Some of my novels have followed historical events quite closely, and others are almost entirely fiction. For example, Lead Me Home follows the route of an actual wagon train quite closely, Now I’m Found features a section on the California Constitutional Convention, and Safe Thus Far follows an actual Oregon […]
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Reflections on the 2023 Historical Novel Society Conference
I attended the Historical Novel Society North America conference last week. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend in person in San Antonio. But I listened to many of the virtual presentations, and I downloaded materials from others. I have 90 days to watch the presentations I couldn’t watch live, […]
Continue readingTime Is Relative: I’m One Degree of Separation from 1867
Recently I was doing more research for my current work-in-progress the is set in 1867. (Yes, it’s drafted. Yes, I’m heavily into editing. And yes, I’m still researching arcane issues.) I came across a tidbit of information I hadn’t focused on before, and it got me thinking about how 1867 […]
Continue readingHNSNA Mini-Conference: Writing the Past with Authenticity, per Susan Meissner
I wrote last year about attending the virtual conference sponsored by the Historical Novel Society North America (HNSNA). This year, the major Historical Novel Society conference was in England, and I was not able to go. (Someday, maybe I can attend a foreign writing conference.) HNSNA sponsored the mini-conference on […]
Continue readingHow I Came to Write a Novel Series
I didn’t set out to write a series of novels about the Oregon Trail and settlement of Oregon. I only intended to write one historical novel. But I have now published five books in my historical fiction series, and I’m working on the sixth, with a seventh planned. How did […]
Continue readingResearching an Early Oregon Murder (Again)
My current work-in-progress has a murder in it. I won’t say any more than that in this post. As I have been writing this murder into my draft, however, I have gone back to research my ancestor’s murder in 1852 Oregon again. I’ve learned some facts that cast doubt on […]
Continue readingHistorical Fiction Giveaway! Thirteen free books
Today I am delighted to announce that I am participating in a holiday giveaway with other historical fiction writers. Some lucky winner will receive a free copy of Lead Me Home as part of this giveaway, along with a dozen other books. All of the authors participating in this event […]
Continue readingSAFE THUS FAR Is Now Available!
As I announced in my newsletter on November 19, Safe Thus Far is now available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle formats and on Barnes & Noble for Nook. One fan wrote that she was dropping everything for a day to read Safe Thus Far. After she finished the book, […]
Continue readingWhen the Work-in-Progress Progresses Slowly
All writers have times when their writing moves slowly, and I am in one of those times. It feels like I have been editing my work-in-progress forever. Maybe I should have expected this—the first draft came together very quickly during NaNoWriMo last November. A quick first draft probably means there […]
Continue reading2021 Historical Novel Society Conference
Last week I attended my first Historical Novel Society conference. I’ve been to other writing conferences in the past, but this was special, because historical fiction writers are my tribe. The conference was virtual, and the sessions were recorded and will be posted for attendees to review, so I have […]
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