I’m so happy that I can finally share my first nonfiction book—Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction—with everyone. Already, on its first day of release, Painting the Past has been named the #1 New Release in Authorship. Amazing. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen. I came up with … Continue reading It’s Here: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction
Writing Historical Fiction
My Interview With ManyBooks About Woman of Stones
ManyBooks was kind enough to feature me as the Author of the Day today. Here's the interview I did with them about Woman of Stones. If you'd like to read the interview on their fabulous site for readers, you can find it here. Enjoy! Please give us a short introduction to what Woman of Stones … Continue reading My Interview With ManyBooks About Woman of Stones
An Interview With Author Kari Bovee
Here's the interview I did with author Kari Bovee for Copperfield. Kari is the author of the historical novels Girl with a Gun, Peccadillo at the Palace, Folly at the Fair, and Shoot Like a Girl from Bosque Publishing. Meredith Allard: When and why did you begin writing, and did you always write historical fiction? Kari Bovee: I’ve journaled and written stories for as … Continue reading An Interview With Author Kari Bovee
Daily Life in Biblical Nazareth
Since the recipes in my last post about eating in Biblical Jerusalem were such a hit, I decided to add one more recipe that is a traditional Jewish food and something the Woman of Stones might have made—cholent. Cholent is simply a hearty beef stew. Traditionally, cholent is cooked overnight, beginning Friday afternoon before sundown … Continue reading Daily Life in Biblical Nazareth
What Did They Eat in Biblical Jerusalem?
I Should Have Been a Food Historian I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it many more times, I’m sure—I think I missed my calling in this life. I should have been a food historian. One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is researching the foods they ate during whatever historical period I’m … Continue reading What Did They Eat in Biblical Jerusalem?
Who Was the Woman of Stones?
For a while, I justified my lack of productivity during these odd times by saying that nearly every writer I know has said that he or she has been having trouble concentrating. I decided that well, things are just too weird right now and it's interfering with the creative process. Then I read that Zadie … Continue reading Who Was the Woman of Stones?
Ideas For Researching Historical Fiction
My Process For Research Has Changed How I research historical fiction has changed a lot over the years. When I first started researching historical fiction I would check as many books about my chosen era as I could carry from the library, take meticulous notes, color code my notes with highlighters (blue for information about … Continue reading Ideas For Researching Historical Fiction
Five Tips For Writing an Epistolary Novel
I Like To Seek New Writing Challenges As I said in this post, I like to give myself a new challenge with every novel I write. For Down Salem Way, the challenge was writing my first epistolary novel. What is an Epistolary Novel? If you’re unfamiliar with the term, an epistolary novel is simply a … Continue reading Five Tips For Writing an Epistolary Novel