possible humorous scenarios or shenanigans going on and when paired with the right cover, create a vivid impression on readers.

My other two titles did not originate with me. My editors actually came up with the ideas. The title for my second book, Head in the Clouds, plays on a key story element as well as highlighting my heroine's dreamer personality. She always had her nose in a book and her head in the clouds. But what made this title so perfect was that throughout the story, clouds were used to symbolize ambiguity as well as God's leadership of his people, like the cloud by day he used to lead the Israelites through the wilderness.

My final title, To Win Her Heart, is probably the most generic of the five, but it fit my genre as well as my story and was well-received by readers.

Keep your titles short, usually not more than 3-4 words. Remember, it needs to look good on a cover and not take up too much real estate. Give it punch so it lingers in a reader's mind. And after you pour your heart and soul into crafting the perfect title, don't marry yourself to it. Editors are notorious for changing titles. After all, a title's job is not just to represent your story but to sell your story to readers. It's all about marketing.

Question from Karen: What are some of your favorite book titles?
And from Dora: How do you come up with your titles?

Stealing the Preacher
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On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can't believe it when he’s forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man’s daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He's determined to escape—which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request. 

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

About Karen Witemeyer:
Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.    

Christmas 2012 Series: Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot

Happy Monday, writers! Today we've got another author interview for you. Amanda Cabot's latest Christmas title, Christmas Roses is a delightful read! You can read my review for her book at Net's Book Notes today as part of her blog tour/promotional. (I didn't plant that, but it's perfect timing!) Let's learn some interesting behind-the-scenes facts, shall we? Read on! ~ Annette

What makes your Christmas story different than others you’ve seen or read? 

I’d like to say that my book is different from every other book that’s ever been written, but we know that’s not true.  After all, there are only so many basic stories. What differentiates Christmas Roses from other holiday stories is the setting—a fictional mining town in eastern Wyoming—and the characters. Celia is a widowed Swedish immigrant who wants nothing more than to keep her daughter safe, while Mark is an itinerant carpenter searching for his long-lost father. Neither one is looking for love or marriage, but ...  

What genre is your story?

Historical romance.

How did the story come about? 

I’m a fan of Christmas novellas. I love everything about them—the shorter format, the special theme, the fact that many of them are published in hard cover—and so after I read Kathleen Morgan’s series of Culdee Creek Christmas stories, I knew I wanted to write one of my own. Christmas Roses is the result.

The biggest challenge was choosing the setting. Although I toyed with the idea of making this another Ladreville story, featuring secondary characters from my Texas Dreams trilogy, for marketing reasons, my editor suggested I create a story with no ties to my other books.

Where would it take place? The same night that I received my editor’s suggestion, I attended a lecture about a copper mining town called Sunrise, Wyoming, and I knew I’d found my setting. My town is fictional, but it is a copper mining town, and it’s located in the same part of the state as Sunrise. As for the characters, they’re purely fictional, although don’t tell Celia and Mark that. While I was writing, they became real to me, as I hope they will for you.

What time of year did you write it, and how did you motivate yourself to write a Christmas novel at that time of year?

As it turned out, I was writing Christmas Roses in the fall, so it wasn’t a huge stretch to imagine myself in a snow-covered landscape. One of the things I’ve discovered, though, is that when I’m immersed in my writing, I’m oblivious to the outside world. At one point, I was writing a book with a blizzard scene in the middle of a particularly hot July. When the doorbell interrupted me and I realized it was hot outside, I was shocked.

I love getting lost in the writing zone too. Just happened recently. What’s next for you in writing? (Will you do more Christmas stories?)

My next release (January 2013) is the second of the Westward Winds trilogy.  Like its predecessor Summer of Promise and Christmas Roses, Waiting for Spring is set in Wyoming. This time, though, I’ve used a real location, namely Cheyenne, rather than a fictional town. And, yes, I’d love to do another Christmas story. I have, in fact, proposed one to my editor. Will she buy it? I certainly hope so!

Thanks for visiting today! What a pleasure to see this behind-the-scenes peek. 

To learn more about Amanda Cabot, visit her website. 

Christmas Roses released September 1, 2012 from Revell. 

Celia Anderson doesn’t need anything for Christmas except a few more boarders, which are hard to come by in this small mining town. She certainly doesn’t have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a wandering carpenter finds lodging at her boarding house, she admits that she might remarry if she found the right man—the kind of man who would bring her roses for Christmas. It would take a miracle to get roses during a harsh Wyoming winter. But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .

Amanda Cabot invites readers to cozy up with a romantic, heartwarming tale of the greatest gift of all—love.

 

(hardcover)                        (e-book)