It's Just Historical

Margaret and I have books coming out within days of each other and are having a joint Zoom launch party! On September 21, at 7pm Eastern. Please join us (you have to register first). Our books both take place in the Middle Ages. The Red Fletch is Margaret's inventive and compelling retelling of the Robin Hood legend, with a feisty heroine who is an expert archer. We had a fun conversation about research and characters and witchcraft and Tarot!You'll find Margaret's book here, and mine here!Interested in finding out more about becoming an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach? Go to BookCoaches.com.

Author and Smith College professor of literature Naomi Miller and I geek out about historical research, women authors of the past, and the magic of writing historical fiction! You can get her lovely book here.

I had a great conversation with my friend and superb author, Mitchell James Kaplan, about his book Rhapsody, which explores the relationship of musician and songwriter Kay Swift with George Gershwin. Mitchell has some fascinating insights about music, especially the nature and genesis of American music, and the story of what inspired him to write this book is especially moving! Check him out at https://www.mitchelljameskaplan.com. 

Such a fascinating discussion with Margaret about her lovely book, Finding Napoleon, published by She Writes Press earlier this month! It's about Napoleon's time during his final exile on the remote island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic—and the romance novel he partially wrote when he was a young soldier. That's the thing about historical fiction—you read beautiful stories, and you learn stuff!

I was delighted to talk to Mary about her gorgeous book, Revelations, a biographical historical novel about the 15th century English mystic, Margery Kempe. I was captivated from page 1—following Margery's brushes with religious persecution and her adventures on pilgrimage. It's out on April 27th!And Mary has lots of events coming up. See the all at her website: https://marysharratt.com/main/upcoming-events/

For all those who read and loved the first two books in the Emma of Normandy Trilogy—Shadow on the Crown and The Price of Blood by Patricia Bracewell, go and snap up the third volume, The Steel Beneath the Silk—available at last! And of course, listen to my conversation with Patricia about how she discovered Emma, what inspired her to write her trilogy, and her long and frustrating journey to getting this final volume published.

I had a great chat with Erika Robuck about her fabulous new book. We talked a little while ago, but I've been having computer issues (waiting for my laptop to come back from having a new battery installed, grrrr) so I just finally got to edit this conversation today.I can only say that Virginia Hall was a wonderful subject for a historical novel, and you'll be on the edge of your seat as you read it!

I had a really wonderful chat with two of my favorite historical novelists! Anne Easter Smith, most recently author of This Son of York, along with five other books that take place in England during the Wars of the Roses; and Patricia Bracewell, author of the Emma of Normandy trilogy about Anglo Saxon Britain. The third volume, The Steel Beneath the Silk is out March 2! Both are published by Bellastoria Press.So here's the thing: We all agree that Hilary Mantel is a remarkable writer, but one of us didn't love The Mirror and the Light, the final book in the trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. The first two books were Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, which have been made into wonderful TV series starring Mark Rylance as Cromwell. Want to find out who thinks what? Listen!

A truly eye-opening interview with this smart, generous author! Lauren is a joy to talk to, and a writer whose work should be on everyone's historical novel reading list. You can purchase Band of Sisters here, or anywhere you prefer to shop for books.The other book I mentioned, The Trouble with Women, is by Jacky Fleming.

Hello historical fiction fans! In this episode, I make a few feeble attempts to explain why I haven't published a podcast since December 17, and I talk about the four interviews I have coming up! I promised I'd include links to order their books, so here they are:Lauren Willig, Band of SistersMary Sharratt, RevelationsErika Shepard Robuck, The Invisible WomanPatricia Bracewell, The Steel Beneath the Silk

It was a joy to talk about so many things with New York Times bestselling author, Tasha Alexander! I think we covered just about everything... Education, history, research, oh—and writing. I hope you all enjoy this podcast, which was interrupted a couple of times thanks to the vagaries of the Internet, but we managed.

I had a great chat with publisher Linda Cardillo of Bellastoria Press. Full disclosure: Bellastoria published the first two volumes of my Orphans of Tolosa Trilogy and will be publishing the third and final volume in 2021. Linda is fabulous to work with and a terrific author too. We talk about the ins and outs of hybrid publishing, the options for publishing today, and how Bellastoria has carved out a niche recently publishing historical fiction.We also mention the fabulous Jane Friedman, whose industry knowledge and wonderful online seminars about topics of great use to writers are well worth the modest prices she charges to attend them.

In which I talk about just a few of the books I'm looking forward to in 2021, including:Band of Sisters, by Lauren WilligThe Women of Chateau Lafayette, by Stephanie DrayThe Steel Beneath the Silk, by Patricia BracewellThe Rose Code, by Kate QuinnHour of the Witch, by Chris BohjalianThe Children's Blizzard, by Melanie BenjaminWild Women and the Blues, by Denny S. BryceMeet Me in Bombay, by Jennie Ashcroft

In this brief pre-Thanksgiving podcast, I talk a little about book coaching—my other life outside of being a historical novelist. I promised links to my coaching Web site: https://susannedunlapedits.com, and the Author Accelerator book coach training Web site: https://bookcoaches.com. Excuse the self-promo, but I'm a huge ambassador for this really fun, fruitful relationship between writer and coach. You'll see when you listen. :)

Ellen Meeropol's gorgeous novel is a must read—even if I'm still skeptical that the 1960s qualify as historical fiction! A story of sibling love and tensions set against a backdrop of protests of the Vietnam war. We had a great conversation, and she'll be joining me and Lee Wicks for a virtual reading on Thursday, December 3, hosted by Writers in Progress.Find out more about Ellen's books and where to buy them at her Web site! 

In which I ponder many things: the state of the world, reading and writing historical fiction, reviews, book coaching, and more. It's a short one.

It amazes me how much I learn every time I talk to another author. Stephanie was so generous and lively, and I'm now completely smitten with all of the heroines in her forthcoming novel, The Women of Chateau Lafayette, which will be here in March (it's available for preorder now). Actually, I was smitten before we spoke. Listen to us nearly in tears at one point... LOL! Historical fiction can be very emotional...

This was a pure delight, to talk about research stories, methods, organization, and more, with three wonderful historical novelists. Joining me are Jacqueline Sheehan, Linda Cardillo, and Michelle Cameron, who talk about libraries, museums, and travel—among other things!The timeline software I mentioned is Aeon Timeline (it syncs with Scrivener, if you use that program).

Such a fun conversation with Jeri Westerson about her new Steampunk historical mystery/fantasy/adventure! Lots of imaginative characters, a hint of romance, and a liberal sprinkling of magic, all set in a fictional Victorian London. The book comes out on October 31 (Halloween!!!). Jeri's having lots of fun events, including a Facebook Live launch and a YouTube launch!

In which we talk about research, the 17th century, the 16th century, falconry, the Napoleonic era, research, beta readers, the Internet—and what we failed in primary school. Sandra Gulland is her usual lovely, generous self in this conversation, which was so much fun!

A first for me—interviewing an author on the other side of the world! Australian author Meg Keneally got up at sparrow fart (5:45am her time) to talk to me about her fabulous novel, Fled. It's totally engrossing and exciting, and in case you thought the name was a bit familiar, her father is Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's Ark, the book on which the movie Schindler's List was based. (We talk about her childhood a bit too, which is fascinating!)

Tracy and I had a terrific conversation about the nature of writing series, and what ways it can be easier and harder at the same time. Her Fraser-Rannock historical mystery series is 19 volumes long! And she just keeps going with this smart, well-researched, intriguing stories. Enjoy!

Listen in while C.W. Gortner and I talk about his latest book, about the fascinating, larger-than-life Sarah Bernhardt. There have been so many great reviews, but I particularly loved this one: “A literal drama queen, the historical Bernhardt provides a great wealth of material—sleeping in a coffin, keeping pumas as pets, the circles in which she moved with the likes of Victor Hugo and Oscar Wilde—for the creation of a colorful melodrama, equal parts flamboyancy and pathos. Since Bernhardt loved to extravagantly mythologize her own story, she would doubtless delight in Gortner’s first-person fictionalization of her extraordinary life.”—Booklist What's not to like?

A fabulous conversation about research, writing craft, and her latest book, The Exiles—an instant New York Times Bestseller—with Christina Baker Kline. According to Library Journal, The Exiles is "Both uplifting and heartbreaking, this beautifully written novel doesn't flinch from the ugliness of the penal system but celebrates the courage and resilience of both the first peoples and the settlers who came after."-- "Library Journal (starred review)"And the accolades keep coming.Find out more about the history and the background of the book on Christina's Web site. And enjoy!

So, this episode is one for the books! Kris and I talked about writing and historical fiction and how her book came about, but we also talked about Tarot! Kris teaches Tarot for Writers, working with writers to use Tarot to spark inspiration, unblock, or just think of things differently in a writing project. Check it out! And Kris’s wonderful, gothic novel about a Victorian post-mortem photographer is available everywhere. Check out her beautiful new Web site for more info!

I'm wondering if this is where I put the Show Notes.You'll find Janet here.