All historical novels, perhaps all novels, blur the edges of fact and fiction. Our characters inhabit places and periods defined by known geography and history, sometimes in very specific ways (say mediaeval York, or the reign of a particular monarch). But why do so...

One of the hardest parts of being a writer of historical fiction (after writing the book, obviously) is deciding how to get your work in front of your readers. For most, there will be the pull of traditional publishing; of having your work accepted by a storied agent...

One of the great joys of being a writer is getting to play “What if”. Historical fiction in particular allows you to imagine the unseen scenarios that led to major historical events. We can create characters and circumstances that reveal the true story (or at least...

So, you want to write historical fiction. You’re fascinated by history. You read a lot about history. You watch a lot of documentaries and movies about history. You listen to podcasts about history. You LOVE history. And you want to tell stories about people in...

Social media can be a powerful and positive tool for authors, but it can also be a minefield to navigate. What should we post? On which platforms? How often? And so on. For historical fiction authors, social media works best when we acknowledge two fundamental...

So you’ve made it over the first hurdle — writing the book. You’ve poured your life’s blood into a magnum opus so breathtaking that the Booker Prize committee will be beating down your door. But first! You have to get it published. There are a few ways you can get a...

Picture the scene: you’ve spent years working on your novel about a historical figure never immortalised in fiction. And then you discover someone else is publishing a novel about them. This situation is unique to historical fiction writers: when we fictionalise real...

Just as a reminder for everyone who was asleep at school - a primary source is a contemporary object or piece of writing. Stuff from Ye Olden Days of Yore. The Treasurer of the Chamber’s Accounts (Henry VIII’s soft furnishings bill–here if you’re interested) is a...

For millennia, humans and animals have coexisted in different ways - protecting each other, comforting each other, and eating each other. Whenever your historical fiction is set, if animals aren’t involved, you may be missing an opportunity to give your reader deeper...

If you’ve completed a work of historical fiction or are nearing that revision finish line, you might be thinking about ways to get your story out into the world. One of the best ways to get some attention (and some cool cash) is by placing in writing contests. Short...

Real life gets in the way. If, like most of us, you have a “normal” job in addition to your writing, or you have a family, kids, hobbies, or any other assorted drama that comes with being a human being at some stage your writing schedule has taken a slight knockback....

Historical fiction is a conjuring trick, an interpretation of bygone times which doesn't pretend or promise to present the absolute truth. Instead, writers of historical fiction reinvent the past, often venturing further than the known facts. They invoke a past to...