While I chip away at rebuilding my old WordPress web presence and wait for the formatters to return the interior of Farewell, O Syria, I have a couple of things to share with you.
Thinking about the Historical Novel Society’s July digital conference (see below), I had a minor “duh” moment. I assume most writers of HistFic are well aware of the HNS, but are readers of historical fiction using their extensive, I mean MASSIVE, online collection of reviews to find their next read?
If you are a fan of the genre, I invite you to check this out:
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/
From within this Reviews section, you can search by genre, author, period, century, publisher, and Historical Novel Review (quarterly print! magazine) volumes back over 25 years. This is my favorite function. I can find stories on the fringes of the publishing industry’s often narrow focus.
If you want something from off the beaten path, try this category:
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/period/ancient-world-other/
The site also has an articles archive, searchable by many categories. Here you can find interviews of your favorite authors, feature reviews, book announcements, craft discussions, and more:
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/articles/
For writers of historical fiction, you might be aware that the Historical Novel Society has a Day Camp (a one day virtual conference) coming up fast on June 13th. (You do not need to be a member).
https://hns-conference.com/2026/03/16/day-camp-uniquely-historical-fiction/
I only heard about the History Through Fiction Conference after the fact, but the sessions were recorded and are available for $79.00. I haven’t dug in yet, but there’s lots of interesting talks for Historical Fiction writers. From what I can tell, many of the topics sound fresh.
Here’s a page listing the conference talks:
https://www.historythroughfiction.com/recorded-sessions
And where to purchase the replays:
https://www.historythroughfiction.com/htf-conference-welcome
How do you decide what to read next? Do you search online? For specific times/places? Do you hear about books from friends? How does a title make its way into your conscious decision-making process? Multiple recommendations? or bursts of curiosity?
Okay, that’s all from me today. I think I’ll go watch this stuff they call rain here in super-parched North Florida.
Enjoy your weekend!
Lausanne
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.