Historical Fiction. Do you want to be in our club?
by Gillian Hamer
For the next few months, I shall be dipping my toe into
the elite world of Historical Fiction.
My next book, to be released in June under the Triskele
banner, is another cross-genre crime novel called Complicit.
As well as a modern day criminal investigation around DS
Gareth Parry and the team at Bangor CID, in Complicit we are also transported
back two thousand years to one of the most turbulent periods in local history.
The ownership of Anglesey (or Mona as it was known then) was one of the most
bitter battles faced at the time by the invading Roman army. It took two
attempts, plus the building of a huge barracks at Caernarvon (Segontium) to secure
the island down to the resilience of local Celt warriors and the mythical stronghold
of the Druids. I thought it would be fascinating to bring to life a little of
the atmosphere and tension of that time.
I’ve long been fascinated by anything associated with the
past, especially the plethora of archaeology, shipwrecks, myths and legends
surrounding Anglesey – some of which I’ve managed to squeeze into both of my previous
novels.
I thought it would be interesting to put Triskele’s two
historical writers, Liza Perrat (Spirit
of Lost Angels) and Jane Dixon Smith (author of June’s release, Tristan and Iseult) under the spotlight
to discover where their own passions for
the genre first developed.
***
GEH: So, HF has seen a popularity surge in recent years,
with Philippa Gregory and Hilary Mantel, but it's still not really trendy, is
it? So what is it that attracts you? Jane ... why legends of post Roman
Britain? Liza ... what's the attraction of historical France?
JDS: Which genre
really is trendy? I think everything has had its day at one point or another.
Historical fiction and film was hugely popular following successes like
Gladiator, and now the early 1900s are popular with series such as Downton
Abbey. Regency Romance has always been popular too, don't forget, and we have
Austen to thank for that ... and Colin Firth, of course.
As for me, it was
always about the swords and the period costume and different cultural and
social expectations and classes which attracted me. Someone once said: 'You
would love to live in the past, wouldn't you?' and I said: 'Yes, but for plague
and lack of antibiotics.' Post Roman Britain specifically has always had a soft
spot for me since I first read Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian trilogy, and his
very unique but utterly believable take on our legends and history.
LP: History
fascinates me, so I love reading about it. I also like contemporary novels, but
not as much. I became interested in the history of France from living in a
rural French village that was founded by the Romans. Surrounded by such a long
history, having it all on the doorstep, drew me into writing about it.
GEH: Location is key for
me. Anglesey has such a wealth of history from Neolithic onwards, it’s hard not
to get pulled into the stories and legends. And I’ve always been totally
fascinated by shipwrecks, as a kid I had piles of books on the Titanic. And I
remember on a very early visit to Anglesey going to the church where many
victims of the The Royal Charter are buried. It’s those kind of little acorns
that grow and grow for me … Do any of you visit real life locations when
plotting your books or while writing particular scenes? For me it really helps
to stand on a cliff, feel the spray of the waves, and imagine the boat in peril
…
LP: Yes, I
visit if possible and take lots of
photographs, and try and get a feeling for the place. That’s really important
to me.
JDS: I wish! With
the next book set in Syria I would have loved to have gone and got a real feel
for the place, but alas that’s probably not going to happen any time soon. With
regards to writing about Britain, yes, I’ve visited many places, and love
exploring forgotten times.
GEH: It's said historical fiction is one of the hardest
genres to have success in, in terms of agents and publisher interest? And
that's despite recent success. Why do you think that is and did that ever have
any effect on what genre you chose to write about?
JDS: All genres
are having a hard time in terms of securing contracts with agents and
publishers. It never had any effect, no. HF was always, always, without doubt
going to be the genre I wrote in.
LP: I haven't
followed any publishing trends, so it had no effect on my choice of writing in
this genre. It was simply that I thought I had found my "voice" in
historical fiction, as opposed to contemporary fiction
GEH: I’m only really
dipping my toe into HF as part of a crime thriller cross-genre, and I can’t
imagine a publisher ever taking on the ‘mongrel’ books I write, so I write what
I love.
GEH: Who are your favourite HF authors ... and why? What
makes a brilliant HF novel?
JDS: Bernard
Cornwell was always my hero. He was not only the first historical fiction
writer I loved, but the first fiction writer I read as an adult. I adored his
Sharpe series, and then I found his Warlord Chronicles. They will always have a
special place for me. HF is such a broad-ranging genre, with so many
sub-genres. I love Robert Harris for his political Rome novels, Conn Iggulden
for his Emperor series. I'm a massive fan of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and
Sensibility, and also a new favourite of mine has to be Michelle Moran's novel
Cleopatra, which I would recommend to any female reader. There's too many to
choose from.
What makes a good
historical novel? Story and character as with anything. Good writing, good
plot. And of course, to fit the period, you have to have good description of
the time and place.
LP: Karen
Maitland would have to be my favourite, as she perfectly captures the essence
of medieval times. I also love Sarah Waters' books. I think in a brilliant HF
novel the reader is completely transported back to that particular time in
history.
GEH: Yes, Sarah Waters. And
I have to admit I’ve lost myself in a few Phillippa Gregory books too!
GEH: Why do you think HF has such success in cross-media,
thinking of film and television adaptations of HF novels?
JDS: Swords. It's
always down to swords and epic battles and going back to the days of damsels in
distress. Don't we all just love it a little bit?
LP: Because
historical events and people make for such dramatic scenes. The historical
characters, or events, are probably familiar, to some extent, to viewers, so
they relate more readily to the story.
GEH: I think there’s a bit
of a sword-obsession going on here, Jane. I don’t think you can attribute the
success of Downton Abbey to them, can you? J I agree though on the fantasy element, and also I guess with the
success of war stories, people want to relive periods of history they’ve
missed.
JDS: Perhaps
not Downton, but all the rest ...
GEH: Any future projects in the pipeline you can discuss?
Any ideas to move to another time period or place? Thinking of Jane's old motto
- if the book you want to read hasn't yet been written, you must write it -
what book about what period do you think is begging to be written?
JDS: I'm moving
to Roman Syria next. Actually, I'm not moving, I'm already there. I wrote the
first novel of a series about four years ago, and the second is well under way.
I do love the idea of finding piece of history largely untouched and retelling
it, bringing it to life for this generation. There's something very special
about that.
LP: The
series I'm currently writing takes place over several time periods: the French
revolution, the Nazi occupation of WW2, and now, the 14th century plague years.
So that has compelled me to research three different periods in French history,
and I find it exciting to learn about each different era.
GEH: Both sound
fascinating. I’m joining Jane in the Roman period, but on home turf, with the
invasion of Mona and the Celt and Druid tribes joining together to oppose them.
I found out such a lot about Anglesey in the research, it really makes you look
at the places differently.
GEH: And finally, looking at research. How do you handle
it? What are your sources? And for me, I find myself filled with dread that
someone may read some of my work and pick out a discrepancy and really
slaughter me - does that concern either of you ... and if so how do you handle
that?
JDS: I'm rubbish
at it. I always want to get on with telling the story that research is
secondary and I really only do what it absolutely necessary. That said, I have
watched an awful lot of kick-ass epic movies in the name of research ...
LP: Yes, that does bother me, that someone will point out an
historical blunder. But not too much. I think in most HF novels, there will be
some discrepancies, but readers, unless they are eagle-eyed historians, won't
generally notice, or be bothered. They just want a good story. That's the most
important thing, I believe, to write a BELIEVABLE story, even if it's not
entirely factual. Concerning research, I read everything I can get my hands on,
about that era, both fiction and non-fiction. Of course I use the Internet, but
check the sources as much as possible, as there are always so many
discrepancies. I also spend a lot of time at the local historical association,
which is full of helpful information and people. I visit sites and memorials
and take lots of photos. If possible, I try and talk to people who lived at
that time. For example, for my second book in the series, Wolfsangel, I spoke
at length with a man who was an active resistance fighter. First-hand knowledge
is priceless.
GEH:
So, kick-ass movies, sword wielding warriors and heroic resistance fights. I
think we’ve probably sold the genre. Long live, historical fiction!
And
thanks for sharing your thoughts with me today, ladies!
Spirit
of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat is available now:
Website:
www.lizaperrat.com
Blog: http://lizaperrat.blogspot.com
Tristan
and Iseult by JD Smith is published June 1st
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