I purchase a lot of books and download a lot of freebees by new-to-me historical fiction authors. If I enjoy reading one of those books, I do three things.

First, I check the author’s website to see what other books they’ve written. Because if I like one of the books they’ve written, chances are I’ll like and want to read their other books. Secondly, I read their website bio, hoping to get more information on why and how they created their characters and stories. Since most author website bios are usually pretty thin, the third thing I do is search out author interviews. Because when I’m curious about someone, I’m not going to let a pretty thin bio stop me.

So if you’re also curious type and want to know more about the author you’re reading, you might enjoy some of the interviews and conversations I’ve come across recently.

Sara Ackerman [The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers] ~ Aviatrix Writers’ Room: Sara Ackerman on becoming a best-selling historical novelist

Yangsze Choo [The Ghost Bride; The Night Tiger] ~ LAPL Blog: Interview With an Author: Yangsze Choo

James Clavell [Shōgun] ~ James Clavell and his Hong Kong epic.

Chanel Cleeton [The House on Biscayne Bay] ~ Chanel Cleeton

Bernard Cornwell [The Last Kingdom series; Stonehenge] ~ On Writing Historical Fiction

Bernard Cornwell via luxlux.net

Anthony Doerr [All the Light We Cannot See] ~ Pulitzer Prize winning author, Anthony Doerr, on writing, teaching and the future

Stephanie Dray [The Women of Chateau Lafayette; Becoming Madame Secretary] ~ The Vintage Woman Magazine Book Club #4: A Talk With Author Stephanie Dray

Nick Dybek [The Verdun Affair] ~ Interview: Nick Dybek

Charles Frazier [Cold Mountain] ~ Charles Frazier on How the Past Converses With the Present

Diana Gabaldon [Outlander] ~ Caught Between Two Worlds – Diana Gabaldon Interview

Diana Gabaldon

Philippa Gregory [The Other Boleyn Girl; The White Queen] ~ The Rurbanist: Q&A with Philippa Gregory

Kristin Hannah [The Nightingale] ~ An Interview with KristinHannah

Elsa Hart [City of Ink; The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne] ~ Elsa Hart on Writing an 18th-Century Crime-Solving Librarian

Hilary Mantel [Wolf Hall; Bring Up the Bodies] ~ An Interview with Hilary Mantel

Toni Morrison [Beloved] ~ A Conversation with Toni Morrison

Taylor Jenkins Reid [The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; Daisy Jones of Daisy Jones & The Six] ~ Taylor Jenkins Reid spills the tea on her book-loving life

Taylor Jenkins Reid via theretaility.com

Amor Towles [A Gentleman in Moscow] ~ The WD Interview: Amor Towles

Alice Walker [The Color Purple] ~ An Army of Spiritual Teachers: A Conversation with Alice Walker

Minette Walters [The Swift and the Harrier] ~ Historia interviews: Minette Walters

Beatriz Williams [The Summer Wives, The Golden Hour] ~ Beatriz Williams: On Writing a Cold War Novel Set in 1940s New England

I should also toot the Paper Lantern Writers horn, because we’ve interviewed dozens of historical fiction writers, from well-known authors like Kate Quinn, Vanessa Riley, Lisa See, and Elizabeth Everett to breakout authors like Rachel Callaghan, Jodi Lea Stewart, Nancy Bilyeau, and Zenobia Neil.

And finally, here are a few recent interviews with Paper Lantern Writers C. V. Lee, Edie Cay, Mari Anne Christie, with more to follow throughout 2024.

Thanks for checking out these histfic author interviews! Got any others to recommend?