Writing The Past is a podcast for historical fiction writers, featuring conversations with different authors who share their tips on bringing the past to life. Hosted by Megan Douglas (formerly Isla Fynn), we’ll explore how to create realistic historical characters, the key to organizing your research, what it’s like launching your first novel into the world, finding a good writing routine, and more. There are stories from people who are still in the query trenches, along with others who hav ...
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Illuminating lost stories through fiction - Joanne Joseph
30:20
30:20
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30:20
Meet Joanne Joseph, author of the historical fiction novel, Children of Sugarcane. Set against the backdrop of 19th century India and the British-owned sugarcane plantations of Natal, it paints an intimate and wrenching picture of indenture told from a woman’s perspective. In this episode, Joanne explores how the story of her own great-grandmother …
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Resurrecting ancient myths in Georgian London - Susan Stokes-Chapman
28:03
28:03
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28:03
Meet Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of the Sunday Times bestselling novel, Pandora. The story reimagines the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box against the backdrop of Georgian London, as an aspiring jewellery artist encounters an ancient vase that her villainous uncle is desperate to keep secret. The novel was previously shortlisted for the 2020 Lucy Caven…
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Inspiration from Scottish folklore and history - Graeme Johncock
23:23
23:23
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23:23
We speak with Graeme Johncock, a writer and storyteller. He’s also the creator of Scotland’s Stories, sharing tales from Scottish folklore and history. He also goes on regular story research trips, accompanied by his labrador, Molly! In this episode, we discuss how Graeme became a storyteller, the locations that inspire him the most in Scotland, an…
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Publishing a YA historical adventure series - Cameron Brett
22:26
22:26
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22:26
We chat with Cameron Brett, an Australian author of a young adult historical fiction series, set in Ancient Egypt. He’s also the creator and writer of the children’s series Meet the Quokkas, and is currently writing a new novel for adults. We’ll explore his advice on writing memorable historical adventures, how writers can successfully self-publish…
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Researching and writing a historical fiction novel - Claudia Merrill
35:36
35:36
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35:36
In this episode, we chat with Claudia Merrill, an Australian writer based in Vienna. Her genre is historical fiction with a bit of fantasy mixed in, and she’s currently writing a novel series set in ancient times. With her stories, she brings mythology and folklore to life through the lens of history. We discuss what it’s like to research and write…
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Bringing ancient civilisations to life in a historical novel - Helena Barnard
25:20
25:20
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25:20
In this episode, we chat with Helena Barnard, whose debut novel, ‘A Painted Winter’, has just been released. It tells the story of two Pictish brothers who conspire with the Ancient People from beyond the Great Wall to attack the Romans. Helena was born in Australia, and she now lives in northern England at the foot of Hadrian’s Wall. We’ll find ou…
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Historical storytelling: Intersections between acting & writing - Bethany Hudson
32:00
32:00
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32:00
Bethany Hudson is a Seattle-based writer of historical literary fiction. She is seeking representation for her novel The Shadows of Tacubaya, whilst also writing her next work, a novel set in the 1910s exploring the murder of a young teenager and a miscarriage of justice. This episode explores how Bethany Hudson's experience as an actor has helped …
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3 things I learned from writing my first historical fiction novel - Isla Fynn
13:37
13:37
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13:37
We'll explore why Writing The Past has been created, who the show is for, and what you can expect from each episode. We'll then explore the 3 things Isla learned from writing her first historical fiction novel: to prioritize the story, to silence her inner critic, and to have patience with the process. Timestamps (0:17) - Introduction (0:37) - Meet…
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