Writers find their impetus in endless different ways. Some authors are influenced by people or books, sometimes events, still others by objects or antiquities. But we all had to start somewhere. Likewise, writing historical fiction takes perseverance; we all need the inspiration to continue some days. Today, four Paper Lantern Writers talk about the origins of their career in historical fiction, and what keeps them going now.

Mari Anne Christie

I, personally, started my love of historical fiction and historical romance by reading Alexandra Ripley’s “books that weren’t Scarlett,” all of which are out of print today. This built on a lifetime of family stories dating back to the 1600s. When combined with an adult degree in writing, with a minor in creative writing. I was led (eventually, and by a circuitous route) to write historical fiction and historical romance. In truth, I was terrified of fiction for twenty years, while I made my living writing anything and everything else. (I am, even now, a technical sales writer by day…) But when I finally learned the joy of fiction, historical was the most natural fit.

As to what keeps me going, generally speaking, it is the characters. They tell me their stories and I make them into books. By the time I am finished with their stories, they may bear little resemblance to the conversations I have with my characters early on, but I say frequently, “The characters are the ones living the story, so they know it best.”

Anne M. Beggs

My inspiration to write historical fiction still comes from the voices in my head, their stories are not to be denied. Writing is a driving compulsion, and makes as little sense, critical thinking-wise as owning horses! Two categories of crazy I WILL NOT give up.

A great inspirations to forge ahead with publishing came from one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon. In her book The Outlandish Companion, 1999. She was asked if she had been to Scotland. She had not, writing Outlander entirely from research (and of course, her own creative genius). With advance money from Outlander, she went to Scotland to research Dragonfly in Amber. That empowered me to continue writing and researching Medieval Ireland. In June 2025, I will do a bucket list equestrian adventure in Connemara – but not with advance money.

C.V. Lee

As a young girl, I loved reading historical fiction, particularly about real people. Like many, I often toyed with the idea of writing a book, but never got to the point of writing a single sentence. When my son was in second grade, the teacher assigned the class a genealogy report. I had read a memoir by a paternal great-great-grandmother and knew some of my ancestors had immigrated to North America in the late 17th century. On my maternal side, I had heard a family history existed, but had never been privy to any of the details. I made inquiries and was promptly sent a copy and discovered some fascinating history which seemed too incredible to be true. After doing some research, I confirmed their legitimacy. Loving the stories so much, I wanted to share them with the world.

But life happens and before I knew it, another sixteen years had passed. One day, with my youngest in college, I realized I finally had the time to make that long-lost dream a reality, so I began to write. After many long hours of research and writing, my first draft was finally complete. It was horrible. Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was worth putting any more time and effort into the project. I know it sounds strange, but what kept me going through the rewriting and editing process was the feeling that my ancestors were calling to me from across the centuries to tell their story, and I didn’t want to let them down. It was a wonderful journey into exploring my family heritage, including visiting the island my maternal ancestors came from, and touring the family manor house and grounds.

Linda Ulleseit

Ellen VanValkenburgh was an amazing woman. My grandmother told me the story of Ellen, who was her grandmother, when I was young, and the story stayed with me. In 1862, Ellen’s husband was killed by a falling tree branch. She ran his paper mill while pregnant with their third child. A few years later, she sued the county of Santa Cruz,  California, for the right to vote. That wouldn’t happen for California women, however, until 1911. I was inspired to tell Ellen’s story but didn’t have enough information, even after exhaustive research, to write a biography. I chose to tell it as historical fiction instead, and Under the Almond Trees was born.