Writing Fiction about History What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? Inheriting Our Names by C. Vargas McPherson, although I don’t...
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Historical Fiction How-To
If I stacked all of the "how to write" and literary criticism books I have read over the years, it would probably be taller than I am (I am not...
Q & A How do You and How do Your Historical Fiction Characters Celebrate Birthdays?
CELEBRATE is my word for the year, and having just turned 70, I was curious how others celebrate their birthdays. Many cultures have their own...
Do you need to be a historian to write great historical fiction?
Writing historical fiction can be a bit of a balancing act. It’s a tightrope walk—between being authentic enough to engage readers, and being...
Distractingly Gorgeous Libraries ~ A List Link
Welcome to National Library Week, April 6-12 in the U.S. I hope you’ve taken a few moments this week to appreciate the wonderful, wonderful...
Research With Limited Source Material
When writing fiction about any era, historical records can be inaccurate, even contradictory. Think about all the media and news sources available...
Top Historical Fiction Picks April 2025
By Arrow and Sword actually came out late in March, but Paper Lantern Writers had two releases in March, so I decided to feature this one in April!...
Bring Horses to Life in Historical Fiction
Your characters are charging into battle, life is in the balance. What kind of horses are they riding? What tack? Why would those horses ride into...
Words with a Wordsmith: Alina Adams
What was the inspiration for your most recent book? My first Soviet-Jewish historical fiction, “The Nesting Dolls,” was set in 1930s USSR...
The Film Adaption of Ponniyin Selvan, a South Indian classic
Talk to anyone over a certain age hailing from South India about their favorite historical fiction writer and the name “Kalki” will come up. Born as...
Q&A : Novels that Illuminate Women of the Past
Originally published in 2022, PLW is pleased to share this Encore Women's History Month Q&A. *** Since so many women have been left out of the...
8 Favorite Film Adaptations of Historical Fiction from Around the World
When I was ten years old, my mother told me that a famous American film Gone with the Wind will be playing at the movie theater in my hometown of...
Ten Tenacious Women’s History Educator Resources
As I hope you know, March is Women’s History Month. I was all set to compile the most incredible link list of women's history primary sources...
Top Historical Fiction Picks March 2025
Is it trite to say Spring into Books for March? I don’t think there’s anything special about reading in spring, actually, since I read all year and...
The River of Fire is nearly here!
I am very pleased to announce the launch on March 7th 2025 of my new novel, The River of Fire, third in my Mary Fox Adventures series. The series...
Words with a Wordsmith: Nancy Bilyeau
Originally published in 2022, PLW is pleased to share this Words with a Wordsmith Encore Interview with Nancy Bilyeau. Are there TV shows or...
BIG LOVE: Famous Couples, Historical and Fictional
What better represents BIG LOVE than famous couples, legendary love stories remembered long after their death or publication date? These stories...
Q&A – Which Romantic Couple in Historical Fiction has Intrigued You Most?
Novels often contain some form of love story, whether as the central plot or an engaging subplot. Love can take many shapes—for example, love of...
Big Love Rooted in 19th Century Polygamy
When asked to write on the theme of “Big Love” for February, I couldn’t help but think about the television series Big Love - a modern take on the...
Must-Read Historical Romance Authors
Happy Valentine’s Day! The Paper Lantern Writers collectively believe in the power of romance to change lives--healing the broken, feeding the soul,...
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