Bringing historical festivities back to life

Bringing historical festivities back to life

Celebrations, feasts and traditions have always been part of what makes us human. They bound our ancestors to their ancestors and can do the same for characters in historical fiction. Some feasts are moveable; all can be moving, both to characters and to readers. Some...

read more
How to write convincing male characters in historical fiction

How to write convincing male characters in historical fiction

Even taking into account titans like Bernard Cornwell, the vast majority of historical fiction authors are women. As are their readers. Now, you should be incredibly suspicious of anyone who claims to be an expert in masculinity. Chances are, they are trying to sell...

read more
Marketing hacks for historical fiction writers

Marketing hacks for historical fiction writers

For many writers, marketing a book is the hardest part of the publishing process. It requires us to go out into the world and smile at people and make them like us — all the reasons we chose to become writers in the first place (not). And after a while, all the book...

read more
How to write women with agency in historical fiction

How to write women with agency in historical fiction

Women are the primary buyers and readers of fiction today, so it’s unsurprising that many writers choose to center their historical novels on women characters. Not only is writing about women a savvy marketing decision, it’s also interesting—historical novels about...

read more
How does AI affect historical fiction writers?

How does AI affect historical fiction writers?

If you’ve spent any time lurking on the web recently, you’ve probably come across the intellectual debacle that is ChatGPT. It’s an AI processing tool that can generate written content in seconds, and writers are… concerned.Is AI the death knell of human creativity?...

read more
Five book marketing mistakes to avoid

Five book marketing mistakes to avoid

Marketing is not a dirty word. It is simply introducing people to your book. Nor does it require a six-figure budget and a legion of Mad Men type executives. Anything you do to tell people about your book is marketing. However, whoever said "There's no such thing as...

read more
What’s in a name? Character names and why they matter

What’s in a name? Character names and why they matter

Choosing the right names for your characters is crucial, not least when writing historical fiction. A character’s name, whether it be short and simple, or flamboyantly hyphenated, can convey a surprisingly large amount of information, and requires as much careful...

read more