Why I Focus on Humanity in my Storytelling

One of the most common responses I’ve heard from readers is how human James Wentworth is. If you’re not familiar with the Loving Husband Trilogy, James Wentworth is one of the main characters. He’s also a vampire. He’s also more humane than most of the humans in the story. Exploring the human condition through fiction is one of the reasons I love being a writer.

I’ve said before that I live under a rock, and I do, though I prefer to think of it as a hobbit-hole. Though I was the executive editor of a literary journal of historical fiction for more than 20 years, I wasn’t all that familiar with the word trope. I knew what it meant, of course, but I never thought about it as a way to guide my writing. My favorite authors don’t write to tropes, and neither do I.

When Her Dear & Loving Husband was first published, I discovered that some readers had certain expectations for vampire men in fiction. The preternatural men were expected to be alpha males, and often their stories included epic battles. The romance was sexy-time, and on and on. But that’s not what I wrote.  

Since Her Dear & Loving Husband was published in 2011 (heavens!), I’ve received comments from readers telling me how they find the Loving Husband Trilogy so refreshing because it doesn’t include any of the trope-filled expectations. It’s the story of a man who is different from the general society as he tries to live his life. I think the reason James’ story resonates with readers is because we can relate to him on some level. Most of us are different in our own ways, and most of us try to get by as best we can. 

A few readers have asked me if I had the intention of sharing a message in my stories when I write. My answer is…maybe.

I like to think of my stories as layered. If you want to just read for the story, and most readers do, then I hope that my books provide hours of entertainment. If you want to dig a little deeper, yes, there is more to the story beneath the surface if you care to examine it. When I sit down to write, I don’t set out to deliver a message. I’m not looking to teach a lesson or solve a puzzle–well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I’m looking to solve the story puzzle. I’m looking to make the story the best it can be so that it provides entertainment for readers. Beyond that, I’m chasing something more elusive: a flicker of truth about what it means to be human.

I think it can be easier to explore what it means to be human through a nonhuman character like a vampire. Nonhuman characters provide a contrast that begs some inspection of human traits and actions. James’ otherness allows us to examine our own beliefs about our own otherness. Most of us have felt like an alien on our own planet at one time or another. Reading literature gives us space in which to explore those feelings in a safe way.  

Stories Make You Think About Being Human

In the quiet spaces between my characters’ actions, in the unsaid words, the missed chances, and the difficult decisions, I try to explore the contradictions we all carry. We can be brave and afraid in the same moment. We can love deeply and still hurt those we love. We can seek freedom and still long for familiar comforts. These tensions live at the heart of my stories, especially those set in historical periods that feel distant and yet echo the lives we live today.

The funny part is that I didn’t intend for my current WIP to be historical at all. I had convinced myself that I was tired of historical research and I wanted to write something set in the present day. I wrote the first draft and realized that there is nothing in our present day that inspires me. After some prodding, some digging, and some reflecting, I realized that this had to be a historical novel. I couldn’t write it any other way. 

History fascinates me not just for its grand events but for the intimate, often invisible facts tucked inside where they have been long forgotten. When I research history, there’s always some hidden gem that brings the story to life. Humans at their core haven’t changed over time. Fashion, technology, social mores, and medical knowledge has changed, but people have wanted the same things for as long as there have been people.

In the past, people navigated constraints we can barely imagine today, and yet their emotional landscapes—grief, longing, loyalty, desire—are the same as ours. I don’t write about perfect people, whether they’re normal or paranormal. I write about complicated, yearning, intelligent beings trying to make sense of the world with the limited toolbox they’ve been given.

At its best, fiction offers a mirror, but also a window. Through my characters, I hope readers see parts of themselves—but also feel invited into lives different from their own. There are many reasons I love reading, but high at the top of my list is that reading fosters empathy–the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Empathy requires imagination. And historical fiction, I believe, can stretch that imaginative muscle in ways few other genres can. It’s why, even when I’m certain I’m done writing historical fiction, I’m always drawn back. 

The Human Element in My Characters

What do I hope my novels say about being human? That we are resilient. That we are flawed. That we carry wounds. That we still, somehow, despite it all, manage to keep loving. That we are shaped by our history but don’t have to be defined by it. That every life is unique and matters in its own way. That we are not alone in our questions, contradictions, or quiet acts of courage.

Every time I’m asked what my stories mean, my answer is always what it means to be human. I hope readers feel that as well.