Tag Archives: art

I have been saying I write historical fiction about Irish immigrants in the early 1900s. However, Claran Connolly cleared up what I write by defining Irish historical fiction on his website Connolly Cove. He explains: 

“Historical fiction is a story that takes place during past events but is fictional. Characters can be a mix of fictional personas and real-life notable figures. The main goal of Irish historical fiction is to capture what life was like at the time, the way people interacted, the law, societal classes, relationships and religious beliefs. Historical fiction aims to immerse the reader in the past, allowing them to feel what a person living in that time actually experienced. Through exploration of the past in historical fiction, society can be viewed objectively and issues shared from the past.”

Once upon a time when I was a little girl and began to read, I was totally wowed by stories that took me out of my “day life” and into a “book life.” I wanted to read everything, but I learned quickly that everything was not always taking me into a “book life” I craved. When I did find an author that took me away, I would read every book written by that author. Yes, I read dozens of Mickey Spilane books when I was in high school. His fast action moved me through the story, and I was not educated yet to the stereotypes he used as his characters. 

Some books I would buy and save to read. These were showcased on a shelf…

Reading books as a child started me on a lifetime love affair with stories. My father and I would go to estate sales and look for books. We crawled under tables and pulled books out of drawers to put in a carton sold to us for a dollar or five at the most. My father was interested in history. I read anything I could hold in my hands. I had not yet decided what I liked to read. As I began choosing books and authors, I found I was branching way out of my rural Southern roots to learn from my reading. I realized I was looking for stories that could leave me thinking about the characters long after I finished the book. I wanted to know who they were and why they did what they did. Now that I am writing historical novels, my goal is to create my characters the way I like to read.

To have a place to write is part of the writing process and takes consideration. My
writing place was not chosen haphazardly. I thought long and hard when I was
beginning to write as to where I could write. I tried many different scenarios. Ultimately, I
discovered that I could write just about anywhere I have a surface, a window, and time.