Every now and then, a writer of historical fiction looks up from their screen (or sheaf of paper) and cries out “Enough with Marie Antoinette’s panniers! Enough with Higgins boats! Enough with convict colonies! And enough with butt in chair!”

Writer then pauses three beats for effect before deliriously proclaiming, “It’s time to be social!”

Yes, indeed, there comes a time when even the most solitary writer realizes they need the camaraderie, wisdom, and even criticism, of their tribe. In honor of historical fiction writers everywhere, this week’s Link List focuses on places where lovers of historical fiction can interact with their similarly-inclined peeps. 

Click a link below and you might find a great new book, make a new friend, locate a beta reader, or join an online debate. You’ll definitely see what other writers and readers in your fav genre are up to.

I’ve tried to feature locales that focus on sharing information and generating community rather than selling services or books. Which means that some of your favorite locales will not be in this list. So if you’ve got other suggestions, how about adding them to our Comments so we can all explore them.

Author Blogs

Not just any blog, but blogs that offer a wider view of historical fiction through multiple, and often guest bloggers. Blogs that foster conversation—even controversy–in the comments.

• A Writer of History by M.K. Tod – A great resource for writing and reading historical fiction. The results of Mary’s survey of historical fiction readers is not to be missed.  
• English Historical Fiction Authors – Blogging since 2011 about the history of England, Scotland, Wales and all the Empire. British histfic authors and others are invited to submit posts on British history.
• The History Girls – This group of of best-selling, award-winning writers of historical fiction and non-fiction blogs about every period from the Stone Age to World War II.
• The Historical Novel Society – Features Book Reviews, Articles, a Member Directory, and links to Conference information.
• History Reimagined: for Readers, Writers, and Lovers of Historical Fiction – Author Linda Bennett Pennell hosts this informative mixture of guest author blogs, her own historical research, and historical fiction book reviews.
• Paper Lantern Writers Blog – We blog twice a week on a variety of historical fiction topics. On the second Friday of every month we publish a Link Link.

FaceBook

There are so many flavors of FaceBook interaction that I’m focusing today on Groups, both public and private.

•  American Historical Novels – A forum for the discussion of history and literature as well as the craft of writing. Their motto is “Stories Bring History to Life”.
•  Historical Fiction Beta Readers – Of course you need one, two, three, or more beta readers for your historical fiction masterpiece. You might just find them here.
•  Historical Fiction Fans Book Club – Author Autumn Bardot hosts a place for readers discover new authors and for authors to promote their work.
•  Historical Novel Society Australasia – Set up as a forum for the discussion of historical fiction, history, and closely related issues such as writing, reading, and publishing. Members’ blog posts about historical topics or reviews of historical fiction are welcomed.
• Historical Novel Society – the place for new historical fiction – This group is one of my favorite-on-the-planet. You can totally get your history and historical fiction geek on here. And if you’re an author, you can promote your new book ONCE.
• Historical Novel Society – Discounts, Competitions and Promotions – If you’re the type of author who lives to promote their work, this might be the place for you.
• Pages of the Past: Celebrating Historical Fiction – Author Trisha Faye has created a place where authors and readers can interact and delve into the past.
• SHINE, the Paper Lantern Writers Group – Celebrates reading and writing historical fiction, and eagerly welcomes readers of all types of stories.
• Writers of History Forum – A place for writers to share their strengths and improve the quality of their writing in a safe supportive environment.

Instagram

Although Instagram is more about ooooing-over-the-image than creating conversations, commenting on someone’s post might just make a friend for you.

Follow any or all of these hashtags to see what people are posting about. And of course, these are great hashtags to use in your own posts.

• #historicalfiction
• #historicalfictionbooks
• #historicalfictionnovel
• #historicalfictionauthor
• #historicalfictionlover
• #historicalfictionwriter
• #histfic
• #historicalfictionloversunite
• #historicalfictionreader
• #histfiction

TikTok

Gotta admit it, TikTok is not my thing. But if it’s yours, go ahead and share some appropriate historical fiction TikTokers in the Comments below.    

Twitter

I started posting on Twitter for Paper Lantern Writers (@writers_paper) about a year ago and I was very surprised that I LIKED TWITTER. At least I really like the historical fiction folk that we follow and who follow us. I enjoy seeing “what’s going on” with new historical fiction releases, hearing what other writers are up to, and—since I’m currently querying—seeing how agents and editors represent themselves.

Here are some #HistoricalFiction/#histfic buds on Twitter:

• Austen Authors @AustenAuthors – 20+ published novelists of Jane Austen literary fiction sharing their vision of Austen’s world.
• The Best Historical Fiction @GreatHistFic – Entertaining and captivating historical fiction from a variety of eras.
• #HFChitChat @hfchitchat – A recurring chat and community for all things historical fiction. Co-hosts @jgnoelle, @sydyoungstories, @GabriellaSaab, & @OlesyaAuthor.
• Historical Writers @HistWriters – Sharing our strengths, learning new skills, and supporting other historical writers across many genres.
• The History Girls @history_girls – The History Girls are 28 top writers of historical fiction for YA, MG and adult readers, who blog daily.
• HNS North America @HNS_NA – The North American region of the Historical Novel Society.
• Richard Lee @histnovel – Proud founder of the Historical Novel Society. I love everything bookish and historyish, especially medieval.

YouTube

Hmmm….so many literary YouTubers have one or more videos about writing, researching, or loving historical fiction, but I could only find ONE channel dedicated solely to historical fiction. And that would be us!

Paper Lantern Writers on YouTube (which is back up after being completely erased by something-beyond-our-control weeks ago) features interviews with best-selling authors like Elizabeth Everett, Vanessa Riley, and Libbie Grant, and helpful information about the historical writing and book biz.

AND NOW, FOR A LITTLE LAGNIAPPE*…

I started my personal social media relationship with my FannyNewcomb1889 account on Tumblr. Although Tumblr has fallen out of favor amongst influencers, here’s a secret for writers: there are some really friendly and helpful literary agents on Tumblr who will answer your publishing questions.

Here’s the best I’ve found:

Ask the Agent: literaticat.tumblr.com – Jennifer Laughran, a Senior Agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and life-long bookseller, answers your questions. But please, read her FAQ first!

*lagniappe – In New Orleans-speak, a little something extra.

Finis!