Why I write historical fiction I first tried to write a historical novel in 1976. I’d been a history major in college and had just started reading John Jakes’ bi-centennial series. So chasing my dreams, my first wife and I headed to Maine with our two-year old son. We were… Read More »Why I write historical fiction by Mike Jastrzebski
If you are going to write mysteries, as I do, set in urban America in the 19th century, servants are going to play a role, and so it is not surprising that you will find servants as important characters in my Victorian San Francisco mystery series. However, as I have… Read More »Domestic Service in Victorian San Francisco by M. Louisa Locke
Writing a Forgotten Diva by Beverle Graves Myers I fell in love with baroque opera the moment I heard an achingly ethereal, crystal clear soprano voice fill my college Music History classroom. The performer was Alfred Deller, a modern-day singer who had trained his falsetto to reach the countertenor… Read More »Writing a Forgotten Diva by Beverle Graves Myers
Of all the settings portrayed in my novel about 1st Century Rome, Rubies of the Viper, none was more painful—and paradoxically more exciting and challenging—to envision than the Carcer Tullianus, Rome’s notorious underground death chamber. I can’t be specific about the scenes set there, because that would reveal key elements… Read More »The Dreadful Carcer by Martha Marks
War and the Human Spirit My love for history dates back to high school. I’ve always thought you could learn a lot from the people of the past. Most lived far more precarious lives than we do. They suffered and died and frequently triumphed. Our own lives are better because of their struggles. No wonder… Read More »War and the Human Spirit by I. J. Parker