Historical Fiction Episodes

In this interview, I chat with Katherine Reay about The Berlin Letters, setting a story during the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, what surprised her the most when writing this one, why the Cold War is a popular time period to write about now, how her title and cover came about, deciding on the format she used, and much more. Katherine's recommended reads are: The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell Want to know which new titles are publishing in Jan...

In this interview, I chat with Amanda Churchill about The Turtle House, how this story is inspired by her grandmother's life, incorporating a Minogame into the book, deciding on Lia's career path, telling an intergenerational story, Japan before and during World War 2, and much more. Amanda's recommended reads are: Chenneville by Paulette Jiles Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig A History of Burning by Janika Oza The Majority by Elizabeth Silver B.F.F. by Christie Tate Wa...

In this interview, I chat with Robin Oliveira about A Wild and Heavenly Place, how she set out to write an epic love story, creating a strong sense of place, her title and cover, understanding her characters' motivations, shipbuilding and coal mining, and much more. Robin's recommended reads are: The General and Julia by Jon Clinch The Voyage of the Narwal by Andrea Barrett On the Way to the End of the World by Adrianne Harun The Poldark series by Winston Graham Want to know which new titl...

In this interview, I chat with ReShonda Tate about The Queen of Sugar Hill, how she became interested enough in Hattie McDaniel to write about her, how Hattie opened doors for others, the research she did for the book, how she decided what years of Hattie's life to focus on for the story, looking at historical events through the lens of the time period versus a 21st-century lens, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Jon Clinch about The General and Julia, how he decided to write about Ulysses S. Grant, the impact Samuel Clemens had on the publishing of Grant's memoirs, how he structured the story, preserving the Mark Twain House, and much more. Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2024? Check out the new Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead. Join my Patreon group to support...

In this interview, I chat with Amanda Peters about The Berry Pickers, how she decided to write this story, writing in first person, choosing who would narrate the story, writing a character study, the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and other accolades, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Elizabeth Crook about The Madstone, Texas during Reconstruction, how she wanted to write another book with Benjamin Shreve as a central character, the definition of a madstone and how she chose that as her title, her personal connection to the cover, and much more.

In this interview, Gill and I discuss A Beautiful Rival, her research for this book, what surprised her the most when writing this book, the connections between her books, the impact these two women had on the cosmetics industry, and much more.

In this interview, Kent and I discuss The River We Remember, creating a strong sense of place in his stories, how his father was changed by fighting in World War 2, the time period following this war in the U.S., the genre of domestica exotica, his title and cover, and much more.

In this interview, Alice and I discuss The Invisible Hour, why she incorporated Nathanial Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter into this book, the impact books have had on her life, book banning, mother/daughter relationships, the one author she would want to go back in time to meet, her title and cover, and much more.

In this interview, Madeline and I discuss The Keeper of Hidden Books, how she decided to write this story, her research trip to Poland, writing books about books, and much more.

In this interview, Pip and I discuss The Bookbinder, creating the book trailer for this book, actually learning to bind books herself, creating a strong sense of place, her stunning book cover, how she first learned about the subject matter of this book, and much more.

In this interview, Ruth and I discuss A Right Worthy Woman, writing about Maggie Lena Walker and including her in all of her books, the cover process, her research, how the title came about, and much more.

In this interview, Fiona and I discuss The Spectacular, how she decided to write about Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes, the Book Club kit created for this book, taking the cover in a different direction than her previous covers, pre-orders and why they are important, her next book, and much more.

In this interview, Kathleen and I discuss Crow Mary, how she learned about Crow Mary, researching the Crow culture, the use of the name Mary for Native American women, how Kevin Red Star designed the book cover, what surprised her the most when writing this book, and much more.

In this interview, Patti and I discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea, the origin of Whisperwood and how much fun she had creating it, the legend of the Pied Piper, her love of fairy tales, what surprised her the most when writing this one, and much more.

In this interview, Rachel and I discuss The House Is On Fire, the Richmond Fire of 1811, her stunning cover, how she chose who would tell the story, her research, and much more.

In this interview, Jacqueline and I discuss The White Lady, the woman who inspired Elinor, the emotional impact writing this book had on her, what surprised her the most when drafting The White Lady, writing a standalone, and much more. Jacqueline's recommended reads are: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny The Song of the Cell by Siddharta Mukherjee Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon. Other ways to support the podcast ...

In this interview, Laura and I discuss Beyond That, the Sea, exploring how someone moves forward when they can't quite figure out who they are and where they belong, telling the story through multiple points of view and why she selected the people she did to tell the story, the source of her title, the timeline in the footer, and much more.

In this interview, Jennifer and I discuss Once We Were Home, exploring the nature of bonds and how they locate a person in a home, how her experience as a parent of deaf children helped her tell this story, her research, examining the theme of identity, and much more.

In this interview, Shelley and I discuss Go as a River, the kernel of inspiration that sparked the story, her love of nature and wilderness, grief and how she explores it in her writing, connecting with others through grief, her title and cover, and much more.

In this interview, Kent and I discuss The Levee, using Faulkner's novella The Old Man as a jumping off point, the booming audiobook market, writing an audio original versus a book, why he focuses on the themes of the power of nature and the complexity of humans, and much more.

In this interview, Cheryl and I discuss Time's Undoing, basing the story on her family history, setting Time's Undoing in Birmingham and Detroit and the similarities in the cities, how the earth below a city holds its secrets and history, reviewing old newspapers from the 1920s, the American flag, and much more.

In this interview, Lynn and I discuss The Woman With the Cure, writing a book about the polio pandemic during another pandemic, how our culture is dictated by advertisements, her research, her goal to present the science necessary in the book in a basic and readable format, the creation of Candyland, and much more.