AMERICAN HISTORICAL NOVELS discussion

I write historical fiction because I have to but also because I want to. While I worked as lead author and associate editor of Women’s History Sources: A Guide to Archives and Manuscript Collections in the United States, I came across thousands of women I’d never heard about, women whose stories haven’t been told.

The past can have a huge impact on the present. As Gerda Lerner writes in Why History Matters, documented history began as a way to celebrate the accomplishments of men who were leaders in military, religious, political, or economic realms. The men who wrote history didn’t think to mention the roles that women, slaves, peasants, colonials, or natives played in establishing the cultures in which they lived. When women are left out of recorded history, the implication is that women have no history worth recording. As a result, women have been robbed of the heroines and role models that could help show them possible new paths for themselves. There are so many untold stories about women’s lives. I like to write about ordinary women who pursue their dreams.

Meanwhile, this is the last day for making comments on this week's posts. I'll announce the winner of a copy of Don't Put the Boats Away tomorrow morning. Please comment!Don't Put the Boats Away Ames Sheldon

Thank goodness for Authors like you to tell these stories - to give women a feeling of empowerment to achieve great things in the future.

Thank you very much, Dyana.