by Stephanie Dray | Apr 4, 2011 | Historical Fiction Genre, Miscellany
It may come as a surprise to most people, but the dominant historical setting in commercial fiction isn’t Tudor England. It’s Regency England–the godzilla of the romantic fiction world. I’d like to point out a surprising number of similarities...
by Stephanie Dray | Mar 27, 2011 | Historical Fiction Genre
Historical fiction exists in the sometimes murky world between literature and scholarship. As authors, we rely upon sources both in the public domain and out of it, both contemporary and ancient. Yet, no uniform procedures or system for recording and giving credit to...
by Stephanie Dray | Jan 26, 2011 | Historical Fiction Genre, Miscellany
I’m about to do something ill-advised. I’m about to pick a fight with a blogger. I don’t do this to be disagreeable. It’s just that I’ve decided not to shy away from my claim that Historical Fiction Doesn’t Have to be Good For You....
by Stephanie Dray | Nov 8, 2010 | Historical Fiction Genre, Other Writers, Reviews
The first chapter of Lady MacBeth should humble any historical fiction writer. Susan Fraser King gives us a compelling introduction to a fascinating queen. Lady MacBeth is a wonderful example of what historical fiction does best. It corrects the errors of...
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 28, 2010 | Entertainment, Historical Fiction Genre, Miscellany
This is an excellent review of the Sword and Sandal Genre in cinema. I’m not sure what the correlation is to novels, however. It’d be interesting to compare. I’ve been contemplating writing an article for the Romance Writers of America monthly zine...
by Stephanie Dray | Jun 1, 2010 | For Writers, Historical Fiction Genre
The May issue of SOLANDER asks why historical fiction doesn’t sell as well as teen vampire books; I think part of the answer is to be found within SOLANDER’s pages. Here, as elsewhere in the historical fiction world, the tone many writers take is akin to...