Today I welcome best selling author Kate Quinn to my series of interviews. Kate is the author of Mistress of Rome, Daughters of Rome, Empress of the Seven Hills and the soon-to-be-released The Serpent and the Pearl. Kate will be participating on two panels at the Historical Novels Society Conference: “Sex in Historical Fiction: How to Make It Hot” and “Historical Fiction Set in the Ancient World: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

Welcome, Kate.

Q: What got you first interested in historical fiction?

A: The past has always fascinated me, ever since the days when I was six years old and I couldn’t sit down on the school steps without pretending I was Elizabeth I refusing to enter the Tower of London. My favorite movie was Spartacus, and I was crushed that no boys of my own age were even remotely capable of leading a slave rebellion or wielding a gladius like Kirk Douglas. Under those circumstances, it was probably inevitable that I ended up writing historical fiction!

Q: Is there an era/area that is your favorite to write about?

A: I first got interested in ancient Rome because of I, Claudius, which I watched when I was far too young, but adored anyway. Imperial Rome is so far away from us in time, but culturally so close. From sports fans to fast food, from running water and daily baths to birth control and no-fault divorce, the Romans embraced cultural traditions that wouldn’t be seen again on a widespread scale for two thousand years. And now I’m giving ancient Rome a break and have moved on to the Renaissance—another fascinating period; so much art and beauty existing side by side with so much bloodshed.

Q: Do you have a favorite era for reading?

A: I’ll read historical fiction set in any era as long as it’s well-written!

Q; Is there a writer, living or deceased, you would like to meet?

A: I would have loved to meet Judith Merkle Riley, who was my idol for historical fiction. In a genre that can sometimes take itself deadly serious, she wasn’t afraid to make her readers laugh. I understand she was very active with HNS—I will always be sorry that I didn’t join up until after she had died.

Q: Can you tell us about your latest publication?

A: The Serpent and the Pearl is my latest book, set for release in early August—and it’s my first book set outside Imperial Rome. I’m hopping on the Borgia bandwagon for a rollicking story starring Giulia Farnese, a Renaissance beauty with floor-length hair who was mistress to the Borgia Pope. Stir Giulia’s incredible real-life adventures together with those of her acerbic bodyguard, add in one fiery-tempered cook with a dangerous past, and light on fire for a fun fast-paced read.

We’ve now reached the time in our interview for the let’s-get-to-know-the-author-better, nearly-pointless, sort-of-silly, rapid-fire questions:

Coffee or tea? Coffee. I don’t care if it tastes like motor oil, as long as it’s black, hot, and strong enough to take the roof of my mouth off.

Ocean or mountain? Ocean. I have a periodic fantasy of taking a waterproof laptop and going to live on a houseboat in the middle of the ocean where I can be absolutely, completely alone except for the sound of waves.

Hiking or shopping? Hiking. A long ramble with my dog helps me unsnarl plotting problems – I feel just like Emily Bronte, sans Yorkshire moors.

Violin or piano? Piano – as long as it’s not me playing it!

Mystery or fantasy? Both. I’ll happily hop from George R.R. Martin to Robert B. Parker.

Darcy or Heathcliff? Darcy. Heathcliff killed baby birds, which is just a bit of a turn-off for me.

Love scene or death scene? I’m a sucker for a good love scene. Who isn’t?

For more information about Kate Quinn, visit her blog: http://www.katequinnauthor.com/blog.htm

Buy her books at her Amazon Author Page

Or keep track of her online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kate.quinn.549
Twitter: #KateQuinnAuthor

Contact Kate: katequinnauthor at hotmail.com

Thanks, Kate!

Today I welcome novelist Ann Weisgarber to my series of author interviews. Ann will be at the Historical Novels Society Conference as a panelist on the Historical Fiction: the American Experience session.

Welcome, Ann.

 Q: For you, what is the line between fiction and fact?

 A: I believe that readers trust us to tell the truth about historical events, locations, and cultural norms. I work very hard to keep those aspects as accurate as possible. If the facts don’t fit with the story I’m writing, I change my characters rather than the facts. In The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, I wanted my main character to have a brief interaction with Ida B. Wells Barnett, a historical journalist in Chicago. To make that work, I had to make my main character older by a few years. In The Promise, I wanted one of the main characters to play in an orchestra. However, in the late 1800’s, this was very rare for a woman. Rather than bend the facts, I changed the character so that she played in a four-woman ensemble, something that was becoming increasingly popular at the time.

These were small sacrifices that allowed me to keep the story historically accurate.

Q: Do you have an anecdote about a reading or fan interaction you’d like to share?

A: When The Personal History of Rachel DuPree was published in the United States, many African-American readers told me stories about their ancestors who homesteaded in the West. They thanked me for writing a novel about people who have been overlooked in the history books and a few readers sent photographs of their relatives. I’m deeply touched by these responses.

Q: Where do you feel historical fiction is headed as a genre?

 A: I’m on the selection committee for the Langum Prize in American Fiction and am impressed by the range of topics, locations, and time periods. There are many Civil War-based novels but there are also those that take place during the Industrial Era, World War I and Prohibition. Locations vary from North Carolina to Missouri to California. Some focus on historical people while others highlight ordinary characters. Each novel is a reminder that historical fiction is broad in scope, that the writing isn’t formulaic, and that as each decade passes, new material surfaces. That keeps the genre fresh. It offers something for every reader.

Fifty years from now, I’m confident that the Historical Novels Society will continue to meet and members will continue to discuss the fascinating evolution of historical fiction.

Q: Is there a writer, living or deceased, you would like to meet?

A: How I wish I could have met E.B. White so I could thank him for writing Charlotte’s Web. It’s the first book that I remember my mother reading to me when I was a child. I was spellbound by this story about impending death, friendship, hope, and most of all, the power of the written word. I’m still spellbound.

Q: Can you tell us about your latest publication?

A: The Promise was published in March 2013 by Mantle (Pan Macmillan) in the UK. It takes place on Galveston Island, off the coast of Texas, and begins a few weeks before the 1900 Storm, the worst natural disaster in the U.S. during the 20^th Century. There are two narrators, Catherine and Nan, who both strive to cope with change as they struggle to find their places within a small household. Little do they know that a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico is about to upend all that they know.

We’ve now reached the time in our interview for the let’s-get-to-know-the-author-better, nearly-pointless, sort-of-silly, rapid-fire questions:

Coffee or tea?  Coffee. I love the aroma.

Ocean or mountain?  Ocean

Hiking or shopping?  Hiking

Violin or piano?  Violin (May I call it a fiddle?)

Mystery or fantasy?  Mystery

Darcy or Heathcliff?  Heathcliff

Love scene or death scene?  Death scene. The possibilities are endless—the deathbed wishes, promises made, and, of course, the reading of the will.

For more about Ann Weisgarber, visit her website www.annweisgarber.com

Thanks, Ann!

Today I welcome Anne Easter Smith to my series of author interviews. Anne is the author of the highly acclaimed historical novels, A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, The King’s Grace, and Queen by Right. Her recently-released Royal Mistress is the story of Jane Shore, the final mistress of King Edward IV of England. Anne will be speaking on the To Trump or Trumpet: the History Police panel at the Historical Novels Society conference.

Q: What got you first interested in historical fiction?

A: A great teacher in boarding school hooked me on history, and so when I went home during the holidays I would go to the local library and read every historical novel I could get my hands on. I was not interested in any books that did not have women in long dresses. Even today, if a book cover, TV show or movie is period, I’m instantly interested.

Q: For you, what is the line between fiction and fact?

A: I’ll be talking about this on my panel at the conference. I fall into the “don’t mess with history” camp. To be honest, the people I have written about couldn’t have had more dramatic lives, even if I’d wanted to embellish them! I was mortified recently that a reader caught an egregious historical error that I cannot imagine not catching during the editing process. I feel a certain responsibility to my readers to not fudge the facts. After all, it was fact-fudging by Shakespeare and Sir Thomas More that got my favorite protagonist, Richard III, such a bad reputation.

Q: Do you have an anecdote about a reading or fan interaction you’d like to share?

A: Imagine my surprise when, at a reading near Albany, New York, a woman turned up dragging an 11-year-old boy with her. When I went to greet her, talking over the boy’s head, and said how brave she was to come when her son was surely not there of his own volition, she said: “Oh, I’m not here to see you, Jason is. He’s your biggest fan and his room is covered in English royalty genealogy charts!” Jason and I have kept up a correspondence ever since.

Q: What book was the most fun for you to write?

A: Definitely A Rose for the Crown. It’s not that I haven’t adored all my other protagonists, but I wrote that in my own time without any intention of letting anyone but my family read it and believed it would be my only attempt at writing a book.

Q: Can you tell us about your latest publication?

A: Royal Mistress is the fifth in my series about the York family during the Wars of the Roses. It tells the story of Jane Shore, King Edward IV’s final and favorite mistress. I love that she was born into the merchant class of London, which allowed me to do a lot of research on the medieval guilds, and as she was called his “merriest” mistress by Edward himself, I knew she must have been quite a character. She had a roller-coaster of a life before and after Edward, but while she was his mistress, Jane was said to have truly been loved by the king. All the York family come into this book, including my Richard (III), although his treatment of Jane was rather harsh and forced me to look at him in a less saintly light than my first book A Rose for the Crown.

Thank you, Anne.

You can learn more about Anne Easter Smith and her books at www.anneeastersmith.com

As part of my series of interviews with Historical Novels Society Conference Speakers, I today interview Kathleen Kent. Kathleen is the author of the bestselling novels, The Heretic’s Daughter and The Traitor’s Wife. At the conference, Kathleen will be participating in “The Witchcraft Window: Scrying the Past” panel discussion.

Question: What got you first interested in historical fiction?

Kathleen: When I was a child, my mother gave me a book on ancient Greek artifacts. Soon after, I started reading Mary Renault’s books and historical fiction became my time machine to the past.

Question: How do you find the people and topics of your books?

Kathleen: My first two books, The Heretic’s Daughter and The Traitor’s Wife were based on my 9 times great grandmother, Martha Carrier, who was hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692. I grew up hearing stories of Martha and her family.

Question: Do you have an anecdote about reading or fan interaction you’d like to share?

Kathleen: For the release of my second book, The Traitor’s Wife, I had a launch event in Salem, Mass. Over 250 fellow descendants of Martha Carrier—from all over the U.S.— attended to share their personal histories and stories that they had heard about Martha and her husband, Thomas Carrier.

Question: Can you tell us about your latest publication?

Kathleen: My third novel, The Outcasts, will be published this October. Set in 1870 Texas, the story follows both a young Texas State Policeman on the hunt for a serial killer, and a woman fleeing a life of prostitution to pose as a school teacher in a small Texas town.

Thanks, Kathleen!  For more about Kathleen Kent, visit her website, http://kathleenkent.com/

Over the next few weeks, I will be featuring some of the speakers scheduled to present at the Historical Novels Society Conference  June 21-23 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Today I welcome Heather Webb, who will be on a panel discussing the “Virtual Salon: Historical Fiction Blogs” at the conference. This is my second interview with Heather Webb. You can read the first interview here.

Question: What got you first interested in historical fiction?

Heather: I’ve been fascinated by history all my life–the clothes, the gadgets (or lack there of), and the evolution of the human story. I credit my parents for much of this interest. My dad loved old epic movies like Ben Hur and Cleopatra, westerns, and war films, and my mom enjoyed museums, so my siblings and me spent loads of time learning about the past.

Question: How do you find the people and topics of your books?

Heather: My book topics are based on people who have always fascinated me. Also, I stumble upon new gems by accident during my research of a current project.

Question: Do you follow a specific writing and/or research process?

Heather: I research for at lease a couple months first and flesh out an outline and character maps. From there, I begin writing scenes and continue to research as I go.

Question: For you, what is the line between fiction and fact?

Heather: Gross errors of important dates that define a person’s life within the novel is the only thing I’d watch for. Otherwise, to me, fiction is fiction. Fact is fact. Writers are artists with their own interpretation of how events unfolded, the emotions and thoughts of the characters. It frustrates me to see people attack each other over differing elements in historicals. So what if the relationship may or may not have happened? It sure is fun to read and dream about. Factual accounts (which is impossible as none of us lived during these times that we write about), are nonfiction, not fiction.

Question: Where do you feel historical fiction is headed as a genre?

Heather: I think crossover elements will become more popular–fantasy elements, women’s fiction themes, mysteries and thrillers, rather than classic historical biographies or war novels.

Question: Is there an era/area that is your favorite to write about? How about to read?

Heather: I love to write about late 18th-19th century France. Revolutions, whether through war or in ideologies are fascinating to me and France’s history is rich in revolts of every kind. I love to read any era, as long as I fall in love with the characters. Right now I’m on an early 20th century kick.

Question: What are your favorite reads? Favorite movies? Dominating influences?

Heather: Favorite reads change over time for me and they aren’t all historical, but right now I’d say: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. As for favorite films, my list is long, but I love artsy French films and most versions of those based on Jane Austen’s books. I could throw in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Silverlinings Playbook and the like, or the odd superhero film and I’m happy as a clam.

Question: Is there a writer, living or deceased, you would like to meet?

Heather: Josephine Bonaparte! But so so many more! I couldn’t possibly name them all.

Question: Can you tell us about your latest publication?

Heather: My debut Becoming Josephine be lead title for Plume/Penguin in January 2014 and has already been mentioned in The Wall Street Journal. I can’t tell you how excited I am! After years of hard work, it’s a dream come true! I bet Empress Josephine would be so pleased. 🙂