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cplesley
2 days ago4 min read
Watching Characters Grow
A discussion of what an author means by "watching characters grow" in a single novel or across a series
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cplesley
Nov 222 min read
New Books Network Interview: Monica Chenault-Kilgore
New Books Network interview with Monica Chenault-Kilgore, whose historical novel The Jewel of the Blues just came out from Graydon House
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cplesley
Nov 154 min read
Interview with Mimi Matthews
Interview with historical novelist Mimi Matthews about The Muse of Maiden Lane, book 4 in her Belles of London series
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cplesley
Nov 83 min read
Buried Treasure, Part 2
More buried treasure from my Kindle library, here books by Erika Monahan, Marlowe Benn, Jessie Burton, and Debra Dean
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cplesley
Nov 13 min read
Buried Treasure, Part 1
Buried treasure in books, unearthed from the depths of my Kindle library, here by Jane Johnson, Paullina Simons, and Xinru Liu.
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cplesley
Oct 252 min read
New Books Network Interview: Vanessa Kelly
New Books Network interview with Vanessa Kelly, whose "Murder in Highbury" came out with Kensington Books in October 2024.
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cplesley
Oct 185 min read
Interview with Alyson Richman
Interview with historical novelist Alyson Richman, whose The Time Keepers looks at the Vietnam War and its aftermath
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cplesley
Oct 114 min read
Weaving a History of Silk
A glimpse into the history of wild silk and its possible relevance to my forthcoming novel, Song of the Silk Weaver
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cplesley
Sep 277 min read
Interview with Anna Lee Huber
Author interview with Anna Lee Huber about her historical novel Sisters of Fortune, about a family that traveled on the Titanic
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cplesley
Sep 205 min read
Bookshelf, Fall 2024
Fall 2024 Bookshelf: Suzanne Allain, Monica Chenault-Kilgore, Christina Dodd, Vanessa Kelly, Mimi Matthews, Alyson Richman, and Elif Shafak
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cplesley
Sep 123 min read
New Books Network Interview: Madeline Martin
New Books Network interview with Madeline Martin, whose latest World War II novel, The Booklover's Library, has come out from Hanover Square
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cplesley
Sep 65 min read
Interview with Cynthia Reeves
Interview with Cynthia Reeves, whose third novel, The Last Whaler, is set in the Arctic and has just come out from Regal House
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cplesley
Aug 306 min read
Interview with Andrew Varga
Interview with Andrew Varga, whose latest Jump in Time novel (YA), set on the Eurasian steppe, has just come out from Imbrifex Books
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cplesley
Aug 232 min read
New Books Network Interview: Heather Redmond
New Books Network interview with Heather Redmond about her latest historical mystery featuring Mary Shelley and the Godwin family
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cplesley
Aug 163 min read
The Ick Factor in History
On the not so nice parts of history and their inclusion in historical fiction
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cplesley
Aug 96 min read
The Traveling Salesmen of History
On the value of merchants' travel accounts as sources for historical fiction, or what we can learn from the traveling salesmen of history
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cplesley
Aug 24 min read
Interview with Michelle Moran
Interview with the author Michelle Moran, whose latest novel, "Maria," explores the true story behind "The Sound of Music"
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cplesley
Jul 264 min read
The Rabbit Hole of Historical Research
The joys and perils of historical research when writing fiction, with special attention to the author's next Songs of Steppe & Forest novel
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cplesley
Jul 194 min read
Interview with Lianne Dillsworth
Author interview with Lianne Dillsworth, whose historical novels Theatre of Marvels and House of Shades are set in 19th-century Britain
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cplesley
Jul 122 min read
New Books Network Interview: Eve J. Chung
New Books Network interview with Eve J. Chung, whose "Daughters of Shandong" explores the escape of three abandoned women from Mao's China
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