HNS Conference: Gender Preferences

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Every conference generates a unique buzz. The panel discussions, the conversations around the buffet line, all tap into the collective consciousness. The 2015 HNS Conference just concluded in Denver, and I’m left thinking about gender and trends in historical fiction. Discussions about what readers wanted seemed to be top of everyone’s mind, specifically, whether they preferred to read about female or male protagonists. There were two panel discussions around gender and historical fiction, The Gender Divide, and Damsels to the Rescue: Reviving the Male Protagonist. The issue/assumption has been that since women constitute a higher percentage of novel readers, they may shy…

HNS Conference: Sword fighting 101

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I’m here in Denver attending the Historical Novelist Society Conference, and today we learned about sword fighting from historical author and actor, David Blixt. Such a bold statement. It takes more than an afternoon to transform a group of historical novelists into sword fighters, but we did get a flavour for it thanks to David’s workshop, and here are some things I learned. Historical writers are blood thirsty people. When shown a hundred ways to kill, maim, and disembowel, did we toss up our excellent lunch? Heck no! After the “Oooh’s” and “Ahh’s” we demanded more details, such as how…

What’s in a name?

Categories: News · Traitor's Knot12 Comments

Apparently everything. The right name will trigger an emotional response be it humour, curiosity, wonder or anticipation, and this is what you want, especially for a novel. With that in mind, I’ve decided to rename my story. For a very long time it has been called by its working title, Highwayman, mainly because I have an interest in highwaymen, pirates, and altogether unsavoury (but fascinating) blackguards. I’m sure that I’m not alone given the reams of literature on the subject. But my story has entered into its adulthood, and it is about more than just a highwayman. It’s about divided loyalties, sacrifice…

Author Spotlight: Rachael Stapleton

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If you ask any lover of historical fiction what appeals to them about the genre and one of their top 10 reasons will likely include the fantasy of slipping back in time. For most, that means spending time with characters whose world is in the past, but timeslip stories can take it one step further. It’s my pleasure to introduce Rachael Stapleton’s second novel in the Temple of Indra Mystery Series, Curse of the Purple Delhi Sapphire. There’s mystery, romance, and time travel. Best of all, for this week only, it’s free on Kindle. Read on to learn more… Looking…

The Provenance of a Book

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A friend and fellow writer, Gwen Tuinman, recently gave me a book she’d knew I’d enjoy: The Proverbs of Scotland, by Alexander Hislop. It’s a well-read old book, worn at the spine and a bit chewed at the top, but just the right size to fit in your hand. And it has lovely Scottish proverbs rich in language and personality. No matter that you can probably find these sayings on the internet, they seem to carry more weight nestled on yellowed paper. After initially poring over the proverbs–there’s even a glossary of Scottish words (how convenient!)–I became curious to know how old…