Alison Baxter writes about the tragedy in her own family history that inspired her first novel, A Fatal Choice. Her research uncovered a puzzling story of secrets and lies. She could have written it as non-fiction, but fiction gave her the opportunity to explore the inner lives of the women involved. I came late to […]
Historia interview: Luke Pepera
Luke Pepera’s debut Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 years of African Culture and Identity is a ground-breaking exploration of Africa’s uniquely long history and diverse cultures, interwoven with Luke’s experiences of growing up in a Ghanaian family. Luke talks to novelist Carolyn Kirby about the genesis of his remarkable book. CK: Motherland is such a […]
Red brick women: 1930s university pioneers
What was life like at university for the pioneering women who went to a red brick institution in the 1930s? Lizzie Bentham, who writes mysteries set against this background, draws on family experiences to explain. Each autumn, thousands of students will begin studying at so-called red brick universities, the nine civic universities founded in the […]
Writing yourself into history: top tips for memoirs
Have you considered writing a book about yourself? A memoir, autobiography, or family history, or even just a private record for your relatives or friends? Jean Fullerton, East Ender and bestselling author, has her own autobiography coming out and learned some useful tips which she’s passing on here. Before I start, can I warn you […]
Family memories of Italy in World War Two
Can a novel based on family memories be more that a fictional imitation of life? Cristina Loggia’s debut, Lucifer’s Game, based on true events in Italy during the Second World War, aims to remind us of a past that should never be forgotten. Tripoli, Peloponnese, Greece, September 1943: my paternal grandfather Guido, who was stationed […]
This is Not a Book About Charles Darwin by Emma Darwin
Everybody knows about Charles Darwin, and many know about others in his family, from Erasmus Darwin and Tom Wedgwood, the first photographer, to composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and poet and radical John Cornford, the first Briton to be killed in the Spanish Civil War. But when Charles and Emma Darwin’s great-great-granddaughter, another Emma Darwin, tried […]
Should historical authors feel guilt when they write real people as antiheroes?
What responsibility has an author of historical fiction towards real people who they write as antiheroes in a novel? Should authors feel guilty about how they portray them? AJ West, whose debut novel, The Spirit Engineer, takes people who have living descendants as its close inspiration, considers this dilemma. I don’t believe in ghosts, though […]
Delving into the history of a house
It’s a good week for anyone interested in the history of houses; a new series of A House Through Time begins, and the paperback edition of the book of the same name is out. If you’re inspired to delve into house history to find out more about the building you live in, or you’re a […]