• The Tom Walsingham Mysteries
  • Clara who?
  • Stories
  • Contact

Scribblings

~ Clara Giuliani, storyteller

Scribblings

Tag Archives: historical novels

And Back Again

30 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by la Clarina in Things

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

#HNSScotland18, Historical Novel Society, historical novels, Margaret Skea, Scotland, Short Story Competition

Back home, and entirely thrilled about it all – that’s what I am!

HNSScotland18 was a wonderful conference: Margaret Skea did a wonderful job of putting together an array of seminars, panels, lectures and talks – with a fascinating Scottish slant. Thanks to Stevenson and Scott, I have a fondness for the Jacobite Risings, and therefore I loved hearing about them from Maggie Craig and Trevor Royle, crossing kilted re-enactors on my way about, and being piped into dinner was a novel-worthy moment… Besides, I met such lovely people, and pitched my novel to two very nice agents – who won’t represent me, but had many interesting, helpful, and flattering things to say about my writing.

And then…

Ah well, and then there was the Short Story Competition. Let me brag and boast a little here, because the fact is that I won the competition. Remember the story that would not be written? Well, I wrote it, in the end*. I cut it frighteningly close, but managed to submit it – and… won the competition. Continue reading →

Before and After

09 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by la Clarina in Books, History, Stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Annie Whitehead, Henslowe's Diary, historical novels, Internet, Mercedes Rochelle, Philip Henslowe, research

HensloweBWThere is no doubt that, when it comes to researching historical novels, there is a Before the Internet and an After the Internet.

I daresay the same applies to a lot of fields – but let me stick to mine: I’m old enough to remember a time when, if you were Italian and wanted, say, to read Henslowe’s Diary, your best option was a trip of several hundred kilometers – to read the book in Bologna or Venice, supposing someone had told you that Nineteenth Century copies of JP Collier’s edited version were to be found there at all*… Continue reading →

Underfictionalised

19 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by la Clarina in History, Stories

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Caravaggio, Historical characters, Historical fiction, historical novels, historical plays, Manfred von Hohenstaufen

Some historical characters seem so very, very perfect for fictional treatments, don’t they? Whether they have lived enormously interesting lives, full of drama and colour, or we know tantalizingly little about them – just enough to make us want to fill the gaps – they practically beg to be written. Continue reading →

The Flight of the Heron

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by la Clarina in Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

historical novels, Jacobite Risings, K. D. Broster, the Flight of the Heron, The Jacobite Trilogy, vacation

ReadingfIn the end, my Christmas Reading Vacation (henceforth CRV), boiled down to one book – the first volume of D.K. Broster‘s Jacobite Trilogy.

My choice fell on The Flight of the Heron because a stirring adventure in the Highlands seemed like fitting material for Christmas time, and I wasn’t disappointed.

To begin with, The Flight of the Heron is a colourful tale of derring-do, with two very different heroes. In spite of being orphaned at a young age, young laird Ewen Cameron has everything: a loving substitute family, an adoring clan, a lovely and plucky fiancée, an exquisite sense of honour – and he is even uncommonly handsome. He’d be at the risk of being insufferably perfect, if a sense of humour and a boyish touchiness weren’t there to redeem him. Continue reading →

Ink and Paper Waterloo

11 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by la Clarina in Books, History

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Battle of Waterloo, historical novels, Napoleonic era

wellington-waterlooTwo-hundred years… er, well: two-hundred years and three weeks ago. So it escaped my mind – but that’s not to say it wasn’t one of those battle that marked the end, and/or the beginning, of an era.

One of those battles that have a Before and an After… Continue reading →

Saint Lucia

13 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by la Clarina in Books, History, Stories

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

historical novels, Rosemary Sutcliff, Rudyard Kipling, Saint Lucia

santaluciaThe Baby Jesus – yes, and Santa Claus – yes, but in my corner of the world, the gift-bringer, the one children write to, and wait for is the old (or young) lady with the donkey: Saint Lucia.

I’m well past childhood but, being the youngest – and indeed, the only young-ish – member of my family, I still get Saint Lucia. In the morning of the thirteenth, I wake up to find my little coloured parcels, and a sinful plate of candy…

This year, together with an elephant-shaped mug and a lovely glass ornament for the Christmas tree, Saint Lucia has left for me two historicals by Rosemary Sutcliff who, in spite of being a children’s author, is a writer right up my alley – or so I’m told. Sutcliff

That she writes tales from British history and was inspired by Kipling’s works seems very promising. From the hastiest perusal of her extensive bibliography, Kipling’s influence is clear. Just have a look at title and synopses: they have Puck of Pook’s Hill written all over…

I also like what Sally Hawkins writes here about Sutcliff’s novels, and how they sparked off her love of history, and her lack of condescension towards younger readers… As I said, it’s all very promising. Then again, Saint Lucia is seldom wrong. So, no matter how the show goes tonight, I can anticipate coming home to a pleasant few hours of reading one of my new Sutcliffs.

Thank you, Saint Lucia.

Seek and Find

♠ THE TOM WALSINGHAM MYSTERIES

Available on Amazon
Available on Amazon

The Copperfield Review’s first anthology – containing Gentleman in Velvet

Recent Posts

  • January Blues
  • Guest-posting at The Writing Desk
  • The kids
  • All those words!
  • One of those weeks…

Popular Scribblings

  • Raising a bit of hell
  • Tales of the Mermaid Tavern
  • Turnus
  • Dante's Manfred
  • John Ballard, SJ
  • Little Shakespeareans

Categories

  • Books
  • Eccentricities
  • History
  • Lostintranslation
  • Poetry
  • Scribbling
  • Silents
  • Stories
  • Theatre
  • Things
  • Uncategorized

Enter your email address to get a messenger on horseback... er, an email will reach you by email when a new Scribbling is out.

Join 1,698 other subscribers

RSS Feeds

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

No Blog’s an Island

Sapere Books

 

IBA

International Bloggers' Association

I tweet on Twitter

And I pin on Pinterest

Senza Errori di Stumpa – my Italian blog

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Scribblings
    • Join 311 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Scribblings
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...