Ask the Author: John Neeleman

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Hello John Neeleman, I am intrigued by your subject for your second novel. How do go about researching something like that? I can't imagine there being much documentation. I expect your first novel posed similar challenges, but I would be interested to know the differences. Thank you for the opportunity to ask questions. Regards, Kay Elliston
John Neeleman Hi Kay. Thanks for the question. My debut novel (the first one published, that is) is LOGOS. I'm now working on a novel set in the Reign of Terror in France (the working title is the AGE OF REASON). Both research processes have been similar. For historical fiction, I settle on a principal character or principal characters, then I research and draw the plot from the research -- which is pretty focused, because I'm building a story. I'm not a historian, I'm creating a work of art. So I do enough research for my objective. Hillary Mantel says, "I stick with the facts until the facts run out." Of course we know a lot more about the French Revolution than first century Palestine and Rome, but we know a lot about the latter. For LOGOS my primary sources were Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, the Bible, the Talmud, and various secondary sources. Of course, the Talmud was written long after the historical Jesus' death but is based on a long tradition. Some of the original sources are actually available on the Internet. For the French Revolution there is an abundance of diaries, actual transcripts of the National Convention proceedings, etc. Thanks again!
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