History Buffs United discussion

Hello everyone! This is History Buffs United, and I'm Hazel West, the moderator. I'm a self-published author who loves to both read and write historical fiction. This group is for anyone who likes to do the same. My published works are "Freedom Come All Ye" and "Ballad of the Highwayman" (which can be found on this website) some of my favorite authors are Rosemary Sutcliff, Alexandre Dumas, Nigel Tranter, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conon Doyle and lots more. Take time to introduce yourself here so we can all get to know you. Are you a writer or a reader? Who are your favorite HF writers? Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have and let me know if you want to add a new thread! Slainte!

Hello, all (especially to Hazel; thanks for the invite!). I'm Mara, and while I am not yet a published author, I am a writer and intend to start hunting a publisher down in the next year or two. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because my story is being stubborn and I want to have something complete to send to a publisher. Anyway, I'm also an avid reader, as well as a great many other things (historian, fiddler, craftsman, archer, and soon-to-be bookbinder). Some of my favorite HF authors are Rosemary Sutcliff, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, Michael Cadnum (when I'm in the mood for a really gory read), Ann Rinaldi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, R.L. Stevenson, and - well, the list is truly endless. I have a bunch of favorite non-HF writers, too, of course, but that would just make the list even longer.

Glad to see you, Mara =) I hate it when books are being stubborn, but I've got about three of them half finished so I know what you mean. I've done a bit of bookbinding myself. My only problem with it, is the fact that I can't stand to tear down really old books from their original covers even if they're in bad shape ;) I guess I'm too soft :P Either that or it's the historian in me.

It is difficult to take apart old books, even with the right tools. I haven't gotten around to actually trying old books because I'm still learning (and I haven't yet got all of the tools; they're expensive!), but the very thought is hard enough. I mean, yeah the book's falling apart, but the original binding is part of its identity! There's techniques, apparently, to preserve as much of the original cover as possible when rebinding.

I have a website that sells the equipment for (what I remember) being a decent price, but it's been a while. Once I find the link again, I'll send it to you =)

Thanks; I'd really appreciate that!

Here's the link to it. it's "Dick Blick" and they have all kinds of art supplies. I think you can even send for a free catalogue too. If the link doesn't work, let me know.

http://www.dickblick.com/categories/c...

Thanks! I can tell already that this is a website I could spend a LOT of money on . . . ;)

Oh yes, if you're like me :P That's why I'm glad I seem to have lost the catalogue, haha.

Hey everyone! I am Melissa. I am 30 years old and am a HS history teacher. I have always loved reading and history so HF is naturally my favorite genre. =)

Hi Melissa, we're glad to have you! Feel free to start any new topics you want and share some of your favorite book recs =)

Hi, Melissa! What area of history do you especially like?

Hi all,

I'm Daniel, and although I love historical fiction, I personally enjoy alternate history more. I think my favorite historical fiction books are the gods and generals books by Shaara. THat plus the acting in his movies gives me the shivers. Shivers of awesomeness. Anywho, you can check out my blog at danielottalini.com if you'd like. I know Hazel's already been over there!

Glad you joined us, Daniel! Thanks for stopping by. I love Shaara's books, but I haven't gotten to his Civil War ones yet. I enjoy good, different alternate history novels. Have you ever read any of Naomi Novik's Temeraire books?

I have, they are a great series. The master of alternate history is Harry Turtledove though. Good reads are also by S.M. Sterling. Check out his Island in the Sea of Time novel - sort of a 'what if a group of modern people in nantucket were thrown back in time, how would things change' type book.

I'll have to take a look at those. Eventually, I want to try my hand at writing an alternate history/family legacy series. But it will be a while because I have so many other projects ahead of them.

Have any of you read Gary L. Blackwood's books? He did an alternate history with Lincoln's death, and also another one where America lost the Revolution.

He wrote "Year of the Hangman" right? That's the one? I read that and I thought it was really good. I'll have to find the other one too. I was actually planning a story about the Lincoln Assassination for my alternate series ;)

Yes, he did. "Second Sight" - the Lincoln one - isn't quite as good, but it's still really interesting.

hi everyone,

i'm katon. historical fiction has always been my favorite genre, specially those which involve the use of culture and historical details.
i have to say colonial era is my favorite setting for HF.
i'm 21, and i'm actually kinda new at creative writing.i used to write a lot when i was a lot younger plus i'm still perfecting my english since it's not my mother tongue. so i hope i could gain some fellow HF-fans in here, and maybe i could show you about my writings.

cheers :)

Hi Katon! I'm glad you joined us. You'll definitely find fans here; I have a great love for the Colonial era as well, and I'd love to hear more about your writing as well :)

Hi, Katon! Glad to have you! :) If I may ask, what is your mother tongue? Just out of curiosity. I always love talking to people who had a different mother tongue.

hi Hazel! and hi Mara, thanks for asking, my mother tongue is indonesian and javanese :)

Hi, I am Rivkah and I just retired from 30 years of public school teaching. Reading can now be my #1 pass time. I love reading about the French Revolution, English history, WWII

@ Katon: That's awesome. I wish I had time to learn more languages. :)

Hi, Rivkah! Nice to meet you! :)

Congrats Rivkah, glad to have you. I'm sure we'll be able to give you lots of good reading suggestions to fill up your spare time ;)

Hello everyone,

I'm K.L., most people call me Lee for short so feel free. One thing good about A.D.D. is that you can have a lot of interests, haha. History happens to be one of mine and I enjoy pretty much everything from ancient all the way through to recent military and political.

My favorite author's list reads pretty much like the rest of you so I look forward to having some great discussions.

I am a writer and one of my genres is HF.

Hi Lee! Glad to have you. You're tastes are pretty much like mine, I can't help but love all history. Can't wait to discuss some of your favorite historical things and if you want to add anything to our writer's discussions feel free!

Glad to be among so many others who appreciate history; as a historical fiction author, it's gratifying to my heart to know that there are people who have lived in the past and have not gone on to be completely forgotten. I enjoy Native American (especially Cherokee) information, American history between 1500 - late 1800s, Egyptian history and Alexander the Great, as well as history from Ireland.

Hi Robyn, I'm excited at all the other writers turning up =) For any authors, make sure you introduce yourself in the Authors section and add links to your books or your websites/blogs if you have any.

Hi Hazel and historical fiction lovers, I'm Laurie and I'm a reader. I read mostly non-fiction but when I do read fiction, it is almost always historical fiction. I think my first was The Thorn Birds when I was 17 in 1978 and for awhile I was into John Saul and Anne Rice. But in my early twenties I discovered John Jakes and read everything he had published up to that time.

I went on to read Bruce Catton and became a history nut, which I still am and even got my master's degree in US History. My undergrad degree is in Psychology. Most of what I read is in the sweet spot where those general areas of interest intersect but I do venture out now and then when something catches my eye - could even be general science or a classic or something to have some fun.

I love reading and even put a moratorium on teaching classes as an adjunct professor of history because I wasn't getting enough time to explore my own reading interests.

Looking forward to learning more about the members of this group and what you all are reading and recommending.

Hi Laurie, great to have you! I'm sure we'll all be able to share some good recommendations with you =)

Hi everybody, I'm Lynnann. I introduced myself in the writer's section a bit ago because I was confused, but I love to read HF too. We use it a lot in our house for homeschool history. We call it learning with "Living Books" because we all learn to care about the characters in the stories and "bam!" the kids instantly love history and don't feel it is a chore to learn more about the era that characters come from.

@Laurie Your undergrad degree in Psychology may come in handy for we writers as we craft tortured souls or evil villains. Would you mind terribly if we pick your brain from time-to-time?

Hi, Hazel - I thought I'd created my author's page months ago, but discovered earlier today that indeed, I had not. Hopefully it will be up within the week :) Never hurts to remind authors to get that done!

Robyn wrote: "Hi, Hazel - I thought I'd created my author's page months ago, but discovered earlier today that indeed, I had not. Hopefully it will be up within the week :) Never hurts to remind authors to get t..."

That kind of stuff happens to all of us ;) I'll take a look at it soon!

Hi, my name is Pauline Montagna, and I'm an Autralian writer of Italian descent, hoping to make a name for myself as a writer of historical fiction. I've self-published one historical roamnce, The Slave, set in medieval Italy and I'm currently working on an enormous project about William Shakespeare. (Yes, I know, what was I thinking!)I first published The Slave back in 2005, and have since re-issued it as an e-book. The online scene around books and especially ebooks has changed enormously in these last few years, so to take advantage of these new fangled avenues, and to pave the way for my new book, which I hope to finish soon, I'm relaunching The Slave. If you're interested in my current project I'm blogging my research at www.beardofavon.blogspot.com.au.

Hi Pauline! Glad you joined us. I can only imagine what kind of research you are doing on Shakespeare, but I always find that the projects that take a ton of research are usually the most rewarding in the end. Thanks for sharing the link. If you have a preview of your book you would like to share, post a link in the previews thread in the writers folder =)

Lynnann wrote: "Hi everybody, I'm Lynnann. I introduced myself in the writer's section a bit ago because I was confused, but I love to read HF too. We use it a lot in our house for homeschool history. We call ..."

Wouldn't mind at all. I took 3 graduate classes in psych when I went back to school in 2000, but keep in mind, my degree is exactly 30 years old this year!

Hi everyone, I'm Jade. I'm a huge historical fiction fan. My fav authors are Elizabeth Chadwick and Philippa Gregory, I'd appreciate any suggestions of new writers to read :)

Hi Jade, glad to have you :) Just tell us the kinds of books you like to read, and I'm sure someone can offer you some good suggestions!

Hi, everyone,
I am a historian, so reading and writing historical fiction comes naturally to me. I have one novel out and another finished, and I am just beginning a third. You can find out more about the published novel, and download chapter 1 in ePub format, on my Goodreads author page.

I love many HF books. Among those not mentioned, I would list Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody mysteries, books by Connie Willis, and Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt and William Monk novels. If you want a real puzzle, try Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

C.P. Lesley

Glad you joined us, C.P. I'll take a look at your book excerpt when I get the chance =)

Thanks, Hazel! If you don't like the ePub format (I think you mentioned elsewhere that you don't), I just discovered that Amazon.com has activated the "Search Inside This Book" feature, including an excerpt of the first 20 pages or so. It's still on a computer, but at least it looks like a print book. The link is http://www.amazon.com/The-Not-Exactly...

Another author I love is Georgette Heyer, especially her 18th-century novels (These Old Shades, Devil's Cub, The Talisman Ring, The Convenient Marriage) and a few of the Regencies (The Grand Sophy, Frederica). Heyer has a way with characterization that lights up even her most formulaic tales. I own my favorites in about four different formats and reread them once in a while just for enjoyment.

Scarlet Pimpernel fans may want to check out Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series, starting with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.

(Spoiler alert: Willig kills off Lord Tony before the first book begins. I was annoyed. He is one of my favorite SP characters. But other than that, the books are lots of fun.)

I'll look up those books too. That is sad though, because I loved Tony as well =( I'll read your excerpt soon. Right now I'm reading over my newest manuscript on the computer though before I send for a proof copy and my eyes feel like they're going to fall out of my head, haha ;)

No rush. The book will still be there when you get to it. *wink*

Condolences on the proofing. Isn't that the pits? I do it for a living (not only that, or I'd be threading straws through my hair like Ophelia), plus I went through NESP five times before sending in the PDF. Even so, a ton of stuff showed up in the print proof that I never saw on the screen or in ePub. I couldn't believe it.

At least the pain will be worth it when you see the book in print. It's amazing how all the blood and sweat wash away without leaving a trace! But you must know that, because it's not your first, right?

I have to go look for your books, too. My ancestry is Scots, so I love Highlands stories.

It is amazing how many things you can miss on the computer that magically show up in print. And yes, seeing the proof for the first time is always worth it. It never beats the first one though ;)

I have some excerpts on my Goodreads page of all my books except my newest one that you can find on the previews thread here. (Add yours too) And since you liked Scarlet Pimpernel, I think you'd enjoy my Ballad of the Highwayman because I wrote it as a traditional swashbuckling adventure story ;)

Hazel,
I would love to buy Ballad of the Highwayman, but I read fiction on my iPad to save my bulging bookshelves. Any chance you will produce an e-book version sometime soon?
Best,
Carolyn

I am planning on publishing an ebook when I go back to do me second edition (editing again and all ;) And I'm hoping to do that before Christmas =)

Good news. Do announce it, and I'll be your first e-book customer.

Awesome! =) I'll let everyone know, and if you're interested, you can follow my blog because that's usually where I announce things first ;)