tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post113576890318583682..comments2024-03-28T12:00:29.857+00:00Comments on Historical and Regency Romance UK: There's no accounting for taste!Louise Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09895724319451189592noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1136029004808725902005-12-31T11:36:00.000+00:002005-12-31T11:36:00.000+00:00"Historical inaccuracy drives me demented, which i..."Historical inaccuracy drives me demented, which is the main reason I haven't found a historical author I want to stick with in the last few years. To the historical, maybe more than other genres, a proficiency with elegant prose is also important"<BR/>Have you tried the Circle of Ceridwen trilogy by Octavia Randolph? All three books are available free for download from the author's website at www.octavia.net. They are set in late ninth-century England against the backdrop of the conflict between Alfred the Great and the Danes. The historical accuracy is superb, and I mean really superb. This is my period of interest and as far as I can tell the historical detail is flawless. The prose has a spare, understated style reminiscent of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of the time. At first the pace may seem a bit, well, stately, but stick with it for a few chapters and the narrative draws you into its own unhurried rhythm. Highly recommended.<BR/>(And an example of the power of electronic publishing in connecting reader and writer, BTW).<BR/>CarlaCarlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135974393923816472005-12-30T20:26:00.000+00:002005-12-30T20:26:00.000+00:00I read those Scottish Romances for fun - and becau...I read those Scottish Romances for fun - and because I was through with my own books, the TV program more boring than watching the washer, and there was a stack of them lying around in my B&B. Not only wrong, historically, those books, but also predictable: A chief captures an English girl to blackmail her daddy into something, and while she so far considered every Scot a bare assed bandit, she falls in love with that chief because he has red hair, calls her "lass" and is a <I>man</I>, contrary to that whimpy English lord she's betrothed to. A few problems ensue, and voilĂ , HEA. <BR/><BR/>I spend too much money on new books after that. :-)Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135957930814236612005-12-30T15:52:00.000+00:002005-12-30T15:52:00.000+00:00I'm flattered the post has had such reactions and ...I'm flattered the post has had such reactions and even more pleased that so many of you agree with me about historical inaccuracy in historical novels!<BR/><BR/>It really does annoy me when someone who has seen "Braveheart" then writes a book about that famous kilt wearing Highlander William Wallace, who spoke in a thick Scottish brogue (none of the above is true - Wallace was a highly educated lowlander who probably spoke 'standard' English or court French). And they get published. <BR/><BR/>It is the romance, of course, but does that mean you have to get the history wrong? I agree, when I read a good romance I want to get into the period, be taken to another world. <BR/><BR/>BTW, there was a paragraph missing from the blog. Comes of copying and pasting from Word! I put it back. About the importance of the internet in modern publishing, and a way the writer and reader can talk directly. I'm a bit peeved I didn't see it when I revised the piece, and so I've put it back. <BR/><BR/>Lynne ConnollyHistorical Romance Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02899499185641474284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135947212051942012005-12-30T12:53:00.000+00:002005-12-30T12:53:00.000+00:00What an interesting post! I wonder if publishing ...What an interesting post! I wonder if publishing has become more corporate and thus more Dilbert-ised than it used to be? Hit the narrow target on your objectives list and never mind about anything else. <BR/><BR/>I don't like the idea of writing for the market rather than for readers. For one thing, with the honourable exception of Mills & Boon, agents and publishers don't specify what they want. For another, as I think you're saying, it leads to a rather soulless product that isn't very interesting to read and probably wasn't very interesting to write either.<BR/><BR/>I'm not published and the more I read about the mainstream industry the more I wonder if I want to be. It seems much more appealing to write what interests me and put it up on the net to see if it interests anyone else.<BR/><BR/>To Gabriele C - it may well be the case for some romances. Mills and Boon's guidance for authors stresses that the romance is what matters. I read four Mills and Boon historical romances recently and one of them was riddled with ludicrous historical inaccuracies (12th-century Welshmen wearing kilts and woad. I kid you not.). This annoys me, but I can see it might not annoy someone who just wants to see the hero and heroine get together at the end after some cartoon adventures.<BR/>I write and read historical fiction to get back to another world. If the historical details don't fit, I write the story in an invented world where it does fit.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135822300275140852005-12-29T02:11:00.000+00:002005-12-29T02:11:00.000+00:00I love attention to detail and I really believe th...I love attention to detail and I really believe the research is important. I've read a couple of Scottish historicals which seemed to be written with minimum effort--add a brogue and a kilt and details such as raccoons in the Scottish undergrowth don't matter. Well it matters to me! <BR/><BR/>Hope I can get it right going in the other direction, writing American's in a modern setting :)Toni Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08348843511453338339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135813291315062562005-12-28T23:41:00.000+00:002005-12-28T23:41:00.000+00:00Julie, I was a bit shocked, too, but since I've re...Julie, I was a bit shocked, too, but since I've read a bunch of - mostly Scottish - romances which sucked historically, I'm not surprised you can get away with sloppy research. <BR/><BR/>I write Historical Fiction (with the occasional romance subplot), and I hope I can carry future readers into another world. :-)<BR/><BR/>Also, research is fun, imho. *grin*Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135805886776406152005-12-28T21:38:00.000+00:002005-12-28T21:38:00.000+00:00Gabriele, I was really surprised by your comement ...Gabriele, I was really surprised by your comement actually as to me that feels as if the writer is cheating her readers.<BR/><BR/>One of the reasons why I love historical fiction, be it romance or otherwise, is due to the fact that I want to read a book and feel as if I am living in another time. I want well developed characters, sure, and in a romance, a love story that keeps me on tenterhooks, but I also want a vivid sense of place and the historical setting to come to life. If the author you spoke to feels like that, then she obviously doesn't know what historical romance readers want, because if she thinks that all historical romance readers want is a hero wearing breeches, then she's obviously on the wrong track and writing in the wrong sub genre.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135803324281629802005-12-28T20:55:00.000+00:002005-12-28T20:55:00.000+00:00Inaccuracies drive me mad, too. But the problem is...Inaccuracies drive me mad, too. But the problem is, as a writer of historicals told me, that the <I>romance</I> is the important part and not the history, and that no one in the process of getting a book published ever cares about mistakes.<BR/><BR/>Except a few readers like me. :-) I don't see a reason why you can't have a good romance in a correct historical setting. <BR/><BR/>Another prejudice I keep hearing is that you can write historical fiction by having read some 3-4 standard books about the time, because it's ... well, <I>fiction</I>. Sorry, but you can't. I've read some 50 books for my Roman trilogy, and for a reason. Also, I keep checking things during the writing.<BR/><BR/>*ok, rant mode off* :-)Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135802876985777502005-12-28T20:47:00.000+00:002005-12-28T20:47:00.000+00:00'for a new writer it's vital to produce what the p...'for a new writer it's vital to produce what the publisher and agent wants, without considering the reader'.<BR/><BR/>I'm not convinced. It seems to me that writers who create a product for the consumption of the publisher ignore the fact that publishers and agents are also readers. It also sounds like you're suggesting that a writer write to the market. And if they do that they won't be so good at creating an interesting, lively, heart-felt, unique voice. They'll be producing a pastiche of whatever the current hot trend is. Maybe I've misunderstood your advice, but it worries me. I think authors should write books that they love, not churn out something they think will sell. Perhaps there are some people who are happy to churn out formulaic stories, but generally the best-loved authors have a unique voice, and their writing often reflects the author's own personality/mindset/experiences.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18955239.post-1135781712780874212005-12-28T14:55:00.000+00:002005-12-28T14:55:00.000+00:00Great post! I especially loved the comment about h...Great post! I especially loved the comment about historical inaccuracies driving you mad! <BR/><BR/>I was recently reading a Regency romance by a New York Times bestselling author and I was rather enjoying it until the hero, a Scotsman, told the heroine:<BR/>'Are you kidding me?' Needless to say, the book went back to the second hand bookshop and that author is now off my list.<BR/><BR/>For historical romances, I think the M&B Historical Romances are amongst the best in the market. I recently tried a Liz Carlyle novel which was exceptional. The characters felt and spoke like British characters which is rather unusual for a book by an American writer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com