There are times when empirical approaches to history simply don’t do the job. I say this both as a novelist and as a former archaeologist and historic preservation specialist with two college degrees in the subject. For example, there is a mountain in the northern part of the Wrangells called Pingpong Mountain. Back when I […]
Guest Blogger Kris Farmen: Desktop History Read More »
This is the final post in a four-part series from our July featured author. Thank you, Stephanie! I write about ancient history’s “forgotten women:” Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire, Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt, and the wife and daughters of Genghis Khan. These women faced many problems we continue to deal with today: power struggles,
Stephanie Thornton: Writing Historical Fiction Part IV – Don’t Avert Your Eyes Read More »
This is the third in a series from our July featured author. Writing historical fiction is the next best thing to having a time machine. (Side note: Time travel would totally be my superhero superpower if I ever had one.) And I’ll be honest, my favorite part of writing is adding in all the weird
Stephanie Thornton: Writing Historical Fiction Part III—Make Your Readers Believe Read More »
This is part II from our July featured author. Read part I here. No matter your genre, you must be willing to make your characters’ lives downright miserable. Yes, there can be a happily ever after, but before that, your protagonists must lament the day they were born. Nothing should be easy for them! Of
Welcome on this national holiday to July featured author Stephanie Thornton, whose first book , The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora, was published earlier this week. A few years ago when I was revising my first historical manuscript, I had a very knowledgeable author-friend point out the four key elements of any manuscript:
