Our guest this month, author Noel O’Reilly, on the ‘Poldark effect’ and why fiction set in Cornwall doesn’t have to be corny. The fourth series of the Poldark TV drama is currently being aired. With 6.1 million viewers watching the final episode of the previous series, inevitably publishers of historical fiction set in Cornwall are casting […]
We’re Hiring!
Are you passionate about history and historical writing? Are you looking for experience in publishing and journalism, or an editorial role?
Why Historical Fiction?
Novelist Andrew Martin considers why he’s drawn to writing historical fiction. I have written fourteen novels, most of them wholly or partly historical. (I say ‘wholly or partly’ because my latest, The Martian Girl, is set both in the modern day and 1898.) I am happy to identify as a historical novelist. It seems a logical […]
So, What Exactly IS Historical Fiction?
Marianne Kavanagh ponders the definitions applied to fiction set in the past. What is historical fiction? It might seem a strange question to raise with readers of Historia, rather than, say, members of the AA or Greenpeace. Surely we are exactly the people who should know. But sometimes it feels as if we’re working with other […]
Historia Interviews: Kate Mosse
The Burning Chambers, the first in a new series by Kate Mosse, is published today. Anna Mazzola met with her to discuss how to write compelling stories, what historical fiction says about the present day, pre-publication nerves and strong black coffee. Firstly, congratulations on a brilliant and gripping novel. I tore through it in a […]
History by the River
History by the River is a monthly panel event with a social buzz for lovers of books, history and good beer. It’s a chance to get together with fellow readers and authors to hear about the best new historical writing, then discuss it all over a drink afterwards. BUT IN MAY WE ARE HISTORY IN […]
Why do Historical Authors Turn to Crime?
Our guest this month, Barry Forshaw, author of Historical Noir, examines the growing popularity of historical crime fiction. The historical crime genre might be said to have begun in earnest with Ellis Peters’ crime-solving monk Brother Cadfael in the 1970s, and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose in 1980 (with another monkish detective), but it […]
April Giveaway!
This month we’re giving away a bundle of new historical fiction from those generous folk at Bonnier Zaffre. One lucky winner will receive SIX new books, including latest releases from HWA members Harry Sidebottom and Angus Donald. Just follow the instructions below to enter. You’ve got four chances to win and can enter using any or all of […]