Historical Fiction

April 29, 2020 by Tricia Goyer 7 Comments

Writer’s Desk Issue No: 2: Tracy Higley

Writer’s Desk Issue No: 2 Tracy Higley

We’re so excited to have Tracy Higley featured on this week’s writer’s desk. Tracy started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She chased down a graduate degree in Ancient History to help bring readers more of what they love about her books: adventure that transports readers into the heart of the stories she tells, sweeping them into the smells, sights, and sounds of the ancient world. She has authored fourteen novels and one nonfiction book, and traveled through Greece, Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Italy, bringing back for her readers all the history and culture her head could hold. Be sure to stick around until the end of the post for more about her most recent release plus a chance to win a copy!

Do you have a writing routine? When/Where do you write?

My best time is in the morning, and lately, I’ve been trying to focus on writing from 6 am to 10 am, before the rest of the day intrudes, including my kids at home due to coronavirus! I am fortunate to have my own office in our home, so I hide out in there to get the work done.

What do you snack on or drink while writing?

Coffee, always! Sometimes: Almonds if I’m feeling virtuous. Chocolate chips if I’m not.

How do you overcome writer’s block?

For me, outlining and researching form a core part of my preparation to write. On a macro level, I do a good bit of outlining my story before I start the first scene. And then on a micro level, I have a “scene worksheet” that I’ve tailored to my specific needs over the years, that I fill out just before beginning each scene. Besides the major plot points of the scene, my worksheet forces me to think through the sensory elements, as well as the emotional ones. After thinking that deeply about a scene, I can usually write it without feeling any “writer’s block.”

I also take walks. Lots of them. In which I have been spotted talking to myself. For some reason, getting out and moving helps dislodge whatever stuck points have been giving me trouble.

Best advice for someone who is just starting out.

Write a book that you would love to read. That’s my best advice. The joy comes through, the passion makes a difference. If you can also make it something that has a marketable hook or is a popular genre, go for it. But first and foremost, to enjoy and persevere in the writing journey, you have to love what you’re writing.

You’ve traveled so much for research for your novels. What are three ways to make the best out of on-site research for your novel?

1. Don’t get bogged down with the stuff you can easily learn in textbooks or online. Do that research ahead of time, or when you get back. Instead, spend your on-site time absorbing the sights, smells, sounds, and feel of the place. How long does it take to walk from one place to another? What can you see when you stand in this or that location?

2. Take a friend. Someone willing to help with logistics, worry about transportation, remind you of things you want to see or do, encourage you to take some risks, even carry your stuff while you’re writing or dictating notes.

3. Dictate notes! There are tons of great apps now for dictating that will transcribe your words later. Test them out before you go, especially if you’ll be dictating while outside, to make sure the transcription comes out clearly. But even if it doesn’t, you can always listen to the recording later. Dictating, rather than writing your impressions down, is much faster and likely to capture much more.

Favorite thing to binge-watch: I try to avoid this!

What book(s) are you currently reading: Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster; Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero; The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson & Martin Dugard

What is your current favorite song: You Say by Lauren Daigle

What is your favorite drink to order from Starbucks: Sugar-free Vanilla Café Misto

Enter to win a copy of The Incense Road from Tracy*

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Be sure to catch the video interview with Tracy Higley HERE, and be sure to join Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group so you don’t miss any of our other fun author LIVE chats coming up!

More about The Incense Road:

An epic quest across the sands of Arabia

In the exotic lands of the east, a secret sect of Persian magicians study the night sky for generations.

When the stars announce a strange royal birth, Misha, a first-level mage, is ready to prove himself by chasing down this new world leader.
But then an ancient document surfaces, whispering of an artifact of immense power. The temptation to seize power is too great to resist.

And Misha is not alone in his quest. The king’s general Reza seeks power to fulfill his mysterious destiny, and both he and Misha have their eye set on the Egyptian princess Kamillah, who will do anything to gain the artifact that could break her bondage to the sorcerer Zahir.

The soldier, the mage, and the princess each have a secret to protect.

But if they are going to survive the dark forces warring for their prize, they must learn to trust each other—in what will surely be the journey of a lifetime.

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August 7, 2019 by Tricia Goyer 14 Comments

Writer Wednesday with Lori Benton

Today on Writer Wednesday we welcome Lori Benton, author of The King’s Mercy.

Enter below for a chance to win a copy of The King’s Mercy! Winner will be e-mailed. Note: This post contains affiliate links.

On today's Writer Wednesday, historical fiction author Lori Benton shares about the books authors read — On today’s Writer Wednesday, historical fiction author Lori Benton shares about the books authors read.

Writer Wednesday with Lori Benton: Books Authors Read

What was your favorite book as a child?

That’s tricky to answer since it changed all through childhood. I can recall being passionately devoted to the Little House books very early on. A bit later it would have been the Narnia Chronicles. Smack in the middle of everything else though (in the fourth grade) I developed a passion for wolves (probably thanks to Disney’s The Jungle Book). At this point books about wolves, fiction and nonfiction, took precedence. I still have a copy of Dr. Michael Fox’s book The Wolf, beautifully illustrated by Charles Frace. That book had a huge impact on me, which leads me to your next question…

What book did you read that first made you want to be an author?

The Wolf by Dr. Michael Fox inspired fourth-grade me to start (but never finish) my first attempt at a chapter book. The story was intended to trace the first year in the life of a litter of pups born to a wolf pack. While I didn’t finish it, plotting the story taught me how to research. I read every book about wolves I could get my hands on in my school and public libraries, in order to get all the details right.

Apparently, my deep interest in wolves waned a bit before I finished writing the story. Perhaps that’s when the Narnia Chronicles entered the picture, because for many years after that all I wanted to write were stories set in fantasy worlds, right up to the time I decided in my early twenties to write a novel (inspired by a combination of Tolkien and Stephen Lawhead’s Celtic fantasy books) and see if I could get it published. I finished that one, set on a fictional island in the British Isles, but it’s no longer a genre I’m interested in writing.

What was the last book you read, just for fun?

I’m halfway through Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron for no other reason but that it’s Ireland (anything from the Celtic fringe still gets my attention) and it’s by Kristy Cambron (which also gets my attention). This is a time-slip novel with three strands, late 18^th century, early 20^th, and present day. I appreciate the skill it took to weave all three and look forward to seeing how it unfolds. The last audiobook I listened to for fun was Alexander McCall Smith’s The Colors of All the Cattle.

What books are currently on your nightstand?

I have stacks of books waiting to be read in various places around the house. On my nightstand is the already mentioned Castle on the Rise. Also in progress is Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes and Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes. Waiting under those are Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan and The House Behind the Cedars by Charles Chesnutt. In progress research books: Birthing a Slave by Marie Jenkins Schwartz and The Nature of New York by David Stradling, with James Fenimore Cooper, The Early Years by Wayne Franklin and Rescuing the Gospel from The Cowboys by Richard Twiss waiting in the wings (among others). But I’m about to make a run to the library to pick up nearly 10 more titles, some fiction, some research, so things are bound to get switched up. Library books get shuffled to the top of stacks, as librarians do like to have them back eventually.

What upcoming release are you most looking forward to?

I’m about to dive into an early copy of Laura Frantz’s upcoming release, An Uncommon Woman, and eager to do so. I’m always looking forward to whatever Jocelyn Green has coming, and though I’ve already read it, Karen Barnett’s next National Parks book, Ever Faithful, set in Yellowstone, is not to be missed. Joanne Bischof is a favorite so no matter what she writes I want to read it.

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Award-winning author Lori Benton was raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American history going back 300 years. Her novels transport readers to the 18th century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. She is the author of Burning Sky, recipient of three Christy Awards; The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn; Christy nominee The Wood’s Edge; A Flight of Arrows; and Christy nominee Many Sparrows. When she isn’t writing, reading, or researching, she enjoys exploring and photographing the Oregon wilderness with her husband.

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More about The King’s Mercy:

Award-winning historical romance author, Lori Benton, takes readers back to the 18th-century colonial South to tell a story of exile, fateful love and freedom in her latest novel, The King’s Mercy.

After a failed uprising, Scotsman Alex MacKinnon’s life is spared and he is granted the king’s mercy—exile to the colony of North Carolina to be indentured as a blacksmith to Edmund Carey, owner of Severn Plantation. Though devastated by the loss of his former life, Alex becomes acquainted with Carey’s slaves, his stepdaughter Joanna, and the plantation’s overseer Phineas Reeves. Joanna is expected to wed Reeves but finds herself drawn instead to the new blacksmith.

The unlikely bond between Joanna and Alex deepens, but when tragedy strikes and the blame falls on Alex, he flees and finds himself living among the Cherokees. There, he encounters Reverend Pauling, a traveling preacher and friend of the Careys’. When circumstances thwart yet another attempt to forge his freedom, will Alex continue down his rebellious path or embrace the faith of a man like Pauling, even if it costs his life?

For readers of Lynn Austin and other historical fiction, Benton’s meticulous research helps bring to life early American history as well as the book’s many characters and landscapes—from rebel warriors on the Scottish battlefield to African slaves on the North Carolina frontier. Those familiar with the New Testament book of Philemon will appreciate Benton’s nod to its biblical figures in the development of her own storyline and characters.

“My hope is that [readers are] drawn closer to the Lord through Joanna and Alex’s story,” Benton says, “and that they turn that last page of The King’s Mercy more in love with our merciful Jesus than when they began.”

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June 12, 2019 by Tricia Goyer 19 Comments

Writer Wednesday with Amanda Barratt

Today on Writer Wednesday we welcome Amanda Barratt, author of My Dearest Dietrich.

Enter below for a chance to win a copy of My Dearest Dietrich! Winner announced right here next week. Congratulations to, Larinda Floyd, the winner of Kelly Irvin’s Over the Line! Please e-mail my assistant Christen with your mailing address! Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Today on Writer Wednesday, Amanda Barratt shares a peek into her writing space plus is giving away a copy of her new book, My Dearest Dietrich! — Today on Writer Wednesday, Amanda Barratt shares a peek into her writing space.

Where Writers Write

When we moved to a new home seven years ago, I knew I wanted to be intentional about crafting a place to create. Deliberately setting aside space adds a sense of purpose to our work. Reserving a corner in a bedroom, a place in a basement or loft, even a portion of a living or dining room, with the intention of “this is where I write” shows we’re taking ourselves as artists seriously. And it removes the excuse of not having a place. The place, once established, is already there. It’s then our job to make use of it.

A corner in the upstairs loft is my writing workspace. A window next to my desk lets in swaths of sunlight on beautiful summer days, and when rain splatters from the sky, I listen to its cadence on the windowpanes.

I love my desk. It’s a Craigslist find and I still remember bringing it home, skimming my fingertips across its surface, and polishing it lovingly. Since then, my desk has housed all manner of items—from three days’ worth of breakfast dishes when I’m rushing from one task to another after a writing session, to stacks of books and giveaway goodies in preparation for book signings, to piles of research books.

While writing My Dearest Dietrich, research books were EVERYWHERE. Now that I’m working on my next book, only the volumes themselves have changed. I “try” to put them away, but inevitably, many days, they end up scattered across my desk at the end of the workday, along with piles of scribbled notes and printed pages from my manuscript.

I also keep my daily planner handy. This year, I’m using My Book Therapy’s My Brilliant Writing Planner. To-do lists save my sanity, and I love this planner, designed with writers in mind.

Just a step away from my desk is bookshelves. It’s a joy having them nearby. Along with research books, favorite novels I’ve read many times and those still on my TBR, line the shelves. Often when I’m stuck during a scene, I pull out one and read a few paragraphs. Sometimes reading well-written words by a skilled author is all it takes to get my own creative juices flowing again. Also on my bookshelves are little slices of memory. A photo of dear friends. My silver sparkly Eiffel Tower ornament. A photo of me holding my first published book. And on the bottom shelf are my books—each one a testament to God’s faithfulness in bringing those works to completion.

I love spending time in this space, and since it’s the only place I currently use for writing sessions, I have many memories there. Typing the first line of my first published novella. Working on the proposal for the book that became My Heart Belongs in Niagara Falls, New York. Writing the final scene of My Dearest Dietrich with tears in my eyes. Cherished moments, all. And though there are also many moments of frustration, stress, and writer’s block, it’s a joy to look back on time spent in my little corner of creativity.

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ECPA best-selling author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story—a spinoff of Jane Eyre. Now, Amanda writes romantic, historical fiction, penning stories of beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very different from our own. Her novel My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love released from Kregel Publications in June 2019.

She’s also the author of My Heart Belongs in Niagara Falls, New York: Adele’s Journey, as well as seven novellas with Barbour Publishing. Two of her novellas have been finalists in the FHL Reader’s Choice Awards.

Amanda lives in the woods of Michigan with her fabulous family, where she can be found reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.

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More About My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love

A staggering love illuminating the dark corners of a Nazi prison…

Renowned German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is famous for his resistance to the Nazi regime and for his allegiance to God over government. But what few realize is that the last years of his life also held a love story that rivals any romance novel.

Maria von Wedemeyer knows the realities of war. Her beloved father and brother have both been killed on the battlefield. The last thing this spirited young woman needs is to fall for a man under constant surveillance by the Gestapo. How can she give another piece of her heart to a man so likely to share the same final fate? Yet when Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an old family friend, comes to comfort the von Wedemeyers after their losses, she discovers that love isn’t always logical.

Dietrich himself has determined to keep his distance from romantic attachments. There is too much work to be done for God, and his involvement in the conspiracy is far too important. But when he encounters a woman whose intelligence and conviction match his own, he’s unprepared for how easy it is to give away his heart.

With their deep love comes risk–and neither Dietrich nor Maria is prepared for just how great that risk soon becomes.

Based on detailed historical research, this is a true love story at once beautiful and heartrending. My Dearest Dietrich sheds new light on a world-famous theologian . . . and the woman who changed his life.

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May 28, 2015 by Tricia Goyer 1 Comment

The Forgotten War

… ever heard of it? Yeah, I hadn’t really either. Beyond hearing about a For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, I didn’t understand the time period or the events of this war.

When I was researching for my World War II novel, Arms of Deliverance, one of the autobiographies I read was from a man who was a B-17 bomber pilot over Europe — but before that he was an American volunteer for The Spanish Civil War.

I had never heard of this war before so I started researching, and I was soon fascinated. Some people call it “the first battle of World War II” because it’s where the Nazis first tried their hand at modern warfare.

What was The Spanish Civil War about?

Ordinary people tried to take over the country from the Spanish (fascist) Government and military, and people around the world came to help them fight. Other European countries also got involved. Most of them sided with the fascist Spanish Government. In fact, Germany jumped into the fight and German pilots bombed Madrid after the people took over the city. German bombs fell in Spain long before they hit the French or English soil.

The Research Begins

As I started by researching this time in history, unique characters who had an impact started to form in my mind.

For this series, I dove into the lives of an American artist, a few international volunteers, a Basque priest, and a German pilot. I researched the real people first, and then the plot for my novel built around them.

Writing from a Different Worldview

The most difficult part about writing about The Spanish Civil War was dealing with the political climates of that time. One of my characters, Deion, is African American and he is part of the Communist party. Today’s reader has a different view of what that means than people in 1930 did. In the 1930s, many people found hope in Communism. In a country that was still segregated, the idea of “equality of men” was a huge draw, especially for African Americans.

Even though the political climate was hard to grasp at times, I really liked researching the Spanish culture. Bullfights and flamenco dancing both found their way into these books!

My characters surprised me the most thought. In fact, at the beginning of A Valley of Betrayal, I added a minor character because my protagonist, Sophie, needed a ride across the border into Spain. As it turns out her driver ended up being one of the major players in this series. Who knew?

When God Showed Up

This series was very challenging because I knew nothing about The Spanish Civil War before I started. Yet, I felt sure that God was leading me to write these books. I felt Him asking me to take a leap of faith, and during the writing process, God (again) taught me to trust Him.

When God gives me an idea for a novel it is so BIG. I mean there is so much to pull together. Yet, God has shown me time and time again that He is faithful. He gives me ideas, leads me to the right research books, and even brings people into my life to help me!

The Prayer that Changed Everything

While I was researching this book, I was having trouble finding out about the German pilots who bombed Madrid, mostly because they did so in secret.

I also didn’t have much information about the planes they flew … this was especially troublesome since one of my main characters was a German pilot! At my whit’s end, I prayed about it. “God, you were in Spain in the 1930s, PLEASE lead me to the information that I need to know.”

During that time, a man named Norm Goyer contacted me because he was working on his family tree. He was a sweet old guy in his 80s, and he wanted to know if we were related. It turns out, we weren’t related, but Norm ended up being an airplane expert and consultant for movies! In fact, he’d actually flown the very planes that I needed to write about!

Norm ended up helping me research my German pilot in Spain. What an awesome gift from God!

This showed me that whatever God brings before me, He also has the power to help me succeed.

The Lessons I Learn

It’s been years since A Valley of Betrayal released, but I still find myself sharing the stories about this forgotten war over and over again. I also share the story about Norm, and how God proved himself to me. I mean, come on, I could have easily ignored an inquiry about my genealogy … since I was in the middle of writing a very complicated novel!

Yes, I learned about The Spanish Civil War as I wrote, but I also learned to trust God more.

God provided Norm just when I needed him. And now every time I struggle with finding just the right research I remember when God showed up. He always shows up in this book-writing business.

Today, I want to urge you to tell one person about this “forgotten war.” How cool that you now know a piece of history that most people don’t!

Also, take time to share with someone a personal story of a time God answered one of your prayers in an amazing way. You’ll never know how it’ll encourage them!

Finally, consider picking up A Valley of Betrayal. It’s fun for me to know that I’m bringing history to life for readers. While most of the country has no idea what this war was about, my readers not only know but they can also see God’s hand in history in ways that would otherwise be forgotten.

My Spanish Civil War Series is available here https://triciagoyer.com/spanish-civil-wars/

How about you? What’s your favorite historical time period to read about in a novel? Also, when was a time that God showed up to you in an unexpected way?

Read the original post at Inspired By Life and Fiction.

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May 23, 2015 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

Excerpt from ‘Songbird Under a German Moon’

Happy Memorial Day weekend! If you are looking to add to your TBR pile, here’s another WWII book of mine I know you’ll enjoy! Here’s a bit about the book:

Songbird Under a German Moon

The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler’s Germany. The first nights performance is a hit.

Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they’re housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty’s dear friend, Kat, turns up missing.

Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds’ hearts may find the answers…in each other.

But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

Click here to read the first chapter!

What books are you planning on reading this weekend?

Read an excerpt of ‘Songbird Under a German Moon’ on @TriciaGoyer’s blog

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March 9, 2015 by Tricia Goyer 1 Comment

Broken Things Made Beautiful by God

My books all have a common thread: broken things made beautiful by God. Today I want to share more about why I wrote Teen Mom.

I remember when my first novel From Dust and Ashes: A Story of Liberation came out in 2003. I was so excited to share it with my friends who’d believed in my writing dreams. But out of all the people who read the novel, there was one person’s comments that stand out the most.

My friend Kathy had worked with me to start Hope Pregnancy Center in Kalispell, Montana. She’s also been in the Bible Study with me for women who’d had abortions.

Kathy had heard about all my broken places. She’d seen my tears. She’d also seen my freedom as I opened myself up to God’s complete forgiveness and learned to forgive myself.

“You’ve written an amazing novel,” Kathy told me. “I couldn’t put it down. It’s your story in novel form.”

“My story?” I asked. “I don’t know what you mean. It’s a story about a Nazi officer’s wife in World War II who helps care for Holocaust survivors after liberation.”

Kathy offered me a knowing smile. “Look at Helene. She is you … it’s your story set in World War II.”

After Kathy said that my mind went through Helene’s story again:

1. Pregnant and abandoned.

2. Ashamed of her past actions.

3. Seeking to redeem herself by helping others.

4. Finding true liberation in Jesus Christ instead.

It WAS my story! How had I missed that as I was writing my novel?

For so many years I wanted to hide my story. I didn’t want people to know about my teen pregnancy and definitely not about my abortion. Yet over the years, God has confirmed in me that my story isn’t about my mistakes. It’s about Christ’s liberation, redemption, and freedom. It’s about sharing about broken things made beautiful by God.

If I’m unwilling to share my story, then I’m also missing out on sharing His.

If I’m unwilling to share my story, I’m missing out on sharing His. @TriciaGoyer

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The theme of broken things made beautiful by God (broken people finding freedom in Christ) is one that shows up in all of my novels in various ways. It also shows up in my non-fiction fiction books.

I also wrote Teen Mom: You’re Stronger Than You Think. It’s a book FOR teenage mothers. I not only told my story, but I also shared advice for their everyday life as a mom. Most importantly, I shared how a relationship with Jesus Christ gives them strength and hope for their futures. Teen mom’s lives can be broken things made beautiful.

As you can imagine, this book is important to me. As a mentor to teenage moms for the last twelve years through our weekly support group, I know every young mom needs advice and encouragement.

It’s so important to me, that I’m going to ask you to do something special: Buy a copy of the book.

Buy Teen Mom for a young mom you know.

Buy it for your local crisis pregnancy center.

Buy it for your church’s youth pastor.

Buy it for someone you know who teaches in the local high school.

I guarantee each of those people have a young woman they know who they can give it to.

I’ll also be bold and ask you to buy a copy for yourself and keep it in your car.

AND THEN I ask you to pray and ask God to bring someone in your life who you can give it to. Ask him for there to be broken things made beautiful displayed directly to you as you seek out a young woman to serve and love.

Young moms need to know that God has a good story written for their lives. They need to hear about broken things made beautiful by God’s grace. When I was seventeen years old and pregnant I needed to hear that.

You never know how God will use you to bring help, hope, and spiritual liberation to a young woman’s soul.

~Tricia

About Teen Mom

Teen Mom: You’re Stronger Than You Think. Everything changes the day you discover you’re going to be a mom. It’s not just yourself that you think about—you have a child to care for, too. While you wouldn’t trade your child for the world, some days are just hard. Baby-daddy drama, dealing with your parents, and worries about school, work, and your future slam you. Your friends can’t relate to your little family, and you wonder if God has turned His back on you, too.

Tricia Goyer understands. A mom at age 17, Tricia remembers what it felt like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. She’s also been the coordinator of a teen mom support group for over twelve years, and she’s cheered on many young moms—from all walks of life—through their journey.

In Teen Mom: You’re Stronger Than You Think, Tricia pours out her heart and shares advice for the hard things you face. She also longs to provide encouragement, reminding you that you can be the mom your child deserves—not in your own strength, but in the strength God provides.

Buy the Book HERE.

February 5, 2014 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

‘The Swiss Courier’ is on Sale

Good news, friends! In case you haven’t heard, The Swiss Courier is on sale for $1.99 (or less!) now through February 28. You can get it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Christianbook.

Get ‘The Swiss Courier’ by @TriciaGoyer and @MikeYorkey on #sale!

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Here’s a bit about the book:

It is August 1944 and the Gestapo is mercilessly rounding up suspected enemies of the Third Reich. When Joseph Engel, a German physicist working on the atomic bomb, finds that he is actually a Jew, adopted by Christian parents, he must flee for his life to neutral Switzerland.

Gabi Mueller is a young Swiss-American woman working for the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) close to Nazi Germany. When she is asked to risk her life to safely “courier” Engel out of Germany, the fate of the world rests in her hands. If she can lead him to safety, she can keep the Germans from developing nuclear capabilities. But in a time of traitors and uncertainty, whom can she trust along the way?

This fast-paced, suspenseful novel takes readers along treacherous twists and turns during a fascinating–and deadly–time in history.

August 27, 2012 by Tricia Goyer 19 Comments

Writing Historical Fiction | You Don’t Need as Many Facts as You Think

Writing Historical Fiction, Tricia Goyer — The truth about writing historical fiction is you don’t need as many facts as you think.

When I first started writing, the last thing I wanted to write was historical fiction. I thought it would be tooooo much research. The truth is . . . it is!

But I also discovered I LOVE research, and writing historical fiction has become a love of mine. A few things I’ve done while researching for my historical novels:

1. I’ve interviewed a Holocaust survivor in a village in Austria just a few minutes from where he was liberated.

2. I’ve taking a tour of an Alaskan bay and saw the swish of a whale’s tale.

3. I walked the cobblestone streets of Prague—the very streets Nazis once marched down.

4. I wandered through a Jewish museum in Frankfurt, Germany, and learned of the horrors done to Jews over generations.

5. I’ve interviewed a ninety-three-year-old rancher in Montana whose parents were homesteaders.

6. I’ve chatted with a woman who was a riveter for B-17 Bombers in Seattle during World War II.

History is fascinating! The people are fascinating. The hard part is making sure my historical novels aren’t entirely about the history. Historical fiction should not be boring!

Yes, the piles of shoes and clothes found upon liberation of the concentration camp amazes me, but I always have to ask myself, “Is this information vital to my story?”

Facts can weigh down your novel, no matter how interesting the facts are.

When I first started writing historical fiction I researched way too much. When I wrote my first historical novel From Dust and Ashes,

I learned about the places the prisoners came from, their lives before the war, their lives after the war, how they got to the death camps, and what happened afterward.

One of the fascinating things I read about was Displaced Person Camps. Those who survived the concentration camps went to these camps until they were able to find their way home. At these camps families were reunited or people discovered the deaths of their loved ones.

When writing From Dust and Ashes I wanted to include this information; after all, I’d spent so much time learning about the camps. So in the middle of my story my characters left their location, went to one of these camps, looked for someone (who wasn’t there), and then returned. The scenes were powerful and emotional, but they had no place in the story . . . and my editor pointed that out.

In the end those chapters were cut. I was sad (because now I’d spent time writing those scenes, too), but it was worth it. The book was better for it.

So while researching for historical novels is important, don’t let the research take you on a rabbit trail. It’s a waste of time, and it’ll most likely need to be cut.

Today, when I sit down to write my historical fiction, I figure out what’s going to be in the novel and what information I’ll need; I’ll research only that. Of course, sometimes my research will uncover a gem I have to add, but for the most part I focus only what I’ve already determined my story needs.

So write history! Write it well! Don’t be afraid to write historical fiction. But don’t let too many facts get in the way of writing a beautiful story. You do need the facts—just not as many as you think.