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Historia Magazine

The magazine of the Historical Writers Association

  • Features
  • New books
  • Topics
    • Writing historical fiction
    • History on your screen
    • Authors’ favourite books
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • TV, Film and Theatre
    • Classics
  • Advertising
  • About
  • Contact
  • Get our newsletter

Battling with history: how to write fight scenes and battles in historical fiction

4 March 2021 By Matthew Harffy

How do you write a battle scene which engages your readers and drives the story on? It’s a question many authors of historical fiction fight with. Matthew Harffy, well known for his action-filled Bernicia Chronicles series, gives Historia his advice. All good stories need conflict, and what better way to convey conflict than to have […]

The Last Berserker by Angus Donald

11 February 2021 By Editor

The year 771, Northern Europe. Bjarki Bloodhand and Tor Hildarsdottir are journeying south into Saxony. Their destination is the Irminsul, the One Tree that links the Nine Worlds of the Middle-Realm. In this most holy place, they hope to learn how to summon their animal spirits so they can enter the ranks of the legendary […]

How to become a berserker – a historical novelist’s guide

11 February 2021 By Angus Donald

For a historical fiction writer with two successful adventure series and a passing acquaintance with magic under his (sword) belt, writing about berserkers was probably a logical next step for Angus Donald. But what, exactly, is a berserker? And how do you become one? He tells Historia… I was a little taken aback, when I […]

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New books by HWA members

Broken Arrow by Griff Hosker

24 July 2026

Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting by Elizabeth Norton

23 July 2026

Orphan of the Storm by Lizzie Lane

23 July 2026

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Shame and the Ancient Greek hero

16 March 2025

The triumph of Greek myths and the destruction of a civilisation

18 November 2019

The Trojan Wars: Men or Myths?

12 April 2018

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Historia Magazine is published by the Historical Writers’ Association. We are authors, publishers and agents of historical writing, both fiction and non-fiction. For information about membership and profiles of our member authors, please visit our website.

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