Q&A With Susan Higginbotham discussion

How did you decide the time period and people you would write about? Have you always been fascinated with these individuals or was it that few writers covered them? I mean I know there are a lot of authors who have written about Henry VIII and he's become a popular figure to write about.

I knew absolutely nothing about Edward II until just a few years ago, when I happened to re-read Christopher Marlowe's play about him online. Somehow, I became really interested in the history, and when I read about Eleanor de Clare I thought she would make a fascinating subject for a novel, especially since her story had never been told before. After that, I just sort of progressed forward!

Do you think many historical fiction authors are historians by trade (meaning they have a degree in it or something) or by design (they became historians when they started writing about a historical subject or person)?

Most of the ones I've encountered aren't people with history backgrounds, but simply people who fell in love with a historical period, though of course there are exceptions like Philippa Gregory, who I believe does have a history degree. I have no background in history other than required college history classes, and that was a long time ago!