1
I need to write the short story meant to come from the brilliant prompt that I sent to my writer’s group: “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Right after I finish this blog. There is a story teller/radio comic … Continue reading
Category Archives: historical novels
This is part of a longer blog post that originally appeared in Crimereads. A major legal renovation of the Victorian period was in the area of divorce. Until the divorce laws were renovated in 1858, marriage really was for life. … Continue reading
This post originally ran in Crimereads in May 2018. I dug extensively into this issue while researching my recent novel, and if you look into A Most Dangerous Woman you can see all these issues luridly dramatized. In Victorian Britain women teetered … Continue reading
This conversation originally appeared earlier this year on the History Girls, a most informative blog run by writers of historical fiction. Talking history in a writer’s fiction… with the writer Brenda Clough, by Gillian Polack Because so many readers enjoyed … Continue reading
by Brenda W. Clough This post first ran in Mary Robinette Kowal’s “My Favorite Bit” blog. Content Warning: description of genital mutilation as outdated medical procedure A MOST DANGEROUS WOMAN is solidly set in the mid-Victorian period, an era full … Continue reading
This post first appeared at Book Smugglers. You could argue that serialized fiction has no place in today’s literary universe. This is the era of instant gratification. Drones deliver pizzas to your door. You can download movies in one minute, … Continue reading
Because I am having one today, I’ve decided to look into the history of birthday celebrations. This is useful data for an author of historical fiction or for writers seeking to explore world building. … Continue reading
This is the story of a river in Seattle. This, like many, or perhaps all, of American rivers is a working river. From its source on the slopes of Mt Rainier (to the Salishan tribe: Talol or Tahoma) to the … Continue reading
This post first appeared in the Big Idea section of John Scalzi’s Whatever blog I have always thought of myself as an SF and fantasy writer. But I realize now, what I really am is a fan of plot. What … Continue reading
I have a habit of starting out essays and blogs—maybe these are the same things—with a definition. So here it is: Genre: a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject … Continue reading