Pehaps the biggest challenge of writing historical fiction is balancing fact and invention. Today's guest, author of the REALM series of historical novels, discusses this issue.
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In addition to correct dialect, dress, and the character’s
period names, historical fiction depends heavily upon historical facts. Most
authors who write historical fiction are history junkies. Yet, there must be a steadiness
A Touch of Honor
is the seventh book in my highly popular “Realm” series. The Realm is a
fictional covert group working under the auspices of the Home Office during
the Napoleonic War. Each of the members of the Realm has left the service and
has returned home to claim titles and land and, hopefully, love. However, a
Baloch warlord, who believes one of them has stolen a fist-sized emerald he
wants, returned to his land is pursuing them.
For “modern” issues, the characters have met a variety of concerns.
In The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, Lady
Eleanor Fowler knows a deviant parent, who has placed her in a tenuous abusive
situation. In A Touch of Mercy, we
see how far a family will go to marry off their daughter to a man of wealth and
consequence. In A Touch of Love,
cultural assimilation in Regency London is part of the plot. In A Touch of Honor, the reader encounters
the idea of “eating disorders” in a time when women were corseted into their
dresses, as well as dependency on laudanum, a tincture of opium administered to
babies and adults alike during the Regency and Victorian periods.
Into these story lines, I have mixed the history of the
time. The reader will discover something of the glass cones, a 19th
century structured used in the glass manufacturing process, in A Touch of Cashémere. The Peterloo
Massacre plays a part in both A Touch of
Love and His: Two Regency Novellas. Lord
Sidmouth’s search for sedition in post Napoleonic London becomes part of
several plot lines. The reader has met such real-life characters as John Loudon
McAdam, who developed the road system, which changed the face of England, as
well as Sir Walter Scott as a close friend of one of the characters. One can
also find the Pentrich Rising as the backdrop for A Touch of Love. The list
is lengthy and diverse.
Book Blurb:
For two years, BARON JOHN SWENTON has thought of little else
other than making Satiné Aldridge his wife; so when he discovers her reputation
in tatters, Swenton acts honorably: He puts forward a marriage of convenience
that will save her from ruination and provide him the one woman he believes
will bring joy to his life. However, the moment he utters his proposal,
Swenton’s instincts scream he has made a mistake: Unfortunately, a man of honor
makes the best of even the most terrible of situations.
SATINE ALDRIDGE has fallen for a man she can never possess
and has accepted a man she finds only mildly tolerable. What will she do to
extricate herself from Baron Swenton’s life and claim the elusive Prince Henrí?
Obviously, more than anyone would ever expect.
ISOLDE NEVILLE has been hired to serve as Satiné Aldridge’s
companion, but her loyalty rests purely with the lady’s husband. With regret,
she watches the baron struggle against the impossible situation in which Miss
Aldridge has placed him, while her heart desires to claim the man as her own.
Yet, Isolde is as honorable as the baron. She means to see him happy, even if
that requires her to aid him in his quest to earn Miss Satiné’s affections.
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Purchase A Touch of Honor at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Thanks for the opportunity to showcase my latest book, Anne.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
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