Tag Archives: Philippa GRegory

Writing historical fiction – greatness and great times

07 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Survey, Top Historical Fiction Authors

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Some time ago, Larissa MacFarquhar wrote about Hilary Mantel in The New Yorker. What struck me at the time is the notion that Mantel doesn’t ”believe in inventing greatness where none exists” and ”feels she can write about greatness only in historical moments that have already proved ripe for its flourishing. She believes that there are no great characters without a great time; ordinary times breed ordinary people”. Mantel implies that our present times are ordinary not great.

Does the favourite authors list from my survey imply that readers like to read about great times? Let’s have a look.

Sharon Kay Penman – Richard III, King John, Henry III, Edward I, Henry II and others

Philippa Gregory – War of the Roses, Katharine of Aragon, Tudor England, 18th C slave trade

Elizabeth Chadwick – knights and crusades, King John, Henry I, Eleanor of Aquitaine

Diana Gabaldon – mid to late 18th C time travel

Bernard Cornwell – Napoleonic Wars, Arthurian times, Alfred the Great, Hundred Years War

Ken Follett – WWI, WWII, Henry I and King Stephen plus contemporary times

Anya Seton – mid 19th C, Aaron Burr, John of Gaunt & Katherine Swynford, 17th C US, Anglo Saxon England

CW Gortner – Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, Spanish Queens Isabella and Juana

Alison Weir – Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I, Tudor times, Lady Jane Grey, many non-fiction books

Margaret George – Mary Magdalene, Cleopatra, Mary Queen of Scots, Helen of Troy, Elizabeth I

Georgette Heyer – Regency romance, contemporary and historical thrillers, William the Conqueror

Michelle Moran – Napoleonic times, Madame Tussaud, Nerfertiti, Nefertari, Cleopatra’s daughter

Jean Plaidy - Norman times, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart, Charles II, Queen Victoria

CJ Sansom – series set in time of Henry VIII

Jane Austen – wrote about her own times so not technically historical fiction

Dorothy Dunnett – 15th and 16th centuries, William the Conqueror

Ellis Peters – 12th century Cadfael series, English murder mysteries

Susan Higginbotham – Edward II, Edward III, Henry VI, Henry VIII, War of the Roses

Tracy Chevalier – eclectic mix of periods and subject matter

Jacqueline Winspear – aftermath of WWI

Patrick O’Brian – Napoleonic Wars

Deanna Raybourn – mysteries set in Victorian times

My conclusion is that readers enjoy reading about greatness and great times. What do you think?

Blog Hop … The Next Big Thing

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Writing Process

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Judith Ridgley tagged me for a blog hop called THE NEXT BIG THING. The idea is to talk about my WIP or a recent book I’ve written, answering 10 questions, and then tagging another group of authors to do the same the following week. I’ve chosen to answer questions about UNRAVELLED, a recently completed novel.

What is the working title of your book? Unravelled is the current working title, although at one time I called the book While the Secret Sits.

Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve been working on this book since 2006, a time when I was living in Hong Kong with my husband but unable to work full time. Originally, the book followed the lives of my grandparents with particular focus on WWI, a war in which my grandfather fought, trenches and all. After many revisions, the story bears little resemblance to my grandparents’ lives other than two world wars and one spy training organization.

What genre does your book fall under? Historical fiction. Isn’t that what everyone wants to read?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’m not a particularly dedicated movie fan, however, Kevin Costner or Colin Firth might be great leads, not too pretty, capable of being the strong, silent type who endured two world wars, operating wireless machines in WWI and training spies in WWII. Perhaps Cate Blanchett or Anne Hathaway for the female lead.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Two wars, two affairs, one marriage. I came up with this tag line a month ago and really like it.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m debating that point at this very moment and leaning towards self-publishing because the 100th anniversary of WWI is less than two years away and I believe my novel should be part of commemorating the sacrifice that occurred.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About eighteen months since I was teaching myself about writing fiction at the same time. Now, if you were to ask about the time until this latest draft is ready – the answer would be another five years. In the meantime, I’ve written two more books.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I like to think it’s similar to Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory, or The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, or Deafening by Frances Itani. I’ve read many books set in WWI and WWII and these come to mind because of style and subject matter.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? As mentioned, I began with my grandparents’ lives but then research took over. The more I discovered about WWI, the more I wanted to write a story to explore the affects of war on ordinary people.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I have written a companion novel called Lies Told in Silence that explores a portion of the story from another character’s point of view. The second novel is set in France during WWI.

And now to tag some other awesome authors …

Sophie Schiller is a writer of historical fiction and spy thrillers. She’s been on my blog talking about her book called Transfer Day. Her own blog is at  http://sophieschiller.blogspot.com

Richard Sutton has written two novels, The Red Gate and Gatekeepers about the O’Deirg family and the ancient secret they are charged to protect. He blogs at  http://www.sailletales.com

Kirstie Olley lives in Australia and calls herself a speculative fiction writer. Give her a round of applause for just completing NaNoWriMo!! She blogs at http://www.storybookperfect.com/.

Geoffrey Fox is American born but lives in Spain. He has earned a living as a writer – kudos for that, Geoffrey – and has several works of non-fiction as well as a book of short stories to his credit. You can find him at www.geoffreyfox.com .

Historical Novel Society Conference

18 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Survey

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The days are counting down to the Historical Novel Society conference in London which begins on Friday, September 28. I will be there – excitement enough given the potential to meet all sorts of historical fiction enthusiasts as well as listening to noted and celebrated authors like Emma Darwin, CW Gortner, Diana Gabaldon, Elizabeth Chadwick,  Margaret George, Philippa Gregory, Bernard Cornwell, Harry Sidebottom, Helen Hollick.

Already a shiver is going up and down my spine!

Tension elevates the excitement – tension from two different sources. One source is that I will be on a panel alongside Justin Neville, Harry Sidebottom and Emma Darwin. The topic, Reader Opinions Revealed, is based on the historical fiction survey I conducted last April and have written about in numerous blog posts.

The second source of tension is an opportunity to chat with an editor about my writing, a brief ‘pitch session’ but nonetheless guaranteed to create anxiety as the time approaches.

Advice, crossed fingers and good wishes welcome :)

Historical Fiction Survey – Top 20 Authors

26 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Survey

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PLEASE NOTE: an update to this list with a few additional authors now exists. Please see further news for the latest.
602 survey participants provided their favourite authors in a recent historical fiction survey. The top 20 authors are:

Other highlights:

  • 404 different authors were chosen by only one person; a further 99 authors were chosen by only two people
  • several top 20 authors are deceased; Plaidy, Seton and Heyer are mainly favoured by those who are 40 and older
  • beyond the top 20, a further 19 authors (see below) were selected as favourites by ten or more readers
  • all authors except Colleen McCullough (Australia) and Geraldine Brooks (Australia and US), live in either UK or US
  • readers chose 28 female authors and 11 male authors
  • each geographic region reads its own to some extent, but selects the same ‘global’ authors in high proportions
  • men read female authors and women read male authors; the men reading female authors tend to choose those who include mystery, crime or war in their novels
  • 14 of 54 Cornwell mentions are men; 9 of 36 Follett mentions are men; these are the only two authors with more than 5 mentions amongst male respondents

What do the top authors have in common?

For the most part, these authors base their stories in long ago periods, writing about well-known historical figures either in a central of significant role. Most have written series or have concentrated on a particular time period so readers know what to expect and are familiar with their main characters.

According to a recently published book about best sellers (James W. Hall, Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers), the three critical ingredients are maverick heroes, high stakes and hot sex. It seems to me that many of these authors fit that formula.

Check Sarah Johnson’s blog, Reading the Past, for further comments on the top authors.

On a personal note … I now have some highly recommended new authors to read.

Stories that sell – readers tell us

19 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Survey, Writing Process

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I’m a great follower of the Sunday New York Times book section – not only the reviews but the best seller lists and other regular columns. I look for ideas and trends and book recommendations.

TBR: Inside the List included a brief item called FLOUR, SUGAR, BUTTER commenting on James W. Hall’s book about best-selling novels. The following bits stood out:

  • “Three of the common features [of best selling novels] … are maverick heroes, high stakes and hot sex.”
  • “One ingredient not necessary in a best-seller … is graceful prose.”
  • And here, Hall is quoted directly. “The novel is a blue-collar form, and the language of best sellers reflects that legacy.”

I also cut out the NYT list of No. 1 books from one to thirty-five years ago published in early April.

  • 2011:  Toys – James Patterson & Neil McMahon
  • 2010:  The Help – Kathryn Stockett
  • 2007:  Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult
  • 2002:  Everything’s Eventual – Steven King
  • 1997:  The Partner – John Grisham
  • 1992:  The Pelican Brief – John Grisham
  • 1987:  Fine Things – Danielle Steel
  • 1982:  The Parsifal Mosaic – Robert Ludlum
  • 1977:  Trinity – Leon Uris

Guess what? Readers chose maverick heroes, high stakes and, in most cases, hot sex.

Now, combine that with my recent historical fiction survey. What did 805 readers tell us? They love great stories. When asked about the genre they read or what detracts from historical fiction or their favourite authors – the data and comments point to a desire for great stories. What more maverick heroes with high stakes can you find than Philippa Gregory’s Elizabeth I or Sharon Kay Penman’s Eleanor of Aquitaine or Bernard Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe or Diana Gabaldon’s Jamie Fraser?

In the right proportions, flour, butter and sugar makes mouth-watering shortbread. Food for thought.