Historical Fiction Episodes

Fiona and I discuss The Magnolia Palace, choosing the Frick Collection for this book, why and how she created the scavenger hunt in the book, what surprised her most during her research, writing about Henry and Helen Frick, the magnolia connection, and much more.

Kerri and I discuss The Paris Bookseller, writing about the iconic Shakespeare and Company. in Paris, the fabulous book club kit created for this book, Princeton's Shakespeare and Company Project, the magic of 1920's Paris, the 5 authors she would choose to host at her (imaginary) bookstore, her 5 @ 5 author events on Instagram Live, and much more.

Julia and I discuss The Last Dance of the Debutante, the last year Queen Elizabeth II received debutantes at court, how she enjoys focusing on time periods right before radical change, writing secondary characters, her Ask an Author series on Facebook, and much more.

Laura and I discuss The Stolen Lady, her decades-long fascination with the Mona Lisa, how the Nazis sought to steal all of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings and drawings during World War 2, that the Mona Lisa was never delivered to its patron and instead how da Vinci brought it to France with him, and much more.

Patti and I discuss Once Upon a Wardrobe, finding the source of Narnia and its inhabitants in C.S. Lewis’ life, creating such a strong sense of place, how her title and cover came about, having her book launch the new Harper Muse imprint, the beautiful letter she received from Lewis’ stepson about this book, and much more.

Stephanie and I discuss A Most Clever Girl, how she decided to write about Elizabeth Bentley, her fascination with the time period and spy craft, the format for the story, bringing forgotten women to life, our shared love of Jane Austen, and much more.

Gill and I discuss The Collector’s Daughter, the photograph that inspired this book, finding the right way to begin telling the story, the appeal of King Tutankhamen, the curse of King Tut’s tomb and how it began, and much more.

Samantha and I discuss Dovetails in Tall Grass, the U.S./Dakota War of 1862, how she decided on her format, bringing a forgotten event to life, translating history into a compelling story that will appeal to readers, the most surprising part of her publishing journey, and much more.

Nicola and I discuss The Show Girl, how she decided to write about the Ziegfeld Follies, the difference in drafting her first and second novels, which character was her favorite to create, the impact of the Ziegfeld Follies on subsequent Broadway shows, and much more.

Julia and I discuss Better Luck Next Time, writing a novel in the second person, rewriting this story several times, how Reno became the divorce capital of the Unites States, her fascination with obituaries, and much more.

We discuss their new book The Personal Librarian, bringing Belle de Costa Greene to life, portraying Belle’s internal struggle, using the first person POV to tell a more personal story, writing partnerships, their July GMA book club selection, and much more.

Vanessa and I discuss Island Queen, bringing Dorothy Kirwan Thomas to life, why she created her fabulous Author’s Note, how the stunning cover came about, the importance of uncovering stories hidden to history, and much more.

Alka and I discuss The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, providing Malik with his own story and his popularity with readers, finding the balance between wearing her reader hat and her writer hat while writing, the inspiration for the Royal Jewel Cinema, launching her Reimagine series on Instagram, and much more.

Emma and I discuss Songs in Ursa Major, how the relationship between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell inspired her story, crafting the lyrics for the songs in the book, growing up with music as a language in her house, what she learned from writing the screenplay for Songs in Ursa Major, and much more.

Pam and I discuss The Woman with the Blue Star, looking for the gasp in a story, her struggle to write this book, how publishing during a pandemic is like learning to walk all over again, how each one of her books reflects a time in her life, the types of characters she identifies with, and much more.

Genevieve and I discuss her latest book Letters Across the Sea, focusing on Canadian stories that have been long forgotten, where she got the inspiration for this book, the enormous responsibility that historical fiction writers have to teach the mind and touch the heart, and much more.

Chanel and I discuss her latest book The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, how this is the first time she has written about a real life heroine, the incredible amount of research she conducted for this novel, which book of hers holds a special place in her heart, bringing Cuban stories to life, and much more.

Jennifer and I discuss her debut novel Ariadne, putting women from Greek mythology at the center of their stories, the complexity of building a Bronze Age world, ensuring that readers are not pulled out of the story and instead stay immersed in the world she has created, her favorite Greek myths, and much more.

Renee and I discuss her new book The Social Graces, how she decided to write about the legendary feud between Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt, the research she conducted, the way her title and cover came about, and much more.

Karen and I discuss her new book The Last Night in London, her inspiration for this story including her time living in London, how the title of this book came about, highlighting the unsung heroes of World War 2, Tradd Street series news, and much more.

Lisa and I discuss her new book Eternal, the secret reason she named the book Eternal, what she learned when switching genres, how Philip Roth helped inspire her to write this story, how her research led her to purchase a special item, and much more.

Stephanie and I discuss The Women of Chateau Lafayette, writing three timelines and weaving them together, what she discovered while researching one of the characters for this novel that required her to rewrite the book several times, the highlight of writing the story, the character she identifies with the most, and more.

Danielle and I discuss Glimmer As You Can, bringing 1960s Brooklyn to life, the inspiration for the Starlight, women’s experiences in the 1960s, her reading recommendations, and more.

Patti and I discuss her latest book Surviving Savannah, how she found a door into this story, the way the Pulaski and its passengers spoke to her, how Friends and Fiction came about and what the group is doing now, the fascinating research she conducted, and much more.