Fictionalising History

One of my earliest reading delights was learning about different periods of history through novels - so much more interesting and digestible than history lessons. All through my teenage years, I devoured the novels of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens, who wrote during their actual eras, and Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy and H Rider Haggard, who placed the reader so convincingly in different times. Then I moved on to the medieval murders of Ellis Peters and was hooked on that period.

It is little surprise that my own first novel, Dangerous Deceit, is a historical set in the Regency period, and I also write occasional historical short stories. Good historical fiction still transports me to other times and it must be the ultimate escapism in a novel! So I am delighted that a fellow Champagne Books author, Jude Johnson, is in the Author Spotlight over on my reading and writing blog today. Jude's novel, Dragon & Hawk, is a fascinating journey back to late 19th century Arizona and is full of rich historical detail. Well worth a read!

Romy