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I'm 40,000 words into my new novel (my fifth). It's a mystery/thriller/romance set in the Far North of Aotearoa New Zealand in December 2007. It's a departure for me - it's not historical fiction and there's a large dose of romance. 

Everything To Hide has had good reviews in Australia and here in New Zealand and is available via The Underground Bookstore and PaperPlus, Kerikeri. The constant need to promote books is pretty fatiguing, so I've taken my foot off the accelerator for the moment as I write this new novel. 

I had intended to write the prequel to Everything To Hide & that's coming, but I decided to do what I'm calling a palate-cleanser novel first. 

My fifth novel doesn't have a title at the moment. Well, it has several titles but I don't think any of them work.

More news in the next few weeks!

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Here's an interesting question – for historical fiction writing, do you have to be a historian to write good historical fiction? If you love historical fiction, is it because you’re curious to learn how people existed in a past that didn’t have social media or the internet at their fingertips? Or are you fascinated by the Victorians and their penchant for taking photographs with dead family members? Not to mention poisoning people with a good dose of arsenic. Maybe the tombs of ancient Egypt fascinate you.

It's not uncommon to assume that a historian's expertise would lend itself perfectly to historical fiction. After all, historians spend their careers researching, understanding the past, and writing about it. Their depth of knowledge can add authenticity and richness to historical fiction writing.

There are two levels of historical research:

Primary sources: these are oral histories, eyewitness or first-hand accounts, letters and newspapers, diaries and journals, public records, audio recordings, items of clothing, photographs, paintings and maps. Primary sources are published or unpublished material created by people contemporaneous with the event or topic. 

Secondary sources: are published or unpublished materials created after an event took place. The person writing did not participate in the event or witness what took place. Secondary sources include academic articles, journal and magazine articles, biographies, textbooks, and commentaries.

A historian has to be a good detective and ask many questions. For example: are the sources objective? What was the original purpose of the source? How did people in past cultures view their world? What were the causes of past events and were they intentional? Are there other points of view? Patterns in the sources?

When historians bring the rigorous methodology of research to historical fiction writing, what happens? 

Historical fiction isn't merely a regurgitation of facts. It's a blend of factual accuracy and imaginative storytelling. Great historical fiction writing crafts characters and plots that resonate with readers, seamlessly weaving history into the narrative.

Here's where the real magic happens. You don't need to be a historian, but a love for history and a commitment to research is vital. This blend of creativity and accuracy helps you breathe life into the past without getting bogged down by minutiae.

•          Understanding the Era: Dive into books, articles, and documentaries to get a feel for the period you're writing about.

•          Consulting Experts: If possible, talk to historians or academics who specialize in the period.

•          Character and Plot: Create compelling characters and plots that could happen within the historical context.

•          Historical Accuracy: Ensure that the historical elements enhance the story rather than overshadow it.

Here are some historians who show they get the balance right when it comes to historical fiction writing. They give the reader enough historical detail but don't get bogged down. 

Alison Weir – writes about the history of English royal women and families. 

Dan Jones – he portrays Medieval England in a fresh, engaging way

Iain Pears – art historian who writes detective novels 

Tracy Borman - her Stuart-era novels show us the intrigue in James I’s court

Kate Williams – has written four historical novels spanning the 1840s to the Great Depression and a novel about Mary Queen of Scots.

Elizabeth Peters (whose real name is Barbara Louise Mertz) has Ph.D. in Egyptology and is known for Amelia Peabody series.

Samantha Greene Woodruff – writes about psychiatry after WWI.

Simon Sebag Montefiore – best known for his Moscow trilogy.

Harry Sidebottom - best known for his two series of historical novels, the Warrior of Rome and Throne of the Caesars. 

Ian Mortimer – sometimes writes as James Forrester and, under that name, has a trilogy set in the 1560s.

Any one of these writers will show you how to master the craft of historical fiction writing. But the one writer who nails historical fiction isn’t a trained historian – Dame Hilary Mantel. 

Being a historian is not a prerequisite. It's about striking a balance between authenticity and imagination. Your goal with historical fiction writing is to take readers on a journey back in time, guided by characters they care about, in a world that feels real. Your love for history, paired with a commitment to your craft, is what will make your historical fiction shine.

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The paperback version of Everything to Hide is hot off the press from the printer and will be available in selected bookstores in New Zealand soon.

I decided to try and get into physical bookstores, which I'm currently doing. More news soon!!

If you'd like the ebook version, it's available here.

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Everything to Hide is now available to pre-order! The pre-order is for the ebook. A paperback version will be available on the publication day (June 11, 2023). Isn't the cover fabulous? 

You can read what the book is all about here. I had such fun writing this book, and if you buy a copy, I hope you like it as much as I do.

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That's it!! I have finished my fourth novel, Everything to Hide. I finished in late February and it took around 4.5 months to write. It's 100,000+ words, so I'll need to trim off some fat (probably around 15k). It was a fairly smooth writing process, though, thanks to my detailed outline. 

I loved writing about Harold Chesterfield in On Jacaranda Street (where he makes his first appearance), and he's really come into his own as a quirky character in this standalone novel. I'm now busy researching for Dust Over Cairo (which I mentioned here). It will feature a younger Roland Cuthbert Barry (one of the main characters in Everything to Hide), but . . . I have another novel in mind, and it will feature Harold. More on this another time.

I have also decided to resuscitate a 2003 outline for a novel set in Bangkok, Thailand. My first visit to Thailand was in that year, and I've long thought about this novel. A wonderful friend in Bangkok has managed to find two or three books I need that talk about life in Thailand in the 1920s and 1930s. We've often talked about my novel idea, and I suspect a trip to Bangkok will be happening in 2024.

Meanwhile, the publication date for Everything to Hide is June 11, 2023. There's a lot still to do: editing, cover design, blurb writing, and promotion, but Everything to Hide is done and dusted!! Yippee!!!

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I'm 30,000 words into my new novel, Everything to Hide. It is a murder mystery set on an island in the Hawkesbury (Sydney, Australia). Detective Senior Sergeant Harold Chesterfield -  a major character in my third novel, On Jacaranda Street - is the star of the show.

He must figure out who killed Australia's wealthiest impresario, Roland Cuthbert Barry, on his 60th birthday. There's quite a cast of characters, and the setting is suitably Gothic (draughty old house on a remote island, a fierce storm, everyone is cut off from the mainland). It's set in 1933. 

Not sure if I'll be able to finish it by December (as was my original intention). Probably more like February but . . . in the course of writing about Roland (who's also an amateur Egyptologist and expert on mummification), another novel has come to mind. It will be a prequel of sorts to Everything to Hide and will follow Roland's exploits in Egypt right after WWI. Let's just say he was a treasure hunter, so there will be plenty of digging around in Egyptian tombs.

The working title for this novel is Dusk Over Cairo.

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I met with my critique partner last week to go over my now-42-page detailed outline for my next novel, Everything to Hide. The outline has expanded from 27 pages! We thrashed out quite a few things chapter by chapter. Based on the feedback, I'll be making some changes. 

I find having someone who respects your writing style but isn't afraid to tackle you is, in many ways, more valuable than having beta readers. I had 24 beta readers for my first book, Where Sunflowers Grow (check out My Books tab). These readers were in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Germany and Italy.

Of course, not all beta readers will ever agree, but sometimes having beta readers can be 'death by committee'. I always prepare a detailed checklist for my beta readers with broad questions, such as, "At what point did you feel the story started to kick in?" or "Was the ending satisfying, believable?" I have specific questions too about characterisation, plot development, character arc and so on. I do, however, let my beta readers do their own thing if they don't wish to answer specific questions.

While I think beta readers are valuable, I'm going to make a change with Everything to Hide and only have my critique partner and two beta readers. My critique partner is a traditionally published writer. One beta reader is also a writer, while the second beta reader is an avid thriller/mystery reader with no writing experience or interest in writing. This person will be worth their weight in gold as they do not know me nor have they read anything I've written. 

I'd like to see if this pared-down process gives me more constructive feedback. When you have 24 beta readers or even 5 or 10, you can end up with a myriad of different opinions that don't necessarily help you. Regardless of how many, in the end, the author has to go with the gut, and this means not taking into account some beta reader comments. 

So, I'm almost ready to go. The aim is to have the first draft of Everything to Hide completed by the start of December. I'll start to introduce you to some of the characters and the setting very soon. 

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It's been an exciting few weeks. I was Highly Commended in a writing contest and then discovered that the book I thought I was going to write isn't the book I'm going to end up writing.

I had a firm vision in mind for the next novel (which features Harold Chesterfield from On Jacaranda Street), and he was going to be battling Sydney razor gangs in the late 1920s.

I've been quiet on this blog because I've been working out the plot and . . .  it's not remotely like what I thought it would be. How this came about was because I started thinking about travelling from the Central Coast (in New South Wales, Australia) to Central Station every day for work. The journey was around two hours each way, every day, and the train was the Newcastle Flyer. For part of the journey, islands along the Hawkesbury River can be seen (such as Dangar Island, which I visited once by ferry from Brooklyn). I also used to live in Berowra, so the area is very familiar.

I often wondered if those islands could be cut off from the mainland by flooding. I've seen how the Hawkesbury can burst its banks when high rain levels cause the river to swell. And hey, presto: the plot for the novel came into my mind.

It's a large cast of fourteen characters, although some are peripheral, and it's set in 1933 (not the late 1920s as I'd originally envisaged). I've spent the last few weeks writing a detailed outline, chapter by chapter. I now have a twenty-seven-page outline with thirty-four chapters. The tentative title is Everything to Hide.

I hope to begin writing soon - just have to clear some major editing projects. 

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I had a surreal moment the other day. I was on our district library website, searching for a book on French explorers of Aotearoa New Zealand, when . . . 

That cover looks familiar. The title of that book is the same as mine!! No, wait. It IS my book! 

New items for June 2022 were displayed in a carousel smack bang in the centre of the screen, and On Jacaranda Street was on display. Ashgrove Park is already in the library, so now, On Jacaranda Street can sit next to it.

Those two novels (95 k and 115k, respectively), plus Where Sunflowers Grow and my poetry collection (Cats, Dogs and Feathered Cats), were all written, edited and published in just under two years (check the My Books tab for more details). I've been plotting my Harold Chesterfield novel (you can catch up here and here) and had planned to start writing on June 1. 

But . . . a few roadblocks. First, the amount of editing I've been doing - mainly fantasy novels - has kept my head down and tail up throughout April and most of May. Then on May 5, my beloved English Pointer, Zsa Zsa, crossed the rainbow bridge. She was 11 years old, and it hit me very, very hard. 

So, I found reading therapeutic and borrowed a mountain of books from the library. Follow me on Goodreads because I am always reading, even when I'm writing novels. I had a certain focus in mind for my Harold Chesterfield novel and had been researching, but . . . 

The plot has done a 180. It's nothing like I had in mind, but I think it's more exciting and will certainly be challenging to write. It's still a crime/mystery novel set in Sydney in the late 1920s (or possibly early 1930s). Characters have come out of nowhere, and I'll be spending June and July nailing things down for an August 1 start. No title yet, but that will come.

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Many of the novels I read are not current bestsellers. I prefer reading books from decades ago. I'm not sure why. Is it because writers way back probably didn't rush off to take the latest masterclass on writing or do an MA in creative writing? Is it because they probably didn't buy books that promised you'd be a better writer if you followed this or that method? In other words, they were less formulaic? Is it because there used to be powerhouse editors like Maxwell Perkins (edited F.Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe) or Gordon Lish (edited Raymond Carver), who could spot a dangling participle within two seconds and had an incredible ability to sense what to cut to reveal the underlying, minimalist structure of a book? Is it because the book world is now driven by the importance of sales?

I don't know. What I do know is there are some authors and books that have had a profound influence on my writing over the years. I turn to them regularly, re-reading their novels and enjoying the story that unfolds. I'd love to know who the editors were behind these novels. If you know, drop a comment.

I've read Daphne du Maurier's books many times, and they are near the top of my list (particularly My Cousin Rachel (1951)). But these five books (and four authors) are my absolute favourites. I won't go off on a tangent and review them - you can hotfoot it to Google, Amazon or your local library. Suffice it to say, if I had to nominate the proverbial books to take to a desert island, these are the ones.

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell. English literature at its most sublime. Flawless. Perfection. Published in the late 1950s. Durrell, an Indian-born English writer, was also a poet (I have an old copy of his Selected Poems that is practically falling apart because I've read it so many times). The rhythm and imagery of his poetry come through in his prose. 

The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell. Captivating, claustrophobic. An assortment of colourful cruise ship tourists gets trapped in a cave on Crete that is said to be the legendary labyrinth of the minotaur. Published in 1947, and I have a cherished early edition. 

Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth. This novel was published in 1992 and shared the Booker Prize with Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. It's about the Atlantic slave trade and is an exploration of power, greed, and brutal human behaviour. It's nothing short of a masterpiece. Unsworth's prose is so brilliant; you're on the rolling deck of the ship with the sailors; you're chained and crammed into the foul-smelling underdeck with other slaves. It had me in tears. I read it every other year and still have my copy from 1992.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. This is a book from 1931 that my mum introduced me to when I was in my late teens. Buck was her favourite author, and I love another book by her - All Under Heaven (1973). The Good Earth is about Chinese life in a village in the 1920s, particularly the position of women, and the sweeping changes the modern world ushers in. Buck lived in China from 1920 to 1933, and The Good Earth won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932.

Stoner by John Williams. Published in 1965 and 'discovered' in the early 2000s. It didn't sell all that well when it was first published. A flawless, deeply moving novel about William Stoner, who moves from his early years on a farm (in 1910) in the midwest of the United States to the life of a college professor. It's an unremarkable career that spans 40 years of university politics and rivalry with another academic. Stoner followed the life of a lonely man, but he was a hero. 

Well, I can tell you one thing - I don't go for the happy-ever-after romances, that's for sure.

What five books would you take with you?

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