Blog
Forget the Sensational – in Praise of Quiet Books
One of the things I've noticed about the new self-publishing phenomenon, and also about traditionally published books fighting for their corner in the ever expanding book market, is that many of them seem to be shouting. The covers are shouting, the tag-lines are...
Floats the Dark Shadow by Yves Fey
Floats the Dark Shadow had a long gestation. I tried writing a different Belle Époque novel for about a year. I had a heroine I liked and kept telling her she was an artist. As an artist myself, I knew I could bring Paris of that era to life through my...
The Prodigal Son – Anna Belfrage
In retrospect, I suspect my subconscious had been doing its own little things for years before I finally sat down to write The Graham Saga. Since well over a decade, I had nursed an interest for the 17th century, and in particular for the religious conflicts that...
Life with Anne Boleyn – Interview with Judith Arnopp
I am delighted to welcome Judith Arnopp who has just released her Tudor novel about Anne Boleyn - The Kiss of the Concubine. I was interested to find out from Judith about the endless appeal of the Tudors, and about how she has welcomed them them into her writing...
A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift
I was exploring the time right after the gunpowder plot in England when Catholic recusants were being persecuted for their faith, when priests had to be hidden behind chimneys, and when England was in the grip of the new King James. I already knew I wanted to...
What to do on the day your book comes out
Today my third historical novel, 'A Divided Inheritance' is out. For me, this is the culmination of eighteen months of research and writing and so deserves to be celebrated. Trouble is - often it is only the writer who is so keenly aware of this date - the date that...
The Historical Novella – Tips from Helena P. Schrader
Rather than one long novel, Helena Schrader is writing a series of ten novellas - Ten Tales of Chivalry, all set in the 13th century. I was interested to know more about the Novella form, so I am delighted to welcome Helena to enlighten us. Q. Is there an advantage to...
Of Carrion Feathers by Katherine Pym
One weekend, while my sister and I visited, we both admitted we were intellectual snobs, but we had one fallen virtue in common: we both read historical romances. How hard could it be to write one? I ventured, so we agreed to co-write a historical romance novel. We...
Unravelled by M.K.Tod
My grandmother died on the way to her second wedding. I had often thought this dramatic curtain on life would make a good story and one day, sitting in a Hong Kong apartment with no job and no one to talk to, I decided to write about her life. I had moved to...
Win a copy of A Divided Inheritance
I am delighted to announce that A Divided Inheritance is available on kindle today. Click on the cover to take you to Amazon. It will be available in all other formats from 24th October, including the traditional weighty paperback. Today I'm giving away a signed...
Publication of ‘A Divided Inheritance’
October 23 Deborah's third book 'A Divided Inheritance' will be published in the UK. In addition to a blog tour with informative and entertaining articles, Deborah will be making a series of personal appearances and giving talks at a series of events to launch ‘A...
Fifth North American Conference of the Historical Novel Society
21-23 June 2013 Deborah will be at the Historical Novel Society Conference at the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel, 501 Fifth Ave, NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA She will be a panellist on: 'Virtual Salon: The Historical Fiction Blog' with authors Julianne...
Creating Secondary Characters in Historical Fiction
Riddle: How does an author use historical fact to create and describe secondary or minor characters in historical fiction? I asked Jane Harlond, another fan of the 17th century, to tell me her process. Over to Jane: Following on from Helen Hollick’s fascinating...
Just What Kind of Mother are You? by Paula Daly
I was on Twitter last week and I got a message from Alison Barrow at Transworld publishers asking if I'd like to read a debut novel set in the Lake District. Like most writers I have several jobs and a work-in-progress waiting, and I find I have to carve out time to...
Umbrella Rides The Wind
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