on Career Authors:

Historical fiction is like a magic portal where the reader can glimpse a life set against a backdrop of so much detail and still suddenly be faced with the unknown. It creates unmatched anticipation for what’s to come and all the ways it could go right or wrong. But more importantly, there’s the chance that a character could make unexpected choices that mean even if a reader has the facts about history, even if they feel they are experts in everything about the people navigating it, they could be wrong. Historical fiction is about possibilities.

Any good story starts on a precarious path, but with historical fiction the path is one that has been walked before the reader’s time. It would seem the way forward would be obvious, but that’s the thing about a journey, internal or external–every step is a risk for the person who is setting out. Good historical fiction allows the reader to step into the boots of a character who must consider those woods, dark and deep, anew. For although the reader may know where the path will lead, a human being is always capable of surprising and enlightening us by how their particular journey is made.