Historical Romance: A Transatlantic Conversation

 Solander gets MARINA OLIVER and TERESA ECKFORD to put their heads together over a few pertinent questions…

  What type of romantic historical fiction is popular (by this I mean style, literary or light, focus on war and politics or romance, physical setting such as towns or rural, wealthy or poor characters, and specific periods)

 a)      with editors?

 Marina Oliver (UK): Mainly 20th century, post WW2. For those set in earlier centuries, they like characters who are, if not major historical figures, people close to them. Sagas are still popular, but these tend to be “gritty, back street slum” settings, mainly 20th century.

 Teresa Eckford (N. America): Judging from the books I see on the shelves, there would appear to be almost a 50/50 split between the more historical/political style of novel and those who prefer the lighter costume style stories.  Poor characters seem to appear most in American frontier stories, while British set ones tend to feature mostly upper class characters with the occasional middle class hero and/or heroine creeping in.

 b)      with readers?

 MO: I suspect, from talking to readers and librarians, that readers would like a more varied selection, perhaps more Regencies and ancient world settings.

 TE: It seems by far the most popular periods are the Medieval, Regency and American West. Half like the more literary, heavy on the history and politics style romances and half just want the romance in fancy dress.

 Do you think there are fashions in romantic historical fiction?

 MO: Very definitely.  For a long time the 19th century was popular, especially with sagas, and before that we had gothics and Regencies, which are virtually non-existent now. There was a vogue for what I call fictional biographies, Margaret Irwin and Jean Plaidy, for example, and I see signs that this is perhaps reviving.

 TE: Periods go in and out of fashion all the time.  For a considerable amount of time in the 80s, American Civil War fiction was very popular, while now Scottish medievals and Regency-set historicals seem to dominate.

 Do most fiction publishers have a historical list, or publish many historicals?

 MO: Most fiction publishers produce some, but generally this is a small proportion of the total.

 TE: Yes, though the number varies from publisher to publisher.

 Are these one-off titles or category fiction (several per month, similar in style and length, marketed by product rather than author)?

 MO: They are normally in the mainstream, one-off titles, except for Harlequin Mills & Boon, who produce long category fiction. There is also My Weekly Story Collection, and many of the serials in People’s Friend, which are later published in book form, are historical.

 TE: For the most part, they’re one-off titles. Harlequin has a Historicals line that might be viewed by some as category, but the books do vary greatly in tone, style and depth of historical detail.

 Do they market all of them as historical fiction?

 MO: No. The more literary books, and many written by men, are aimed at the literary market, especially if the author is already known for literary work which is not historical.  And many war adventure stories by men are not referred to as historicals.

 TE: They market them as historical romance, NOT historical fiction.

 Have you any comment on the cover art?

 MO: Some is excellent, but saga covers are remarkably monotonous. For some reason these are usually exteriors, rarely interior pictures. Recently, presumably to imitate the trend for “twentysomething” contemporary books, historicals are being given similar covers – stark white backgrounds, vivid lettering, and “arty” illustrations which give very little indication of the book’s contents.

 TE: I personally do not like the more flamboyant “clinch” style covers. Though we would like to believe that books are not judged by their covers, unfortunately they still are. Some readers and writers feel that until clinches are eliminated there will still be people who insist that romance fiction is nothing more than soft porn for women, simply because they cannot conceive that underneath those covers are well-written, well-researched compelling stories. 

Are these novels well reviewed in the media?

 MO: The serious newspapers rarely review any romantic fiction, and historical fiction by women, unless by a literary author, suffers from this seeming aversion by literary editors. Women’s magazines and local papers are much more generous with reviews of popular fiction.

 TE: Some newspapers review romance fiction, usually written by romance writers.  The big name authors like Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney will often be reviewed in the mainstream press, especially Publishers Weekly. Midlist authors have a harder time, though if they send out good press releases and snag the interest of a fair-minded reporter they’ll often receive positive coverage, including a review.

 Do readers enjoy series about the same people, families, places?

 MO: Very much, and they sell well because once readers are hooked they usually want the rest of the series.  So this is good for publishers as well as authors.

 TE: Many readers do, yes.  Series are quite common.

 Do the writers and editors care about factual accuracy?

 MO: Sometimes I despair and think they don’t!  The truth is that many do, but too little care is taken by both writers and editors to check, and assumptions are made which are invalid. I’ve come across real howlers in many published books, and they are not simply factual errors, or anachronisms, but wrong interpretations of attitudes, social customs, or religious beliefs.

 TE: For the most part yes. However, almost any writer or editor will still tell you that the romance is still paramount. So occasionally events and facts can be fudged, though the majority of writers will include an Author’s Note explaining the reasons for the fudging.

 Do the readers care about historical accuracy?

MO: Many do. Many readers want to learn something painlessly, but if they catch the author out in some error they lose faith in that author. I’ve abandoned several authors because I can’t trust their factual detail.

TE: Many don’t know a lot of history in the first place, while some say as long as the romance and story are good they aren’t bothered by a few inaccuracies. However, there are some historical romance readers, like me, who DO care a great deal about inaccuracies and will often put down a book if they are too frequent and too glaring.

Do writers often use real historical characters as main or minor characters in their books?

MO: I’d guess less so now than they did twenty years ago.

TE: It appears that the majority of writers will at least include historical characters as minor characters in their books. Fewer will actually make them major characters. The real historical characters that do appear are usually the ones that are best known, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart, King John and Henry VIII. 

If a romantic historical novel is about a real figure, how does it differ from a biography, and are there advantages (or disadvantages) in this novelisation of a real life?

MO: A biography must rely on facts, and be about a whole life. It will also make judgements about character or the subject’s work. Novelists can select a short, dramatic period in that life, do not need to strive for a balanced view, and can invent dialogue and situations to illustrate their view of or interpretation of the character.

TE: It differs from a biography in that artistic license is usually taken when dealing with aspects of the subject’s life that aren’t well known. This is particularly true the further back in time one travels. Also, a historical romance novel will end at a happy point, even when it’s known that tragedy occurred later in that person’s life.

Do readers want to learn something about history? If so, could this be because of the way they were taught history at school?

MO: I think they do want to learn. Many older people found history at school uninspiring, a list of dry facts and dates and little about personalities. This was very dependent on the teacher. In the past few decades, English school history has concentrated far more on themes and empathy with the peasants than giving a structured framework to explain political and other developments.  The approach has tended to be very spasmodic. I believe passionately that unless one has a rough idea of chronology, one cannot appreciate the events and conditions of the time.

TE: Many readers are interested in learning some history from the novels they read. Others only want the historical backdrop and pretty costumes, preferring the focus to remain solely on the developing relationship between the hero and heroine. I know personally of several readers who have said they hated history at school, but became enthralled by it after reading historical romance fiction.

Do you think people have more curiosity in discovering their origins, or ancestry, now, and is this reflected in the school curriculum or the type of novels they read?  (Is history in North America, for instance, more concerned with domestic history since the 16th century and less with European and ancient? Does the history of Native Americans/Canadians come into the curriculum?)

MO:  In the UK family history, genealogical research, is more popular than ever, and the sources are more extensive, with the internet and many local history societies. Also, apart from novels, there is a much greater proliferation of memoirs and local history sources than used to be readily available. There are the re-enactment societies, which have grown a great deal recently, and many living history displays at stately homes, and many specialist historical museums, from reconstructions of villages to displays of buildings and artefacts. Not all of these are new, of course, but many are, or have been extended, and it’s my impression they are visited more frequently than in past years. I suggest the growth of interest in local history stimulates the demand for regional sagas, and early 20th-century novels which give details of how our parents and grandparents lived.

TE: From my survey, it seems that the people most interested in their origins and ancestry are at least in their 30s and older and it’s not really reflected in the school curriculum or the novels they read. Some might read novels that are set during the time and in the place of their ancestors, but most seem to read about certain periods just because they find them appealing. However, those who had teachers who introduced them to family history research responded enthusiastically. As for what is taught, again, it varies widely. The Americans I asked said that they learned mostly American history from the Revolution on, though some courses stopped before the Vietnam era. However, some did say that early civilizations were taught as well.  It doesn’t seem overly consistent.  None reported learning much about Canada.  Speaking for myself (a Canadian), in the 70s and early 80s, we were taught Canadian history from Jacques Cartier onwards, all the way through till almost contemporary times. We learned a great deal about the Native Canadians, the battle for dominance between France and England and both World Wars. As far as I can see, though, historical novels are not used as teaching tools, though it’s possible individual teachers might assign them as extracurricular reading. I checked out recommended resources for teachers and did not find any historical fiction included.

What help is there for aspiring historical novelists (How-To books, courses, organisations)?

MO: Not many How-To books, three to my knowledge, plus a few on doing research. This compares unfavourably with the plethora of books on general novel writing. There are a few courses specifically for historical novel writing, but most are more general, for novels. The Romantic Novelists’ Association has many historical novelists as members, and the New Writers’ Scheme gives appraisals for many unpublished historical novel scripts.

TE: I could not find any how-to books specifically for writers of historical romance fiction, though most of the how-to books for romance fiction have sections on writing historical romance. There are courses available on-line, some free and some not. As for organizations, I don’t know of one that is devoted to only historical romance fiction, but writers in the genre get a great deal of support through Romance Writers of America as a good percentage of members do write historical romance fiction.

Are there prizes (or competitions) available for published or unpublished novels?

MO: Some of the literary prizes (Booker, Whitbread, Orange) have been won by historical novels, as have others like the Betty Trask Awards and the Winifred Holtby and Lichfield prizes. For the Romantic Novelists’ Association Major Award for published novels about half the short-listed novels could be called historical.

TE: Yes, there are many prizes for both published and unpublished novels and historical romance is almost always a separate category. The biggest one is the Golden Heart contest run by Romance Writers of America.  First prize is a statue and the chance to have your work read by major editors who act as final round judges. Others offer money, certificates etc., but usually the most important aspect is having your work read by the final round judges who are often major editors or agents.d

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Marina Oliver, author of many historical romances, is a former chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She has also written books on writing, including the recent Writing Historical Fiction (How To Books UK). Her website is at http://freespace.virgin.net/marina.oliver/

Teresa Eckford is a member of Romance Writers of America.  She is a history graduate and has written romantic fiction and historical non-fiction. Her website is at http://www3.sympatico.ca/eckford/teresa.htm

 

Romantic Novelists’ Association

The RNA was established in 1960. Of the past 15 winners of its Romantic Novel of the Year Award, 8 were historicals and of the 20 chairmen, most have written historicals

Today there are around 650 members, including men and overseas members. Half are published novelists, the rest either Associate members (mainly agents and editors) or New Writers as yet unpublished in novel form. The RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme is the only such scheme run by a national group. Most years 3 or 4 novels attain publication this way, the best of which is awarded a prize.

Five of our former New Writers have been selected for the W.H. Smith Fresh Talent promotions, but none of them write historicals. Is this a comment on the state of the market and what the chain bookstores see as popular?

There is a quarterly Newsletter, and a weekly Cyber Chapter newsletter on the Internet.  Meetings are held six times a year in London, some of them Award ceremonies or parties, the rest having speakers. The Major Award is given at a lunch in April. There are regional chapters, day conferences in various parts of the country, and a weekend conference in July with lectures, workshops and discussions. We have a web site: www.rna-uk.org. For more information, contact me by phone or fax 01844 345 973, or email: marina.oliver@virgin.net. MO

Romance Writers of America

This summer I attended my first RWA National Conference, where I took part in three of the workshops for writers of historical romance.

Medieval Life in Three Dimensions was given by Lisa Hollis McCulley, a recreationist who, with her Markland group, demonstrated aspects of medieval life and answered questions. While I didn’t necessarily agree with their rather black-and-white attitude towards research, I found the workshop useful.

Authors Jill Limber and Terry Blain presented More Than Just Costume – History as Character. Though they gave out a wealth of information and made excellent points about incorporating history into your narrative, this was mainly for the beginner writer, or one moving from contemporary novels to historicals.

The highlight for me was Writing About England by authors Jo Beverley and Margaret Evans Porter, whose main gist was that readers, especially British ones, get extremely frustrated when North American writers don’t get the details right in their British-set historicals. They provided solid information about British geography, law, history and culture and dispelled some common myths. They also stressed how important getting the details right is to the craft of historical romance – if your readers don’t believe in your setting and history, they might have problems relating to your characters as well.

It would be nice to see more sessions geared to the historical writer. But despite the popularity of historical romance, I believe that contemporary writers are still in the majority. RWA website: www.rwanational.com. TE