Writers of historical fiction face a daunting creative challenge: that of shaping fresh and original stories from a verifiable and sometimes familiar past. Again and again, today’s gifted historical fiction authors meet that challenge brilliantly. But readers rarely get to see how they tackle such an intricate task, or what happens to transform the first glimmer of an idea and a set of historical facts into a complete and compelling work of fiction. Featuring both new and established voices and evoking a dazzling variety of times and places, STORIES OF INSPIRATION: HISTORICAL FICTION EDITION invites 39 accomplished authors from the U.S., U.K. and beyond to take us behind the scenes of their often-surprising journeys from starting point to finished book.

Opening with a Preface by Eliot Pattison, the volume includes essays by Frances Brody, Elizabeth Brundage, Megan Chance, Gary Corby, Glen Craney, Rosemary Dronchi, Ellen Feldman, Suzanne Fox, Natalie S. Harnett, Bruce Holsinger, Andrew Hughes, J. Sydney Jones, M.R.C. Kasasian, Philip Kazan, Jennifer Kincheloe, Deryn Lake, Gene Lee, Joan Lennon, Michelle Lovric, Sarah McCoy, James McGee, Cindy Rinaman Marsch, Miranda Miller, Judith Claire Mitchell, Chris Nickson, J.L. Oakley, Charles Palliser, Alyssa Palombo, Ann Parker, Sue Purkiss, Celia Rees, Elizabeth Rosner, Steven Saylor, Sophie Schiller, Cam Terwilliger, Janet Todd, Bob van Laerhoven, and Josa Young.

The eras their works depict range from the Stone Age to the late 20th century, while the places encompass many of the globe’s most fascinating locations. Equally diverse are the questions the collection explores. Where do works of historical fiction find their starting points? How are those seeds refined into story? Why does one milieu or era resonate for an author when others do not? What are the gifts and challenges of using the past as source? How do blocks and other obstacles refine or even transform an initial concept? Where does historical accuracy end and fictional power begin? How do authors today make a given moment in history compelling to contemporary readers and use the past to illuminate the present? In a series of brief and richly informative essays, the authors of STORIES OF INSPIRATION: HISTORICAL FICTION EDITION muse on all of these issues and more.

Illuminating the work, process and personalities of exceptional authors from around the world; investigating the intricate ties between past and present, fact and fiction; and celebrating the nature of the creative process itself, STORIES OF INSPIRATION: HISTORICAL FICTION EDITION will appeal to readers of literature and fiction, lovers of history and travel, and writers seeking inspiration for their own work.