I spent a good many years teaching history to high school sophomores. Most of them would consider “fun” and “history” mutually exclusive terms, though a few were able to see the possibility that the two can co-exist. I love history and read it in most forms, but my favorite is… Read More »Fun With History, by Peg Herring
This is a blog report from HFAC member, Lisa Yarde, of the 2013 Historical Novel Society’s Fifth Annual North American Conference. We will be trying to repost as many of these reports as possible. Do please chime in if you also attended to add your two cents!) Hello from beautiful St.… Read More »Report on HNS 2013: Religion in Historical Fiction by Lisa Yarde
The question has occurred often and my natural response is to answer, “Why not?” Spain is the predominant setting for half of the books I have written. Inspiration derives from the richness of its history and culture, and the influence of different religions on the architecture and food. Spain is… Read More »Why Spain? by Lisa Yarde
Most historical fiction writers have a few specific reasons why they have jumped into the research and study that produces their stories. Settings, too can often be motivators all by themselves. A clearly defined sense of place is something I really strive for in my own work, but readers may… Read More »Why Ireland? by Richard Sutton
Saint Patrick was not quite the snake-chasing evangelist of Ireland that he is most commonly misperceived to have been. In How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill explains that Patrick (Naomh Pádraig) was a Welsh farm boy kidnapped into slavery at the age of sixteen by pagan Irish raiders early… Read More »Saint Patrick and Ireland by Jack Dixon