Ask the Author: Wayne Turmel
Answered Questions (2)
Wayne Turmel
Thank you so much and I"m sorry Mother Nature is being unkind
Wayne Turmel
Great question. I think that historical fiction needs to be true enough to the facts that your credibility is intact, while maintaining plot, tension and character that make novels appealing. The more well-documented the history, the more you need to "stay between the lines." In Count of the Sahara, the events of the expedition were well documented, and the events of Byron De Prorok's life were public--there was only so much room to maneuver events. With Acre's Bastard, as long as Acre was a port and the Crusaders lost at Hattin, I had plenty of room to make things up.
There's also the issue of "knowing what we know now." When I was creating Lucca, I came across the now-famous photo of the little Syrian boy in the back of the ambulance. That became my touchstone... how children have always suffered...and continue to suffer for religious and political wars.
I don't believe in slavish devotion to facts to the point where it kills a story, but lapses in logic or events will disappoint and even anger your readers. Hope that makes sense.
There's also the issue of "knowing what we know now." When I was creating Lucca, I came across the now-famous photo of the little Syrian boy in the back of the ambulance. That became my touchstone... how children have always suffered...and continue to suffer for religious and political wars.
I don't believe in slavish devotion to facts to the point where it kills a story, but lapses in logic or events will disappoint and even anger your readers. Hope that makes sense.
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