Category Archives: historical fiction

Five Thoughts on Historical Worldbuilding

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

1. I definitely prefer when I can spend a lot of time with the historical background of a story, maybe not overtly by making notes but organically, letting my thoughts come together slowly as I read about different aspects of … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, research | 5 Comments

Janet Mullany – Guest Post

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest, Janet Mullany! # IMMORTAL JANEHe released her hands and stood. “Consider, Jane. You’ll marry some bore of a country gentleman who’ll kill you in childbed and who won’t want a bookish wife anyway. Perhaps you’ll stay … Continue reading →

Posted in guest, historical fiction, paranormal, vampires | 4 Comments

Be vewy quiet; I’m adding geeky detail!

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

There are various schools of thought about adding historical detail to fiction. Sometimes you want more detail, sometimes less; partly, that depends on the book’s genre. For example, in a Tom Clancy novel such as The Hunt for Red October, … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, historical fiction, research, wwi | 4 Comments

Selling the Unusual Setting

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post was originally written for The Naughty Girls Next Door. Since then, I learned from author Michelle Styles in a comment to that post that Harlequin Mills & Boon has been seeking out unusual historicals, publishing one a month … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, historical fiction, wwi | Comments Off on Selling the Unusual Setting

Research – When to Stop

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I actually stole this topic from a discussion I read…somewhere, a while back. The question was, “when do you stop researching?” I have two answers.My first answer is never. You never stop researching because everything you read or look at … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, research, writing craft | Comments Off on Research – When to Stop

Contemporary Historical Resources Linkgasm

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Here are a few links I’ve found useful in my historical research. These are all collections/archives of contemporary materials. Contemporary to historical periods, I mean.Old Magazine Articles, edited by Matt Jacobsen. “OldMagazineArticles.com is a Los Angeles-based website; privately owned and … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, images, links, research | 2 Comments

History as Fantasy

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

In many ways, writing historical fiction is like writing fantasy. And reading historical fiction is like reading fantasy. In one genre, you have to look up a lot of tiny details to make the reader accept that the world they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, reading, sf/f | 4 Comments

Researching the 1970s – Gwynne Garfinkle Guest Post

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest, Gwynne Garfinkle! # Researching the Jo Book I recently completed the second draft of a novel about a soap opera actress in mid-1970s New York City who’s haunted by the ghost of her best friend who … Continue reading →

Posted in guest, historical fiction, research, television | Comments Off on Researching the 1970s – Gwynne Garfinkle Guest Post

Saskia Walker – Guest Post

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest, Saskia Walker! # When I started out on my writing journey I used to fret about how the fantasy or paranormal elements of a story would mesh with the more everyday aspects. As writers we want … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, guest, historical fiction | 2 Comments

Why Not Twentieth Century Historicals?

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Why are so few (print) romance novels set in the twentieth century? If you go to a bookstore and look at the section labelled “Romance,” certain things are there and certain things are not. With the exception of occasional outliers … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, romance novels | 20 Comments