I’ve finally completed the final edits on my first nonfiction book, Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction. I know you’re so surprised that I wrote a book about writing historical fiction. Painting the Past was very much a passion project and one I’ve had simmering on the back burner for a while now. I’m happy to finally be able to share it with others.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while may recognize some of the chapters in Painting the Past since they’re based on posts that first appeared here. The blog posts have been fleshed out with fresh information and insights, and I’ve also addressed a number of the frequently asked questions I’ve received over the years. Writing the book allowed me the opportunity to gather all my crazy ideas about writing historical fiction in one place, which makes it easier for me and for anyone else who wants an idea or two about how to tackle that historical story they’ve been wanting to write.

I’ve been wondering what it is about historical fiction that keeps me coming back for more. As a reader, I love historical fiction because it allows me to explore different eras through points of view other than my own. As a writer, I love historical fiction because it allows me to connect my life today with people’s lives in the past. I can connect to times I can never experience for myself. Learning about people’s day to day lives—from what they wore to what they ate to how they survived difficult circumstances—makes historical fiction intellectually as well as emotionally satisfying. As far as I’m concerned, historical fiction is the best of all literary worlds. Historical fiction is a truly grand genre that is a joy to read and a joy to write even though writing historical fiction may require more commitment than other genres.

One of the questions I get asked the most is, “How do I research historical fiction?” Research is one of the main aspects of writing historical fiction that is different than writing in other genres. It’s not hard to research historical fiction, but it does take a little bit of time and a lot of patience. From years of writing historical fiction, and from what I learned while completing my Ph.D., I have a few tricks of the research trade to share with aspiring writers as well as those who have been writing historical stories but are looking for some new ideas to spice up their research experiences.

A good thing that came out of writing Painting the Past is that I realized I have more to say about writing, more to say about creativity, and more to say about how we teach writing. I also realized that I enjoy writing nonfiction. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned about writing from many years as a writer, writing teacher, and editor with other like-minded souls. I’ve already started outlining my next nonfiction book, which will focus more on the creativity side of being a writer. Writers always need to have their imagination fueled so their brains are full of ideas when they sit down to fill a blank page.

Advance digital copies of Painting the Past are available for readers who are interested in sharing honest reviews. If you’re interested in writing historical fiction and you’d like a review copy, you can email me at meredithallardauthor@gmail.com or you can use the contact button in the top bar to let me know. Don’t forget to tell me which digital format you prefer–mobi, epub, or pdf. I’ll share the preorder links here as soon as they’re available. The official publication date for Painting the Past is Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

For those of you who have been asking, I’m hard at work researching the life of pioneers on the Oregon Trail (1836-1869) for my next project, The Duchess of Idaho, the continuation of the Loving Husband Series. I’ll have a lot more to say about the project over the coming months. Look for The Duchess of Idaho Autumn 2021.