Two leading historical fiction authors discuss why writers now choose to explore the past.
Historical fiction has enduring appeal to both readers and writers. What is it about the past that draws us? Why are writers attracted to certain eras, the characters – real or imagined – who populate them? What inspires them? How much research is too much? What are the challenges of writing about the past and why delve into them now? Authors Frances Quinn and Louise Hare discuss.
About the panellists
Frances Quinn is the author of historical novels The Smallest Man and That Bonesetter Woman. She grew up in Forest Gate, East London and studied English at King’s College, Cambridge, realising too late that the course would require more than lying around reading novels for three years. After snatching a degree from the jaws of laziness, she became a journalist, writing for magazines including Prima, Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Weekly, and later branched out into copywriting, producing words for everything from Waitrose pizza packaging to the Easyjet in-flight brochure. She lives in Hove, with her husband and three Tonkinese cats.
Louise Hare has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. Her debut novel, This Lovely City, was published in 2020 and is set in post-war south London. It featured on the inaugural BBC TWO TV book club show, Between the Covers, and was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize. Louise was selected for the Observer Top 10 Best Debut Novelists list in 2020. Miss Aldridge Regrets is her second novel, a Golden Age murder mystery published in 2022.
Who is this event for?
Suitable for writers at all stages of their career.
About Writers’ Week
Writers’ Week offers discussions, talks and information sessions on how to navigate our work as writers, what we write about, and the support we need for our writing lives to thrive. See the full schedule and information about a weekly ticket here.
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