When I first started reading romance in the 1980s, historicals were the rage, and it wasn’t difficult to find American-set historicals. Today, seeing an American-set historical on the shelf is reason for genuine excitement. The powers-that-be tell us that historicals are in a slump, but I have to wonder if that’s because of the narrow focus. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read many wonderful romances set in England and Scotland. But I really miss reading about Colonial America, frontier America, westward expansion America.
And I’d love to read historicals set in nontraditional locales. I can imagine fabulous stories set in Russia, China, Ireland, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and a zillion other places. I sometimes wish there was a big, traditional publisher who would put out these varied stories.
And who besides me misses the historicals written by a favorite author who has turned to contemporaries? I miss Pamela Morsi historicals because her characters and settings were always so real, so average girl while at the same time being immensely memorable. Who can read Simple Jess or Something Shady and not wish they could write like that?
If you could write a historical set anywhere and during any time period without worrying about how “marketable” it was, what would it be?
November 1st, 2005 at 8:40 am
Ooohhh! Fun question. I love the Civil War era, but also ancient Greece & Egypt…I’d have to do some major research, but I’d love to write a story in any of those settings.
November 1st, 2005 at 1:54 pm
Great ideas. See, that’s the thing, when I started reading historicals, Civil War ones were huge. But I guess with the advent of political correctness, they fell out of popularity and may never make a comeback.
November 1st, 2005 at 2:36 pm
Good question, Trish! I think I’d pick the Italian Renaissance maybe. Mingling with the De Medicis in Florence, the place just bursting with art and expression sounds so magical to me. Not that things were so great for women, but still…
I also like post Civil War times in America — as in SOMMERSBY with Jodi Foster. I’m such a movie person, I know! But yum. Never like Richard Gere before that.
November 1st, 2005 at 5:41 pm
Funny you should ask. Right now, I’m working on my 1920s murder mystery.
Again. *g*
November 1st, 2005 at 5:53 pm
I just like to read them.
Jody W.
November 1st, 2005 at 9:32 pm
The time of Christ. Say AD32, when all hell broke loose. LOL! That’s assuming I’d not be a lazy bones and actually do the research.
I’d also like to do something in the 1940’s. Yeah, I know. Big difference.
Tanya
November 1st, 2005 at 9:59 pm
Such interesting answers. Heather, I love movies too. And when I was growing up in the sticks, I loved miniseries on TV. It was the age of the miniseries — Shogun, The Thorn Birds, North and South. There’s one I remember watching that I doubt anyone else remembers — Marco Polo. I was fascinated, even did a school report on Marco Polo’s travels.