If you haven’t noticed, I started a brand new Made in Yorkshire series this week. It’s entitled the War Years and takes place from the perspective of an underage soldier signing up for the war. Over the course of five books, you’ll follow the six Keeton brothers as the Great War moulds them in ways both good and bad.
I’m not here to write a whole blog promoting my new book or series. There’ll be plenty of time for that later. It’s a time to reflect because this is the first time I’ve left the bounds of my original series.
A Departure
I will say that I attempt to keep the same style as you’re all used to. The style is the same, but the setting has changed. Now we’re about fifty years before the start of 1964 (Made in Yorkshire Book 1).
The world is different and the entire premise is far more concentrated than before. There were far more challenges this time because I’m not merely skimming over different time periods. Also, the events surrounding the main character Danny Keeton are more pronounced. He can’t escape them. They aren’t going on in the background, as was often the case with Richard Warren.
So I had to research more thoroughly this time. I say that, but I must confess World War I and World War II have always been interests of mine, ever since I was a child. They were the first historical periods I learned about.
The Slight Genre Change
Okay, you’re all used to historical fiction. That’s exactly what you’re going to get this time. The difference is I’m bringing in the war/military flavour.
It wasn’t a difficult decision to do this. Luckily, this is a genre where you have a lot of room to manoeuvre. It’s not like in other genres where one sub-genre switch will entirely change the landscape of your work.
I must say 1914 (The War Years Book 1) is about the people in the war, rather than the war itself. You’re not going to hear much about battle tactics and the technical components of a Lee Enfield rifle. Strictly speaking, it contains a war flavour, without entering that genre in its entirety.
Experimentation
I believe experimentation is a crucial part of the writing process. I want to see what I can do with other parts of history. I started from an extremely modern standpoint with my first series. I want to see what lies elsewhere.
The journey to find one’s area never truly stops. I know what parts of history I like, but I don’t know whether that will translate to my work. Only going through the process can do that.
That’s why I need all of you to tell me about that. I do appreciate the messages you’ve been sending me, and I would love you to keep them coming. They really do help, even if they’re only a couple of lines long.
Until next time…
James Farner